How do you feel about mounts coming to Diablo 4?

Diablo 4 is just weeks away, and while we’re going to have one more chance to play before its release in June, the level limit of 20 means we’ll still not have a chance to test a feature entirely new to the franchise: mounts. It’s an interesting exclusion because while D4 is not really advertising mounts as a selling point, it is still a differentiator from previous games. While I imagine that it’s unlikely more than a dozen players worldwide would make their purchasing decision based on the use of mounts, I still would’ve liked to have given them a try.

The main reason we haven’t had a chance to test them is because they’re locked behind the main questline — a recent blog post indicates that mounts will not be unlocked until the questline is complete. Since the beta has limited players to just the first zone there’s no opportunity to unlock them organically so we’re left to wonder.

The mounts themselves seem to be positioned as a quality of life feature rather than a gameplay one. There was indication during the original D4 announcement that each class would have a special dismount attack ability, but whether that will make it into the released version of the game is completely unknown. Instead, once unlocked the mounts will be available to all characters on the account, providing a useful speed bonus to leveling alts — no word on whether or not mobs can dismount you — as well as quickly getting around while moving between endgame activities.

The other benefit that is being touted is the personalization aspect. While you won’t be able to ride mounts during the Server Slam in May, you’ll be able to earn a “mount trophy” if you defeat the world boss Ashava after reaching level 20. Other promised features include armor as well as different types of mounts, although we’re not sure if there will be non-equine varieties — so far all the known mounts (including those from prepurchasing and/or getting the deluxe edition) are horses.

While we probably don’t know as much as we should, so far the mounts seem like a good idea to me, especially when it becomes time to level other characters besides my rogue. What do you think? Do you think the mounts will be a good addition, or do you think they’ll trivialize content? Do you think we’ll see mounts that aren’t horses — I’m always a fan of ram mounts — or does the separate acquisition of mount armor make you think the mounts will all have the same basic shape to ensure fidelity of fit? And most importantly, do you think we’ll be able to name our horses?