Diablo 4 players think they know how to fix the game but they’re wrong

Diablo 4 players think adding more endgame content will make the game more interesting and alleviate their boredom, but it’s only a temporary fix.

Each time a new season of Diablo 4 rolls around, players clamor for more endgame content, usually a new mode to play to spice things up. This works for a time, but after a while, the same malaise sets in, and as players grow bored or disillusioned with that last challenge, they call for another, and the whole cycle repeats itself.

We’ve seen this happen multiple times now, with various different endgame activities, so I see no reason why this would be any different if Blizzard added yet another. Some players seem to be waiting for that one magic mode to come along and fix everything, but I’m here to tell you that’s a fantasy, and the game’s issues run much deeper.

More endgame modes are not the answer

When Diablo 4 was released, it had a generous amount of endgame modes, and Season 1 helped them come alive. The Tree of Whispers, Helltides, World Bosses, and Nightmare Dungeons were all worthwhile tasks. They still can be, even as we barrel toward Season 8, just each one works best in moderation.

Whispers got a much-needed shot in the arm in Season 7, and it looks like bosses will get similar treatment in Season 8, but I don’t see this breaking the cycle. Season 4 added the Pitt, followed by Infernal Hordes in Season 5, with the Vessel of Hatred expansion adding Kurast Undercity and the Dark Citadel, yet still, players call for more things to do.

Diablo 4 needs more than just another endgame mode – it needs to make us feel something again. Let’s be honest: as fun as the various activities are, each one boils down to just killing loads of mobs quickly, seeing what loot you got, and doing it all again. This was always going to get boring eventually. There are only so many times Blizzard can slap a cool name on the same tasks and call it a new endgame activity.

I’ve argued in the past that Diablo was better when it was about completing quests and that now there will be fewer expansions; seasons need to evolve before they alienate some players forever. Both these views still hold true, but it all comes down to one thing: Players are looking for motivation to keep coming back to Diablo 4, and some have looked in the wrong places for far too long.

The Diablo community has deluded itself into thinking that doing the same things over and over is what they want and the cracks are beginning to show. There’s a reason why some fans are calling for a return to “the good old days” when Diablo was a simpler series, one driven by its narrative, rather than endlessly starting new characters and chasing better loot. There needs to be more to it.

Driving Diablo forward

Adding new endgame content only plasters over the cracks for a while, but they always resurface. I look at games like Avowed, an experience that made its story and quests the priority. I did plenty of grinding in pursuit of levels and better loot, but my motivation was always to find out what happened next. Once I did everything there was to do, I felt deflated but then rejoiced at the news of a future content roadmap.

You see, before that announcement, I had no reason to continue with Avowed after I had seen the credits. But now that I know more adventures are coming, I’ll absolutely keep playing to hunt down all those missing Totem Fragments and push to the level cap. The game has hardly anything to do in endgame, and I’ve finished all the quests, but there are still places I need to explore and random encounters waiting to be discovered.

In short, Avowed is giving me the motivation to keep playing. While there’s a dearth of meaningful content right now, the promise of more is enough. When it comes to Diablo 4, it’s missing that special sauce, and I think that’s because it doesn’t seem to be moving forward; instead, it’s happy to just tread water.

The players are the ones who’ve enabled this, so it’s no wonder Blizzard has continued to do it. Vessel of Hatred proved that when Diablo 4 does move forward, there’s absolutely nothing more fun to play, but as soon as this momentum halts, so does player motivation. Sure, it will need to add some new endgame modes in time, but this needs to be alongside more meaningful content – like it was in Vessel of Hatred.

The addition of Belial in Season 8 should represent a massive shake-up in Diablo 4, this guy is trouble, and think of all the creative avenues such a return should send the game down. However, as he’s just a seasonal villain, he’s probably just going to come and go without any bearing on the overall narrative. I hope I’m proved wrong. I’m desperate to be.

But as for right now? No, you don’t need more endgame modes in Diablo 4. What you need is something more consequential to help you rediscover your passion for the game. Diablo 4 needs content, that’s for sure, but without motivation, it’s more like Purgatory than Hell – and 2026 is going to be a long wait until the next expansion.