With Diablo 4 now open for early access, potential buyers looking to break into the long-running series might be wondering if playing previous Diablo games is necessary. The franchise dates back to the release of the original Diablo in 1996, and spans five titles if Immortal is included. There’s a lot of backstory and lore, and while it’s certainly possible to jump in with Diablo 4, newcomers will doubtless be confused.
The early Diablo games were lighter on story, but with every entry, Blizzard expanded and deepened the lore of the world of Sanctuary. New fans may be perplexed by events, characters, and locations the game expects them to know. That said, players jumping in for the first time with Diablo 4 will certainly be able to enjoy the experience, as these time-honored ARPGs are extremely gameplay-focused and somewhat self-contained.
While new players can still enjoy Diablo 4 as their first entry, they will certainly miss out on the impact of story beats and be confused at times. In this series, the history of what happened in preceding entries impacts the world and story of Sanctuary. There are gaps of time and differing locations between games, but all the way through to the end of Diablo 4, this most recent entry calls on characters, events, and history from previous entries. While new players can certainly jump in here, they will be jumping into a confusing world.
Related: Will Diablo 4 Have Expansions & DLC? Everything We Know So Far
Diablo 4’s plot is based on details well-established in the series’ past. Players must stand up to the demon Lilith, the Mother of Sanctuary and one of the progenitors of humanity. However, Diablo 4 does not delve into the creation story of Sanctuary, so new players won’t understand the severity of this conflict the same way as a veteran fan, who has unraveled the mythos of Lilith and Inarius’ affair over several entries. Plot essential details like the Nephalem, the Horadrim, and historical events like the destruction of the Worldstone must be inferred by a new player, while a veteran comes in understanding the gravity of the game’s setup.
2023-06-06 13:30:04
Link from screenrant.com