Diablo 4 has ushered in Season 8, marking the beginning of a series of free updates that pave the way for the action role-playing game's second expansion, slated for release in 2026. However, amidst the excitement, not all is smooth sailing within Diablo 4's passionate core community. These dedicated players, who have been with the game since its inception nearly two years ago, are clamoring for substantial new features, game reworks, and innovative ways to enhance their gameplay experience. They are vocal about their expectations and are not hesitant to share their feedback with Blizzard.
While Diablo 4 boasts a broad player base that includes casual gamers who enjoy the straightforward thrill of monster-slaying, the game's foundation is built on its loyal veteran fans. These players engage with the game weekly, meticulously analyze meta builds, and crave more depth and complexity from Blizzard's ongoing development efforts.
The release of Diablo 4's first-ever 2025 roadmap sparked a significant backlash within the community. Following the roadmap's unveiling, players voiced their concerns about the upcoming content, including Season 8, and debated whether the planned updates would be sufficient to retain their interest.
The online discourse escalated to the point where a Diablo community manager felt compelled to address the community's grievances directly on the Diablo 4 subreddit. "We added fewer details to the later parts of the roadmap to accommodate for things the team is still working on," they explained. "This isn't all that's coming in 2025 :)." Even Mike Ybarra, the former president of Blizzard Entertainment and a high-ranking executive at its parent company, Microsoft, joined the conversation to offer his perspective.
Season 8, launched with these community sentiments in mind, also introduced several controversial changes. One of the most significant alterations is to Diablo 4's battle pass, which has been redesigned to mimic Call of Duty's system, allowing players to unlock items non-linearly. However, this change has been met with criticism as the battle pass now offers less virtual currency than before, making it more challenging for players to fund future battle passes.
In a comprehensive interview with IGN, Diablo 4's lead live game designer Colin Finer and lead seasons designer Deric Nunez addressed the community's response to the roadmap. They confirmed plans to revamp Diablo 4's skill tree, a long-awaited update desired by many players, and elaborated on the rationale behind the changes to the battle pass.
