Sanctuary is undergoing further refinement with the rollout of Patch 2.3.1 for Diablo 4`s Season 9, `Season of Sins of the Horadrim`. This update introduces a wave of adjustments primarily focused on making key endgame activities more rewarding and significantly boosting the power level of the Barbarian class, alongside various other tweaks and essential bug fixes.
Increased Rewards Across Sanctuary
Players venturing into the most challenging content will find their efforts yielding greater returns. The Pit, for instance, now offers increased Artificer`s Stones – a vital crafting material – upon completion of tiers 70 and higher. Specifically:
- Tiers 70-84 now grant 2-3 Artificer’s Stones.
- Tiers 85-99 provide 4-6 Artificer’s Stones.
- Tier 100+ rewards 8-9 Artificer’s Stones.
Nightmare Dungeons also see improvements. Dungeons afflicted with the `Horadric Materials Reserve` affix will now contain Horadric Chests that dispense more salvage materials and Forgotten Souls. The `Forgotten Wisdom` affix, which drops experience motes, has been adjusted for better party play and overall potential:
- Experience from motes is now shared among party members when picked up, ensuring no one feels left out of the XP gain (a welcome dose of digital socialism).
- The total number of motes that can spawn in a dungeon has significantly increased.
- While individual mote frequency is slightly reduced, each mote now grants more experience.
- Motes will no longer spawn from monsters summoned by other monsters or within Horadric Strongrooms.
Furthermore, Legion Events completed on Torment difficulty will now reward participants with additional salvage materials and Forgotten Souls. In a small but appreciated quality-of-life change, Arcana, used to modify Horadric spells, will now be automatically picked up.
Barbarian Dominance and Class Adjustments
While this patch includes balance tuning for all classes, the Barbarian receives the most substantial attention, appearing poised for a significant power surge. Several core Barbarian skills have seen considerable damage increases:
- Hammer of the Ancients: Damage increased from 110% to 175%.
- Upheaval: Damage increased from 132% to 200%.
- Whirlwind: Damage increased from 52% to 76%.
- Double Swing: Damage increased from 66% to 85%.
- Rend: Bleeding damage increased from 120% to 135%.
Other Barbarian passives and aspects also see improvements, such as Battle Trance getting increased Lucky Hit Chance and Damage Bonus, and Barbed Carapace receiving a Thorns damage boost.
Other classes also received specific buffs, though generally less comprehensive than the Barbarian`s. Spiritborn`s Aspect of Pestilence, Payback, and Razor Wings saw damage increases. Druid`s Pulverize damage went up, and the Greatstaff of the Crone unique aspect was reworked to increase Claw and Storm Strike damage. Rogue`s Deathmask of Nirmitruq and Breakneck Bandit`s Aspect received damage bonuses. Sorcerer`s Meteor impact damage and aspects like Frozen Orbit and Frozen Memories were buffed. The Necromancer, on the other hand, received minimal balance changes, primarily an increase to the Golem damage sacrifice bonus from the Hulking Monstrosity passive.
Extensive Bug Fixes Add Polish
As is customary with significant updates, Patch 2.3.1 also addresses a lengthy list of bugs impacting various aspects of the game. These fixes span seasonal mechanics, Nightmare Dungeons, general gameplay, and the user interface. Issues resolved include quest progression blockers, problems with specific affixes or unique items, and even instances where expected encounters (like Treasure Goblins and The Butcher) weren`t occurring because, apparently, they took the dungeon name “Deserted Underpass” a bit too literally.
Overall, Patch 2.3.1 appears to be a targeted update aimed at sweetening the pot for endgame players and ensuring the Barbarian class is a formidable force in Sanctuary. The changes suggest a push towards making core loops more rewarding and addressing lingering technical issues.
Callum Darby