Diablo 4 Dark Citadel backlash: Are ARGPs the right genre for group content?

Diablo 4’s Dark Citadel backlash has been a really interesting thing to see. It has people asking if ARPGs in general are the right place for group content, and that’s a complex question. Because the answer is yes, ARPGs should have group content, but it’s complicated. Well, game developers have made it complicated, through their actions.

I started off incredibly excited for Dark Citadel in Diablo 4, but even I got kind of turned off by this raid, as it forces players to work together. I feel like the party finder for the game isn’t as good as it should be — that or players simply aren’t using it to do Dark Citadel in hours where I’m playing the game — which is fair. So let’s get into this fascinating topic.

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What is the Diablo 4 Dark Citadel backlash - where’s the beef, in brief?

The Dark Citadel backlash in Diablo 4 all began when the developers revealed that you cannot solo this content; it requires at least two players. Diablo players are no doubt used to doing everything alone, if they have to. Group content was always secondary — available, but not mandatory. That all changed in Diablo 4 when the first raid for the game demanded co-op gameplay.

It’s already a fairly tedious raid to unlock, but forcing the game to be co-op for certain sections felt like a bad idea, and the fans let Blizzard Entertainment know about it. However, in an interview with Polygon, Brent Gibson, Diablo 4’s game director, he stated he’s sticking to his guns:

“We’ve designed it in a way where, to be the most efficient in the game, it’s not required to have to go through that multiplayer content. I love the fact that we have this huge, rich game that has a bunch of different activities that give you alternate paths in the same loop.”

However, the game developer did point out people shouldn’t feel forced to do this content if they don’t want to. On the other hand, if there’s unique content such as cosmetics locked behind the Dark Citadel raid, people are going to feel forced to do it and resent being forced to group. I think a lot of the backlash likely stems from this. But that doesn’t mean group content doesn’t belong in ARPGs.

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Yes, ARPGs are the right genre for group content, but Diablo 4’s decisions are perhaps the wrong ones

I didn’t want to turn this into a “Path of Exile 2 versus Diablo 4” piece, because I think both games are excellent. However, there are several things Blizzard could learn from their competitors at Grinding Gear Games, and one of them is efficient use of group play mechanics.

Sometimes your build is bad, and you need a friend to help - that's perfectly okay (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

I think ARPGs are perhaps at their best when you have the ability to play with your friends and complete content together. A few bosses in Path of Exile 2, at the time of facing them, felt impossible without a group. I could've come back with a few more levels and soloed them, sure. But there’s a Party Finder for a reason.

Raids are supposed to be group events, sure. And I get why Diablo 4 fans are upset about it. I also understand why the developers don’t want to walk back their decision. D4 is a multiplayer experience, sure - it’s an online game where you can work together. But I don’t know if forced multiplayer was the right call.

So yes, ARPGs are the right genre for multiplayer content - just look at some of the classics like Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, or EverQuest: Champions of Norrath. ARPGs shine when you can play them with your friends. I don’t know if a Diablo game, in retrospect, was the right place to shoehorn in and force players to complete multiplayer content.

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On the positive side, it’s not required to beat the game — it’s very much optional. Nonetheless, players will feel forced, if they don’t want to do it, but want the cosmetics that hide there. Perhaps in a future expansion, Blizzard will find a better way to sort this out in a way that actually appeals to the majority of their players.