The new “Abattoir of Zir” dungeon, which moved into Diablo 4 on December 5th, has put players under significant pressure. So much so that the developers nerfed the challenge just a few days later.
- “Abattoir of Zir” is a new dungeon that presents a challenge for all players who have essentially finished Season 2, including the Season journey, and have nothing left to do in Diablo 4.
- Diablo expert wudijo talked with the developers about the event at BlizzCon and said at the time: “Abattoir of Zir” could be so difficult that your endgame meta builds will have no chance.
- Ultimately, the early levels were already quite tough, and a few players declared the season finished for themselves.
On Reddit and X, numerous players noted that the dungeon was too time-consuming and too difficult. Casual players, in particular, saw no point in attempting the challenge at all. But even professionals reached their limits.
The developers of Diablo 4 responded quickly to player feedback. On December 8th, they wrote in the Diablo Forum that they would soon deploy a hotfix that would simplify certain elements of the challenge.
What else is planned for Diablo 4 can be seen in this video:
Less Damage, More Glyph XP
What has been simplified? Incoming damage has been reduced, and the Glyph XP you receive for passing through has been increased. The affixes of the Blood Seekers in the dungeon have also been adjusted. They no longer spawn with the vampiric or suppressor affix (via Diablo Forum).
The increase in Glyph XP depending on the level of the dungeon since the hotfix as an example:
- Level 1: Unchanged (1000)
- Level 5: 1800 → 2800
- Level 10: 3900 → 11600
- Level 20: 11900 → 65400
- Level 25: 17800 → 117100
The early levels of the dungeon have been adjusted so that the experience now starts with a difficulty level close to that of nightmare dungeons at level 90.
The monsters continue to scale quickly and reach a similar difficulty level as nightmare dungeons at level 100 by level 5. Incoming damage has been reduced by up to 20% across all levels of “Abattoir of Zir”.
Why was this changed? In the entry from December 8th, Community Manager Adam Fletcher thanked the community in the Diablo Forum for the feedback. With the changes, they want to allow players to experience the early levels of the dungeon.
They want to make things “a little easier to accommodate players who are just finding their way in this new endgame feature.” They have also noticed that the difficulty spike in the first level is excessive – even for those who have been able to complete nightmare dungeons at level 100.
“Great that the response was so quick”
How is the community reacting? On Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), the hotfix is mostly well received. Diablo expert wudijo writes on X on December 8th: “Good move, in my opinion. Great that the response was so quick.”
Players are also welcoming the hotfix on Reddit. “Great changes, honestly. They lower the barrier to entry for all of us and leave the upper tiers as a hardcore challenge for the super hardcore people,” comments “WMWA” on Adam Fletcher’s post in the Diablo 4 subreddit.
However, players have not only praise but also further wishes and criticisms. A few users write on Reddit that they find the costs of crafting the seals too high. Others wish for better rewards for completing the dungeon.
What do you think about the dungeon? Have you tried it out – before or after the hotfix? Feel free to leave us a comment.
Don’t worry: If “Abattoir of Zir” is not for you at all, the next event in Diablo 4 is just a few days away. In Sanctuary, the Winter Plague is coming in and bringing some new cosmetic rewards and new tasks:
Diablo 4 announces a winter event for Season 2: The Winter Plague is coming
