I'm still dealing with disconnection issues, but they're not technically as bad as they once were. I've completed Act II (finally), but like Act I, there's still dungeons I haven't done, still segments of the map I haven't explored, etc. The level scaling is still irritating, because no matter how powerful my toon gets (right now, somewhere in the 40s), the game will always keep up. I get why, given the nature of it being an open world game, but still...
Anyway, I don't have the time to give a step by step account of my activities in Scosglen (which, of course, has been ruined by contentious people who make enemies for life), but the bare basics are:
-I absolutely love the atmosphere, it's exactly how Scosglen should be based on everything that's been established over the years, even if this is the first time the games have visited it. Primal Celtic/Gaelic feel, the music, the atmosphere, the dire straits, etc.
-I've debated Lilith's motivations on the D4 thread, and so far, the theme has mostly remained true of Lilith rarely forcing people to do anything, but rather unlocking their inhibitions. Ariadnah puts her social Darwinism-esque goals into order because of Lilith. The other guy (forget his name) hates the Cathedral so much that he's willing to basically be bled to death and become one with a tree (long story) to get back at them, even in the knowledge that Lilith's goals are aided. I should add that while gore has never really been make or break for me in games (e.g. Mortal Kombat and Gears of War - the gore's nice, but it's icing on the cake), the amount of gore in said area, the entire landscape writhing with blood (vessels)...yikes.
-I don't have the time to go through every side quest, but there's two that stick out in my mind. One is where you help a girl complete a friend's bucket list (not literally called that, but that's what it is effectively), and I admit, it did get me in the feels, since she's still clearly dealing with grief, and there's no proper resolution. As in, her friend's list is complete, the quest ends, but it's debateable as to how much it helped her misery (again, this is Diablo IV, where misery is the default state for most people). The second is helping a barkeep who turns out to be a former mercenary who turns out to have done some pretty nasty things, etc. Again, it's not groundbreaking by the standards of most RPGs, but it's appreciated all the same, especially in a genre that has rarely put emphasis on story.
-Back to Lilith, there's a break in the usual motif of using people's own desires against them, namely when she plunges the soulstone into Yorin's forehead. I'll be honest, this entire sequence of events rubs me the wrong way. First, Eldhaime Keep being built above a soulstone chamber is just another repeat of Tristram, and as a Horadrim, Donan should have known that. Even if Lilith was never involved, chances are Astaroth would have started corrupting people eventually like Diablo and Mephisto did. Second, Lilith plunging the soulstone into Yorin breaks her former M.O. of never really harming anyone directly. Third, where'd they get a soulstone from? That's not a question that's hard to answer, since the destruction of the Worldstone would have resulted in plenty of shards (heck, that's the main plot in Immortal), but those shards should be inherently malignant, so how's this one meant to work?
-That all aside, the entire sequence with Astaroth is great. Cerrigar burns, you have a giant demon riding a giant dog demon with a boss fight that takes place across entire sections of the city (not complex, but it's fun), and by the end of it...again, Lilith's won, your character's failed, lots of people are dead, the Cathedral of Light has fled, Cerrigar is in ruins, so basically, everything's gone from bad to really bad. And while I've spoilt myself, the hints are clear in circumstpect - Act I had Lilith gain a key to Hell, Act II has her bargain with Astaroth to get her access to a place within Hell...it's all coming together, to use another Simpsons quote.
-Moving onto Act III, we get to the Dry Steppes. The inspirations here are a bit harder to put down - the Fractured Peaks clearly takes inspiration from Russian/Slavic culture, Scosglen is based on Scotland/Celtic/Gaelic culture, the Dry Steppes seem to primarily draw inspiration from northern Asia (e.g. the Mongols, sans horses or any settlements you'd expect from nomads), coupled with a bit of sub-Saharan African culture. We'll see if the zone grows on me over time I guess.
-So, I admit, I smirked the entire time when the player character reunites with a very drunk Lorath. Since this is an isometric game, the interactions have to be carried by the voice acting, and said voice acting is great, not to mention that we get what the game allows for when it comes to body movement and whatnot.
-Overall, the zone is fine, just don't have much to talk about. Ghuulrahn is an exception, given its aesthetic, both in the overlook and in the streets itself, not to mention the associated horror (e.g. you come across a journal of a prisoner being force-fed before the cannibals eat them). Still, the main issue is the constant disconnects. TBH, I think it's something wrong with my modem itself, but if so, there's very little I can do to fix it.
