Diablo 4 has been in a bit of a rough patch the last few weeks following its latest patch and Season of the Malignant, with players generally unhappy with the changes made to the game. In a recent Campfire Chat livestream, the developers laid out several changes coming to the game very soon in its patch 1.1.1. update, including several buffs, tweaks, and quality-of-life changes that will begin to address fan concerns.
Related: Diablo 4: Season of the Malignant – Story, Malignant Hearts, & Renown Carry Over
The Upcoming Patch Will See Changes to Classes, Legendries, and Plenty of Adjustments to Content
The Campfire Chat provided plenty of information for players to chew on, including details on class changes and buffs to the Barbarian and Sorcerer, which have been key points of concern for the community since the Season of Malignant began on July 20. Players also don’t need to wait too long for patch 1.1.1., as it’s set to release on August 8.
For the Sorcerer, Multiple skills have seen buffs, including Flickering Fire Bolt, which will now generate mana when hitting any enemy as opposed to before, which only triggered when hitting a burning enemy. Enhanced and Destructive Fireball will also see buffs, with the former getting a radius increase of 50% and the latter having an increase to critical strike up to 20% and 30% when it hits three enemies.
Additionally, they will have buffs to Chain Lighting, which will see Greater Chain Lighting increase its damage by 5% when it bounces to enemies, and Destructive Chain Lighting now having a 30% chance to form a Crackling Energy. Along with these changes, they have seen adjustments to several Passives, Paragon, Legendaries, and Uniques that will increase damage, bonuses to effects, durations, and, most importantly, survivability.
As for the Barbarian, Bash, Flay, and Enhanced Frenzy will get increased Fury generation, making early and mid-game combat a bit more rewarding and quicker-paced. They will also have several skills get increased damage, including Double Swing to 50%, Enhanced Rupture to 70%, and Enhanced Charge to 60%. The class will also see Mighty Charge Vulnerable duration increase to four seconds, and Violent Upheaval Berserking triggering when you hit two enemies or a boss, and lasting 3 seconds on hitting three enemies. Alongside this, multiple Passives, Paragon, Legendaries, and Uniques will also see changes and buffs like the Sorcerer, with highlights being Gushing Wounds and Walking Arsenal, with the former now having a Critical Damage Bonus of 115% and Overpower bleed damage increased to 70%, while the latter will now have an eight-second duration.
With these changes, other classes have also seen some tweaks to damage and certain abilities, other class elements, and multiple legendaries. There will also be several quality-of-life changes, including reduced respec costs by 40%, additional Stash space, and increased Legendary drop rates in multiple areas. These are Dungeons, Legion Events, which will now guarantee a drop at level 35+, and Treasure Goblins, who will now drop a Legendary at level 15+. The Butcher will now also always drop a Legendary item.
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Dungeon teleport times have also been reverted to three seconds, and several Nightmare Dungeon affixes are being removed from the game to be reworked and tweaked. Speaking of Nightmare Dungeons, these, along with Helltides, will increase their monster density in this patch.
The developers were clear that these numbers could change slightly before the official patch notes go live on August 2. But even if that is the case, the upcoming changes look good all around and should address several player concerns and give classes and the games a nice boost following a rough few weeks. Of course, there is more to be done, but this patch is a step in the right direction.
