Immediately after the livestream on May 2 for Season 4 of Diablo 4, Blizzard released the patch notes for patch 1.4.0. MeinMMO delivers the most important information and summarizes what is supposed to be improved.
Season 4 starts on May 14 at 7:00 PM and brings numerous changes and improvements to Diablo 4. For the first time, Blizzard opened a PTR (Public Test Realm). After the developers evaluated the feedback, they announced in the livestream on May 2 what to expect in Season 4.
What will be improved:
- Season 4 is themed “Loot Reborn” and the most important part is the complete overhaul of loot. Loot is supposed to feel more rewarding and be easier to understand.
- There will be two new crafting systems: Tempering and Masterworking. This allows you to get the most out of your loot and adjust it to your builds with new affixes.
- The overall number of affixes will be reduced, as well as those on items directly (3 affixes on legendary items, 2 on rare items).
- Loot drops will also be revised. On the one hand, the number of items that drop will be reduced, while on the other hand, drops will be more rewarding.
In addition, all classes will be completely adjusted with buffs, nerfs, and new items for each of them. Below we summarize the highlights from the patch notes. On page 2 you will find the complete patch notes for the update 1.4.0. As a warning: there is a lot.
The latest trailer for Diablo 4 shows the changes coming to the game in Season 4:
Loot drops should be more rewarding
Why is there less loot? The developers’ goal is for players to spend more time fighting rather than sorting through the many items. Thus, monsters that you kill will drop fewer items, but those items have a higher chance of being valuable.
Currently, it’s still the case that you come out of Nightmare dungeons with six items of the same category in your inventory, each with different item powers and a wide variety of affixes. Associate Game Director Joe Piepiora draws a comparison on the stream on Twitch to the “Damage on Tuesdays” affix, which players often joke about. This is supposed to change with Season 4.
Legendary items that enemies above level 95 drop will always have an item power of 925. This should make it possible to focus entirely on the affixes at that level. The minimum level for equipping sacred and ancestral items has been reduced to 35 (sacred) and 55 (ancestral).
The unique drops will also be adjusted:
- On World Tier 1 and 2, Uniques drop in the “non-sacred” variant.
- On World Tier 3, Uniques then drop as sacred.
- Uber Uniques can drop starting from monster level 55 and have an item power of 925.
There will also be 12 new Uniques, 2 for all classes and 2 specifically for each of the five classes. What they can do and where you can find them, we have listed here. And as a new Uber Boss comes Andariel, where you will have an increased chance of finding Uber Uniques, like with Duriel.
The cap for oboluses will be raised to 2,500, and you can also obtain items with greater affixes from the curiosity vendor. This will surely make the gambling
in Season 4 interesting again. According to Lead Class Designer Adam Z. Jackson, you might get some of the best items in the game there (via YouTube stream).
Season 4 will not have a seasonal mechanic like previous seasons, but most changes will be permanent and will affect Diablo 4 as a whole. Seasonal content will still be present in Season 4. For example, there are exclusive loot rewards for an activity revolving around the Iron Wolves.
While other seasons might have a cool theme that disappears afterward, Season 4 fundamentally changes everything – and the changes will remain. In an interview, the developers explained to us what the theme and the special seasonal mechanics will be.
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