Diablo 5 Director Promises Deeper Builds, Fans Aren't Buying It

Joe Shely says Diablo 5 will focus on methodical planning over fast action, but skeptical fans recall similar promises before Diablo 4's launch.

Remember when Diablo 4 was supposed to be a return to form? Well, Diablo 5 game director Joe Shely is making similar promises, and the community is already rolling their eyes.

In a tweet responding to Path of Exile's Chris Wilson, Shely said Diablo 5 will still have some "DEX" (moment-to-moment execution) mechanics, but on balance it will be an "INT/STR" game focused on planning and investment. He added that the team is designing around the core ARPG tenet that any challenge can be overcome with the right build.

That sounds great on paper, especially after Blizzard invoked Diablo 2 when debuting Diablo 5 at BlizzCon. The hope is that the game shifts away from the modern itemization and design of Diablo 3 and 4, which often focused on infinitely scaling content you clear in seconds.

But the community isn't convinced. On Reddit, the top comment from u/Steve_Cage simply reads, "they said all this before 🤣🤣." And the top reply from u/Tragedy_Boner adds, "They ALL say this. And when the game comes out most people want to blast and not be methodical. No modern ARPG ever stays slow."

Others think Blizzard will cave after launch. u/Usernameasteriks wrote, "They won’t follow through, if they even try in the first place. Once the first wave of people complaining they can’t blast through content quickly they will restructure it all."

Not everyone is pessimistic, though. On Twitter, Dagon5 replied, "I'm happy to hear this. Honestly this is an opportunity to try the other direction from what D3/D4 was trying to accomplish. Just go all in on itemization depth etc, and skill systems."

So will Diablo 5 actually deliver on its promise of methodical gameplay, or will it end up like its predecessors? Only time will tell, but at least Diablo 4 will keep getting new seasons after launch, so you can always stick with that if you prefer the faster pace. What do you think? Are you hoping for a slower, more strategic Diablo 5, or do you just want to blast through demons? Let us know in the comments!