The Diablo 4 monkey's paw curls as the RPG's 'impossible' endgame content turns out to be a massive grind with frustrating difficulty spikes
Diablo 4's brand-new endgame content, billed as a challenge that almost no-one would be able to complete, is living up to the hype - but not in a way that players actually appear to be enjoying.
Back in November, well-known Diablo streamer Wudijo said he'd had an early look at the Abattoir of Zir endgame event - which has just made its way to Diablo 4 with the latest update - at BlizzCon 2023. Back then, he said that "nobody is supposed to finish" the mode's final tier. To even access it, you'll need to have completed every aspect of the Season Journey, and once you're in, you'll only have ten minutes to clear enough enemies to summon and defeat the final boss. After you complete one tier, you'll move onto the next, up to tier 25, with each new tier increasing the strength of the monsters you fight.
As you play, you'll upgrade the unique Tears of Blood Glyph, which Blizzard says is "essential" to making meaningful progress in the mode. However, the glyph also requires "significantly" more experience to upgrade than a normal Diablo 4 Paragon glyph, so getting it to its level 50 cap seems to be a serious challenge.
That challenge seems to be putting players off to such an extent that some are suggesting they simply won't bother with the Abattoir. Streamer Raxxanterax is said to have told viewers that it will take "an average of 325 hours" to max the glyph, a time investment that one player on Reddit described as "absolutely insane" in comparison to the amount of time it takes to level an entire character to 100, especially since the glyph will no longer be available in eight weeks' time.
That sentiment was shared elsewhere, with another player suggesting that "that goal is completely out of reach, and it totally killed my drive to even do the content." Another suggested that "the mindless grind of a single glyph" is boring enough that it doesn't even really cater to most hardcore players. A lack of depth in the system, beyond a "hamster wheel" approach to progression is putting players off.
And that seems to be the crux of the issue. As one player puts it, the Abattoir isn't actually hard, as some might have hoped from Wudijo's comments, it's just a lengthy grind where you can get one-shot by final bosses if you're not careful, instantly ending even strong runs. Luck of the draw seems to be a substantial aspect of making your way through early tiers, with some suggesting it's a 'one-shot or be one-shot' system.
That's not actually satisfying in many cases, but you can see how it might have reared its head. Around the time that Diablo 4 Season 1 nerfed many fan-favorite aspects of the game, much community sentiment revolved around the fact that playtime is a significant metric for Blizzard. The community has broadly praised the about turn that the Diablo team has undergone in recent weeks, but you can see why the developers would be looking for 'hardcore', time-consuming endgame content to keep those engagement numbers high. There's every chance that aspects of the Abattoir get fine-tuned over the next few weeks, especially given Blizzard's openness about the game, but it's certainly an unfortunate stumble.
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