Future Diablo 4 Seasons Should Remove One Hurdle

Summary

Diablo 4's first season, Season of the Malignant, has brought exciting new content, but there are controversial changes that Blizzard needs to address before the next season.
Currently, players are required to complete the main campaign before accessing the seasonal content, which could turn away new players and potentially harm the game in the long run.
Players should have the choice to start with the basic campaign or jump into the latest content, as the main campaign is not necessary to enjoy the seasonal experience, and forcing players to replay it may lead to burnout and frustration.

After an exciting first month, Diablo 4's first season is finally here. Season of the Malignant brings with it a whole new story, new mechanics, countless tweaks, and the game's first ever battle pass. While some of the changes have been very controversial, the seasonal content has mostly delivered. If this season is a success, then there will likely be loads more Diablo 4 seasons on the way, but Blizzard may need to change some things before it kicks off season two.

Not only does Blizzard need to rectify some of Diablo 4 season one's initial mistakes, but it also needs to remove a pretty large barrier. Anyone that wants to create a Season of the Malignant character must complete the main campaign first. While it makes sense that players should have a basic understanding of the lore and mechanics before jumping in, it also prevents newcomers from accessing the latest content right away. This approach could push possible players away and may hurt the game in the long run, but that could be avoided with one simple change.

Diablo 4's Seasons Should Be Accessible to Everyone

When new players boot up Diablo 4, they may want to check out the latest content that the game has to offer. The entire battle pass is tied to the seasonal structure, the newest mechanics are exclusive to seasonal characters, and the focus of the post-launch support seems to be on these seasons. Everything about Diablo 4 seems to be centered around this concept, but players cannot check it out until they finish the story. While the main campaign is great, putting restrictions like this on players is not.

Diablo 4 players should be allowed to choose how they want to play the game from the get-go. If they want to start in the basic Diablo 4 campaign then they should, but if they want to experience the game with the newest content then they should be able to choose that. They should not be forced to play through a version of the game that they do not want to. Not only will removing this choice limit the appeal of the game for new players, but it could also lead to some burn out among the playerbase.

Season of the Malignant is practically the same experience as the main Diablo 4 campaign with a couple new additions and mechanics. The core gameplay is identical, the world of Sanctuary has very few changes, and nothing about it requires previous knowledge. While veteran players will be able to jump into this new mode right away, newcomers are forced to level up a different character before they access the new content. After spending hours grinding out the story, they may not want to do it all over again just to unlock some cosmetics. They may also run out of time before the season ends and will be forced to wait for the next season instead.

While the Season of the Malignant questline may take place after the fall of Lilith, that does not mean players should be forced to finish the campaign before jumping in. It would make sense if the campaign was locked to the base game, but season one characters can still playthrough it. This makes the decision to lock the seasons behind a restriction seem strange, and it is something that should not be carried over to the next one. If Blizzard wants an easy win after a controversial update, then simply lifting this restriction may help anyone looking to take the leap into Sanctuary.