Games @lemmy.world

12mo ago

Are there any games like Diablo but not Diablo because Diablo?

145 comments

Path of Exile, Titan Quest, Grim Dawn, Torchlight 2
- this is the definitive list.
  path of exile is most popular but has optional mtx(?)
  titan quest and Torchlight are on multiple consoles. titan quest has a sequel in production
  grim dawn is by the titan quest team, has a small file size, and runs well on older pcs.
  
  Does Last Epoch belong on this list too?
  
  For PoE you consider 30gb installed (on PS5 mind you) a large file size? Yes it has mtx, but it is not once pushed or advertised to you, and none of it is required for anything. They does improve the QoL of the game however.
  CoD + WZ is around 240gb I think. Most modern AAA games are usually 90gb minimum.
  
  Path of exile charges for inventory QoL and with the ludicrous amount of different stuff that drops, it’s arguably kind of mandatory if you’re trying to complete seasonal objectives
  
  The MTX for PoE are within the "nice" ones. There's extra stash tabs, but you don't need to consider that until after the campaign. And then there's cosmetics. No pay to win. And the MTX are on your account, so they will be on PoE2 as well.
- How is the couch co-op for Titan Quest? My SO and I spent a ton of time on Diablo 3 together and I might consider trying that again.
  
  No couch coop on PC, so I don't know.
  There is 2 player local coop for Playstation, XBox and Nintendo though
  https://www.co-optimus.com/game/334/pc/titan-quest.html

Torchlight 2 spoiled me for basically the whole genre. It is a classic ~~Roguelike~~ ARPG dungeon crawler but has so many thoughtful player centric quality of life features. Inventory is full but don't want to stop kicking butt? You have a pet that can run back to town for you, sell your stuff, and even buy a "shopping list" of potions and scrolls for you. It'll even run and pick up loot for you. I have trouble playing other games in the genre because I keep running into problems Torchlight 2 solved that I didn't even think about. It also has mods available to add even more or keep things fresh. It's getting old but because of that you can run it on anything. It's a damn good game.
Edit: seems I didn't know what a roguelike was
- It is a classic Roguelike
  I get that Roguelike is basically a vaguely defined genre now, and though Torchlight 2 in a great game it's definitely not a "classic Roguelike".
  
  Ok, is a Diablo-like a thing I can call it then? It's just such a specific type of game, the isometric top down view RPG with classes, customizable character leveling, randomly generated levels with area themes, randomized loot, a town hub and inventory etc. I've always heard those games called Rogue-likes but I never played Rogue.
- Torchlight 1-2 are decent fun for normal playthrough but plagued by bad design decisions and downright silly difficulty spikes on harder difficulties. Mods probably fix many of these issues but in vanilla the build diversity on harder difficulties is quite bad with only handful of viable builds with skill trees full of "trap skills".
  
  I might have lucked into some cheesey builds, I only maxed one character and have a few at 60. One mod I did get was a full respec mod, but the default reset of the last 3 levels was at least good enough for me to see if a skill was working for me or not. I agree that there seem to be too many "dud" skills, especially on embermage and engineer. My lvl 100 character I did without mods and I kind of liked how punishing it was. I get that that's a preference though.
- What are your thoughts on Torchlight 3?
  
  I haven't played it. My impression is that it was trying very hard to cater to the mobile market. I heard it suffered from a lot of design changes and ended up being sold and then patched up and released by a new team to cut their losses. Meanwhile, Torchlight 2 may be older but it was made with love and care and a strong vision. It's dirt cheap now too so it's not hard to get your money's worth out of it.
- I dunno about it being Rougelike, but I did love me some Torchlight 1 and 2. (Haven't played 3.)

Last Epoch and Grim Dawn are probably most in line with Diablo, I think.
People have mentioned Path Of Exile, and I've played a lot of it, but I don't think it feels particularly like Diablo any more, even though it started out that way. It's quite unforgiving, and even a lot of experienced players feel like they need to follow build guides rather than work things out for themselves. Its learning curve is hundreds or thousands of hours long. Of course, the reason for that is that it has incredible depth, variety and complexity, which may be a selling point or a deterrent depending on what you like! I definitely like the complexity of it myself, but it's very overwhelming when you're new. The reason I don't think it's all that in line with Diablo these days, though, is simply the pacing of the gameplay. You blow up screens of enemies at a time, and your deaths are often so fast that you're not really sure what killed you.
Path Of Exile also heavily revolves around its trading economy. Item drop rates are balanced around players being able to trade for them, which makes trading somewhat mandatory (unless you're a bit of a masochist). The economy is fairly complex, with there being a lot of different currencies, and quite a lot of factors that can affect the value of an item. I'll let you decide whether you find this appealing or not - some people do, some people don't! I do think it causes some issues with the balance and progression of the game, but it's interesting to say the least, even if you wish you didn't have to engage with it.
Grim Dawn feels a little mechanically dated at this point but it's still solid. It's got some good builds, the dual-class system and constellations system make for some interesting variety. It's got an offline mode, as well as online co-op play. Its real selling point, though, at least for me, is it's absolutely soaked with atmosphere. It's very, well, grim, but the world is really immersive and it has a great setting in general with a solid story and some great lore. It also has quite a lot of mods available (including the Reign Of Terror mod I mentioned in another comment in the thread that adds the entire Diablo 2 campaign and all its classes to Grim Dawn).
Last Epoch is more mechanically interesting than Grim Dawn, I think, but it's lacking in the story and world-building. It's still in early access, although its full release is next week. It has quite a lot of depth and complexity, but it's all done in an intuitive way that means you can jump into the game blindly and work things out for yourself fairly easily. It has a good variety of skills, and the fact that each skill has its own fairly comprehensive skill tree means you can play the same skills in very different ways. It has a wonderful itemisation system that does a great job of making you actually engage with the loot you find on the floor (which is an issue in other loot games), and some of the best crafting I've ever seen in a game. The dev team also manages to come up with some really creative and somewhat intuitive solutions to things they perceive as issues in other ARPGs.
Last Epoch's biggest drawback is that its endgame is currently a little lacking in comparison to POE (which has a very rich and deep endgame, but is also a ten-year-old game that's been updated constantly). It's still far, far better than Diablo 4's, though, and will obviously only improve as more is added. Last Epoch has some truly brilliant systems in place for the devs to build off - and frankly, I still think it's great now - but it'll only get better as more content gets added over time.
I love all three games I've talked about for different reasons, and honestly, they're all well worth playing!
- The reason I don't think it's all that in line with Diablo these days, though, is simply the pacing of the gameplay. You blow up screens of enemies at a time, and your deaths are often so fast that you're not really sure what killed you.
  Yeah, that's why I don't care for POE anymore these days.
- Grim Dawn feels a little mechanically dated at this point but it’s still solid
  Honestly Grim dawn is probably the most polished action rpg I've ever played. The developers have spend a ton of time adjusting the game mechanics, balance and build variety to be as good as possible. This is quite a contrast to games like path of exile where the developers are costantly adding new mechanics and bunch of new items each season. Sure doing so keeps the game feeling fresh which is important for live service but results in a lot more rough edges.

Path of Exile.
- PoE 2 announced a couple years ago and should be launching soon, pretty much the same stuff on a new engine.
  
  It seems like it'll actually be radically different, and there's no way it's coming out until like at least 2026.
  
  It's actually an upgraded version of the same engine, and Path of Exile 1 is getting a lot of the new tech backported.
  It was originally supposed to replace Path of Exile 1, but now they are going to exist together.
  2 will be more refined and slower, with a brand new story and 6 new acts. Should be a fun time.
- I spent way way way too many hours playing D2. Path of Exile is a great choice to fill that gap. Just do homework for a little bit before diving in if you give it a shot. Leveling builds and def use a guide.

Grim Dawn
- Grim Dawn is "What if a sequel to Diablo 2, but not Diablo 3?"
  
  Oh? I've only actually played 3 so I have no reference to 2 and what the differences are
- Grim dawn looks cool aesthetically and I'm liking the UI and how big the skill tree looks. Are any of the expansions any good?
  
  Absolutely. All of the expansions are good, but especially the ones that add extra masteries (classes).
  
  All of them, honestly.
  The Crucible is the weakest - it's just an arena mode, but it's got a lot of utility for speed leveling new characters + some QoL for existing ones.
  Ashes of Malmouth is the direct continuation of the base game's story, adds Necromancer and Inquisitor which are both very well-loved masteries, and you need it for Forgotten Gods anyway. The zones are a bit meh - great overall mood but you spend a lot of time in cramped corridors.
  Forgotten Gods adds Oathkeeper (very fun) and tons of huge new zones with a refreshingly different vibe to the rest of the game. And you can go to this expansion's zones from the start! (Except that you probably shouldn't on your first playthrough, you'd get destroyed and you probably want to focus on the main story anyway.)
  I'd wait for a sale and get them all if you like this genre, or just base game + AoM if you just want to give it a shot (and technically you could hold off on AoM until you're close to the end of the campaign).
- How would you say Titan Quest compares?
  
  i only played a little of both. i like titan quest for the story and mythology, but grim dawn seems more refined and modern, it's actually by the SAME team (today i learned)!
  
  I enjoyed Titan Quest more, but that may be down to the less grimdark aesthetics. Gameplay wise they’re both fine hack ‘n’ slashes.
  
  Haven't played it. My progression was Diablo 2 -> Torchlight 1 and 2 -> Grim Dawn

Definitely I would check out Grim Dawn and Last Epoch.
Grim Dawn is an insanely sprawling game with tons of class combinations and builds, made by the people who made titan quest. The graphics are dated as hell but it never stopped me from loving it. I also find the lore very fun.
Then there is Last Epoch, which is coming out on the 21st. I've been playing it for 3 years, even done some testing for them. Personally some of the more casual friendly things that you can't find (like the crafting actually being amazing, seasons giving content to non-season characters, etc) just are unmatched and give the game a very good flow. It will be out in 1.0 in ~ a week and I definitely think it's worth a glance because I find it is a great middle ground between diablo's dumbed-downness and Path of Exile's sweatiness.
- +1 for Last Epoch
  Each skill has its own talent tree you can use to customize it, and if there's a certain build you like in Diablo you'll probably be able to find something with a similar playstyle.

Here's a few:
Grim Dawn
Titan Quest
Sacred Series
The incredible adventures of Van Helsing
Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor - martyr
Divine Divinity
Torchlight series
Then there's Last Epoch and Path of Exile
- Torchlight 1 was an amazing game. Torchlight 2 was an okay game. Torchlight 3 is nothing like the previous two and is really awful.
- Grim Dawn is probably your best match. PoE is also online only so screw em.
- Spent a good chunk of my childhood playing Sacred 1. It's aged very poorly, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone nowadays, but I still think that the world design and environmental storytelling were some of the best I've found in a videogame.
  For example, at the beginning of the game, orcs are migrating from the desert and attacking human settlements. When you progress, you discover that they aren't doing it because they want to, but because the undead army is forcing them out of their land. And when you progress in the northern part of the world, there's a completely optional region inside the forest, where you can find a few hastily made orcish settlements - but you only find women and shamans, because the men are fighting at the front. There are no dialogues, quests, books or anything telling you that, it's just something that you infer from the environment.
  It made exploring the world and finding its secrets fun, even if there wasn't always a reward.
  (There were also a metric ton of easter eggs, from tombstones mentioning LotR characters to receiving sunglasses as a reward for chasing rude orc visitors from a tourist island... it was a wild game)
  
  Yeah both Sacred games have their fair share of jank on you'll need to apply community patches and possibly mods to even make them work on todays systems. However what they do not lack is soul as both games are clearly made with love and feel very unique compared to many modern games.
  If you can forgive the jank and don't mind to play older games with somewhat dated graphics I feel these games can still provide a lot of enjoyment. Would love to see remasters for these games or eveb a spiritual sequel.
  Currently playing Sacred 2 with community patch, enchanted edition mod , more enemies mod and music mod and having a blast. The EE is tough as nails though and I am frequently getting my ass handed to my by elite enemies and bosses even on silver difficulty.

Grim Dawn is goated. Not a big ARPG fan but this one just hits different for me. Simple enough for anyone to get into but can get complex enough that min-max theory crafters will have a blast messing with the games systems.
- For me it was a very short experience, but it's got online coop.
  
  Work all the dlc? I've played though a couple of times and it's always like 30-40 hours

Torchlight is Torchlight. You might like it because not Diablo, but Torchlight.
- I loved Diablo 2 the most, and Torchlight scratches the same itch.

Last Epoch seems to be the most popular recent one. It's currently in early access but it's releasing in a week or so.
- Okay I'm liking the current class selection, still a little sparse but I mean it's early access so whatever. But the reason this game is going in my wishlist is this one image
  
  That looks so fucking cool
  
  Those fifteen classes are all we're getting for last epoch. Two of them won't be live until launch on February 21 (falconer and warlock), but there's a ton of diversity between those classes.

Last Epoch
It's pretty good, releasing next week.
- Early Access is available now and is good. 1.0 launches next week.

Last Epoch. It has the best crafting and best skill system of any ARPG IMO.
- Absolutely this, the crafting system is a great balance of getting what you want but also giving you something to try again and again for.
  Basically that and the talent trees inside skills sold me on this game.
  
  And it has an actual endgame, leaderboards, and it's half the price of Diablo 4. It's a no-brainer IMO.

Path of Exile.
Its 100% free, so you can play it like a demo until you are either fully in or bored.
It gets a season refresh every 3ish months with an entirely new mechanic, so most experienced players restart it 4 times a year, play a new build, and then stop playing when bored and return at the new season so its always got reasons to peek back in and see if you want to rejoin.
The leveling system is a little daunting at first, but the base game is completely playable newbie blind even if you pick "suboptimally" from the skill tree. If youre too worried about FoMo, there are tons of guides online for builds, both top level and newbie friendly.
The attack/skill system is very interesting and completely moddable, tons of replayablility.
If you like diablo, try PoE.
- Looking forward to PoE2

Last epoch, path of exile, grim dawn, Torchlight 1,2 and if you want to suffer 3, if you can suffer through Korean p2w nonsense then lost ark, and also titan quest. All of these games are on multiple platforms.

Yes.
- Truly a man of the people

Torchlight 1 and 2 (diablo 1 and 2 but better)
Path of Exile (diablo the MMO)
Titanquest (my personal favorite non-diablo diablo game)
The Ascent (diablo with guns!)
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (D&D diablo on consoles)
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (Fallout Diablo on consoles)
And so many more... There was a time in the 90's after the success of Diablo 1 where everyone and their mother was making clones of Diablo.

Torchlight 2 if you like the gear gathering and optimization.

Torchlight 2 should scratch that itch. To me, Path of Exile is something the Diablo series could have been but wasn't exactly? Though I haven't played it in a number of years, so I may be mis-remembering exactly what it was like. I seem to think it was more like a point-and-click RPG with kinda Diablo-like combat.
- Path of Exile has "evolved", and not in a way I like, in the most recent years.
  It's a very fast, clear-speed focused game, now, more so than ever. Even inside it's genre, it's exceptionally build focused and not very interactive during play, which is impressive, considering these are things the genre is known for.

Because you want to avoid Diablo because Diablo, maybe you could get Diablo used on console, you don't need a Blizzard account or an internet connection and since it's used the money wouldn't go to Blizzard. It might be an option, depending on why you want to avoid Diablo.
- That's almost like saying that if you want to try meth, steal some instead.
- Actually bought Diablo III: Eternal Collection for PS4 just because it can be played offline and all the content is on the disc. For my understanding both Diablo 4 and Diablo II: Resurrected require internet connection.
  MIght still pick them up for a discount to just check them out at some point ignoring most of the live service bullshit stuff like skins and special mounts.

Path of Exile is like Diablo for adults. It's much more dark and intense in my opinion. It's worth checking out because the New Zealanders who make it are genuinely good guys.
- It looks cool, the first one seems to be free as well
  
  The second one will be free as well, it isn't even in beta yet. All micro transactions (I'm sure all the visual ones, not sure about stash tabs but I think they would be as well) will be usable in both games as long as you're using the same account.
  Path of exile is a wonderful experience, I'd suggest watching nyxvellum on YouTube, he started playing path of exile as a Diablo 3/4 player, and has good takes both on starting blindly and using a build guide.
  Don't be intimidated, don't listen to the trolls and detectors, you can play the entirety of the campaign without 2 clues to the game mechanics. End game you might find more difficult, but by then you've experienced a bit of everything and might be interested in pursuing something different from when you started playing.
  If you're going to start path of exile I'll give you 2 tips, 1) get a generic basic super open loot filter (use one from the path of exile website and it'll tie to your account and be updated automatically), 2) elemental resistances (to their cap) and HP are the most important stats, chaos resistance and damage being second most important.
  It's a wonderful game with a very active community and development studio.
  
  Haha, yeah, free. I totally haven't spent hundreds of dollars on the game. It's over a decade with thousands of hours though. I haven't really played the last couple years though, but that's mostly because I have small children and a career

Here's an RPG that I haven't seen listed yet- Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. I spent a LOT of hours on this one back in the day (circa 2001, by Sierra-Online and Troika Games)
- Ehhhh.. I'd classify that one as more Steampunk Fallout (1 or 2) or Baldur's Gate. Not that that makes it bad - it's great fun! Just maybe not what OP is looking for.
  
  The real time combat is very Diablo-ish, but it also makes the game nigh on impossible. I always played it turn-based because otherwise you died 3 seconds into the first damn encounter with wolves while searching the derigible wreckage.

Minecraft Dungeons
yeah, i'll see myself out
- Nah I agree. Minecraft Dungeons has a really approchable aesthetic that hits different. It's an easier sell to my partner. Its cute, and the build complexity and variaty is surprisingly good. Don't sleep on Minecraft Dungeons y'all!
- I’ve almost pulled the trigger on that one like three times now but I need more art supplies…
- It's ok but many of levels later in the game (especially dlc levels) are just way way way too long. People keep replaying the Soggy Cave and few other levels just because they're short.
  I do like however the variety the game has with weapons, items and skills.

I've had a lot of fun with Book of Demons, which is a bit more simplified, but really respects whatever amount of time I have to put into it!
- Book of Demons was so good. Shame the roadmap the indie studio made couldn't be met. It was wildly ambitious.
- I'm so excited for their future projects, book of aliens will be a day 1 pre order for me. There are just a few things I'd change with the gameplay of book of demons, and it would be nice if the references were a bit more subtle, but it's a great(if simplified) Diablo 2 meets rogue like multi class deck builder amalgamation.

Not mentioned yet: Chronicon. A small indie game that doesn't take itself very seriously. It has much less build variety than something like Grim Dawn (obviously) but it's got some, and it's aiming to be a much more streamlined/casual experience. Won't demand as much of your time and attention, will deliver hugely satisfying colorful explosions across the screen. When I'm in the mood for an ARPG it's a toss up whether I'll install this or Grim Dawn.

Last Epoch scratches that itch real good for me and it's hitting release in a few days.

I'll add Chronicon to the list! Its approach to endgame is quite similar to D3, but more entertaining imo. It was also made by a solo dev, which is very impressive.

Grim Dawn and DevilutionX. https://github.com/diasurgical/devilutionX
DevilutionX is basically Diablo but opensource

The incredible adventure of van helsing.

I love the title of this post. The only arpgs that I don't see mentioned already are Victor Vran, which I think is a lot of fun, and the Warhammer arpgs, I haven't played yet, Chaosbane and Inquisitor Martyr. Inquisitor Martyr is supposed to get a fully offline mode soon and they've patched it to have all the seasons available to play through.
- Victor Vran was surprisingly good. I bought Inquisitor Martyr and have never made it more than an hour or two. I think you need to be a diehard fan of the IP because the gameplay is generic af.
  
  I enjoy inquisitor Martyr, it's definitely more basic than Diablo. It scratches the kill everything and get loot itch though.

Titan Quest is on sale for Playstation. $6 which matches its all time low. Thanks for the recommendations.

Since the good ones have been said, allow me to give a niche option; Untold Legends. Grab youself a psp or an emulator and enjoy. It slaps.
- Yo, I got a PSP as a kid and this game came with it. Very dark, an absolute trip of a game.

Oh God there's so many options I'm honestly not sure where I'm gonna find the time to play all of these now but I sure want to

Path of Exile,
The true successor to Diablo 2

As an addition to all the great titles already mentioned: Wolcen
It was pretty rough around the edges when it released, but they since finished it and I liked it quite a lot.

Path of exile Last epoch Grim dawn Slormancer (a bit different) Torchlight infinite(have not tried)

You might like the Divinity series.
- There's a humble bundle for Divinity 2 atm.
- Is Divinity the same as Divinity: Original Sin? If so, isn't that a completely different type of game? Not saying that it's a bad suggestion for a great time. But it doesn't sound like what OP is asking for. Unless they are very into the particular camera angle.
  
  The original Divinity was Divine Divinity 2002 and it was extremely Diablo-esque, also very similar to the original Fallout games in that it was open world with various dungeons to explore. Over the decades they diversified a bit.

I'd you have a PS2, you can check out Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest.

Lord of the rings on GBA is a pretty decent option if all you can do is emulate old systems.

Saving this thread for future references

There are many good games listed here. However, focus on Path of Exile. It´s what Diablo 3 should have been.

A game nobody has mentioned yet would be Undecember. Instant dont play if Korean MMO, f2p or an in-game shop scare you away. Behind all that is a pretty good arpg with unique skill combination mechanics that are a joy to experiment with. Beware though that if you want to get really far, the grind won't stop. (Progress can be bought, generally it's just not worth it though, only p2 play hurdle is inventory space and that's a one time payment of 20-40€ depending on you) I`d recommend checking out a guide or two concerning runes before jumping into the campaign as it can be a bit challenging in the early levels, especially if one doesn't use all the skills available.

A lot of good suggestions in this post, but the only real answer here in Minecraft Dungeons (only half joking).

There's a game on game pass that I recently saw called Ghost Lore that I think claims it's inspired by Diablo? Might be worth checking out

I'm not sure if you are looking for anything on a specific system/console but I have a few suggestions. The first one being Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and it's sequel. Eternium also looks pretty good, especially for a game that was originally exclusive to mobile. I unfortunately can't say much about these games because I have yet to play them for an extended period of time but I have played them enough to know that they are at least similar to the Diablo games.
I am also aware of some other games that might be worth checking out but I'm not sure how close to the Diablo games you are looking for and they are quite different from the Diablo games.

Diablo

Yes.
- Why even make the effort to comment?

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