When Blizzard announced a Berserk crossover for Diablo 4 and Diablo Immortal, the franchise's first-ever external IP collaboration, it was hard not to be excited. The late Kentaro Miura's legendary manga series is a seminal work whose influence can be seen in any game with oversized swords and a penchant for over-the-top violence. The two franchises are both steeped in blood, gore, and demons--practically making them a match made in dark fantasy heaven.
Unfortunately, Diablo 4's Berserk crossover is largely a disappointment, one that doesn't capitalize on the overlap between its two franchises. Far from honoring Berserk, it mostly just feels like a cash grab, an excuse for players to potentially spend well over $100 on cosmetics and nothing more.
Diablo 4's Berserk crossover, which is live now until June 3, is broken down into two parts. One is the free set of rewards tied to Diablo 4's new Reliquary battle pass system. Elite enemies have a chance to drop Behelits, which can then be used to unlock a handful of freebies in the Berserk Reliquary. The rewards include a Brand of Sacrifice death marker and tattoo, as well as a cosmetic backpiece and mount trophy. Unlocking the four rewards then unlocks a free Berserk-themed nameplate. Players will need 400 hundred Behelits to acquire all of the rewards, and while that won't take too long (at max level, players are killing elite enemies by the dozen at any given moment), it does still feel like a grind without any real depth or strategy. It's just busy work.
The real bulk of the crossover is in the in-game shop. Blizzard is offering four different armor sets, along with a pet bundle, for 2,800 Platinum (Diablo 4's premium currency) each. A mount bundle is also available for 2,500. Even factoring in the "free" bonus Platinum included in the larger bundles on the in-game shop, buying all of the event's cosmetics comes out to over $120.
That is a whole lot of cash. Pricey cosmetics are nothing new (Blizzard has been selling various cosmetics in Diablo 4 for around the same price since the game's launch), but it feels especially egregious here. All of the items a player would most want, particularly Guts' iconic Berserker armor and Dragon Slayer sword, are locked behind a pricey paywall. Combined with the fact that this is the first season Blizzard is only offering 200 Platinum, down from 700, in the Diablo 4 battle pass, and the excitement around this collab has withered faster than Griffith locked in a dungeon.
It wouldn't be so bad if there was more for players not keen on spending money to do and unlock. The cosmetic armor sets themselves are meticulously detailed and look fantastic--Blizzard's artists have done great work recreating Miura's legendary designs in-game. Skull Knight and the Berserker armor in particular look incredible, though it would have been nice to see Berserk's most prominent heroine, Casca, featured in the cosmetic armor set lineup as well. The real issue here is that with the actual in-game event being practically non-existent and the free rewards being so disappointing, the entire crossover, the first in the franchise's history outside one with Blizzard's own Warcraft universe, just feels like a Dragon Slayer-sized missed opportunity.
All of Diablo 4's Berserk premium cosmetics.
What's even stranger is one doesn't even have to look far to see what could have been. As mentioned earlier, Diablo Immortal, Blizzard's free-to-play mobile game, is also crossing over with Berserk. The approach of the two games couldn't be more different.
Diablo Immortal's Berserk crossover includes not only new cosmetics, but actual, exciting in-game events. It features a boss battle against the menacing Nosferatu Zodd alongside unique rewards. It introduces a new Behelit-themed Legendary gem that grants players new powers and mechanics to play around. Players can even try to survive the most infamous moment in all of Berserk, the Eclipse, one where armies of demons descend on players hoping to turn them into sacrifices to dark gods.
Why this level of creativity is found in the free-to-play Diablo Immortal and not Diablo 4 is anyone's guess. The Dragon Slayer appearing in Diablo 4 as a Legendary or Unique item could have been an exciting addition, one that might have changed up the game's meta in a potentially fun and exciting way. A limited-time in-game event where players are marked with the Brand of Sacrifice and have to fight to survive would be right at home in Blizzard's premium ARPG. Heck, just reskin Diablo 4's endgame Infernal Hordes activity, rename it Eclipse-mode, and call it a day. It would, at least, be something.
Is Blizzard's Diablo 4 team stretched so thin that having enemies occasionally drop yet another currency is all it could come up with for its first ever crossover? Players have complained about Diablo 4's upcoming content roadmap and how it seems lacking. The fact that there is so little to Diablo 4's Berserk crossover just seems to prove the point. There is no meat or substance here. Far from making players excited about Diablo 4, it sours the idea of future crossovers, which just so happens to be one of the few things potentially worth getting excited about listed on the game's 2025 roadmap.
It remains to be seen what IP Diablo 4 will cross over with next or what it will entail; according to the roadmap, it will come between September and December of this year. But Blizzard's lack of effort and creativity here doesn't inspire much confidence. Berserk and Diablo 4 should have been a perfect pairing. Instead, it's just a reminder of what these IP collabs often are--a chance to make a buck.
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Unfortunately, Diablo 4's Berserk crossover is largely a disappointment, one that doesn't capitalize on the overlap between its two franchises. Far from honoring Berserk, it mostly just feels like a cash grab, an excuse for players to potentially spend well over $100 on cosmetics and nothing more.
Diablo 4's Berserk crossover, which is live now until June 3, is broken down into two parts. One is the free set of rewards tied to Diablo 4's new Reliquary battle pass system. Elite enemies have a chance to drop Behelits, which can then be used to unlock a handful of freebies in the Berserk Reliquary. The rewards include a Brand of Sacrifice death marker and tattoo, as well as a cosmetic backpiece and mount trophy. Unlocking the four rewards then unlocks a free Berserk-themed nameplate. Players will need 400 hundred Behelits to acquire all of the rewards, and while that won't take too long (at max level, players are killing elite enemies by the dozen at any given moment), it does still feel like a grind without any real depth or strategy. It's just busy work.
The real bulk of the crossover is in the in-game shop. Blizzard is offering four different armor sets, along with a pet bundle, for 2,800 Platinum (Diablo 4's premium currency) each. A mount bundle is also available for 2,500. Even factoring in the "free" bonus Platinum included in the larger bundles on the in-game shop, buying all of the event's cosmetics comes out to over $120.
That is a whole lot of cash. Pricey cosmetics are nothing new (Blizzard has been selling various cosmetics in Diablo 4 for around the same price since the game's launch), but it feels especially egregious here. All of the items a player would most want, particularly Guts' iconic Berserker armor and Dragon Slayer sword, are locked behind a pricey paywall. Combined with the fact that this is the first season Blizzard is only offering 200 Platinum, down from 700, in the Diablo 4 battle pass, and the excitement around this collab has withered faster than Griffith locked in a dungeon.
It wouldn't be so bad if there was more for players not keen on spending money to do and unlock. The cosmetic armor sets themselves are meticulously detailed and look fantastic--Blizzard's artists have done great work recreating Miura's legendary designs in-game. Skull Knight and the Berserker armor in particular look incredible, though it would have been nice to see Berserk's most prominent heroine, Casca, featured in the cosmetic armor set lineup as well. The real issue here is that with the actual in-game event being practically non-existent and the free rewards being so disappointing, the entire crossover, the first in the franchise's history outside one with Blizzard's own Warcraft universe, just feels like a Dragon Slayer-sized missed opportunity.
All of Diablo 4's Berserk premium cosmetics.
What's even stranger is one doesn't even have to look far to see what could have been. As mentioned earlier, Diablo Immortal, Blizzard's free-to-play mobile game, is also crossing over with Berserk. The approach of the two games couldn't be more different.
Diablo Immortal's Berserk crossover includes not only new cosmetics, but actual, exciting in-game events. It features a boss battle against the menacing Nosferatu Zodd alongside unique rewards. It introduces a new Behelit-themed Legendary gem that grants players new powers and mechanics to play around. Players can even try to survive the most infamous moment in all of Berserk, the Eclipse, one where armies of demons descend on players hoping to turn them into sacrifices to dark gods.
Why this level of creativity is found in the free-to-play Diablo Immortal and not Diablo 4 is anyone's guess. The Dragon Slayer appearing in Diablo 4 as a Legendary or Unique item could have been an exciting addition, one that might have changed up the game's meta in a potentially fun and exciting way. A limited-time in-game event where players are marked with the Brand of Sacrifice and have to fight to survive would be right at home in Blizzard's premium ARPG. Heck, just reskin Diablo 4's endgame Infernal Hordes activity, rename it Eclipse-mode, and call it a day. It would, at least, be something.
Is Blizzard's Diablo 4 team stretched so thin that having enemies occasionally drop yet another currency is all it could come up with for its first ever crossover? Players have complained about Diablo 4's upcoming content roadmap and how it seems lacking. The fact that there is so little to Diablo 4's Berserk crossover just seems to prove the point. There is no meat or substance here. Far from making players excited about Diablo 4, it sours the idea of future crossovers, which just so happens to be one of the few things potentially worth getting excited about listed on the game's 2025 roadmap.
It remains to be seen what IP Diablo 4 will cross over with next or what it will entail; according to the roadmap, it will come between September and December of this year. But Blizzard's lack of effort and creativity here doesn't inspire much confidence. Berserk and Diablo 4 should have been a perfect pairing. Instead, it's just a reminder of what these IP collabs often are--a chance to make a buck.
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