Unlucky Diablo 4 player defies all odds in a brutal Helltide struggle only to lose out to RNG

Diablo 4 Invoker of Varshan
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Diablo 4's grind can be brutal, and there's almost no better clip than this one that proves RNG is a thankless, borderline malevolent deity.

Over on Reddit, a Diablo 4 Sorcerer shared their grueling minute-long struggle through a Helltide event in search of a special chest, only barely surviving with very little health and no potions by spamming AoE attacks and dodging out of danger at precisely the right moment. Every other second it seems certain the player is about to go down, but each time they manage to escape the clutches of the damned, only to be met with another swarm of baddies.

At long last, you see the player approach the Tortured Gifts of Mysteries they fought so valiantly for, fork over the eye-watering 250 Aberrant Cinders it takes to open the chest, and receive... one Legendary. The video cuts out after that, and I can only imagine that's to spare us the player's deafening cries of disappointment. Check it out:

1HP, 1 minute, 247 Aberrant Cinders, 0 potions and a dream. from r/diablo4

The clip sparked a lively debate about whether Diablo 4's RNG is balanced appropriately to adequately reward players for their efforts, with plenty arguing that it's absurd to expect great loot all the time. That's the thing, really. Inherent in a game whose loot system relies on random generation is the possibility that you A) make out like a bandit, B) get screwed, or C) get something in between. 

I definitely agree that this player's experience fits firmly into category B, with the player themselves admitting that the one Legendary they did bag was "trash," but it doesn't seem like the kind of thing that actually warrants any sort of action on Blizzard's part. It's an amusing talking point in the context of a hard-won victory netting severely below-average loot, but also it's one bad drop in a sea of loot. And as other players have pointed out, this player is only level 51 and clearing World Tier 3, though this haul is still impressively bad. 

RNG is an important element in action-RPGs like Diablo 4, and disappointing turns like this only make the more bountiful drops more rewarding.  Better luck next time, chap.

Read the new Diablo 4 1.1.1. patch notes to read all about buffs coming to every class, changes to dungeons, and more.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.