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Diablo IV Rogue Class Impressions
Diablo IV
Geposted
10.01.2023 um 15:32
von
Tharid
Last December, we were able to try out the Rogue class in Diablo IV. First and only seen in Diablo I, the Rogue tries to combine multiple aspects of Amazon and Demon Hunter gameplay while trying to fit into the grim and dark new world of Sanctuary.
Rogue Class Overview Rogue Skill Overview
Rogue Class Gameplay & Combat In Diablo IV
The core gameplay loop of any early-game Rogue build relies on quick movement and effective combat actions. Unlike both Sorceress and Barbarian, Rogue gameplay feels very "under the radar" early on - but what else would you expect from a class whose core fantasy is built around inconspicuousness and effectiveness?
Rogues can use dual-wielded daggers and swords in melee combat or bows in ranged combat. Especially in the earlier stages of progression, skills focus much more on mechanical effects that don't look or feel flashy. However, Rogues are able to make combat feel very fluid and lightning-fast like no other class.
Countless melee or close-ranged abilities grant movement speed bonuses or allow the Rogue to move through enemies. Combined with early cooldown reduction and resource generation through skill upgrades, the Rogue Skill Tree offers a surprising amount of gameplay variety early on.
A big part of that comes from the ability to switch between melee and ranged combat. Similar to early-game melee skills, most Bow skills don't feel very impactful at first - but the amount of freedom they provide in combat gameplay makes up for that.
In essence, Rogue gameplay and combat really begin to shine when using your loadout to its fullest potential. Going into melee combat to debuff enemies or gain resources and then finishing the job by landing precise bow attacks, all while moving in, out, and around the enemy feels like a truly unique Diablo experience.
Combining different skills and passive abilities to create a seamless combat experience was lots of fun, and the Rogue's Unique Class Mechanic doubles down on this part of class fantasy. In Blizzard's PR playtest, the so-called Class Specialization System offered two different specializations to choose from: First, the Combo Points system encourages players to use Basic skills in their spell rotation: each time you use a Basic skill, you generate a Combo Points. These points will be consumed when using a Core skill which then will have additional effects. For example, Rapid Fire's damage and arrow count will be increased, adding a lot of damage as a result. This encourages a "builder/spender" type of playstyle which resembles the general Demon Hunter playstyle of Diablo III.
The second specialization called Inner Sight adds a gauge to your interface and marks to certain enemies around you. Whenever you hit a marked enemy, the Inner Sight gauge will fill up. When it's full, you will gain unlimited Energy for 4 seconds. This specialization proved to be particularly useful during boss fights and events and adds another tactical layer to your combat approach.
We definitely preferred playing with Inner Sight. While utilizing the Combo Points specialization felt great in the beginning, keeping track of your points on top of your cooldowns and enemy abilities can become an issue, especially in sticky combat situations. Additionally, combo point bonuses felt somewhat one-dimensional. While Inner Sight might prove to be less effective in some scenarios like killing smaller low-health packs of monsters over and over, it certainly helped a lot in fights where you'd lack Energy otherwise.
Rogue Skill Tree Highlights In Diablo IV
While many Rogue skills felt very subtle and efficient, one exception to this rule revolutionized Rogue gameplay once we unlocked it on the Skill Tree: Shadow Imbuement.
Shadow Imbuement
Cooldown: 9.0 seconds
|
Shadow Damage
Imbue your weapons with festering shadows. Your next 2 Imbueable Skills deal Shadow damage and infect enemies such that they explode for up to 39% damage on death. Direct damage to infected enemies deals an additional 4% Shadow damage.
Shadow Imbuement Upgrades
Enhanced Shadow Imbuement
Lucky Hit: Critically Striking an enemy infected by Shadow Imbuement has up to a 30% chance to create a mini explosion,
dealing 14% Shadow damage to them and surrounding enemies.
Choose one:
Shadow Imbuement’s primary explosion makes enemies
Vulnerable
for 2 seconds.
Enemies damaged by Shadow Imbued Skills take x12% increased non-Physical damage for 8 seconds.
Shadow Imbuement as a skill hits all the right notes: You can press it at any point in the game and it will never ever feel bad because it provides two permanent charges of the Imbue effect. As a result, using an ability that will consume one of your charges will feel great as well because of the added explosion effect.
The incredible audio effect of the Shadow explosion embraces a fantasy of your Rogue using rare but powerful magic that pairs really well with the massive area damage potential. And the goodness doesn't stop with Shadow Imbuement's upgrades: Adding small explosions to a big explosion is never a bad thing, and additional debuffs on top make the use of your second charge even more powerful. We were absolutely in love with the design and effect of this skill and think that it was one of the highlights across all three classes available in the playtest.
The other skill that felt really powerful and fun was Death Trap:
Death Trap
Cooldown: 45.0 seconds
|
Shadow Damage
Place a trap that arms after 1.25 seconds. It activates when an enemy moves within range, dealing 316% damage to enemies in the area.
Death Trap Upgrades
Prime Death Trap
Enemies are Pulled into Death Trap when it activates.
Supreme Death Trap
If Death Trap kills an enemy, its Cooldown is reduced by 10 seconds.
Being yet another big AoE damage cooldown, Death Trap provided a good amount of control to the battlefield. Some fights and events require you to deal with enemies quickly, and setting up Death Trap helps with prioritizing damage before monsters even spawn. Much like Shadow Imbuement, pressing Death Trap almost always feels incredible and adds depth to your combat decisions, especially in AoE situations.
Rogue Class Flavor In Diablo IV
Rogue class flavor and fantasy are entwined with the surroundings of Sanctuary like no other class. They want to operate silently, and most abilities on the Skill Tree help with that by providing very subtle visual and audio effects. Sure, playing a Rogue felt a lot less flashy compared to other classes overall - but that is why skill highlights like Shadow Imbuement felt even better to press during combat.
The fantasy of a Rogue really going out of their way when using a powerful effect adds a ton of flavor to a class that normally prefers to stay in the shadows. The super-tactical approach of Specializations adds to the expectation of Rogues being masters of surgical combat - however, we felt like the Unique Class Mechanic fell a bit short in terms of actual impact and utility.
Other than that, we really appreciated the Rogue's overall class design. It felt subtle, elegant, and fit for those who want to make the most out of a "jack of all trades" class. The action-packed playstyle with a mix of melee and ranged combat felt new and unique, especially compared to other Diablo iterations of the archetype.
We can't wait to see what kind of impact end-game systems like the Paragon Board and Unique items will have on the Rogue and hope to see more of Diablo's new class during the upcoming Open Beta test!
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