Blizzard Says Repetitive Dungeon Design in "Diablo 4" is Intentional

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Blizzard Says Repetitive Dungeon Design in "Diablo 4" is Intentional

Criticism of the low variety of dungeons in the beta version of Diablo 4 (opens in new tab) is strictly a beta issue, according to the game's lead developer.

In the recent Diablo 4 pre-order beta, the dungeons (opens in new tab) kept the same layout no matter how many times you played. As players adventured through the beta with multiple characters, they began to notice the similarities and began calling them "repetitive" (open in new tab) and "linear" (open in new tab).

According to game director Joe Shely in an interview with NME (opens in new tab), the repetitive dungeon design is due to the beta being limited to one area of an open world game.

"There are over 100 dungeons in the game, many of which are not in Fractured Peaks.

"As you level up your character, you'll be adventuring through a variety of dungeons, not just the same dungeon over and over again.

Sherry further explained that the dungeons in Diablo 4 are not necessarily about exterminating demons. Some dungeons require placing objects on an altar, defeating a boss at the end, or completing an event in order to progress. Of course, the beta will only allow you to experience a small portion of this."

General Manager Rod Fergusson also told NME that Diablo 4's dungeons have a "sense of place" compared to the randomly generated Greater Rifts of the previous game. He also said that Blizzard will "continue to iterate on dungeons and other features" after the game launches on June 6.

In a Reddit thread (opens in new tab) about Fergusson and Shelley's separate interview with Eurogamer (opens in new tab), fans expressed frustration with the comments about the dungeon and expressed They are concerned that the game will not be released in the next three months. One user (opens in new tab) who says they participated in the end-game beta says that the dungeons they experienced did not change much.

Shely told Eurogamer that the Fractured Peaks region of the beta covers "about 20% of the overworld" and that the dungeons are intentionally similar to tie them to their location in the world.

"People are seeing dungeons at baseline levels," Fergusson added.

Diablo 4's next beta (opens in new tab) is open to everyone and begins this Friday.

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