Xbox Game Pass free gem is in the best state it has ever been

I can’t stop thinking about Diablo IV. I’m writing this sitting at my desk and if I look around my laptop, there are pages and pages of notes about my class build. I’ve been playing nothing else since I finished the new DLC, Vessel of Hatred, during the review period. The DLC has only officially been out for a handful of days and my Spiritborn character is just entering the ultra difficulty of Torment II, which I realise may mean nothing to you. This is perhaps a long winded way of saying that Diablo IV is in the best state it has ever been, and the new season is the perfect jumping-on point if you’re a lapsed player or have never entered the world of Sanctuary before.

Of course, if you want to play, all you need is Xbox Game Pass and the entire base game is open to you. Sure, you can’t play as the new class or take on the DLC campaign but honestly, it really doesn’t matter that much. Diablo IV is more about the core experience of being swarmed by countless enemies while timing your attacks and abilities to wipe them out, and this is all achieved by building the best character you can. It comes down to armour, weapons, accessories, and then the bevy of abilities you can unlock on your skill trees. It’s overwhelming at first, but there’s no harm in searching for a meta class build online and just choosing whether you want to go down the route of magic or melee.

Blizzard Entertainment

My first character was a Barbarian who whirled around like a tornado, swinging his hammer and battering everything in his path. My second was a mage and she channelled the power of lightning to bounce around dungeons, electrifying anything that moved. Before the DLC was released, I went back to the game after a short break and tried out a Necromancer who could raise the skeletons of dead enemies and act like a commander with an army in tow.

All of these options are there in the base game, as are more activities than you can shake a wand at. I’m currently working through the endgame content after blasting out the DLC campaign and making my way through the supported questlines. I’ve got it down to the fine art of queuing for a dungeon or event, wiping it swiftly and jumping directly into another, constantly on the lookout for materials to masterwork my weapons, or just earn XP in order to further improve my Spiritborn.

Don’t worry, I’m aware that half of what I’ve written here probably sounds like overenthusiastic drivel, but if only a few of you reading this think to give the game a try, then I’ve won. When the base camp first came out, I was hooked but after the first season, I found myself getting a bit tired, despite the idea of running new classes each season. I took some time out to return now and I’m so glad I did because there’s a ridiculous amount of stuff to mess around with.

If you want to rock up and do world events with random people, you can. You don’t need to talk to each other, just kill whatever is on the screen and reap the rewards. You can tackle enormous bosses, run mini dungeons together, or group up during helltides (where areas of the map get increasingly more difficult). If that’s not your cup of tea, there are nightmare dungeons that give bigger rewards due to tougher challenges, or there are Infernal Horde modes to dispatch waves of enemies, and a truckload more.

Blizzard Entertainment

I thought I was going to feel overwhelmed coming back after several seasons had passed, but the game did a great job of funnelling me through the new stuff while keeping the dopamine rattling in through enormous loot drops and monstrous enemies being destroyed.

You know a game is good when you’ve got a notepad full of scribblings. On the notes to my right are details on possible changes to make in my Spiritborn class, highlighting which armour perks would work well with certain abilities. There’s a page that goes into the more complex paragon board which unlocks after you’ve maxed out the skill tree and it’s here that the game starts to become more of a puzzle game, or at least gives you puzzles to solve regarding how certain perks will nourish your build, or keep you alive for critical seconds. Last year, when Diablo IV burst out of hell and grabbed me by the throat, I put in hundreds of hours and now I seem to be doing the same thing all over again.

Knowing that this huge RPG is at the fingertips of anyone with Xbox Game Pass is a delight. Millions of potential players out there can jump in at any minute and give us more heroes to combat the warriors of hell. Do yourself a favour and just give this a try.