Diablo 4 Mid-Season Update: Patch Notes Breakdown and Key Changes
Overall Patch Highlights
· Power Creep Across All Classes: Every class is receiving buffs, making builds stronger and improving viability across the board. Even top-tier builds are being enhanced, making for a much more dynamic endgame experience.
· Stability Fixes: Several bug fixes have been introduced, including fixes for snapshotting issues and minor gameplay bugs. However, some issues, like Spirit Born’s bug, won’t be addressed until Season 7.
· Neo Rune Update: A significant change for classes with barrier-based mechanics, such as Sorcerer, Necromancer, and some Rogues. Now, Neo Rune works with barriers, making it easier to generate offerings without being interrupted by invulnerability.
Class-Specific Buffs and Adjustments
Barbarian
The Barbarian class has seen a lot of changes, with buffs to many core skills, including:
· Weapon Master and Core Skills Buffed: While builds like Whirlwind and Double Swing might not see major changes, Upheaval and Death Blow are both getting significant buffs. Expect better damage output across the board.
· Mighty Throw Buff: The skill was tweaked to require activation for the Temper mechanic, which was previously always active. As a compensation, Mighty Throw now gets a damage buff, making it even more powerful.
· Blood Rage and Decimator Buffed: These Paragon nodes are crucial for nearly every Barbarian build, so their buff increases overall build effectiveness.
· Ground Stomp and 100,000 Steps: Small buffs to Ground Stomp, and the 100,000 Steps passive now procs Ground Stomp every 5 seconds. This could open up a new Barbarian build that focuses on consistent crowd control.
While Mighty Throw will still likely dominate, these changes give players more viable options across different builds.
Druid
Druids receive some juicy buffs, especially for Spirit Boon builds:
· Spirit Boon and Rampage Buffs: Both of these core passives have been improved, making Druid builds stronger across the board.
· Conjuncting Tendrils: The chance to trigger poison has been significantly increased from 15% to 40%, providing more reliable poison uptime for Earth and Poison Druids.
· Buffs to Tornado, Rabies, and Grizzly Rage: These skills, which have previously been somewhat lackluster, now receive much-needed buffs.
· More Build Diversity: Overall, the Druid class sees buffs to nearly all key skills and passives. However, Shapeshifting remains a major aspect of the playstyle, meaning that Druids will still experience the same clunky mechanics, despite the buffs.
Necromancer
The Necromancer class didn’t see major changes this patch:
· Minor Buffs for Bone and Shadow Skills: The class received some tweaks to skills like Bone Spirit and Shadowblight, but nothing that will drastically affect high-end builds.
· Bug Fix for Minion Resummoning: Minions now behave more predictably, as the bug causing resets in Mandel counts when resummoning has been fixed. While this isn't a game-changer, it should help players who rely on minion-based builds.
· Bone Explosion and Shadow Buffs: Some adjustments to these skills provide a slight increase in overall damage output.
Necromancers are still a strong class, especially with Bone Spirit builds, but their patch updates are mostly small improvements and bug fixes.
Rogue
The Rogue class is receiving some impressive buffs, especially for Twisting Blades and Penetrating Shot builds:
· Twisting Blades Buffs: The skill has been buffed in multiple areas, including a double scaling for Chemic Mixture and more damage from the Twisting Blades aspect. This will make Poison Twisting Blades builds much stronger and more fun to play.
· Penetrating Shot Adjustments: The skill’s damage has been significantly increased, especially against elites and bosses. This is a big improvement for Single Target builds.
· Victimize Buff: The Victimize skill has had its cooldown reduced, making it much more viable for Barrage builds. This should improve the Azera and Victimize synergy.
· Unique Item Buffs: Items like Wind Force now deal triple damage instead of double, and Pit Fighter Skull also sees buffs. This means certain Rogue builds might see a power spike with the right gear.
Despite these changes, Rogue builds still have balance issues, particularly with Trigger Attacks and Unstable Elixir mechanics. These buffs, however, make Rogue builds more powerful than ever before.
Sorcerer
The Sorcerer class is getting some much-needed attention but still feels a little behind other classes:
· Barrier Synergies: With the Neo Rune now working with barriers, Sorcerer builds that focus on defensive mechanics will see an improvement.
· Incinerate and Meteor Buffs: These skills get an overall power boost, although they’re unlikely to dethrone other top builds. Hydra also received a minor tweak, but Hydra Builds still face issues with attack delays.
· Cold and Burning Builds: Both Cold and Burning Sorcerer builds are getting small buffs, which may make these builds more viable in high-level content.
· Ice Shards and Avalanche Buffed: While not top-tier, these builds will see noticeable improvements from the patch changes.
Despite the buffs, Sorcerers remain one of the weaker classes, especially when compared to the other powerhouse changes this patch. Season 7 might bring more substantial changes to bring Sorcerers up to par.
Spirit Born
Spirit Born gets a few minor buffs, including:
· Toxic Skin Buff: Already a strong build, now receiving a small damage increase.
· Raz and Fing Fist Adjustments: These buffs are small but help increase the class's viability in niche builds.
However, the major Spirit Born issues—like the bug with snapshotting—remain unaddressed, so the class still suffers from some fundamental gameplay issues.
What’s Not in the Patch
· Progression Issues: Pit monsters and snapshotting issues were not addressed, and there’s no mention of fixes for XP scaling or Squad of Escape bugs.
· Unaddressed Bugs: Certain aspects like the Soul Build and Undercity Tributes are still not functioning correctly.
· Exploits and Dupes: Some bugs and exploits related to Lucion and other in-game activities are also still unresolved.
Final Thoughts
The November 19th patch introduced substantial buffs across the board, creating a power expansion that lifted all classes to new heights. While some classes, like the Barbarian and Rogue, received huge improvements, others, like the Necromancer and Sorcerer, received only minor tweaks. However, the patch did a good job of addressing many of the complaints about weaker versions, and it seems like Season 7 will bring even more changes. Finally, as you dive into these exciting new changes and power boosts, don’t forget that MMOexp is here to help you maximize your potential with cheap Diablo 4 Items. Whether you're hunting for the perfect weapon, upgrading your gear, or searching for rare crafting materials, MMOexp offers a vast selection of affordable items to help you get ahead without the endless grind.