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It’s understandable why Diablo 4 can feel like it doesn’t take big creative risks. Out of all old game franchises, it has one of the widest spectrum of fans. You have old and conflicting Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 fans looking for a worthy sequel, casual Xbox Game Pass gamers, the hardcore PC/Steam crowd, those coming from other isometric APRGs, and even gamer dads who have 16 children and can only play for 15 minutes each week.
Diablo needs to play it safe. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised by one dungeon in the Vessel of Hatred expansion. The dungeon not only experimented away from the established conventions but was also the most fun I had out of all the ARPGs this decade.
Sure, technically, it’s a Stronghold in the Vessel of Hatred‘s Nahantu region called the Festering Dark. It’s located in the bottom right corner of Nahantu. You can only play it once since it’s a Stronghold (sadly). However, it was by far my favorite addition in the expansion. Well, next to the Dark Citadel multiplayer raid and the Spiritborn class, of course.
The Diablo 4 Dungeon That Made You Think
The Festering Dark is an area devoid of light and a puzzle waiting to be solved. You’re given a Reliquary Lantern but you cannot attack while lighting your way. So you have to choose to between navigating the dark maze either illuminated but vulnerable or armed but blind. It’s a fitting mechanic for Halloween. Festering Dark added a layer of difficulty and anxiety that I haven’t felt in Diablo 4 unless I’m playing in Hardcore servers.
Granted, the difficulty was mostly mental. My overpowered Spiritborn build smashed through any Festering Dark enemy as though they were bowling pins. But nevertheless, the dungeon constantly kept me on my toes looking for the right way through the dark. It was an incredibly immersive experience, more so than the usual blood and guts-filled Hellscape corridors in the typical Diablo 4 locale. Festering Dark also instilled a renewed sense of exploration, quite important in an open-world game.
More importantly, the Festering Dark Stronghold made me crave more of it. Diablo 4 could use more clever dungeons like this with no artificial difficulty. The bad news is that you can only play Festering Dark once per character and it’s also optional content. It’s the kind of content I wished was present in the Vessel of Hatred‘s main campaign due to its novelty in a Diablo game. Some players might find the Festering Dark polarizing, but then it’s a good thing it’s optional.
It’s Also Similar to Path of Exile’s Delve Dungeons
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t immediately think of Path of Exile‘s Delve League after experiencing the Festering Dark. Delve in Path of Exile already utilized the concept of pitch-black dungeons that needed light to progress back in 2018. But their version was an infinite dungeon that kept going deeper.
That was also one of the reasons why I found Diablo 4‘s Festering Dark such a compelling piece of content. Turns out I wanted a more casual-friendly version of Delve’s mechanics. It was just a shame since Festering Dark was reserved for a one-and-done Diablo 4 dungeon instead of being used for something as vast as Path of Exile‘s Delve (but more approachable).
Perhaps the devs might introduce it in a future update or season, an old Diablo fan can only hope.
