Why Herb Gathering Needs Improvement in Diablo 4
Some topics in the Diablo community will always spark controversy — Stash space, drop rates, itemization, and the in-game Shop have all been hot topics burning their way through circles of Wanderers since Diablo 4 launched. We've got our own opinions: read on to find out more about our take on the Herb system in Diablo 4!
The entire Herb collection system for making Elixirs and upgrading potions was created for a different game era. It’s time for a serious revisit to the herb, Elixir and Incense system.
Back before Season 1, everyone was doing a lot of running around above ground, doing side quests, going after Altars, and finishing the campaign. Since Herbs are only obtained by direct farming or doing side quests that give an and assorted herbs, getting enough herbs wasn’t much of an issue, because you spent so much time above ground where you could grab them as you went along.
In today's world of spamming Nightmare Dungeons and Vaults to level (because open-world experience gives so little… well, experience), getting enough herbs even to upgrade your healing potion can pose serious problems. There are four key areas where herbs and Elixirs could use some serious improvement.
Herb Farming Isn't Viable
Getting enough herbs often means open-world farming. Without an in-game way to track herb nodes in the world, it’s often a complete guess as to where you’ll even find these nodes, and they have a terrible habit of disappearing. I’ve gone back to previous hot spots only to find a local herb plague has wiped everything out.
Herb node yield is also ridiculously low. It’s frustrating to find those elusive nodes, only to have it yield 1 when you need 27 to upgrade to a at level 80.
There are only a few open-world activities most players do regularly: Helltides, some Whispers, and the Season 3 outdoor activities we’ve come to call Malphas-palooza. Sure, we’ll stop for an herb when we see one there, but that’s hardly enough to keep one character stocked and up to
