Now, after enjoying the beta, pre-launch, and final versions of Diablo IVand despite being a filthy casual D2R Items, in Diablo terms at leastI’m going against every fiber of my being to tell everyone to give it a go. Diablo IV is not only the gateway to a series that may have always seemed intimidatingit’s one of the best AAA games of the last few years.

Until 2021, my Diablo understanding was limited to friends boring me to death with confusing and extensive explanations about its lore, story, skills, and world. Finally, after many years of cajoling, my best friendan avowed Diablo fanatic, who now lives 3,900 miles away in North Carolinatalked me into playing through Diablo III and Diablo II: Resurrected during our weekly, transatlantic co-op sessions on Xbox Live.

He did the right thing. I loved every minute of it, even if I spent my pre-Diablo IV days as a subservient, well-meaning idiot. I always played as a Barbarian who was thicker than a submarine door, attracting enemies to my hulking mass while my friend did all the hard work from range with incredible character builds. It was great fun, but I only enjoyed the illusion of success; he was a seasoned dungeon crawler who was also my puppetmaster, offering me dad-like congratulations for the successes he was wholly responsible for.

I owed it to myself to put my big boy pants on and grasp the nettle when Diablo IV came calling, not just for me, but for all those people who I know exist: gamers just in it for the action, fun, or distraction. Unlike its predecessors buy diablo II resurrected items, Diablo IV is the perfect introduction to a franchise for casuals who were once baffled by it.