Diablo 4 players reckon the premium shopkeeper is more evil than Lilith

Diablo 4 Cry of Ashava Mount Trophy beta reward — (Image credit: Blizzard)

Diablo 4 players have already labelled the shopkeeper the "true prime evil" of the game.

One might think Lilith would be granted the prestigious title of "true prime evil" from the Diablo 4 player base. But no, they're busy worshipping her and asking to be stepped on instead (we all knew it was going to happen), so that title has sadly fallen to the in-game shopkeeper who offers up DLC and add-on items to players.

The true prime evil of Diablo from r/diablo4

If you're unfamiliar with the shopkeeper, she literally just sits there in Diablo 4's pause menu, offering up cosmetics for your character for precious Platinum. You can purchase all sorts of things from her, including cosmetic armor, backpack-style devices, and even horse armor, because horse armor is somehow alive and well in the year of our Lord 2023.

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Back before Diablo 4 actually launched, leaked images pointed to some pricey microtransactions, especially for the horse armor. Players weren't happy at the prospect of spending up to $28 to grab a skin set, and this new hatred towards the shopkeeper is an extension of those pre-launch feelings.

The post lambasting the shopkeeper might have over 1,500 upvotes of agreement from Diablo 4 players, but plenty disagree in the comments. "Oh no! An optional store," writes one player. "full of those game-breaking cosmetics!" another similarly sassy player chimes in with.

Some Diablo 4 players are just annoyed that a $70 game has microtransactions at all, regardless of the fact that the purchases don't affect gameplay. That's a debate for another time and place, though, because in this article we're focusing on the poor shopkeeper, and all the hatred she's incurring from Diablo 4's player base at large.

Is the vitriol against the shopkeeper justified, or is she just the punching bag in place of Activision Blizzard?

Check out our Diablo 4 error codes guide if you're struggling to get into Blizzard's new game and keep seeing error messages.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.