Blizzard just dropped a new update for its loot-grinding RPG Diablo IV. The latest patch notes mark some crucial changes to the game, particularly around buffing all five character classes.
Diablo IV – Bear Bender Build
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Barbarians, one of the game’s worst classes when starting your journey to save the world of Sanctuary, sees many of its abilities—such as Bash, Kick, Double Swing, and Lunging Strike—get an increase in damage and/or a cooldown time reduction. The same is true for the other character classes as well, like the Druid, whose skills now do more damage and have a shorter cooldown. This means that the Necromancer, the best class and my favorite of the bunch, and the Sorcerer, the most-played class, will probably dominate Sanctuary more than they already do, while the other classes are now more viable alternatives to check out.
Read More: Diablo IV Classes Won’t Always Feel Balanced, Blizzard Says
Blizzard explained in a developer note that the team is always monitoring class performance and will make adjustments according to player feedback.
“We’re continuing our efforts to make all class builds feel fun and powerful with another round of balance updates,” Blizzard said. “In particular, we have seen community feedback stating that basic skills aren’t impactful enough in combat. These changes will not change the fundamental relationship between basic skills and core skills, but we hope that they help smooth out the leveling experience while we explore additional ways to strengthen them. We are also increasing the power of some skills that players feel are lagging behind their peers. As we look forward to future updates, we’re monitoring other heavily discussed topics, such as minion survivability and build parity.”
This update is a godsend for four of the five classes in particular. While the Necromancer was already a bit overpowered, a June 5 update heavily nerfed the others. It’s hard to say if patch 1.0.3 returns the Barbarian, Druid, Rogue, and Sorcerer to their former glory, but at least they’re stronger than they were earlier this month.
Read More: The Best Classes For Diablo IV Beginners, Whether You Want A Challenge Or Cakewalk
Patch 1.0.3, the newest Diablo IV update also introduces some necessary fixes and tweaks to a variety of the game’s systems. This includes issues with open-world activities such as dungeons and events, some of which previously saw their progression blocked due to unfortunate bugs, as well as local co-op adjustments and quest changes, such as NPC Lacthan duplicating during his “Bound by Blood” mission you pick up within the worn-down town of Margrave. You can read the full patch notes below:
Bug Fixes
Dungeons, Events, and other Activities
Fixed an issue where players couldn’t engage with the Dead Man’s Dredge dungeon boss.Fixed an issue where certain Whispers couldn’t be completed.Fixed an issue where the Those Who Call the Storm event wouldn’t register as completed.Fixed an issue where the Those Who Call the Storm event would place a permanent de-buff on the player that would gradually drain health.Fixed an issue where enemies could spawn behind the Sealed door in the Cultist Refuge dungeon, blocking dungeon progression.Fixed an issue where characters could be damaged and killed during the Stronghold completion cutscene. (Not the valiant triumph we planned)Fixed an issue where the level 100 Pinnacle Boss would appear again with no health bar if killed during a specific phase.Fixed an issue where progression could be blocked in the Cathedral of Light Capstone dungeon in Kyovashad.Fixed an issue that resulted in a crash or freeze if players entered the Untamed Thicket dungeon during the Fangs of Corruption quest.
Gameplay Fixes
Fixed an issue where the Insatiable Fury and Mad Wolf’s Glee items prevented Druids from transforming into the Werebear or Werewolf Forms.Fixed an issue where Spider Host enemies would remain upright after exploding and dying.Fixed an issue where equipment with socketed Gems couldn’t be mass-salvaged.Fixed an issue where players were unable to teleport to Cerrigar while in the Cerrigar and Cerrigar Outskirts subregions.Fixed an issue where Corpse Tendrils would cause the corpse visual to disappear.Fixed an issue where the camera would not zoom out when joining a World Boss encounter.Fixed an issue where Barbarian players would get stuck between Bone Walls after using Charge.Fixed an issue where Rogue players would remain invisible to other players after using the Concealment Skill in Fields of Hatred.Fixed an issue where Airidah’s tornados would cause the player to be stuck in a knockback state if hit by multiple tornados at once.Fixed an issue where pressing any button on controller while Dazed would halt all player input.Fixed an issue where Caches with World Tier conditions could be brought into higher World Tiers and provide rewards for that world tier.Fixed an issue where the Skeleton Warrior upgrade for increasing Thorns damage was not properly applying.Fixed an issue where the Burning Instinct power on the Sorcerer Paragon board did not account for Base Critical Damage in its damage calculation.Fixed an issue where the player could move in-game during the Leave Game countdown.
Local Co-Op
Fixed an issue where the second player that closes the Region Progress menu would be locked in the World Map during Local Co-Op play.Fixed an issue where some quests would not properly progress for all players in Local Co-Op play.Fixed an issue where the preview slot for item upgrades would only display for Player 1 during Local Co-Op play.Fixed an issue where buttons in the store would become un-interactable for player 2 during Local Co-Op play.Fixed an issue where targeting the same enemy would show different health bars for each player during Local Co-Op Play.Fixed an issue where the Spirit Boons menu couldn’t be closed by player 2 if player 1 had it open during Local Co-Op play.Fixed an issue where the remaining player would not be able to move on their mount if the other player exited the game during Local Co-Op play.
Quests
Fixed an issue where the NPC Lacthan could duplicate during multiple quests.Fixed an issue where progression of the Malign Devotion quest could become blocked if the player left the cellar as Lakren started to stand up.Fixed an issue where players would have their progression in the Apex of Misery quest blocked if they teleported away and back during the Destroy the Risen Remains objective.Fixed an issue where the player character would get blocked if they sat on a chair to talk to a NPC during the Demon Ledger quest.Fixed an issue where Brol and Mother’s chosen would move oddly during the eavesdropping cutscene if the player was near the broken wall.Players may now re-enter the boss area after the Follower has joined them during the Storming the Gates quest.Fixed an issue where the Illusion Woods Statue could become un-interactable during the Wayward quest.Fixed an issue where the True Potential Rogue Class Quest sometimes couldn’t properly be completed.
UI
Fixed an issue where Chat could be expanded even when the Chat is not visible.Fixed an issue where a party member’s HP bar would appear to be 0 if they left the vicinity of their party while not at full health.Fixed an issue where the “GPU not Supported” message would display broken text.Fixed an issue where the particles for Druid’s Spirit Boons would persist after closing the associated menu.Fixed an issue on Xbox Consoles where the cross-network play notification would display in-game even if cross-network play was disabled.Fixed an issue that displayed an empty notification to new players when world bosses appeared.Fixed an issue where the Potion Upgrade icon would be missing when playing with a controller.Fixed an issue where the Town Portal progress bar would be visible while in menus.Fixed an issue on PC where the Tab key would not open the Map if the Materials panel was open.Fixed an issue where the Spur ability for mounts would display as “Not yet learned.”Fixed an issue where the Linked Item menu would persist on screen when switching between Keyboard & Mouse input and Controller input.Fixed an issue where players would receive improper messaging when undoing the deletion of a Hardcore character.Fixed an issue where the Interact wheel prompt would appear over vases near the Fate’s Retreat Waypoint.Fixed an issue where the Socket button would persist if the player swapped tabs.Fixed multiple instances where Pins on the map from either a quest or the player would not function properly.Fixed multiple instances across a variety of menus where text wouldn’t display properly.Fixed multiple issues with health bars not displaying accurately during PvP activities.Various other improvements to the UI experience.Various localization fixes.Fixed an issue where the Purveyor of Curiosities’ menu would erroneously display item quality on some items (this didn’t affect what item quality was available to gamble for).
Miscellaneous
Fixed an issue where users couldn’t create a Clan when their language was set to Russian or Spanish.Fixed an issue where the Shop would not properly load if the player dies while in Checkout.Fixed an issue where multiple cutscenes would not play if the player engaged with them when in a party of 3 or more players on Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.Fixed an issue where the Randomize Look and Swap Body Type actions in the Shop didn’t function when viewing Cosmetic Armor.Fixed an issue where the PlayStation 5 screen reader wouldn’t function properly.Fixed an issue where emotes from the Shop would not always function when used with a controller.Fixed an issue where the Player character’s eye would display improperly during the Lorath’s cabin cutscene in the Prologue.Various stability, performance, and visual improvements across all platforms.Fixed an issue where players using laptops with certain dedicated Graphics Cards would not be able to play the game.
Gameplay Adjustments
Experience Rewards
Significantly increased the experience awarded for completing Nightmare Dungeons.Significantly increased the experience gained from killing monsters in Nightmare Dungeons.Helltide chests now provide substantially more bonus experience when opened.Significantly increased rewarded experience from completing individual Whispers across the board.Fixed an issue where no experience was awarded for completing the hold out style event that can occur after finishing dungeon objectives.GeneralThe Helltide Roaming bosses will now more consistently drop higher quality loot.Players can now teleport to their Nightmare Dungeon directly through the map.Weekly bonus caches from world bosses no longer have a level requirement for opening.
Balance Changes
Barbarian
SkillsLunging StrikeBase damage increased from 30% to 33%.Fury generated increased from 9 to 10.BashFury generated increased from 10 to 11.Enhanced Bash’s Fortify increased from 10% to 20%.FrenzyBase damage increased from 20% to 22%.FlayBleeding base damage increased from 36% to 40%.Fury generated increased from 9 to 10.Enhanced Flay’s Vulnerable chance increased from 10% to 15%.Double SwingBase damage increased from 36% to 40%.KickCooldown reduced from 17 to 13 seconds.Base damage dealt to enemies Knocked Back into terrain increased from 54% to 70%.ChargeEnhanced Charge’s base damage dealt to enemies Knocked Back into terrain increased from 15% to 30%.LeapMighty Leap Slow increased from 50% to 70%.Iron SkinEnhanced Iron Skin’s Barrier increased from 10% to 20% of Maximum Life.Call of the AncientsPrime Call of the Ancients Bonus Attack Speed increased from 10% to 20%.Iron MaelstromCooldown reduced from 60 to 45 seconds.Prime Iron Maelstrom Bonus Critical Strike Chance increased from 10% to 30%.Prime Iron Maelstrom Bonus Critical Strike Damage increased from 20% to 40%.Bounding SlamBase damage increased from 75% to 112%.Legendary AspectsBul-KathosEarthquake flat damage increased from .39-.76 to .6-.83.EarthquakeEarthquake flat damage increased from .39-.76 to .6-.83.Dust Devil’sDust Devil flat damage increased from .16-.25 to .22-.32.WindlasherDust Devil flat damage increased from .16-.25 to .22-.32.DevilishDust Devil flat damage increased from .20-.36 to .24-.38.Iron WarriorDamage Reduction increased from 10-20% to 15-25%.ItemsOverkillDamage increased from 16%-30% to 24-38%.HellhammerFlat damage increased from .3-.5 to .6-.8.
Druid
SkillsEarthspikeBase damage increased from 16% to 17%.Spirit generated increased from 10 to 11.Fierce Earthspike Fortify increased from 4% to 8%.Wind ShearBase damage increased from 17% to 18%.Spirit generated increased from 12 to 13.ClawBase damage increased from 20% to 22%.Spirit generated increased from 10 to 11.Wild Claw Double Attack Chance increased from 10% to 15%.Fierce Claw base damage increased from 10% to 15%.MaulBase damage increased from 20% to 22%.Spirit generated increased from 14 to 15.Enhanced Maul Fortify increased from 2% to 3%.Lightning StormEnhanced Lightning Storm duration increased from 4 to 6 seconds.Primal Lightning Storm’s chance to Immobilize increased from 8% to 12%.ShredThird Attack base damage increased from 60% to 70%.Enhanced Shred Healing increased from 1% to 2% of Maximum Life.Raging Shred’s base damage increased from 51% to 70%.Primal Shred’s Bonus Critical Strike Damage increased from 20% to 30%.WolvesCooldown reduced from 14 to 11 seconds.Ferocious Wolfpack Lucky Hit chance increased from 10% to 40%.HurricaneBase damage increased from 97.5% to 134%.RabiesBase Poisoning damage increased from 53% to 76%.CataclysmBase damage increased from 52% to 64%.LacerateBase damage increased from 400% to 460%.PetrifyCritical Strike Damage Bonus increased from 25% to 30%.PummelBase damage increased from 140% to 180%.PassivesBestial RampageAttack Speed Bonus increased from 20% to 25%.Damage Bonus increased from 20% to 30%.Nature’s FuryChance to cast a free spell increased from 20% to 30%.Lupine FerocityDamage Bonus increased from 60% to 70%.Legendary AspectsRuneworker’s ConduitFlat damage increased from 1 to 1.4.MangledChance increased from 20-30% to 30-40%.Seismic-ShiftCooldown decreased from 2.5-1.5 to 2-1 seconds.Blurred BeastDamage increased from 60-90% to 70-100%.
Necromancer
SkillsReapBase damage increased from 12% to 13%.Acolyte Reap’s Cooldown between Corpses reduced from 5 to 4 seconds.DecomposeBase damage increased from 30% to 33%.Base Essence generated per second increased from 7 to 8.Corpses formed frequency increased from 2.5 to 2 seconds.HemorrhageBase damage increased from 25% to 27%.Essence generated increased from 8 to 9.Bone SplintersBase damage increased from 8% to 9%.Essence generated increased from 6 to 7.SeverInitial base damage increased from 63% to 66%.Enhanced Sever’s return base damage increased from 25% to 40%.Blood LanceSupernatural Blood Lance Overpower requirement reduced from 8 to 6 casts.Bone PrisonCooldown reduced from 20 to 18 seconds.Dreadful Bone Prison’s Fortify increased from 5% to 8%.Iron MaidenBase damage increased from 10% to 20%.Horrid Iron Maiden damage bonus increased from 15% to 20%.Corpse TendrilsBlight Corpse Tendrils chance to spawn a Blood Orb increased from 30% to 35%.Bone SpikesBase damage increased from 80% to 120%.Raise Skeleton and GolemMinions will now always engage targets with a cast Curse.PassivesKalan’s EdictDamage taken duration requirement reduced from 3 to 2 seconds.Rathma’s VigorHealthy duration requirement reduced from 15 to 12 seconds.Spiked ArmorThorns increased from .08/.16/.24 to .1/.2/.3.Legendary AspectsBursting BoneFlat damage increased from .022-.03 to .045-.06.Flesh-RendingEssence gained increased from 10-20 to 20-40.FastbloodUltimate Cooldown Reduction increased from .5-1 to 1-1.5 seconds.
Rogue
SkillsInvigorating StrikeBase damage increased from 23% to 25%.Blade ShiftBase damage increased from 15% to 16%.HeartseekerBase damage increased from 22% to 24%.Primary Heartseeker damage increased from 30% to 75%.Forceful ArrowBase damage increased from 20% to 22%.BarrageBase damage increased from 20% to 22%.CaltropsMethodical Caltrop’s Chill increased from 20% to 25%.Smoke GrenadeCooldown reduced from 15 to 13 seconds.Rain of ArrowsCooldown reduced from 60 to 55 seconds.Prime Rain of Arrows imbuement potency increased from 20% to 30%.VolleyBase damage increased from 70% to 105%.PassivesClose Quarters CombatDamage bonus increased from 20% to 30%.Legendary AspectsEscape ArtistCooldown decreased from 100 to 45 seconds.UmbrousLucky Hit Chance to gain a Dark Shroud increased from 30-50% to 40-60%.ItemsEyes in the DarkIncreased Death Trap Cooldown reduced from 30-15% to 20-15%.
Sorcerer
SkillsSparkBase damage increased from 8% to 10%.Enhanced Spark damage increased from 5.6% to 7%.Flickering Spark chance increased from 3% to 4%.FrostboltBase damage increased from 35% to 38%.FireboltBurning damage increased from 40% to 44%.Charged BoltBase damage increased from 28% to 30%.IncinerateBase damage increased from 49% to 54%.Enhanced Incinerate damage increased from 15% to 25%.Greater Incinerate Immobilize requirement reduced from 4 to 3 seconds.FireballMana cost decreased from 40 to 35.Frozen OrbInitial base damage increased from 32% to 36%.Explosion base damage increased from 29% to 34%.Greater Frozen Orb chance to apply Vulnerable increased from 25% to 30%.BlizzardBase damage increased from 120% to 130%.Ice BladesChance to apply Vulnerable increased from 30% to 40%.Lightning SpearSummoned Lightning Spear’s maximum Damage Bonus increased from 100% to 160%.Crackling EnergyBase damage increased from 15% to 20%.Freezing WakeBase damage increased from 60% to 110%.Legendary AspectsAbundant EnergyChance to chain to an additional enemy increased from 20-30% to 30-40%.Singed ExtremitiesSlow amount increased from 25-35% to 40-60%.IncendiaryChance to restore Mana increased from 5-10% to 12-17%.Snowguard’sDamage Reduction increased from 10-15% to 20-25%.ConcentrationMana Regeneration increased from 10-20% to 20-30%.ItemsFlamescarFlat damage increased from .1-.2 to .2-.3.
