Diablo 4got off to a pretty strong start when it was first released in June 2023, but after a few post-launch updates, the game became mired in controversy. The first season of Blizzard’s isometric action RPG, formally titledSeason of the Malignant, was met with universal backlash from diehardDiablofans, in large part because of the sweeping changes it made to the class builds in the game. Not only were the Sorcerer and Barbarian classes nerfed, but XP gains for killing high-level monsters were downgraded, and some endgame activities were adjusted to become far harder than they originally were.Season of the Malignantquite literally turnedDiablo 4into a slog, and it was met with so much criticism that Blizzard quickly reworked the game to address player feedback in subsequent seasons.
AlthoughDiablo 4still has some problems, its recent patches have been received far better by fans compared to Season 1. The game’s updates have added more content instead of nerfing existing features as of late, and its next patch seems to continue that trend.Diablo 4’s upcoming seventh season hasn’t been officially revealed yet, but it’s going to bring with it a bunch of noteworthy features that players may enjoy, such as new Witchcraft powers, much-needed quality-of-life features, andmore uniques for all classes. Season 7 doesn’t have a release window just yet, but it should be launched shortly after January 21, the day that Season 6 will end. Regardless of the exact date, Blizzard seems to have timedDiablo 4’s upcoming update perfectly, as it won’t have to compete face-to-face withPath of Exile 2.
Blizzard May Have Chosen the Right Time To Launch Diablo 4’s Next Season
Diablo 4’s Biggest Competitor, Path of Exile 2, is the Talk of the Town Right Now
If there’s one game that’s managed to go toe-to-toe withMarvel Rivalsin terms of popularity this month, it’sPath of Exile 2. Developed by the New Zealand-based company Grinding Gear Games,Path of Exile 2is the belated sequelto the free-to-play ARPGPath of Exile, which came out more than 10 years ago. Both of thePoEgames are heavily inspired by theDiabloseries, not just in terms of visuals but in gameplay loop as well. Players must create unique builds to hack, slash, and fight their way through hordes of demons and other dark fantasy monsters.
Path of Exile 2was released in early access on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on December 6, and so far, it’s been doing incredibly well. Even though the game currently costs $30, unlike its free-to-play predecessor, its player counts are through the roof. On just Steam alone,Path of Exile 2had more than 570k playersin the week of its release, and it’s still going strong several days later. Despite being in early access, the game is overstuffed with content, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s maintaining most of its player base.
According to HowLongToBeat,Path of Exile 2’s main campaign will take players at least 30 hoursto complete, but in order to finish most of the side content, they will have to play for somewhere between 40 and 70 hours. This, on its own, is similar in length toDiablo 4’s story mode, butPath of Exile 2surprisingly has a lot more to offer. The current build of Grinding Gear Games' latest game only includes half of its campaign. The rest of the game’s story content will be released whenPath of Exile 2leaves early access sometime in 2025.
Launching Diablo 4 Season 7 in Late January Will Give Players Time to Finish Path of Exile 2
Considering how popularPath of Exile 2is, it wouldn’t be a smart move for Blizzard to releasea major new update forDiablo 4just a few days after its launch. ManyDiablofans are currently occupied withPoE 2now, and are probably not going to check out any new content that Blizzard’s action RPG has to offer for at least a couple of weeks. That’s why it’s probably best forDiablo 4’s seventh season to launch in late January, since a lot of gamers will be done withPath of Exile 2’s main campaign by then.
Diablo 4
WHERE TO PLAY
Diablo® IV is the ultimate action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or explore an expansive end game and shared world where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle world bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play, cross-progression, and couch co-op on Xbox.This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon.
