When the game actually launches, what kind of community are new players going to be faced with?

These people are likely on a vocal minority of the eventual playerbase, but it feels like a very negative attitude is already colouring the discussion.

Listen: words hurt, and they don't just hurt me, they hurt my poor hypothetical digital horse too.Īll of which is to say: this Ashava trophy obsession is joking around, but it's also already being used to do a lot of mean-spirited gatekeeping.

Ditto my colleague Fraser, accused by many of being a bare-mare for pointing out that the Ashava fight was pretty tedious (despite him having unlocked it being the whole crux of the article). Ridiculous as it is, bare-mare is already becoming a catch-all insult-I've been told my concerns about Diablo 4's balance and combat are simply the thoughts of a man with an unadorned mount. Expressing frustration with the Ashava fight is routinely met with mockery and derision-'You're just whining because you didn't get the horn' is a common refrain, and many of the posts on the jokey ATClub subreddit have an undercurrent of genuine spite towards any nay-sayers or critics. Underlying the bare-mare comments is a 'git gud' mentality where people are, on the whole, extremely dismissive of anyone who struggled with any aspect of the game. But it does reflect an already ugly side of the community. People aren't being completely serious, of course-in the run up to a highly anticipated game's launch, fans are always looking for ways to blow off steam, and the Cry of Ashava has become an easy in-joke to rally around while they wait. Another raises concerns about fakers, and calls for verification once the game goes live: 'Not to be elitist or unwilling to believe that many of our fellow kinsfolk might actually be fibbing in order to appreciate the camaraderie, the fellowship, the wisdom and the strength of this fair elite club.' Meanwhile, various memes call those who didn't get the horn 'fucking idiots', cheer the fact that it's no longer available, and dub themselves 'a higher class of human'.

Diablo iv meme