Relationships can be hard—that’s not a secret—and I’ve no doubt that some can be more trying than others. Everyone in their life has that one relationship, be it a friend, partner, sibling, or any other option you choose, that just takes a little more effort and patience to deal with. Mine is Diablo 4.

Sometimes, that can make it exciting; other times, it can be mind-numbingly aggravating. You fight, you makeup, you argue, you passionately express your love—it’s a whole swing and roundabout. The same can be said for your favorite games, which can bring you equal parts joy and sadness—for me, that’s Diablo 4. This is the story of a man and his rocky relationship with the demon-slaying juggernaut – warts and all.

Blissful Beginnings in Diablo 4

Like any good relationship story, let’s start with those blissful first moments. Picture this: a young man who has a fondness for gaming, one who enjoys a bit of challenge but also wants to enjoy his pastime with relative ease. The young man is me, in case that wasn’t clear.

I was looking for something special, something I could really commit to, show my love to, and give all my attention to for years to come. Alas, I could not find that special someone and was adrift in a sea of uncertainty until April 2023.

Tall, dark, demonic, plenty of step-on-me mommy energy, and a total badass, I found my new muse; Lilith. More specifically, I found Diablo 4, the ARPG juggernaut from Blizzard, which was slowly approaching its June release date. This wasn’t my first encounter with the series; we’d had a thing in the past in our youth with Diablo 3, and years later, I enjoyed a little hook-up here and there with Diablo Immortal, which I’m still unsure if I should feel guilty for or not. It had been fun, and we enjoyed our time together, but life happened, and we grew apart, ultimately calling it quits a few years ago.

After all those years, seeing Diablo again was a trip, but something was different this time. She seemed more mature, and slick, and my attention was quickly drawn to this new demon mommy-fronted entry to the series. Over the next few months, we flirted. A preview here, a beta test there, some odd interview, all foreplay leading up to the main event, launch week.

It was like it was meant to be. All the previews had whet my appetite, and now, as I committed to the new adventure, we were both firing on all cylinders. The gameplay was fun and deep, the world felt gritty and interesting, and the story… Ok, well, maybe some parts were a bit rough, but it didn’t dampen a stellar experience I thoroughly enjoyed.

Finding loot and slaying hordes of demons had never felt so good. Customization was plentiful, and it laid the foundation for a strong, healthy relationship. Were there a few issues? Sure, but I could accept them along with all the good. Diablo 4 was my lady, and I loved her so much.

And then season 1, Season of the Malignant, came along…

Honeymoons Over

It was now July, and me and Diablo were doing good. We enjoyed endgame grinding and a little experimentation with builds, but it was time for us to take our relationship to the next level.

Being a live-service game, I knew Diablo 4 would be getting seasonal content, and I accepted that towards the beginning of our relationship. It sounded rather appealing: a chance to try new things and deepen our bond—who wouldn’t want that? But it was around this time that Diablo started to make some questionable decisions, and honestly, they were quite the turn-off.

First came the major season 1 patch, 1.1.0, which took me by surprise. With one swift move, the game became more of a slog than before, with changes to the endgame and exp gains that made it take even longer to level up and progress. Classes also got major nerfs, making the whole experience less fun and more like work. It was a gut punch to be sure, and felt like the game was testing my love. Was I good enough to stick it out? Did I have enough patience to outlast their slow and sluggish progression? I wasn’t sure, but I felt determined to do so, almost like proving myself to someone I shouldn’t have to.

But that wasn’t the only misstep Diablo 4 made, because right after that shock and revelation came the season 1 content – and it was, for lack of a better term, shit. It felt like a betrayal like my love had been tossed aside and stepped on, and I wasn’t happy, not one bit.

Little substance was added to the game during its first season aside from some lackluster powers in the Malignant Hearts and a few extra activities, all of which felt like afterthoughts, with the battle pass being the only somewhat saving grace. Still, that pretty exterior couldn’t hide what was underneath. My lady had become harsh, tiring, and cold, which led to an upsetting situation, and ultimately, we went on a break.

It wasn’t a choice I was happy with; it broke my heart, but I had to escape the monotony and lack of respect it showed me. We grew apart, and went our separate ways for a while, until one day, Diablo and Lilith came knocking again, looking for my forgiveness.

Round Two, Season Two

When Diablo 4 came back into my life, it came in a blood-drenched package. I’m talking, of course, about the game’s second season, The Season of Blood. It was August 2023, and the season reveal during Gamescoms caught my ear, surprising me more than anything, considering she wasn’t even halfway through Season of the Malignant. At first, it seemed to be attention seeking, a desperate ploy to lure me back into her web or grinding and frustration, but I kept a healthy distance and observed. Perhaps I was holding out hope or knew deep down I wanted us to try again.

I knew she had been working on herself while I was away, reverting changes and fixing the problems she made, but at this point, I was burned, and I couldn’t bring myself to welcome her back just yet. Then the floodgates opened, and she was saying all the right things.

New endgame content with the endgame bosses, quality-of-life improvements to multiple systems like gems, stash, damage types, and progression would carry over between seasons, FINALLY. It was too perfect, but it was real, and just like that I opened my arms and welcomed her in again.

The season began, and it was an intense affair like all that pent-up energy was unleashed at once, all thanks to the new content and updates. The vampiric powers – exquisite and fun to use. The Blood Harvest event – engaging, worthwhile, and fun to grind for hours. Progression felt better, the game more exciting, and everything was going great. So good, in fact, that it was my first time completing a battle pass in my life. I played that much and then some, and it kept giving me the goods I wanted.

I was on cloud nine and felt like I was never coming down. Diablo 4 was back to the way I knew her. It was like being in heat. I couldn’t wait to play and spend hours with her, completing every task and piece of content I could. It was good again, and we were happy.

I Can’t Keep Doing This

It was going great. Regular sessions, time invested, plenty of loot, all that jazz, but I knew that the Season of Blood had to end sometime. It filled me with excitement, not dread, as the season began to draw to its end. It was time for us to move to the next stage of our relationship with Season 3, and I was ready.

So I waited. And waited. I did a little more waiting. But Diablo started to be cold. She wouldn’t communicate, and the closer the season’s end approached, the more unsure I was of what was to come, and the good faith we had built wavered. What was coming next? What was season 3? Were there any major changes I should know about? I didn’t know, and it bothered me, but once again, my love clouded my judgment, and I held out hope.

Then came the reveal. The Season of the Construct, the next step in Diablo 4‘s live service efforts. It came a little close to the start date before I knew what I was in for, and that should have been a warning sign in itself, but I settled down and listened to what she had to say.

So she talked, told me about the new focus for the season, what I could expect: a new robotic companion to aid me, new trap-focused dungeons called Vaults, new currencies, and a battle pass with cool-looking items. But the more she told me, the more I saw that same sense of uncertainty and misdirection again. This time, I wasn’t angry, I wasn’t frustrated, I was disappointed.

By this point, while I loved her, I knew some issues I would need to learn to deal with, at least for the foreseeable future. Itemization wasn’t great, I knew that, it wasn’t a major issue at first, but it wasn’t getting fixed, and it became quite the ick over time. Add to that some odd balancing at times and the still questionable choices with some content like Nightmare Dungeons, enemy density, Helltides, and it all had added up by this point. They had been annoyances, but now they couldn’t be ignored.

Add to that the lackluster season, with boring new content and a useless robotic companion, and I was disconnected again. She tried to fix it quickly, with patches 1.3.0a and 1.3.1, to improve Vaults and content and make the companion feel like an actual worthwhile feature, but to no avail.

I couldn’t be angry, I was just deflated. It felt like Diablo 4 had forgotten all the good things she had done, the things that made me love her, and it pained me to see her slipping into the state it was in. It was better than before, but still not great.

It was time for another break, and I hate to say, I felt my eyes begin to wander. I started to look for another ARPG to satisfy me. Last Epoch, Path of Exile, Lost Ark—I checked them all, even crossed the threshold and put some hours into them, but they couldn’t hold my attention like Diablo. In the back of my mind, I still held out that Diablo 4 would see the error of her ways and course correct again. But at the time, I just needed my fix.

Where Do We Go From Here, Diablo 4?

So, where are we now? Well, as I type these words, I’m in two minds about mine and Diablo 4‘s relationship.

On the one hand, I’m tired of the one-step forward, two-step-back pace it’s going at. Every time we are committed, she gets scared and runs away or sabotages a good thing. I understand that commitment is hard, but Diablo doesn’t need to hurt me in the process. On the other hand, she’s telling me about all the changes she wants to make for herself, and my god do they sound amazing.

Itemizations reworks, more systems like Tempering and Masterworking to further refine your gear and build with more control. New content, and changes to existing mechanics like Helltides, which can finally be done in World Tier 1 and 2. Stat reworks, and so much more. It’s near perfect; she is ready for this to be the real deal, and I so want to believe her. She even hosted a Public Test Realm, FINALLY letting me see what she’s cooking and help give feedback to make it better.

However, I can’t help but hesitate. It sounds exactly like what I have been yearning for, but with our track record, can I truly trust her again? Is this all smoke and mirrors? I’m not sure, and it bothers me. Hell, I don’t even know what Season 4 is going to be. How can I commit if I don’t know what’s next? Or even be sure this is all going to work out?

I’m not, but as toxic as this relationship may be, I want it to work. Diablo and I are going to take it slow; perhaps it’s for the best. Who knows, maybe this time we’ll work it out for good.