Diablo IV’s highly anticipated update 1.1.1 is set to launch on August 8th, bringing exciting improvements for Barbarians and Sorcerers, as well as various changes to endgame activities and quality-of-life updates. In a recent developer “campfire” chat, Blizzard provided a sneak peek into what players can expect from the game’s first major patch following the Season 1 update.
For Barbarians, Blizzard is aiming to enhance the early game experience by increasing Fury generation for basic skills and improving the damage output of abilities like Rupture and Charge. In the late game, the team is revamping several Unique items and Legendary Aspects to make them more powerful and appealing. This includes boosting the base damage and stats of items such as Hellhammer and Fields of Crimson, while replacing less-desirable affixes with more sought-after ones.
Sorcerers, on the other hand, will see improvements to their late game survivability. Many mechanics for this class currently come with negative side effects despite granting significant buffs. Blizzard plans to remove many of these negative effects, allowing Sorcerer players to fully enjoy their power without unnecessary repercussions.
Even classes that are already considered strong, like Rogue and Druid, will receive positive changes in update 1.1.1. The update will enhance Rogue’s Rain of Arrows, increase damage for Caltrops and Poison Trap, and introduce a piercing effect for every third cast of Forceful Arrow. Druids will see buffs to their Ravens and Rabies skills, along with improvements to specific Legendaries and the Overload mechanic. Necromancers will also receive a handful of changes, including improvements to Bone Spirit, Paragon Board adjustments, and buffs to the Empowering Reaper and Exposed Flesh Legendary Aspects.
Aside from class-specific changes, there will be various general updates in Diablo IV as well. Companions and minions for Druids and Necromancers will take less damage from specific monster abilities, such as Fire Enchanted elites. The Caged Heart of Spellbreaking Malignant Heart will provide general damage reduction after elemental damage is taken, rather than limiting the effect to specific elemental types, making it a more appealing choice for Season of the Malignant participants.
Unique item Temerity will also receive a significant buff, which even the lead class designer finds “terrifying.” The affix “All Stats” will be replaced with Max Life, and the Barrier effect will scale based on a player’s maximum life. The item will also work more seamlessly with other Barrier-related conditions, creating better synergies with various builds. These changes aim to make Temerity a much more desirable and sought-after item.
Additionally, update 1.1.1 will introduce various game-wide changes. Nightmare dungeons and Helltide areas will have increased monster density, delivering on the fantasy of battling hordes of creatures while maintaining optimal game performance. Defeating Treasure Goblins will always yield a Legendary item after level 15, and bosses in World Tier III and IV will have increased health and guaranteed Legendary drops. Annoying Nightmare dungeon affixes such as Resource Drain, Cold Enchanted, and Backstabber will be removed temporarily while Blizzard works on balancing them.
Blizzard also mentioned several quality-of-life improvements, including stack size increases for Elixirs, the option to purchase additional stash tabs for gold, and a 40% reduction in Respec costs. Looking ahead, Blizzard has long-term plans to make other damage types, like Overpower, more viable and comparable to Vulnerable and Critical Strike damage. The team also aims to make Ultimate abilities more balanced for late game play, improve the desirability and effectiveness of Unique items, and enhance the Resistance stat. Mounts will receive improvements as well, addressing the inconvenience of encountering barriers that require dismounting and destruction to progress.
To ensure players have ample time to prepare for the update, Blizzard will release the full patch notes for Diablo IV update 1.1.1 on August 2. As always, our editors independently select and feature products discussed in this article. If you decide to make a purchase, GameSpot may receive a share of the revenue.
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