Why Diablo 4's Season 1 Battle Pass Will Blow Your Mind

Highlights

Moreover, players find the battle pass unsatisfactory as it does not offer sufficient Platinum to purchase extra cosmetics, which significantly diminishes its overall worth.

Blizzard's disappointing battle pass may discourage players from supporting future seasons, which could negatively impact the lasting appeal of Diablo 4. The Season of the Malignant in Diablo 4 brought numerous exciting additions to the ARPG genre, including the game's inaugural battle pass. This battle pass, like others, offers players a range of new cosmetic rewards to unlock during the season. However, the overall quality of these rewards falls short of expectations.

Battle passes are known for their high-quality cosmetics, but the first battle pass in Diablo 4 seems underwhelming. It appears to prioritize tier skips rather than providing enough Platinum for players to purchase additional cosmetics. Moreover, the majority of rewards are unremarkable in design. Although it may be too late for Blizzard to make changes, future seasons should not replicate the shortcomings of this initial battle pass. Failing to do so could negatively impact the longevity of Diablo 4 and discourage players from investing in the concept moving forward.

Diablo 4's Battle Pass System Needs Work

With Fortnite's popularization of the battle pass system, it appears that virtually every live-service game now seeks to imitate the concept. Blizzard is not exempt from this trend, as it has implemented the concept in Overwatch 2 and even extended it to the Diablo franchise through Diablo Immortal. This marks the first instance of a mainline Diablo game, Diablo 4, incorporating such a feature. Given this anticipation, the cosmetics offered by the game, however, may be somewhat lackluster following weeks of heightened excitement.

Diablo 4 takes pride in returning to the franchise's roots and moving away from the more cartoon-like elements of its predecessor. This shift, while commendable, does pose limitations on the battle pass. In order to maintain consistency with the chosen art style of the ARPG, Blizzard must refrain from introducing silly or colorful armor sets. Consequently, the studio is compelled to opt for more subdued colors. However, this doesn't mean that the armor itself has to be dull.

Upon examination, many of the armor pieces and weapons featured in Diablo 4's battle pass appear to be various shades of gray or black. While the pass does include a vibrant Artisan's set and a selection of emotes to inject some liveliness, most of the items are not significantly distinct from cosmetics that can already be earned in-game. Furthermore, Diablo 4's cash shop provides numerous armor sets that are far more appealing than the majority of battle pass rewards, thus giving players little incentive to invest in the pass.

The initial season pass from Blizzard failed to showcase the appeal of Diablo 4's seasonal structure, potentially aggravating players further following the divisive update that slowed down the entire game. The additional content introduced in the Season of the Malignant did little to address these concerns. Instead of enticing players to continue engaging with the game, Blizzard may have actually pushed more players away.

The popularity of Fortnite battle passes does not stem solely from their inclusion of various cosmetics, but rather from the inclusion of exclusive cosmetics that cannot be obtained elsewhere. In contrast, Diablo 4's battle pass merely offers armor that closely resembles what players already possess, and the uninspiring colors make them even more lackluster. To garner interest, future passes must introduce new and distinctive elements that genuinely compel players to purchase them, as many may currently disregard them altogether.

Diablo 4 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.