Here's what should return when we head back into hell.

The d4 items open beta period is finished, and players received a taste of the items they can expect within the full discharge of the game. While Blizzard continues to be sharing more details about certain systems through periodic developer live streams and videos, not much continues to be revealed concerning the end-game, if certain game modes are going to be making a return, as well as whether certain features from previous games will go back to help increase the depth to general gameplay and character builds.

Here are a few things we would like to determine potentially create a return in Diablo 4.

Adventure Mode

Adventure Mode was an optional game mode obtainable in Diablo 3. This mode allowed players to skip the storyline and dive directly into the action and tackle different quests set within the different locales available to the sport’s main campaign. Objectives included defeating major story bosses, killing a set quantity of enemies inside a specific dungeon, opening curses chests, and much more. Completing the objectives would net players experience, gold, and special chests when clearing all designated quests within an area.

These chests would drop recipes for Legendary gear and Set pieces, which incentivized tackling these objectives before heading into other end-game content like Nephalem Rifts. While engrossing, few are interested in the narrative the Diablo games have provided for more than a decade, as well as an Adventure Mode is much more than appealing for people who simply just wish to play the sport and not be barred by story progression.

Given Diablo 4’s pivot to being a lot more like an MMO, perhaps Blizzard will give away story skips through its battle pass or any other avenues if Adventure Mode doesn’t create a return.

Return from the Crusader or Paladin

While offering a good roster of playable classes using the Rogue, Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, and Sorcerer open to choose from, Diablo 4 is sorely missing the Crusader or Paladin. Unlike the Barbarian or Druid, the Crusader and Paladin fill a distinctive niche like a warrior-type class that employs a range of holy magic, able to tank absurd levels of damage whilst providing valuable buffs to party members.

While this might sound much like what the Druid can provide, and also to some extent, the Barbarian, both Crusader and Paladin were pretty much powerhouses in connection with this to be one of the tankiest classes available within the Diablo series as a whole, while still able to do large levels of damage. Overall, it had been a nice hybrid that never felt weak should you choose to favor one sort of build over the other. It would also increase the variety generally in terms of the items more melee-focused classes could offer, providing a pleasant middle ground from a solid DPS along with a tank.

Rifts and Greater Rifts

Nephalem Rifts and Greater Rifts were introduced in Diablo 3 as content that appeared in the Reaper of Souls expansion. These seemingly endless procedural dungeons might not have the same focus on detail because the ones in Diablo 4, but were an excellent source of end-game content. Rifts allowed players to farm Legendary items and Set pieces consistently, with Greater Rifts pretty much a “high risk, high reward” version from the standard Nephalem Rifts.

The core gameplay loop from the Rifts features players fighting waves of enemies to be able to spawn a “super boss” of sorts, that after defeated would reward players with gear and unique gems for his or her gear and end-game builds. While we don’t understand what Diablo 4’s endgame appears like right now, Nephalem Rifts was a terrific way to not only obtain highly coveted Set pieces and Legendaries but allowed players to try out builds against hordes of enemies, which would shape the meta for seasonal content.

Runes

As introduced in Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, runes are a distinctive type of pocketable item that is different from gems. While gems permit passive upgrades to stats for example increased barrier potency or harm to Elite enemies, runes could change entire builds.

By combining runes on bits of armor to produce rune words, players could increase the than one incremental stat change. These words would effectively generate Legendary passives onto items for example creating a Nova when killing an enemy as well as generating Charged Bolts or Frozen Orbs when striking. While this may create passive skill bloat given Diablo 4’s Aspects effectively serve this function, seeing runes and rune words return would be interesting — mostly since it would give players a much better way to customize their builds to produce something wholly unique.

Free Respecting

While not probably the most well-regarded of the Diablo games, Diablo 3 allowed players to alter their builds on a whim as well as for no cost. Diablo 4 will need players to invest gold to be able to change their skills and accompanying passives. This didn’t cost an obscene amount throughout the open beta period, however, it can quickly accumulate. Especially since removing and applying Aspects to weapons and armor may also get pretty expensive.

Forcing players to invest gold to respec feels as though a method to keep the grind going, but tends to be counterintuitive to finding new builds. And Potentially leaving experimentation to players who've massive quantities of gold could alienate more casual players. While it appears like Blizzard makes up its mind regarding whether its feature can come cost-free, it could be interesting to determine the potential walk back on this in the future if reception is favorable.

Pets and Companions

Pets in Diablo 3 were unobtrusive, otherwise immersion-breaking, companions that will run out and collect gold for you personally. This meant you wouldn’t have to run your character over or around gold to be able to pick it up. It’s pretty much a modern convenience that isn’t necessary for the overall game experience but is one thing of a smaller quality-of-life feature that was surprisingly missing within the Diablo 4 beta.

Since Diablo 2, players could recruit NPC companions to become listed on them because they explored the field of Sanctuary. Diablo 3 allowed players available a total of three different companions — the Templar, Enchantress, and Scoundrel — you could choose to build inside a few various ways depending on what skills you picked on their behalf and what gear you equipped all of them with. Since Diablo 4 is leaning towards a far more open world and MMO-lite experience, it wouldn’t be surprising if companions didn’t create a comeback.

The Return from the Angiris Council

With Diablo 2’s Andariel returning in Diablo 4, it isn’t out of the question that major characters from previous Diablo games could potentially create a return — either as bosses or major characters within the narrative. The conflict between Inarius and Lilith could see members from the Angiris Council return, which may lead to more elaboration around the leaders from the High Heavens. While players received a taste of those stories in Diablo 3 (where Lilith and Inarus’ relationship and subsequent development of Sanctuary were very briefly elaborated on) and it is expansion Reaper of Souls, Diablo 4 has got the chance to elaborate on the inner workings from the council itself. And maybe even allow characters like Imperius or any other members from the council to create an appearance following the open-ended nature of how that one narrative wrapped up. Either way, it could be great to determine more lore concerning the High Heavens come in Diablo 4, especially since one of the sport’s key figures is accustomed to residing there.

These are only a few things we’d like to see create a return in d4 items after our extensive time within the open beta period. Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see a return in Diablo 4.