If you've been reading this, you probably know that Diablo 4 is coming, Diablo 2 is resurrected, and it won't be long before Mephisto, Baal, Diablo, and the old team try to win back our hearts, minds, and souls like the previous games in the series. . But there is a problem for Blizzard and Diablo, many of them, in fact. Because in the decade since Diablo 3, many games have built on its DNA of looting, power ups, and tearing through endless swarms of enemies. And some of these games have done very well. There are plenty of Diablo alternatives out there that not only scratch the Diablo itch, but may make it harder for the de facto king of the genre to rule again. Here's ten.
1. Path of exile
There is no point in postponing the mention of the game, which is Diablo's most direct rival. Path of Exile is slower and more complex than Diablo 3, instead focusing on a seemingly endless bevy of character customization and a glorious ending that may keep its hooks in you for years to come. It could also be argued that the dark aesthetic of Path of Exile is more faithful to Diablo 2 than Diablo 3. Path of Exile takes full advantage of being an online-only game with a large player economy where any rare item you collect can be of great value to another player. The community is huge and you can have a lot of fun by joining random players for some quests. It's also completely free, except for the cosmetic gubbins.
2.Grim Dawn
If you prefer steampunk to high fantasy and think a blunderbuss would be a good accompaniment to a sword, check out Grim Dawn. The Victorian Gothic theme gives it a flavor unlike anything else on this list, while maintaining that hack-and-slash-and-loot gameplay loop. Grim Dawn is for those who are fed up with the infinite scale and relative ease of Diablo 3. It's a harder game, with a tougher grind that is ultimately more rewarding for those looking for a challenge. The class system is also interesting: Inquisitors? Occultists? Combine the two to get a deceiver? Color us intrigued.
3. Flashlight 2
Made by a studio of Diablo alumni, Runic Games' Torchlight series was always going to have an almost supernatural understanding of what made Diablo great. Torchlight 2 ditches Diablo's dark aesthetic for a daring high-fantasy style, but the captivating simplicity of combat combined with the complexity of character building is there. Torchlight 2 isn't as deep, exhausting, or complex as some of the entries on this list, more like an old-fashioned Diablo with pretty colors than a pioneering ARPG, but a good scrapper. And yes, there's a Torchlight 3, but it's so little better than its predecessor that it doesn't justify the significantly higher price.
4. Warhammer: Vermintide II
This might be the biggest departure from the classic ARPG formula on this list, but plowing through ravenous hordes of Skaven in smooth, fluid first-person combat recreates that intense, endorphin-releasing combat that drew us to Diablo 2 all those years ago. . Vermintide 2 is visceral and gory, and its roster of five distinct heroes fighting evil in a bleak, shadowy world roughly echoes Diablo's classic setting. Vermintide 2 is often compared to Left 4 Dead, but that doesn't do justice to its satisfying leveling system, loot variety, and other deep RPG bits. Finding that Diablo is a little lacking in the skills department will give him that extra challenge he craves.
5. Sons of Morta
Combining roguelike elements with hack and slash dungeon exploration, Children of Morta is a beautiful pixel art game that tells the story of a family of talented warriors facing off against a rapidly spreading evil. You'll die more here in one night than in an entire run of Diablo 3 on normal difficulty, but each time you get a little more lore and resources to level up your characters. Like Diablo, Morta has a fixed set of heroes you can choose from, but he encourages you to use all the characters in a single run, which is actually something the Blizzard series could learn from. It's also a wonderful game to play in couch co-op.
6. Borderlands series
There are few games that manage to be so drastically different from Diablo while descending from it so clearly. Borderlands may look like a crazy first-person shooter, but behind that stylistic facade is a numbers-based loot RPG where you traverse a hostile world and take down gangs of very insane enemies in pursuit of these rare drops. of firearms. You choose from several pre-made heroes, each specializing in different things like crowd control, support, DPS, and other familiar ARPG traits. Comprehensive skill trees allow you to modify your hero however you like, and playing with three friends really adds to the sense of frenzy, elevating this series to one of the best cooperative experiences in gaming.
7. Destiny 2
If you're looking for a satisfying, endless grind to immerse yourself in for months (if not years), Destiny 2 might be a better match than Borderlands. His personality is more 'classic sci-fi' and skilled, but the feel of guns, high-flying combat, and raiding with your friends is almost unmatched. Since it's been around for a few years and has had a lot of updates, there's a lot to do with Destiny 2's different currencies, game modes, and inventories, but give it some time and you'll end up drawn into its awesome future industrial universe.
8. Book of demons
An eccentric twist on the dungeon crawler, Book of Demons slims things down by keeping your hacky-slash hero on rails as he traverses dungeons, caves, and other murky dungeons. The fight takes a moment to settle in, but once it clicks, you start to see him exploit that old-fashioned Diablo feel with his own clever twists. The card-based ability system, for example, is a great alternative to typical abilities and equipment, providing plenty of build options and flexibility in how you progress with your hero. It's beautiful, too, with a paper-cut art style that really comes to life when the entire screen is ablaze with magic and explosion.
9. Titan quest
Ancient Greek mythology is fast becoming the most haunted fictional historical setting in video games, and Titan Quest puts it through the loot meat grinder to great effect. It's a stylish setting, where you smash Hydras, Cyclops, and Satyrs just like you did Diablo's demon legions. Titan Quest is pretty old now, but the 2016 Anniversary Edition smoothes out the rough edges and gives those shiny weapons and the amber hue of Greece's barren countryside a lovely warm glow. It's pretty simplistic like ARPGs, but the theme and layout make it a joy to copy.