Season 3 of Diablo 4 marks a significant departure from the previous Vampiric Powers, introducing a new companion - a robotic spider. While this change may seem more intricate than its predecessor, the shift in pace is a refreshing challenge. Season 2 brought about a radical acceleration, flooding the game with XP and loot at an unprecedented rate. It felt like a reboot, altering the fundamental philosophy of how Diablo 4 should be experienced. However, Season 3 represents a period of stability, integrating these structural changes and injecting a renewed level of challenge into the game.

Indiana Rogue

Opting for the rogue class in Season 3, I was intrigued by the prospect of relying on the new Seneschal companion. In stark contrast to the swift leveling journey of Season 2, Season 3 has proven to be more perilous. My spider companion lacks the screen-clearing prowess of Season 2's Vampiric Powers, necessitating a more careful approach through dungeons teeming with deadly constructs and traps.

The slower pace of this season has reintroduced a sense of risk to combat encounters, compelling me to strategically use skills once again. By the end of Season 2, almost every class could effortlessly conquer challenges. The excessive damage output made the game relatively easy. However, in the Season of the Construct, enemies bombard you with fireballs, and traps chip away at your health unexpectedly. This heightened risk has made careful positioning paramount, prompting my switch to a controller for seamless navigation through enemy packs.

For classes without skills providing invulnerability, engaging enemies amidst traps becomes a challenging dance. Diablo, unexpectedly, resembles a bullet hell shooter in the new seasonal dungeons or vaults. Fortunately, not every room is designed to be lethal; vaults are mostly conventional dungeons requiring exploration before unveiling the objective.

Having invested over 100 hours in the game, I hadn't realized how accustomed I had become to the routine dungeon objectives or how mundane the fantasy of dungeon crawling had grown. While vaults may become routine over time, the joy of discovering new elements in dungeons adds a layer of excitement.

Craft Your Construct

Running vaults without my companion would be unimaginable. With enemies distracted, I navigate over spiked floor panels and slip between pillars of fire. The Season of the Construct amplifies environmental hazards, occasionally evoking a desire to return to my Sorcerer for teleportation. The Seneschal proves invaluable, either weakening enemies for my attacks or inflicting damage itself. Equipping it to provide a protective barrier seems redundant so far.

All the spider companion's powers derive from governing and tuning stones looted from construct enemies in the open world or at the end of vaults. Starting with a basic lightning bolt, it can be augmented to deal damage over time or stun enemies. The beauty lies in the versatility of customizable skills, encouraging experimentation, unlike the one-dimensional Vampiric Powers.

It's premature to predict the Seneschal's power at level 50, Diablo 4's endgame. Currently, I appreciate that it neither dominates the game nor remains inconsistent. As my build centers around a potent arrow, dealing with stragglers becomes cumbersome. The Seneschal efficiently addresses these inefficiencies, allowing me to maintain constant movement.

Entering the higher levels, I aim to offload parts of my build onto the Seneschal. Some teased stones have the potential to group enemies conveniently for my arrows, a task previously requiring an entire Unique helmet. I hope my robotic spider can open doors to experimenting with various items, such as new gloves that transform basic abilities into devastating attacks with a 200% damage increase.

While Season 3 lacks the flamboyance of Season 2, it confirms the success of Blizzard's efforts. Diablo 4 is a joy to play, brimming with enticing loot and gear. Despite lingering issues like irrelevant stats on items and limited stash space, Season 3 instills hope that future iterations will only refine the game further now that it appears to have everything figured out.

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