by JR Cook - 1 month ago     show comments

Diablo 4’s Lord of Hatred expansion is getting its first significant update since launch. Blizzard dropped patch notes this week that tackle season balance, adjustments to the new Spirit system introduced with the expansion, and various quality of life improvements that players have been asking for since the expansion hit in late April.

The patch arrives at an interesting time for Diablo 4. Lord of Hatred brought the Spiritborn class to Sanctuary along with a revamped endgame loop, and the community response has been mixed. Some players are loving the new direction while others feel the expansion leaned too heavily into borrowed systems from other ARPGs. This update appears to be Blizzard’s first major response to that feedback.

What’s Actually Changing

The patch notes detail adjustments to Spirit Guardian interactions, which have been dominating the meta since launch. Several abilities that were overperforming in both solo and group content are getting tuned down, though Blizzard is being careful not to completely gut the playstyle. The goal seems to be bringing other builds up to competitive levels rather than nerfing everything into the ground.

Season journey progression is also getting tweaked. Players who felt the grind was too steep (or too easy, depending on who you ask) should see some changes to milestone requirements and reward pacing. The patch also addresses several bugs that were causing issues with the new Mercenary system, including one that could cause your hired help to just stand around doing nothing during key boss fights.

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Looking Ahead

This is just the first major update for Lord of Hatred, and Blizzard has already confirmed more balance passes are coming throughout the season. The development team has been more communicative than usual about their plans, which is a welcome change after some of the radio silence we’ve seen in past seasons. Whether these changes are enough to address player concerns remains to be seen, but at least the conversation is happening.

Source: Game Rant