Just one week has passed since we last sat around the campfire for a Diablo 4 Campfire Chat with the Diablo team. This Campfire Chat primarily focuses on the upcoming 1.1.1. patch as part of their promise to provide balance changes and discussion before a patch rather than afterward.
My initial response is mostly positive. The Sorcerer changes are pretty monumental, offering improved survivability and removing some of the unnecessary annoyances the class has. But, we have to keep in mind just how disappointing patch 1.1.0 was across the board. It’s never a net positive if you’re taking one step forward but just recently took three steps back. Join me as we dive into the July 28 patch 1.1.1 Diablo 4 Campfire Chat recap.
General changes
The bulk of this patch looks like it will revolve around class balance, primarily for Sorcerer. But, there are some general changes and quality-of-life improvements that are worth mentioning.
- Another Stash Tab will be available to purchase with gold. Still not enough, but we’ll take all we can get.
- The pointless increase to five seconds for dungeon teleport time in patch 1.1.0 will revert back to three seconds.
- Monster density will increase in Nightmare Dungeons and Helltides.
- Respec costs are being reduced by 40%. Once again, respecs shouldn’t cost anything but hey, we’ll take what we can get!
- A few of the more annoying Nightmare Dungeon Affixes are being taken out of the game. Examples provided included Resource Dragin, Cold Enchanted, and Backstabber.
- Legendary item drop rates will increase in many forms of content. Dungeons will have a higher chance to drop Legendaries. Legion Events and encounters with The Butcher will drop a guaranteed Legendary. Furthermore, Treasure Goblins will have a 50% increased chance to drop a Legendary item starting at Level 35.
- Uniques will become more viable. Hopefully, this includes The Oculus.
- The effectiveness of Ultimate abilities is increased in the late game.
The team also referenced some future changes that won’t be in this patch. Most of their concerns seem to revolve around increasing build diversity in the game, which I agree should be a priority.
Changes for all classes in patch 1.1.1.
All five Diablo 4 classes are getting some changes with patch 1.1.1. Sorcerer and Barbarian definitely are getting the majority of the changes, but it’s nice to see all classes getting some love.
- Most Sorcerer skills, passives, paragons, and Legendaries will see buffs. Furthermore, Sorcerer-specific Aspects will provide only benefits, and no longer have downsides. In the example provided, Serpentine Aspect will still increase the number of Hydras you can have active, but will no longer reduce their duration. Also, Sorcerers will see bolstered survivability.
- At a quick glance, the Barbarian changes seem rather paltry. I’m not sure they will have much of an effect except maybe in the early game. In a nutshell, basic skill damage is being increased and some Barbarian-specific Legendary and Unique items are receiving increased benefits. Most skill changes seem to only be increasing their Fury generation. Which, while nice, won’t fix some of their current mid to late game issues.
- There weren’t many Rogue changes but it seems as though the team is trying to create more favorable build possibilities other than what’s currently available. Rain of Arrows, Forceful Arrow, and Invigorating Strike are all getting buffs. I’m not sure if that’s enough to inspire players to try those builds.
- Druids and Necromancers are both having their minion builds increased. Minions will deal more damage and take less damage across the board. The surprise nerfs to minions when Diablo 4 released made their builds pretty unplayable until now, so I’m glad to see this change. Furthermore, Druids will have increased Spirit generation and Necromancers are finally getting a fix to their Imperfectly Balanced passive.
That pretty much wraps up the bigger points for our Diablo 4 Campfire Chat recap. Patch 1.1.1 will launch on August 8. The full list of patch notes will be available almost a week earlier on August 2.
