Diablo 4 quest designer explains how they put the RP in RPG with one simple choice
An early Diablo 4(opens in new tab) quest lets you pick what troubles you the most for a cleansing ritual. Your choice doesn't change how the story plays out, but the quest accomplishes two important goals early in the game, according to one of its designers.
After meeting Horadrim (Diablo's ancient cult of mages) fanboy Lorath Nahr, you both set out to enter the city Kyovashad. A guard asks you to perform a cleansing ritual before passing through the gate. Nahr refuses and stomps off into the city, but your character is forced to make a decision.
No matter what you inscribe into the firewood, be it «fear» or «greed», your choice doesn't affect how the story plays out. Instead, the quest quickly introduces you to the Cathedral of Light, a prominent and powerful religion that is the focus of the game's first act.
«Right away you get a strong sense of how important their religion is to them, and by extension you see how powerful the Cathedral of Light is. Everything in Kyovashad revolves around it,» senior quest designer Harrison Pink explained in a recent Twitter thread(opens in new tab).
Lorath Nahr, who you just met, calls the ritual meaningless and is let through by another guard. The cranky old man ends up ditching you to go look for a member of the Horadrim, but the quest helps illustrate his attitude about the city before he disappears, Pink wrote.
You, however, have to do the ritual.
During the #DiabloIV beta weekend, I noticed a bunch of people asking questions about this moment in the Prologue. I wanted to take a moment and explain how a beat like this gets created and the reasoning behind it. Spoilers within! 1/ pic.twitter.com/szRzKoZdN2March 27, 2023
«We teach the player that even though they are the
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