Blizzard has confirmed that buffs for Diablo 4's Sorcerers and Barbarians are on the way.
In yet another fireside chat with senior members of the Diablo 4 development team - associate game director Joe Piepiora, lead class designer, Adam Jackson, director Joe Shely, and associate director of community management, Adam Fletcher - the group addressed the most pressing issues arising from Patch 1.1.0, and revealed what changes players should expect when Patch 1.1.1. rolls out on August 8.
Front and center were changes to Diablo 4's classes. While the team says no class will go unloved, players maining Sorcerers and Barbarians should expect to see the biggest improvements after big nerfs adversely affected the strength and resilience of those classes.
"We want to kind of improve the effectiveness and fun of the Sorcerer and Barbarian," lead class designer Adam Jackson explained in the presentation. "Our goal is to find a way – and we're working on it right now – for all those different ways of dealing damage to have a lot of parity."
When Patch 1.1.1 is deployed, Sorcerers should find it easier to survive in late-game activities with the removal of some detrimental item effects, and Barbarians will get more Fury to invest in their skills. We can expect positive changes to their Unique items, too.
A new stash tab is also on the way, along with the ability to stack up to 99 Elixir. You'll also find it cheaper to respec, too, as the costs will be coming down around 40 per cent. There'll also be improvements to the range and reliability of the Legendary drops you get after level 35.
Other changes are also on the way, but Blizzard says it needs more time to work on things like the Necromancer minion builds, so expect those changes in further down the line (thanks, PC Gamer).
Diablo 4's Season of the Malignant started on July 20, offering new threats, a self-contained story, and brand-new ways to customize your wanderer. When you encounter an elite monster in Season of the Malignant, there's a chance that a malignant version of that monster will also spawn, complete with scary new powers and weird tentacle things.
Still not sure if Diablo 4 is worth your time?
"Perhaps Diablo 4’s most adventurous quality is the move towards an open world in the 'modern' sense," we wrote in our Diablo 4 review.
"What could have been a featureless, bland expanse is, instead, a delight. Brimming with intrigue and danger, the open world of Sanctuary fits the Diablo formula like a glove, providing the space in which the game’s macabre aesthetic and bold mechanical design cohere beautifully."
