When I dealt my first trillion of damage with a low-effort Spiritborn build in Diablo 4, it was like floodgates opened. For too long, the game has starved me of a class that is fun, and fast, and felt like it pushed the boundaries of class design in an ARPG. I finally found a favorite class in Diablo 4, and that was mostly because the Spiritborn felt like it didn’t belong in Diablo 4. Rather, it felt like a class from faster games like Path of Exile or Diablo 3.
Turns out my achievements as a Spiritborn have already been dwarfed. Some of the most analytical pundits in the game have already dealt quadrillions of damage, not just trillions. The Spiritborn in Diablo 4‘s Vessel of Hatred expansion was way too powerful.
The downside? Well, who cares about the original five other classes now? They’re practically geriatrics while the Spiritborn is the cool kid who skates on railings performing yo-yo tricks on each finger. And you know what’s even funnier? It makes sense for the class to be that overpowered. It makes you feel like your Vessel of Hatred purchase is justified and worth it– a new shiny toy.
That’s why I’m worried about what’s going to happen a few weeks from now once we’ve had our fun.
There’s No Way They’re Not Nerfing the Spiritborn
It’s just not possible for a class this powerful and out of control to stay as it is. Granted, Blizzard isn’t a fan of nerfing classes mid-season, but the upcoming Season 7 has a good chance of turning back into a slow and gloomy grind. Now, the in-game community expects Blizzard to slam the cool new kid back down to the cold, hard pavement and put it in line with the retirees.
Nerfs are inevitable, and Blizzard will have to nerf the Spiritborn– otherwise, the game’s other classes will be ruined forever. Therein lies another problem, Diablo 4‘s class design.
The Spiritborn Exposed Diablo 4’s Gameplay Problem
Here we have another chicken or egg conundrum. Was Diablo 4 this slow and needlessly hobbled all along or did the Spiritborn merely introduce a new power creep? Going back to the old classes after getting a taste of the Spiritborn’s gameplay is a rough, snore-inducing experience.
So nerfing the Spiritborn in Season 7 (or even mid-Season) to balance it back down to the level of the original Diablo 4 classes might just backfire. It’s hard to go back to McDonald’s cheeseburgers after getting served a steak buffet.
There is hope that the Spiritborn won’t get nerfed next season. That Blizzard might actually bring up the five original classes to the Spiritborn’s level of mobility, damage, and versatility– while also implementing huge balance changes to the game’s enemies. But let’s be real here.
You don’t have to be a developer to know that it’s easier to nerf a single, overperforming class rather than overhaul five other classes and several endgame activities. There’s no harm in keeping our fingers crossed, though.
