The preliminary patch notes for Patch 2.4 in Diablo 2: Resurrected are known. It includes buffs for all 7 classes in the game. However, the Barbarian community complains that an important change is missing – and their class remains “unplayable” because of this.
What kind of build is this? The Whirlwind Barbarian (often referred to as “WW-Barb”) is one of the most popular builds for melee fighters. It relies on the skill Whirlwind and is particularly good in theory at dismantling groups of enemies in close combat.
Whirlwind Barbarians are particularly popular because they are well-suited for solo play. In groups, they serve as supportive tanks among the 7 classes of Diablo 2. They gather enemies and buff their party with their numerous war cries.
The upcoming Patch 2.4, which will be tested on the PTR soon, now comes with buffs for all classes. But fans say that these will not help the Whirlwind Barbarian. He remains “bugged and unplayable” because the existing bugs have not been addressed according to the patch notes.
Why is he “unplayable”? In the official Diablo 2 forum, user DHA writes about the problems with the build. He cites 4 major issues that make the Whirlwind build unplayable, especially in PvP scenarios:
- After teleports, Whirlwind is almost always triggered automatically and stops until it hits an enemy. This can go on indefinitely if the enemy flees.
- The game does not register the first hits from Whirlwind. The frequent use of the skill, as was common before to execute more attacks, does not work.
- The animation of the ability breaks when held down instead of going through. This can cause interruptions.
- These interruptions can lead to desynchronization.
The bugs affect not only Barbarians but also Assassins who use the skill. They can do this through the runeword Chaos, which grants access to the ability. YouTuber aaronoob shows in his video how exactly the problems look like:
The test on the PTR is precisely for finding and reporting such errors. DHA says these errors have been known since Alpha and has little hope they will be fixed. It is not impossible, but first, Patch 2.4 must be released.
Patch 2.4 brings the ladder and a bunch of buffs
What’s in the new patch: With the upcoming Patch 2.4, all classes will receive buffs. The Barbarian will also receive some improvements, primarily with the war cries being strengthened or receiving new tooltips.
However, the probably most important change in the new patch is the ladder. In Diablo 2, ladders are equivalent to what we currently call seasons. You start there with new ladder characters and can compete on a leaderboard with other players.
Along with the ladder come new runewords as well as set bonuses and recipes for the Horadric Cube. These are the contents that especially the core fans of Diablo 2 have been waiting for since release. You can find the complete patch notes on the official website.
When is Patch 2.4 coming? On January 25, 2022, the patch will launch on the PTR. We cannot yet say exactly when it will then be deployed on the official servers. Typically, such tests last up to 4 weeks, depending on the extent of the feedback that needs to be implemented.
Therefore, we expect the patch and the first ladder by the end of February. However, given the launch difficulties, it could also take until March. In the meantime, while you wait, here are some games to fall back on:
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