Out of the many changes that came to its long-running action-RPG series with the launch ofDiablo 4, Blizzard’s decision to switch to an open-world setting for the long-anticipated sequel was one of the most exciting for manyDiablofans. In order to let players easily explore the furthest reaches of this newly open world, Blizzard even added another first to the franchise in the form ofDiablo 4’s mounts. But even though the mounts inDiablo 4allow players to quickly traverse the landscape, the addition of these beasts of burden may also be the reason why so much of its open world feels so empty.
Even as it gives players a new level of freedom in terms of exploration,Diablo 4’s open worldhas also been criticized by many long-time franchise fans for feeling relatively barren in terms of monster groups compared to its more linear predecessors. While these smaller enemy swarms may initially appear to be unrelated to the addition of mounts to the game, the persistent pathing problems with mounts inDiablo 4hint that the two may be intrinsically linked. Ironically, the desire to bringDiablo 4into the modern era with an open-world setting may have contributed to the series seemingly regressing in terms of the number of on-screen enemies to fight.
One of the biggest complaints about themounts inDiablo 4has been their sometimes-unreliable traversal mechanics. This problem was particularly pronounced uponDiablo4’s release, with players frequently finding themselves fighting the controls to get the beasts to go where they want. As a result, this new feature designed to speed up the gameplay ended up having the opposite effect in many instances as players were forced to move forward on foot after their mount got caught up in the game world.
While riding around Sanctuary has gotten easier thanks to the numerous updates released forDiablo 4since the game’s launch, these traversal troubles likely played a role in the downsizing of the game’s monster groups. Not only can enemies get in players' way when they’re mounted up, but the presence of too manymonsters inDiablo 4can spook mounts, causing them to kick off their rider. Taken together, these two systems may have led Blizzard to pare down the size of monster groups to accommodateDiablo 4’s finicky mounts.
Mounts May Be to Blame for Diablo 4’s Barren Battlefields
Although players who choose to tackleDiablo 4’s toughest challengescan still find themselves being swarmed by Lilith’s hellish minions, in general, the open world of Sanctuary feels noticeably empty. Unlike previous games in the series, which would often throw masses of monsters at players with every new screen they entered, it’s sometimes possible to wander the wastelands ofDiablo 4for minutes at a time without encountering any significant resistance.
Given increases in the processing power of PCs and consoles compared to whenthe still-supportedDiablo 3was released over a decade ago, this step backward in terms of enemy numbers has been disappointing for many players. Rather than being an intentional design choice or even a hardware limitation, though, this downgrade seems to have come about solely to support the existence ofDiablo 4’s mounts.
With mounts having difficulty navigating the open expanses of Sanctuary even in ideal situations, amping up the number of on-screen enemies for the series’ fourth outing without making mounts effectively useless may simply not have been possible.
Like many of the other questionable design decisions inDiablo 4, it’s unlikely that Blizzard will ever provide a full explanation for the game’s barren open world. And although they may not be solely to blame for Sanctuary’s lack of life, it’s a safe bet that the poor pathfinding ofDiablo 4’s sometimes costly mountsis a big part of the problem.
