The players of Diablo 4 are in search of meaningful incentives to recapitulate the game's campaign. They specifically long for fresh rewards to make their gaming experience more satisfying or increased difficulty levels during the third season.
Diablo 4 stands out from its predecessors in a unique way. Once the campaign is conquered on either Normal or Veteran difficulties, the game offers little appeal to be replayed during the seasonal content. Completion of the campaign is mandatory for players to proceed to the Seasonal Journey. However, creating new characters in subsequent seasons comes with minimal inducement for replaying the campaign.
When a new season commences, players are presented with an option to bypass the campaign and dive straight into the seasonal content. Access to this content is only granted after the completion or skipping of the campaign. As this process can be time-consuming, averaging over 20 hours, most players opt to sidestep it for more efficient ways of reaching level 50 and accessing the new content. This expeditious strategy saves them considerable time.
However, parts of Diablo 4's campaign are arguably some of the most engaging content in the game. This makes it an appealing element when juxtaposed to the often lackluster Seasonal Journey. Some players have expressed their desire for Blizzard, the game's developer, to make the replaying of the campaign more appealing. They suggest the introduction of additional motivations when a new season begins as a viable solution.
Player suggestions range from allowing a campaign replay on the higher difficulty tiers, such as Nightmare and Torment, to incorporating seasonal quests as part of the storyline. Such changes could potentially elevate the gaming experience, adding more depth and challenges to the game.
Indeed, the gaming community has been vocal on various platforms about these desired enhancements. A player expressed this sentiment on one forum: “This would be the best, so who wants the old Diablo 2 style can replay it but in an accelerated rate”.
The idea of providing enhanced rewards for replaying story quests each season has also gained traction. One player commented, “They should do some sort of campaign+ mode with extra challenges and better rewards if you’ve already completed it. I actually did enjoy the story when it first came out.”
On the other hand, a section of the Diablo 4 community contends that the primary objective of gaming is to have fun. Their argument posits that those interested in replaying the campaign should do so for the enjoyment, rather than any rewards associated. As one player mentioned, “Do you have a group of friends to play with? Other than that, yeah, you’ll level up faster if you skip, but who cares? If you want to play the campaign, do it. It’s not like 3 months is not enough time.”
How Blizzard will respond, if at all, to these varied overt expressions from its player community remains to be seen. The current version of the Diablo 4 campaign may appear redundant for players already familiar with the storyline. A revamp that includes more challenging tasks and novel rewards, as suggested by some players, could substantially rejuvenate the campaign's appeal.
The plots of seasonal quests only advance the story in minor ways. Players in anticipation of significant story progression would have to wait for the release of the 'Vessel of Hatred DLC'. This is predicted to be the next major story expansion in Diablo 4.