This weekend's early access beta for Diablo 4 (opens in new tab) got off to a totally predictable rough start as players struggled with overly long queue times (opens in new tab) and unstable stability. Shortly after the start, Blizzard reported "issues affecting the authentication server" and revealed that logins could take a long time and fail.

Even we were not spared.

But once things calmed down and stabilized somewhat, the whole thing actually went quite well. There were, of course, individual problems, complaints, and the odd bug like the infinitely lootable corpse (opens in new tab), but there were no major service issues or downtime, and by Saturday morning most people were able to get in with minimal wait times and stay connected after entry.

More important than basic functionality, however, seems to be the general consensus that the beta was good. It was really good, and while Diablo 3 drew a lot of flak for its auction house, it also drew sharp criticism for its bright, colorful visual style that contrasted sharply with the gloomy, bleak atmosphere of the previous two games. Keith Lee, the lead producer of Diablo 3, was interviewed in 2008 by MTV (open in new tab) that the "stylized" new look was "kind of a Blizzard philosophy" and that they "pushed the envelope in terms of visuals to make everyone excited about every look. While it was certainly a bold move, it bore little resemblance to Diablo and left many fans cold.

Diablo 4, at least from what we've seen in the beta (the prologue and first act allow players to reach level 25), seems to have made a much more positive first impression. [Redditor DogSoggy441 (opens in new tab) writes in the Diablo 4 subreddit." I followed the developer blogs and leaks closely, nodding and smiling at each one. I felt this was their A-team and that they would come out with a very solid product; it seems Blizzard is back to its old self."

Posts like this tend to invite vicious backlash from those with a grudge against one point or another, but that didn't really happen here. Instead, there was a great deal of agreement, both in this thread and in others. Here's a partial list:

Many similar reactions to the announcement of the beta closure on Twitter (opens in new tab):

Lots of complaints, but they seem to be relatively minor: repeated dungeon design, need for ultimate-only ability slots, complaints about font and UI, that sort of thing. complaints about fonts and UI, that sort of thing. And while it was a fairly intensive beta test, we only played a small portion of the overall game. But unlike its recent predecessor, and Diablo Immortal (open in new tab), which caused an immediate and furious backlash as well as Diablo 3, there seems to be a deep and genuine excitement for Diablo 4.

"The only thing that makes me sad this weekend is knowing that we have to wait almost two more months for real progress to begin," redditor wegbored (opens in new tab) wrote, capturing a sentiment shared by many. 'But I'm very excited.

The Diablo 4 open beta (opens in new tab), which anyone can jump in and play, is set to begin March 24 at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET and run through March 27 at 12 p.m. PT. Preload began two days ago on March 22 at 9 a.m. PT. to be held on March 22 at 9:00 a.m. PT.