Here, I want to share my honest thoughts on the new dungeon system recently added to Diablo 4 Season 3 called Gauntlet.

Gauntlet was finally released on March 5 after significant delays, sparking enthusiastic anticipation among Diablo community. After all, after such a long wait, players rightly expected something substantial that would redefine the endgame experience.

Gauntlet, a staple of Season 3’s marketing, was supposed to be a beacon to lure players back from other action RPGs, but it itself received a lackluster response.

It was once considered the pinnacle of Diablo 4, the ultimate challenge that would keep players engaged for hours on end. However, as many are coming to realize, the reality falls far short of expectations.

In this guide, I’m going to go over the many reasons why Gauntlet feature may not be performing well, and could be the downfall of Diablo 4. Why is it completely boring? What are the flaws in its gameplay? What’s wrong with rewards? And why overall is it not worth the time investment?

Repeated Boss Battles

One of the most glaring problems with Gauntlet is how repetitive and downright boring it is. Diablo 4 was often criticized for its lack of enemy variety, especially for bosses, and Gauntlet only exacerbates this problem.

Instead of facing powerful enemies that test our skills and strategies, we’re fighting the same tired mobs repeatedly. It’s hard to get excited about killing a Tomb Lord 1000 times, isn’t it? The excitement of something new quickly wears off and is replaced by a feeling of monotony.

Unreasonable Gameplay

But it's not just a lack of enemy variety that plagues Gauntlet, it's a fundamental flaw in their game design that really ruins the experience.

First, the difficulty curve is completely out of whack. To cater to players of all character levels, the developers have created an experience that feels watered down and unchallenging. We don’t even need to understand what character progression and equipment do.

In a game where loot is king, it’s puzzling that our gear has so little impact on our success in Gauntlet. Instead, victory hinges on our ability to use shrines and optimize routes, reducing the characters to glorified delivery boys.

Disappointing Reward

Of course, no discussion of Gauntlet would be complete without addressing its lackluster rewards. Despite all the time and effort we put into tackling this so-called ultimate challenge, the payoff has been disappointing.

Instant rewards are almost non-existent, and even the weekly rewards feel perfunctory. As a level 100 character, I expected to be rewarded with a ton of high-level loot, but I found myself scouring the bottom of the barrel for anything of value. This made the effort disproportionate to the reward, as I knew I could earn more Diablo 4 Gold in a brief period by just running a few Vaults.

Lack Of Value Proposition

But perhaps the most damning aspect of Gauntlet is its complete lack of a value proposition. To have even a slim chance of climbing the leaderboards, players need to invest hundreds of hours into a character. And acquiring the necessary super-unique items is a tedious task in itself, requiring an almost obsessive level of dedication.

Don't forget we spent countless hours working on route optimization and rushing to compete with some players who had bugs. It’s hard, thankless work that brings little in the way of tangible rewards or genuine enjoyment.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Gauntlet in Diablo 4 is a tremendous disappointment, a feature that promises a lot but delivers very little. It doesn’t reinvigorate the endgame experience so much as serve as a cautionary tale about what happens when ambition outweighs execution.

If you’re looking for a meaningful endgame challenge, Gauntlet may not be for you. Gauntlet in its current state does not allow us to get a reasonable gaming experience. So, do you think Gauntlet is worth your time and effort? Let us know what you think.