As highlighted by Icy Veins, content creator MacroBioBoi and many players have been discussing how much of Diablo 4’s actual power comes from gear. The headline number is brutal: according to the breakdown, around 82.6% of total power comes from gear, leaving Skill Tree, Paragon, seasonal bonuses, class mechanics, gems, runes, and everything else fighting over the leftovers.
Gear Should Support a Build, Not Hold It Hostage
Loot should matter in a Diablo game. That is not the problem. Nobody logs into Sanctuary hoping gear becomes decorative furniture with item power. ARPGs live and die by the sweet little brain poison of finding a better weapon, better gloves, or a helmet that whispers, “ruin your evening, reroll me.”
The problem starts when gear becomes almost the entire character. If your build only works when every item lines up perfectly, then the fantasy stops being “I made a cool Necromancer” and becomes “I completed a very hostile shopping list.”
That is where Diablo 4 can feel strangely fragile. A build guide may look powerful on paper, but if your rolls are wrong, your Tempering misses, your Masterworking betrays you, or your Mythic never drops, the whole thing can feel like a cursed IKEA shelf missing one tiny demon screw.
Crafting Still Feels Too Much Like Gambling
The same discussion also points at Tempering and Masterworking as major sources of stress. Tempering can turn a strong item into heartbreak if the wrong affix lands too many times. Masterworking can demand resets, more materials, and another round of praying to the mathematics demon.
That kind of risk can be exciting in small doses. But when so much of your character power is tied to perfect gear, every crafting failure feels heavier. It is not just a bad roll. It is your progression being dragged into a basement and charged a material fee.
Lord of Hatred Needs More Than Bigger Loot
Lord of Hatred has added more endgame systems, more reward loops, more War Plans, more Talismans, more Seals, and more reasons to stare suspiciously at your stash. That is fun, until every new system becomes another layer of gear dependency.
The best version of Diablo 4 would still make loot exciting, but not so dominant that everything else feels cosmetic. Skill Tree choices should matter more. Paragon should feel powerful in its own right. Class mechanics should not feel like garnish next to a plate of affixes.
Rare Loot Is Fine. Power Imbalance Is the Problem.
Diablo players can live with rare drops. They can live with grind. Some of them seem emotionally powered by disappointment. But progression needs to feel like it comes from the whole character, not just the gear slots.
If Blizzard wants Diablo 4’s endgame to feel healthier, the answer is not simply more loot. It is better power distribution, less punishing crafting, and gear that enhances builds instead of holding them ransom.
Because when itemization eats the entire progression system, the loot chase stops feeling deliciously cruel and starts feeling like Sanctuary invented paperwork with damage numbers.
