Anfernee Simons: Playing Diablo 4 is like ‘being back in high school’

Simons tells GLHF how the RPG helps him reconnect with friends

Anfernee Simons has a lot of catching up to do in Diablo 4. The Portland Trail Blazers point guard’s Rogue character is sitting somewhere in the mid-40s, and he hasn’t finished the campaign against Lilith yet. It’s hardly surprising. Blizzard said most Diablo 4 players haven’t reached the end of the campaign yet, let alone made it through the endgame grind, and Simons’ packed schedule means he falls into that category as well.

Simons doesn’t mind, though. He tells GLHF that he’s happy to play a bit every day, squeezing dungeon runs and side questing into the little free time he has, because it gives him a chance to relax and share time with his friends.

Diablo 4 is Simons’ first trip through hell and one he says he was excited to experience after hearing friends speak so highly of the series over the years. He chose a Rogue for his first class and opted for a ranged build after hearing it’s supposed to be good (he heard correctly – a bow Rogue is a solid build option) and is enjoying some of the more challenging dungeons where he can put his build to the test.

“It’s a big achievement when you reach that goal and get one step closer to the next level,” Simons says. One boss encounter stands out in particular. Simons said it took two hours to finally learn its patterns and wear it down, but the feeling of satisfaction when he finally brought it down was unmatched.

Simons enjoys tinkering with his character build and seeing how different skills work together, but for him, Diablo 4 is at its most satisfying when he can feel the challenge start to increase and find a new goal to strive for.

That sounds a lot like a training program, but Simons brushes off comparisons between Diablo 4’s level grind and the repetition of practice. They are similar, he says, but when he slips into sanctuary at the end of a hectic day, the only thing he has on his mind is relaxing – not following a strict regime of character improvement.

“Being in the game eases my mind and takes me out of everything that happened during the day,” Simons says.

He’s got quite a bit of leveling up to do as well. Right now, Simons is trying to bump his Rogue’s level up so he can join his friends, sitting somewhere in the mid-70s after finishing the battle against Lilith. Eager as he is to finally catch up, though Simons is just happy to spend time with his friends.

“Spending time just hanging out with my friends, it’s just like being back in high school,” he says. “It helps me reconnect and feel a little bit of extra comfort at the end of the day.”