Diablo 4Season 7 has the tough task of following up a season that saw the release the Vessel of Hatred expansion and all of the new content that came with it. So far,Diablo 4’s Season of Witchcraft seems to be hitting all of the right notes to make it a success, with the introduction of Witch Powers being among the most popular new seasonal features. However, manyDiablo 4fans are disappointed that one feature that had been present since Season 3 has not returned since it was removed in Season 6.
Despite only existing for three seasons,Diablo 4’s Gauntlet and Leaderboardswere the primary way players could get a sense of how they stack up against other players. The Gauntlet was an endgame dungeon that tested players' ability to defeat as many enemies as possible in only eight minutes, with the layout of the dungeon changing every week. While trying to earn the best possible score and learning the ideal route for running the weekly Gauntlet made this activity great for the endgame, its removal in Season 6—potentially for good—may actually be a blessing in disguise.
Diablo 4’s Gauntlet May Never Return, and That’s Probably for the Best
The Gauntlet Was Prone to Exploitation
The Gauntlet was initially removed in Season 6 to coincide with the release of Vessel of Hatred, withDiablo 4developers citing the changes to leveling and the paragon system, along with the new Spiritborn class, as the reason for its disappearance that season. While it was thought that once players became accustomed to these new features and a new meta emerged, The Gauntlet would return,Diablo 4Community Manager Adam Fletcher confirmedThe Gauntlet and Leaderboards would not be returning in Season 7. To make matters worse, it sounds like The Gauntlet may never return toDiablo 4with the developers looking for a new way to implement Leaderboards in the future.
Ultimately, the removal of The Gauntlet and Leaderboards is a tough but necessary decision given how the mode could be exploited by players looking to achieve the top rank. Initially,The Gauntlet drew controversy because of a bugthat allowed players to bring overworld buffs into the dungeon. Even with that bug fixed, the most dedicated players were still able to dominate the mode by learning the ideal route for a weekly dungeon layout, optimizing the dungeon’s shrine and enemy placement, and grinding the dungeon until they reached the top ranks. While this can be a worthwhile pastime for the topDiablo 4players, it’s generally inaccessible for the average player.
Diablo 4’s Leaderboards Can Find New Life in Other Ways
For players who do want to test their skills and shoot for the top ranks of the Leaderboards, the removal of The Gauntlet is an unfortunate part of the latestDiablo 4season. However, the door is open for Blizzard to reintroduce Leaderboards in a new format that circumvents some of the issues of The Gauntlet while still featuring the competitive endgame activities that players enjoyed about it. To accomplish this Leaderboard rework,Diablo 4should look toward the success ofDiablo 3’s versionof the mechanic.
Diablo 3’s Leaderboards were tied to its Greater Rifts, which featured randomized dungeon layouts and scaling dungeon levels that require Rift Keys of the same level to enter. These Greater Rifts are similar toDiablo 4’s Nightmare Dungeons, which could be the perfect replacement for The Gauntlet, especially with how Nightmare Dungeons have become less important in the endgame loop after their function has been swapped from farming Paragon Glyph upgrades to Masterworking materials. The randomized nature of Nightmare Dungeons could allow them to side-step the issue of The Gauntlet’s fixed nature, and they could still function as both an endgame test of skill and a farm for Obducite.
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Diablo® IV is the ultimate action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or explore an expansive end game and shared world where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle world bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play, cross-progression, and couch co-op on Xbox.This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon.
