Blizzard warns against using Diablo 4 mods, including UI and HUD mods
Blizzard has issued a new warning against using any Diablo 4 mods, including UI and HUD mods, which could lead to permanent bans. The message comes as a surprise to many fans of the series, who are used to using UI mods in games like WoW.
The global community development director, Adam Fletcher, posts on the Blizzard forums, stating that “any unauthorized software that modifies or interferes with the game” is prohibited, and that this includes “any game-modifying software, including but not limited to, mods, scrapers, and bots.”
Fletcher specifically calls out a mod called TurboHUD4 (or Thud4), which is a popular UI mod aimed at making the hud easier to read. It offers overlays to track resources and missed items, but the latest version also has the ability to reveal dungeon maps before exploration.
While this functionality is certainly a benefit to players, Fletcher says that it is a clear violation of the rules and will result in a permanent ban. The ban on mods, including Thud4 and all mods, seems counter-intuitive for Blizzard fans who are used to the highly permissive stance that the company takes on mods in games like World of Warcraft.
In the past, Blizzard has generally had a lenient enforcement policy around mods, often turning a blind eye to those that did little harm. However, the clearer stance against mods like Thud4 in Diablo 4 may prevent players from unknowingly breaking the rules.
The ban on “any game-modifying software” is also causing some concern, as there are worries that it could impact on things like reshade presets and other overlay mods that provide accessible information more clearly. We’ve reached out to Blizzard for clarification on these concerns, and will update the article when we hear back.
For now, it looks like the best course of action is to stick with the vanilla version of Diablo 4.
