Vessel of Hatred Spiritborn Interview with Rob2628 - "I was hoping for Paladin, but Spiritborn gameplay is amazing!"

Diablo IV Posted 2024/07/19 at 1:08 PM by Tharid

Disclaimer: This one-on-one spoken interview was lightly edited and condensed for the purpose of clarity.Wowhead: Hey Rob - talk us through your trip to Blizzard headquarters! How was your experience playtesting the Spiritborn?
Rob: Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to playtest the Spiritborn for two hours at Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California. We also had the chance to talk to some of the game designers and ask questions about the expansion and the new class! The playtest was very focused on the Spiritborn, so we couldn’t test the other expansion features like Mercenaries of the new PvE Co-op experience. It has to be said that the Spiritborn gameplay experience was absolutely amazing, though!
WH: Based on the gameplay footage shown during the Spiritborn reveal yesterday, it seems like you were able to play four different Spiritborn archetypes - the Centipede, the Jaguar, the Gorilla, and the Eagle.Rob: Yes, that was actually pretty cool! A lot of class fantasy was involved with these different aspects of Jungle Gods lore, so it fit the expansion theme. What it really boiled down to, though, was that the different class loadouts focussed on different damage types: Centipede on Poison damage, Jaguar on Fire damage, Gorilla on Physical damage, and Eagle on Lightning damage. They also featured different playstyles - the Centipede was more like a hit-and-run crowd-controller, Jaguar felt like an agile melee combat specialist, Gorilla played like a close-range tank, and the Eagle used more mid-ranged abilities.
WH: What was your favorite playstyle of the four?Rob: I talked a lot to other creators at the playtest event, and we all agreed that the Centipede felt very good. The Ultimate that summons a pet that follows you around, dealing damage while moving, felt really strong. The Gorilla didn’t feel as good in the early game because it really relied on tank stats, but I can totally see it becoming a strong option in the endgame due to massive scaling with Thorns or other mechanics. The Jaguar somewhat reminded me of Whirlwind Barb and could become the speed run king, while the Eagle’s playstyle was also really fast-paced and focused on mid-ranged damage.
WH: If you had to describe the Spiritborn based on existing class concepts, which classes would the Spiritborn be a combination of? Many community members have been getting heavy Witch Doctor vibes from the class announcement earlier this year.
Rob: I’d say the Spiritborn is not a lot like the Witch Doctor of Diablo 3, aside from the whole Jungle theme. It plays more like a Monk of Diablo 3 - many martial arts-like animations, combo-heavy playstyle, agile and speedy movement, rushing around the map. Instead of having cooldowns, most skills have charges as well, so you’re not limited by CDs. Instead, you can move around quickly and use your abilities. It almost felt like a combination between Monk and a Melee Rogue of Diablo 4.

I didn’t know if I really wanted to play a Spiritborn in the first place, but after watching the class trailer with the other creators, we all had goosebumps - it was great. I really was hoping for a Paladin class with the first expansion, but I can already say that Spiritborn gameplay is absolutely amazing!
WH: So it seems that you are quite a fan of the general gameplay loop of the class, right?
Rob: We were only Level 30 during the 2-hour playtest, but everything felt good and fast-paced at that level. I can’t even imagine playing the class in the endgame with cooldown reductions and having all the right Aspects equipped! In terms of power level, it really looked like Spiritborn could be very strong during leveling compared to other classes, which is no surprise when looking at new class releases in the past, like the Necromancer in Diablo 3.
WH: How does Spiritborn hold up compared to your favorite class, the Barbarian?
Rob: The Spiritborn can only wear 2-handed weapons, either a Quarterstaff, a Glaive, or a Polearm - and that worried me a bit. Not having the choice to wear a 1-hander and an off-hand further limits your choices regarding itemization, especially compared to the Barbarian and his multiple weapon slots.

I think the developers are very aware of this fact, and the class seems to be very well-balanced around the fact that it can only equip 2-handed weapons - but I still worry when it comes to build flexibility, especially compared to classes like the Barbarian.
WH: What do you think about the Quarterstaff, which seems to be a very defensive weapon option for the Spiritborn?
Rob: The best defense is a good offense, right? The Quarterstaff looks very interesting because the ability to block attacks with it also synergizes a lot with Aspects and effects on the skill tree. Whenever you block, you can also create additional effects like Counterattacks or Thorns!
WH: What were your favorite and least favorite things during the Spiritborn playtest?
Rob: Well, obviously, we didn’t get to play the class long enough! But seriously - as mentioned earlier, the potentially limited flexibility due to the decision of Spiritborn only being able to carry a 2-handed weapon worries me.

One of the positive things was the high monster density in the Nahantu region. There were just a lot of monsters, and a lot of stuff was going on, so that was really nice, which paired up nicely with the fast-paced playstyle and the flashy animations of the Spiritborn!
WH: Based on the gameplay footage, it appeared that the Paragon system unlocks at Level 60 in Vessel of Hatred. Could this mean that the maximum character level will be increased with the upcoming expansion?
Rob: The other creators and I did ask that question, but we didn’t get a real answer from the developers. It seems very likely based on what we’re seeing in-game and how Blizzard deals with Diablo and other game expansions. The sheer size of the Spiritborn skill tree alone could hint at a level cap increase, together with the additional Renown we’ll get in the new expansion regions - that is how I understood it, at least. The developers also mentioned that there will be no new Altars of Lilith in the new region.
WH: Looking at the currently planned changes coming with Season 5, like the changes to experience gain from higher-level monsters, it seems that Diablo 4 and its expansion are becoming more and more like Diablo 3 when it comes to leveling speed. Do you like the direction in which Diablo 4 is headed in that regard? What is your overall opinion about the design direction of the game?
Rob: Well, I’m obviously someone who plays Diablo 4 quite a lot. I think the game is being made easier and easier, and I’m not a big fan of that. A great example is the Tormented bosses, who were supposed to be an incredible endgame challenge - but after a few days into the Season, we basically one-shot them with no issues. The same thing goes for Uber Lilith and the changes made to the encounter throughout the Season.

I also think that it is good that the entry level is very low, so it’s easy to get started in a game like Diablo 4. But there also need to be things to do in the endgame, of course, which has been a major point of criticism for the first Seasons. The developers have added more and more endgame challenges recently, but I don’t think it’s quite enough yet.

In terms of the general direction of the game, I really like many of the changes they have made recently, like the new itemization, for example. What I really don’t like is the development team’s approach of capping certain stats to balance the game - like the newly introduced Armor cap or the Legendary Paragon node caps. It looks like a very simple solution to an existing issue, but it’s certainly not the best solution. Introducing these kinds of caps limits build diversity and makes all builds look the same in the end. I personally prefer what they did with Resistances: you have a soft and a hard cap. The soft cap is 70%, but you also have a hard cap of 85%, which can only be reached through items like Tyrael's Might or class-exclusive talents like Potent Warding.

The overall leveling speed is too fast, in my opinion. I kind of like leveling whenever I “have to do it” but with the experience changes of the last few months, it just defeats the purpose of character progression during leveling through World Tiers. Players beating Capstone dungeons at Level 10, for example, really shows how crazy power creep has become. When the game came out, leveling took a bit longer, but it also meant something, which I really liked.
WH: Talking about trivializing content - would a number squish make sense, as Blizzard does with WoW expansions, to bring character progression back to where it used to be?
Rob: It may be an unpopular opinion, but I like big numbers. It feels good to deal millions or even billions of damage for many people! I can relate to that. I can see why people have problems with it, though, so I think it’d be cool if Blizzard could do something to increase readability, for example.
WH: Last question - can you share anything in particular that hasn’t been showcased during the Spiritborn gameplay reveal?
Rob: I really wish! We couldn’t test other expansion features like Mercenaries or the new PvE Co-op experience, and the developers kept really quiet about those features as well. I hope we’ll see more expansion content being revealed soon during events like gamescom 2024 to keep up the hype. The expansion is less than three months away, and there is certainly a lot to talk about very soon!

Comment by TezoniI think the game is being made easier and easier, and I’m not a big fan of that. A great example is the Tormented bosses, who were supposed to be an incredible endgame challenge - but after a few days into the Season, we basically one-shot them with no issues. The same thing goes for Uber Lilith and the changes made to the encounter throughout the Season.Comment by KerathrasI think the game is being made easier and easier, and I’m not a big fan of that. A great example is the Tormented bosses, who were supposed to be an incredible endgame challenge - but after a few days into the Season, we basically one-shot them with no issues. The same thing goes for Uber Lilith and the changes made to the encounter throughout the Season.Comment by Candrisdo you guys know another d4 creator besides him?Comment by LagepenningAre people still playing this dead game? Turned into a worse version of D3 real quick.Comment by Edgysananother "we know better than the players" blizzard take, jesusComment by HexelyionHopefully they start seeing reason when no one buys the expansion.Comment by johntravolta342Are people still playing this dead game? Turned into a worse version of D3 real quick.Comment by bannyvaderdo you guys know another d4 creator besides him?Comment by TezoniI think the game is being made easier and easier, and I’m not a big fan of that. A great example is the Tormented bosses, who were supposed to be an incredible endgame challenge - but after a few days into the Season, we basically one-shot them with no issues. The same thing goes for Uber Lilith and the changes made to the encounter throughout the Season.Comment by CyberdarkI thought all Paladin die, only Crusader nowComment by Vobicnobody really cares what Rob has to say. i will say its funny he was hoping for Paladin even though they said they wanted to do something they never did before and something thats not part of the game yet. so its clear Rob himself doesnt even watch any of the D4 camp fire chats.