Based on the reviews out there along with consumer feedback, most are dissatisfied with Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. It is not the sequel or even reboot to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II that many were hoping for. The first game in that series got a remaster prior to this, which was met with strong nostalgic praise.
It might have been a better idea to remake the sequel as well rather than put out this new game. It’s not a complete mess but there are certain aspects of it that are confusing as a modern RPG. Can these issues be fixed with a patch or two? Anything is possible. Just look at how far No Man’s Sky has come from an equally split fan reaction from its launch. As a plus, Dark Alliance is on Xbox Game Pass.
10 Add A Magic Character
There are four characters to chose from in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance right now. All of them except for Catti-Brie, who is a ranged specialist as an archer, focus on melee in one way or another. Catti-Brie is also the only female character.
Worst of all, there are no magic characters. A female magic character would be a cool addition to the game. Better yet, it would be neat to see another Drow like Drizzt.
9 Allow Players To Change Gear On A Mission
There are plenty of co-op RPGs that allow characters to change their gear while on a mission. Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is an exception to this rule as players can only do this in the hub world.
The reason could be to make sure players aren’t messing with their loadouts and holding back the party while in a co-op session. However, not allowing players to swap gear is harmful in other ways, so it might be better to allow changing at least at rest areas.
8 Allow For Character Customization
Gear can be customized with skins but there is no way to make one version of Catti-Brie different from another, for example.
Because of this, missions can only have one character, meaning there can be a lot of switching around to alternates when joining random matches online. Adding in character customization may fix the confusion caused by having two Catti-Brie on the battlefield.
7 Add Couch Co-op
To the developers' credit, there are already plans to put in offline co-op post-launch. When that will happen is currently unknown. There were some hints that it could be added as early as summer 2021 along with a big content drop, however, that is a loose range as of now.
The game's commercial and online performances will ultimately determine how much effort will be given to future patches and updates. This may turn into an Anthem situation where next to nothing gets addressed in a timely manner; hopefully, that is not the case.
6 Beef Up Level Progression
Some modern RPGs are a grind to get to the good stuff. This makes any of those other titles, like Destiny 2, feel speedy by comparison to Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. Progression is slow as experience is not earned based on kills as is the usual case in co-op RPGs.
It is instead rewarded per mission, with bonuses dished out from monster killings not amounting to much. It’s a cycle that may make players quit faster; therefore, in order to stop that from happening, more experience needs to be given.
5 Let Go Of Level Requirements For Moves
There is another aspect of the level system that needs to be addressed. Leveling up gives players points to put into new Feats as well as stats. There are also Moves which can be bought alternatively with gold.
This is nice since players will earn more gold than experience in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. The catch is Moves have level gating, a limitation that should be dropped, or at least reduced, in a future update.
4 Change How You Launch Missions
The online infrastructure is very bland right now. Players can jump into a quick match, without any settings, or they can customize their own game to act as a hub. Dark Alliance needs more options in this area, such as looking for other players online who want to play a specific mission or difficulty.
Other games have figured it out like Monster Hunter Rise. Since there is only online co-op right now, this issue should be at the top of the to-do list.
3 Add New Camera Angles
The classic games in the Baldur’s Gate series are played from a top-down position. Having Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance be a third-person action RPG is fine, but more camera angles would be a welcome addition.
This could be an easy way to integrate couch co-op better as split-screen experiences in modern games can feel dated. Maybe some players would even prefer to take on the action in first-person.
2 Let Us Sell Crystals
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance gives players plenty of gold in lieu of experience points. It also dishes out a lot of crystals that can be used to upgrade gear.
Some crystals can even be fused to make higher-tiered ones in order to create better loot. There is no way to sell them right now, which is the bad part. Adding in an option to do so in the shop would make a significant difference.
1 Revise The Checkpoint System
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance has a risk, reward system when it comes to checkpoints. Once a camp appears, players can choose to rest which will replenish consumables along with heal everyone. There is also an option to get better loot. The system is similar to Shovel Knight’s checkpoint system.
It would be nice to have this revised so that the checkpoints are more natural. Sometimes these camps aren’t always apparent and getting thrown back to the beginning is disheartening, to say the least.