Manyaction RPG fans are very eager to start playingone of the most anticipated remastered games of all time, which isDiablo 2: Resurrected. The past few years have seen great games released within the ARPG genre, while other established games received quality of life improvements that added replayability and successfully manage to retain players. A great game to start out now (or to go back to) isWolcen: Lords of Mayhem.
Wolcenhad a rocky launch to say the least, and for quite some time it didn’t pick up the pace as its development team went rather silent. However, the game has seen many changes and amazing improvements over the past six months or so, and it is now in a really good state. Furthermore, news came from the developers stating they have plans to fix many of the issues that Wolcen still has, while also adding even more content to a game that is now thriving.
RELATED:Path of Exile May Have a Big Impact on Diablo 4
What Wolcen Offers, and Why the Game is Relevant in 2021
Champion of Stormfall is an endgame mode similar to theGreater Rifts ofDiablo 3, with some mixed elements fromPath ofExile’s Map system andLastEpoch’s Empowered Monoliths. The Champion of Stormfall mode will also see improvements in upcoming patches to make it more rewarding when pushing levels, and allowing players to delve even further and find more powerful items. Even now, this endgame mode is a very good way to get more items and scale the difficulty of the game up. It offers a lot of replayability, and players seeking a good alternative while waiting for the remasteredDiablo 2: Resurrectedare in for a treat.
Wolcen also comes with a built-in loot filter, a great tool to have when playing any ARPG. This allows players to select which items they want the game to highlight or simply show, and which items to hide. The loot filter reduces screen clutter from defeated enemies, a big problem for many games within this genre. Furthermore, in the coming updates,Wolcen’s loot filter will be given the option to be divided into profiles. What this means is, players will be able to set up different filter profiles, either for different characters, different builds, different purposes, or maybe for when they areleveling up in the campaignand want progressively more appropriate filters.
Fans of summoning minions in ARPGs will be delighted to know thatWolcenwill soon see big improvements to this specific system. Minions will be provided with much better artificial intelligence, players will have more control over Summons' aspects, and new ways to scale the damage of Summons will be added.Diabloplayers who loved the Druid will most likely enjoyWolcen’s new Summons.
Wolcenoffers acrafting system that is far from being perfect, but it gets the job done and helps to build characters the way players want to. Additionally, improvements to crafting are on the way, and one of the controversial features of other ARPGs is coming as well. As a matter of fact, the enhanced system will provide players with ways to deterministically craft items, a feature that was recently subject to discussion especially in thePath of Exilecommunity due to heavy nerfs to it.
RELATED:Is Path of Exile Worth Playing in 2021?
Wolcen: Blood Trail And The All-New Chronicles
Pets were added to the game with theBlood Trailexpansionpatch, and right now they are more like cosmetic items than anything else. However, pets can also be used to fetch loot for players, a feature that games likeTorchlightintroduced a while back. Soon, though, developers should be introducing the same ability thatDiablo 3pets have, which is collecting Gold dropped from enemies too. These little creatures are also beautifully designed, and Wolcen graphics did get better since launch.
The most remarkable thing that was added into the game with theBlood Trailexpansion is a new game mode called “Chronicles,” which resembles the League system fromPath of Exile,with elements fromDiablo 2andDiablo 3’s ladders. Chronicles allow players to start playing a new character in a fresh economy, and also access the seasonal events both duringWolcen’s story campaign and in endgame too. These seasonal additions will also maintain the game in a much better place than it ever was, because of how players will keep coming back.
Blood Trailadds new content toWolcenin the form of hunts. Players find traces left behind by several different kinds of Prey, each with its own attributes and challenges. Gamers are able to customize their encounters by picking modifiers to change what happens next. This happens by interacting with Altars, making choices that either create new encounters for the players to face on the spot or choices that have an impact on the final encounter with the Prey. Slaying the Prey offers great loot and the new Hunt Trophies, whichplayers can exchange at a vendor’s to obtain items specific toBlood Trail.
Wolcen Is A Good Alternative for Diablo 2: Resurrected, Not Diablo 4
Ultimately,Wolcenis a great gothic game to playfor a few months and then go back to when new content is released. As such, the best moment to get into the game is now, beforeDiablo 2: Resurrectedreleases later this year and claims the attention from allDiabloand ARPG fans. In its current state,Wolcendoes offer a lot to do, especially so for new players.
Many ARPG fans are veterans of the genre, and as such, it is likely it won’t take too long for them beatWolcenand accomplish the major goals, but the game still remains great to explore and rich in builds to experiment with. This is something most players look forward to doing inDiablo 4as well when it releases, but it will be a long time before that happens. With this in mind, it’s easy to see whyWolcenis a good game to play while waiting forDiablo 2: Resurrected, instead, so that more content gets added to it in the meantime.
Wolcen: Lords of Mayhemis available now on PC.
MORE:Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem is the Perfect Game to Play Before Diablo 2, Diablo 4
