Diablo 4 is bafflingly refusing to implement map overlay at launch
An often vital QoL feature for ARPGs is purposefully being left out by Blizzard.
If you were eagerly hoping that Diablo 4 would feature an overlay map when it releases in June, it's bad news. It's been confirmed that there are no current plans to add what has traditionally been a series staple to its newest iteration.
It's safe to say that Diablo 4's beta back in March was a huge success. Not only did over a million people hit level 20 during the early access period—somewhat making us question the definition of "closed beta"—but player feedback was pretty damn positive across the board.
Of course, there'll always be criticism. The majority of it was valid concerns around quality-of-life features, and one I consistently saw was the disappointment around the lack of a map overlay. Your only options were to rely on the minimap, locked to the top-right corner of the screen, or to open the fully opaque map and cause your character to stand still if you dared look at it for more than a second. There were hopes that the feedback would be considered and we'd be given a map overlay for the full release. Unfortunately, that doesn't look to be the case.
When asked if Blizzard would be adding the handy feature to the game, Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson replied that there were "no plans at the moment." Considering the developer has made a ton of other feedback-related tweaks such as dungeon layout revamps, class tweaks, and changing its much-maligned font choice, it seems strange that such a small change hasn't been implemented.
No plans at the moment.April 14, 2023
Replies to Fergusson's tweet were largely ones of disappointment. "Weird hill to die on and remove a hallmark of how ARPGs are played," one user replied. Another said they "would strongly reconsider," adding that the "current map feels very alien and clunky." Some welcomed the choice, however. One reply said "This way you don't just stare at a 2D map all day," while another said "I actually like not having the overlay. With [Diablo] 2 I have it always on and I miss all the beauty the team puts into the world. I say keep it off."
I'm definitely team map overlay, and it seems a shame that Blizzard is missing what many have deemed an essential quality-of-life feature of the genre. With a developer livestream taking place on April 20 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET / 7 PM BST, hopefully some clarification will be offered during that.