The PTR (Public Test Realm) kicked off last week, and players are now sharing their thoughts on the endgame and system changes Blizzard announced during the recent Campfire Chat. While there are some exciting improvements, the community also raises serious concerns about gear, difficulty scaling, and overall progression.
Positives: Smoother Gameplay and Quality of Life
Players appreciate that the game feels less punishing, even though it has not become easier. The update makes Diablo 4’s pace more welcoming, and leveling feels smoother in that regard. CyberTarekOnReddit pointed out that many players are now leveling through more diverse activities such as running strongholds and whispers, which were previously pretty much ignored while leveling.
The Pit and Nightmare Dungeons updates give both activities real purpose, and the changes to the Paragon system and glyphs provide solid power scaling. Most of us agree that the revamped Paragon UI is more intuitive and easier to navigate. The Skill Tree overhaul also offers more ways to choose your passives, and players are enjoying the adjustments made to ultimate skills.
Blizzard also introduced some highly requested Quality-of-Life features. You can now set a favorite town portal, access the wardrobe from anywhere, use a new Party Finder, and find useful new inventory tabs. On top of that, there are fun customization options like added pigments for transmogs, new hairstyles, and more!
Negatives: Gear and Itemization Issues
However, players are experiencing significant issues with gear. Many report that item power has dropped across the board, and valuable gear drops are scarce, even after reaching Level 60. Ancestral Legendaries are especially rare, and when they do drop, they often are not useful. Diggitydave76 noted on Reddit that the current drop rates feel off, with Mythic Uniques being easier to obtain than valuable Ancestral Legendaries. The itemization system, which Blizzard had fine-tuned during Seasons 4 and 5, now feels disrupted.
Gameplay slows noticeably in higher difficulties. Torment 3 already feels sluggish, and players worry that Torment 4 might be out of reach without perfect gear. But with the current drop rates, getting that gear is extremely difficult.
The restriction on Tempering (only 1 temper) and Masterworking (only to rank 4) items with item power under 800 also slows progression, preventing you from reaching harder content. Runewords, a feature that the community had very high hopes for, feels like a missed opportunity. DaBrownBull shared on Discord that Runes are disappointing in terms of the lack of creativity. Runewords should have been a way to introduce more effects or fun interactions rather than just more damage.
Last but not least, players find grinding Paragon points to be a longer, more tedious process now that they are account-wide. Ignition remarked on Discord that the system feels slow and unrewarding, suggesting that playing in higher Torment should be made more beneficial.
Feedback Highlights Gearing Concerns
The overall feedback from the PTR has been underwhelming. While most of us welcome the many quality-of-life improvements and skill tree changes, the new difficulty system and gear issues are causing frustration. Itemization, which had reached a sweet spot in Seasons 4 and 5, now feels slower and less rewarding. Although players are looking forward to Vessel of Hatred, the new Spiritborn class, and campaign content, many feel less motivated to grind through the endgame for future seasons.
