Blizzard’s Diablo 4 appears set for some major improvements ahead of the game’s long-awaited next expansion. Alongside the new content—which will likely include the absent Paladin class and a trip back to Westmarch—Blizzard is seemingly adding a loot filter to the game.
As Blizzard plans to bring back some seasonal powers as permanent unlocks, it’s clear that a major overhaul is coming, likely something similar to the overhaul that came alongside Diablo 3’s Reaper of Souls expansion.
Speaking in a new Burning Questions video, Diablo 4 live-service design director Dan Tanguay explained that a loot filter is coming in a future update. In the past, Blizzard has been against adding the feature seen in other ARPGs like Path of Exile, instead aiming to optimise itemisation and drops, but fans have clamoured for it nonetheless.
“We’ve definitely heard everyone’s feedback,” Tanguay told fans in the recent video. “We’ve done a lot of things that we needed to do prior to revamping the itemization – we’ve done some almost ‘smart filtering.’”
Tanguay explained that Blizzard has “reached the limits of that approach” in recent updates. Despite the studio’s urge to keep loot filters away from the game, it’s turned out to be a necessary path forward for the game’s longevity.
“We are talking about loot filters, but I can’t really say much more than that right now,” the live service design director told fans.
It’s not a bad move forward. Over the past year, Diablo 4 players have heavily pushed for the feature to be added with fans asking for Blizzard to simply “copy past [the] Last Epoch system” to allow players to have more control over what they see.
In ARPGs, loot filters allow players to only see relevant items to their builds, allowing them to ignore items that aren’t for their class, below a certain rarity, et cetera. It’s a useful tool, especially for gamers who play every season, and it just makes sense.
There’s no ETA on when Blizzard will be adding its loot filter to Diablo 4, but it can’t come soon enough.
