Blizzard says that modding Diablo IV can result in a permanent account ban

[Daniel Sims]

A hot potato: One of the most controversial aspects of the last two mainline Diablo titles is that Blizzard made them online only, even in single-player mode. One effect of the decision is that they don't allow modding, which to some fans was a cornerstone of the classic Diablo II experience and remains a core appeal of PC gaming

Blizzard recently stressed that using any mods in Diablo IV is forbidden. All mods, no matter how benign their effects, are treated the same as cheating, and can lead to permanent account suspension.

As an example of a mod that doesn't necessarily give players an unfair advantage, the company specifically highlighted TurboHUD for Diablo IV, which expands customization options for the game's user interface. With an extensive plugin manager, it can change how players see the game map, resources, missed items, aspect names, and performance data. However, the mod isn't free. It's only available through the developer's Discord server and requires a $12 monthly subscription, another likely deterrent for many players on top of the risk of losing their accounts.

Blizzard explains that because everyone playing Diablo IV is playing it online, any mod could adversely affect other players' experience. The same was true for Diablo III, which made that title controversial over a decade ago.

Another significant downside of the internet requirement became apparent when a June DDoS attack made Diablo IV unplayable for all owners, even those not interested in the multiplayer mode. Blizzard and Activision have extended the online requirement to non-Diablo games with single-player gameplay like Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time and the last few Call of Duty entries. The constant-connection DRM extends to the Steam versions of the affected Call of Duty titles.

The only Blizzard games allowing offline gameplay are StarCraft II and remasters of the company's classic titles like StarCraft: Remastered, Warcraft III: Reforged, and Diablo II: Resurrected. Luckily, the new version of Diablo II also allows mods. Plenty are available to rebalance the single-player mode to each player's liking.

The company's current policy contrasts starkly with how it treated StarCraft II modding over a decade ago, giving users extensive editing tools and revealing custom game modes it made with them. One ambitious modder used the toolset to build a complete Diablo RPG within StarCraft II.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/99577-blizzard-modding-diablo-iv-can-result-permanent-account.html

 

[Adhmuz]

GG Blizzard, lost almost all interested in your game as of Season 1 release, I'm not wasting my time grinding through a new character for some useless cosmetics, would have been nice to make the new content available everywhere and just lock the cosmetics and battle pass behind starting a new "Seasonal" character. As I have zero interest in grinding up another character just because this is how they've planned to prolong the life of the game as long as possible, every couple of months force you to start over, solid plan... Now they're going to start banning accounts for QOL improvements they're not going to introduce themselves?

"Blizzard explains that because everyone playing Diablo IV is playing it online"

How about giving us an offline option then, or at least a "Solo" mode so the game can run smoother and not have to cache every other player in the world on my system because reasons?

 

[Neatfeatguy]

GG Blizzard, lost almost all interested in your game as of Season 1 release, I'm not wasting my time grinding through a new character for some useless cosmetics, would have been nice to make the new content available everywhere and just lock the cosmetics and battle pass behind starting a new "Seasonal" character. As I have zero interest in grinding up another character just because this is how they've planned to prolong the life of the game as long as possible, every couple of months force you to start over, solid plan... Now they're going to start banning accounts for QOL improvements they're not going to introduce themselves?

"Blizzard explains that because everyone playing Diablo IV is playing it online"

How about giving us an offline option then, or at least a "Solo" mode so the game can run smoother and not have to cache every other player in the world on my system because reasons?

What are you complaining about? You're just one of the millions supporting Blizzard and how they operate their games. You got what you paid for - trash. Enjoy it.

 

[TheBigT42]

Another reason I will not be giving Blizzard an more of my money. NO Offline mode ... NO Dice

 

[Theinsanegamer]

GG Blizzard, lost almost all interested in your game as of Season 1 release, I'm not wasting my time grinding through a new character for some useless cosmetics, would have been nice to make the new content available everywhere and just lock the cosmetics and battle pass behind starting a new "Seasonal" character. As I have zero interest in grinding up another character just because this is how they've planned to prolong the life of the game as long as possible, every couple of months force you to start over, solid plan... Now they're going to start banning accounts for QOL improvements they're not going to introduce themselves?

"Blizzard explains that because everyone playing Diablo IV is playing it online"

How about giving us an offline option then, or at least a "Solo" mode so the game can run smoother and not have to cache every other player in the world on my system because reasons?

Why would they care what you think when, knowing it was online only, you still bought it? If you want to see change, stop CONSOOOMing.

 

[brucek]

What's most frustrating about this is that all these THUD features should have been part of the base game from the beginning, and would have made it more fun for everyone. (Or at least that's what I felt about the D3 version, I haven't seen the D4 version myself yet.)

 

[Shaitan]

It's ok, I never bought Diablo 4 nor will I do so. Nor will I give any money to any shooter from Activision.
StarCraft 3, maybe, but I'll need an open beta first.
At this point, I don't think blizzard/activision is able to create good games. They can only come with some woke checkmark and do nothing good
Let's see how long it takes until they go bankrupt.