Those who have gotten far enough into Diablo 4 to hit the PvP zone aren’t happy with getting “spawnkilled” when trying to enter the zone and have called out the “unbalanced” PvP offering.
Though PvP was a big part of Diablo during the heyday of Diablo 2’s original release, it has since become much less of a priority for the series. While Diablo 3 did technically have PvP, there wasn’t much focus placed on the small side arena players could challenge each other in.
Diablo 4 has taken a more honest stab at finding a balanced way to implement PvP via having zones where players can fight over and extract resources that can be used to acquire new equipment. It’s vaguely reminiscent of the extraction type of PvP players have experienced in games like Tarkov and The Division’s Dark Zone.
Some players are unhappy with the mode so far, with many voicing their opinion on how unbalanced the mode can be and claiming that it’s weighted heavily toward players who have already reached high levels.
Diablo 4’s PvP zone slammed by players: “Welcome to hell”
For most Diablo players, PvE is the main pull of the game. Whether they’re trying to run through the campaign solo or want to get through big challenges like Strongholds and World Events with their friends, there’s a ton of PvE content on offer for players to get through.
However, most would be forgiven for not even knowing that Diablo 4 had a PvP mode in it. Players don’t usually encounter PvP until they’re a good ways into their playthrough seeing as both areas designated for fighting other players are a bit off the beaten path for main story content.
Many of those who have participated in PvP didn’t come out with a good impression.
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In a rather sarcastic post on the Diablo 4 subreddit, a player shared their experience of getting “one shot” by a “Kyle” who is “covered in sweat and Doritos dust, as he heads back to town waiting for the next noob to show up.”
Players have heavily criticized the mode for heavily favoring players who got in early and grinded, perfecting their builds and waiting for newer players to jump into the zone and give it a shot.
Those in the replies either weren’t fans of the idea of the PvP mode or just don’t care to compete with other players in a game they bought primarily for its PvE offering. A great deal of players weren’t surprised to find that the mode was “unbalanced“.
It was also pointed out that balancing the zones in a way that nerfs max level players wouldn’t feel great for them either, especially if they put hours into developing a strong build. This seems to be a tricky problem to solve.
It remains to be seen if PvP gets any balance changes in the future.