In Season 25 of Diablo 3, there is currently a nasty exploit active that gives users incredible powers. This has created an unfair situation on the leaderboards. We asked Diablo expert Wudijo how bad the exploit is, how it works, and how to deal with users now.
What is this exploit? We reported on December 15 here on MeinMMO that an exploit in the new Season 25 of Diablo 3 is currently ruining the leaderboards. At its core, it involves players exploiting a mechanic in the game in a way that was not intended. This gives them an incredible advantage in the rankings. While “normal” players currently need about 11 minutes for a Greater Rift of level 150, the exploiters achieve it in less than a minute.
We talked to Wudijo in an interview about the exploit. Wudijo is known for his extensive Diablo knowledge in the community. He regularly streams his runs on Twitch, averaging 5,000 viewers when a new season in D3 starts, and helps his viewers who ask questions in the chat. How does the expert assess the exploit?
This is how the exploit works in Season 25 of D3
MeinMMO: Hey Wudijo, please introduce yourself briefly to our readers on MeinMMO.
Wudijo: Hello everyone! I am a full-time streamer and have been playing Diablo 3 since the first hour. If you have heard of Maxroll, you have probably read some of my guides or seen them on YouTube. I am online on Twitch every day and always look forward to new faces in the chat! My specialty in D3 is solo pushing.
MeinMMO: In your stream, one could see a player completing the Greater Rifts of level 150 in a speedrun through exploits. Do you know how the exploit works and can you explain it to us roughly?
Wudijo: Yes, I know exactly how it works and I have already passed this on to Blizzard. In simple terms, there is a bug with the GoD set since the last patch that allows the Momentum buff of the 2-piece bonus to stack infinitely under very specific circumstances. This allows everything to be taken out with a single hit, even a boss in GR150.
MeinMMO: Does the exploit only affect the Demon Hunter with the GoD set?
Wudijo: Yes, but since it mainly concerns the 2-piece bonus, it also works as a combo with Natalya or even without a full set, where the rankings can also be affected. Overall, the exploit is still quite limited.
MeinMMO: Do you still have fun in Season 25 knowing that players can “cheat” their way to the top of the rankings with such an exploit?
Wudijo: Absolutely! I really enjoy the season. Even though my most important goal (World First 150 Solo Hardcore) is already behind me – I am having a lot of fun with the Soul Shards and the new builds. Right now, I am working on my Marauder DH after the Monk, with which I also want to reach 150. Overall, I am looking forward to some exciting weeks in the season, and a few exploiters will hardly ruin my fun.
Bans are justified as a consequence – No one does this by accident
MeinMMO: Would you find it justified to ban players who intentionally use the exploit?
Wudijo: I think an account ban or at least a 2-week time-out would definitely be justified. Even though the bug can extremely rarely occur randomly, and one suddenly does much more damage than usual for a moment, the GR150 exploit requires a very systematic approach and a setup that is completely outside of normal gameplay, fixing the bug permanently.
With that, anyone who has used this or benefited from it in a large scale (in groups) can be easily thrown out of the season.
The leaderboards provide a good overview, and overall there are not many accounts, as long as Blizzard does not wait too long with a fix and the exploit spreads further. The experience gained in GR150 in 1 minute or less far exceeds anything any high-end grinder ever dreamed of.
If you look at other exploits in the past, they were comparatively harmless – and also resulted in a ban (for example, the Blood Shard exploit around Season 3).
No one can pretend to be ignorant and claim, “I didn’t know that”.
Some are also trying to get around a possible ban by simply exploiting on GR149, where they do not receive a new ranking – but anyone running around with 4000+ Paragon after a week and gaining another 500 daily can only be exploiting. This makes it very easy to find all of them.
MeinMMO: What consequences would a season reset have for players? Would a reset that only affects the leaderboard be better?
Wudijo: I have also heard from some people talking about a season reset. I think that makes no sense at all. The number of exploiters seems very low, and I would pick them all manually if I were in Blizzard’s position.
A complete reset would likely cause most people to not return after a week of lost progress. Just resetting the leaderboard also makes little sense if the exploiters are being banned – they will disappear anyway. I strongly doubt that the placements will remain permanently on the list after a fix.
MeinMMO: Thank you very much for your expert opinion on the topic.
