Blizzard nerfs Diablo IV character builds ahead of new season launch

theverge.com:

By Antonio G. Di Benedetto, a writer covering tech deals and The Verge’s Deals newsletter, buying guides, and gift guides. Previously, he spent 15 years in the photography industry.

Nothing brings together a community of gamers quite like a balancing patch to their favorite numbers-go-up game, does it? That’s what Blizzard’s new version 1.1.0 patch is doing for Diablo IV players, and the chorus being sung in unison by hardcore players is quite the tantrum.

But here’s the thing: Blizzard really has mucked things up at a very inopportune time.

Diablo IV’s patch 1.1.0 dropped yesterday, just two days before the start of the game’s first seasonal content drop, the Season of the Malignant, which will have players start fresh characters to run through a new quest line and premium battle pass. But within the lengthy patch notes were a large swath of changes significantly shaking up the potency of many popular character builds (i.e., lowering their damage output), as well as adjustments to the difficulty curve and rewards system that make the endgame slog even more of a grind.

The tweaks include across-the-board nerfs of all character classes thanks to a reduction of critical strike damage, vulnerability damage, cooldown reduction bonuses, experience bonuses for killing higher-level enemies (which also hinders players’ ability to boost their lower-level friends), and more. The S-tier character builds of Barbarians using Hammer of the Ancients, Necromancers using Bone Spear, Druids using Werewolf Shred, and Sorcerers using Ice Shards all took significant hits to damage output. And beyond character nerfs, the Helltide quest event that could be quite lucrative for skilled, high-level players hunting legendaries and unique items now