Diablo veterans need to be strong now. After patch 1.13c from 2010 nothing has changed in the balance of Diablo 2 for a long time. Whether Hammerdin, Plague Javazon or Static / Nova Sorc: fans have long since committed to their favorite builds and can distribute skill points and equipment while they sleep.
But now developer Vicarious Visions is actually tweaking the balance of the class builds in Diablo 2: Resurrected. Patch 2.4. should allow more freedom in the build design. Improvements to (little-used) skills, new rune words, new set items and Horadrim recipes should make the class builds more diverse and encourage players to experiment.
We were able to speak to Studio Design Director Robert Gallerani and Senior Game Producer Matthew Cederquist about the announcement of the patch in advance. We summarize all important information for you in this article.
The most important information at a glance
What should patch 2.4 contain?
- Changes to the balance of classes and their builds
- New rune words for the ladder
- Changes to mercenaries
- New recipes for the Horadrim Cube
- Neue Set-Items
When will patch 2.4 appear?
An exact date for the release of Patch 2.4. has not yet been named. A PTR is to follow initially at the beginning of 2022. On the basis of the feedback collected, the developers then decide which features and changes are to be retained in the patch and which have to be deleted or revised.
Do the changes only apply to the ladder?
The changes to the balance of the classes affect the entire game. The new rune words will first be introduced in the ladder seasons. Items collected there can, however, be transferred to non-ladder games.
Where can I find more information about the patch?
Studio Design Director Robert Gallerani is talking to streamer MrLlamaSC this week in the live stream about the upcoming patch 2.4, possible changes and features.
You can find all information about the last patch 2.3 in our overview article:
Diablo 2: Resurrected
Patch 2.3 is here and brings much-awaited features
Changes to the class balance
The last patch that tweaked the balance of Diablo 2 was over eleven years ago. With patch 2.4. The developers of the remaster now dare to make changes that could turn the gaming behavior of long-established fans upside down.
But no worry: »None of the existing classes or builds should be nerfed!«, Assures Robert Galleranie, Studio Design Director of Vicarious Visions. “We know that people love Hammerdin, for example, and we won’t take that away from them either.” Instead, the patch should enable other builds that didn’t have enough room to develop in classic Diablo 2.
“Our goal is to tell the players, ‘Oh, you wanna play that way? Yes, of course, you can do that! ‘«Adds Robert. In the future, Diablo fans should be freer in designing their builds and also fall back on skills that were not worthwhile before.
For the first time in over eleven years, the developers of Diablo 2: Resurrected are working on the class balance.
The developers have not yet revealed how these changes will actually look. But they give first indications what Patch 2.4. for the individual classes could bring:
- Amazone
The developers still see potential in the nimble Amazon to improve close combat skills by turning to their synergies. At the same time, certain skills for bow and crossbow should also be adjusted in order to improve long-range combat on more difficult levels. - Assassinate
Here the developers want to highlight the martial arts build. To do this, look at how the generation and distribution of combo points can be improved. Likewise, changes – such as synergies – should follow to the trap abilities so that players have more incentive to try out trap builds. - Barbar
The barbarian should get more variations in his combat skills with patch 2.4. In addition, throwable builds are to be optimized, for example by improving the skills of double throwing or throwing mastery. - Druid
The developers see a lot of room for improvement, especially in the fire abilities of the druid. So the spell delay, physical damage and synergies are checked for possible improvements. In addition, other elementary skills are being worked on that have not been used enough by players so far. The control of the Arctic wind is also to be improved. In addition, summoning skills should be adjusted especially at difficult levels. In this context, the developers are looking at new synergies, the life bonus per level up, the damage and quality-of-life improvements. Finally, the advertising skill should also be revised.
Patch 2.4 should allow more freedom when creating the build. Builds that weren’t worth it in classic Diablo 2 should be made more attractive again through optimizations.
- Necromancer
With the Necromancer, the developers want to focus on the incantations that gamers don’t use very often. The aim is to improve the skeleton magicians and make golems more effective. In addition, bone skills are to be optimized for higher levels of difficulty. To achieve this, the synergies are being screwed on.
By the way, you can find the three best builds for the Necromancer in our Plus Guide. - Paladin
Even with the Paladin, according to the developer, the players do not exhaust all skills. Skills that are rarely used, such as sky fist, should become more attractive. In addition, the offensive aura of the paladin is to be optimized, so the AoE damage is more effective over short distances. The Thorns skill should also be improved to deal more damage at higher levels.
How to skill the best build for the Paladin, we explain to you in our guide. - sorceress
With the magician, the developers see potential to improve the armor skills in order to bring in more variety in ice armor, tremor armor and frost armor. New skill synergies should also ensure that players experiment more with lightning builds. Fire skills that are rarely used, such as Hydra, should also be optimized. Finally, the operation of the Inferno Skill should also be improved so that the fight no longer feels so clumsy.
You will also find the ultimate build guide for the sorceress at GameStar Plus.
New rune words
“We have a lot of new rune words planned,” says senior game producer Matthew Cederquist. The developers want to introduce these into the ladder piece by piece. “In one season there will maybe be two new rune words, in the next there will be three more.”
At the end of a season, the ladder characters are converted to non-ladder characters and take all of the items they have earned with them. For this purpose, three additional tabs open in the chest with all the items from the ladder. However, this does not mean that players suddenly have more storage space – instead, you can only take the items out of these three tabs, but not stow anything there. “This is how you get ladder-exclusive items in your non-ladder game,” adds Robert Gallerani.
Matthew Cederquist explains that the new rune words should help fill the gaps in the distribution of runes in classic Diablo 2: “We noticed that many runes, such as stealth, were designed for the early game. Then there are runes that become particularly important in the later game. And in the middle there is a gap – around levels 40 to 60. «
In the future, the developers not only want to fill this gap: New rune words should also include more classes and builds that were previously disadvantaged, says Matthew Cederquist.
more on the subject
Diablo 2: Resurrected – An overview of all rune words and their effects
Die Ladder in Diablo 2: Resurrected
Just like the classic Diablo 2, you can choose between four modes in the ladder in Diablo 2: Resurrected:
- Standard Ladder
The casual version of the ladder with four acts. - Hardcore Ladder
The hardcore (one life only) version of the four-act ladder. - Standard Expansion Ladder
The casual version of the ladder with five acts, as it includes the Lord of Destruction expansion. - Hardcore Expansion Ladder
The hardcore version (only one life) of the five-act ladder that includes the Lord of Destruction expansion.
Information about the start of the ladder in D2R is not yet available. The duration of the seasons is also still unclear. We’ll keep you up to date in our overview article:
more on the subject
Diablo 2 and Resurrected: what is the ladder and how will it work in 2021?
Changes to the mercenaries
Even the mercenaries shouldn’t go away empty-handed. In addition to additional rune words, they will receive a few revisions with patch 2.4, which should make particularly neglected mercenaries interesting for players again.
The developers are aware that most Diablo fans prefer the Sons of the Desert from Act 2, as they support the player with strong auras. “We didn’t touch those mercenaries either,” explains Robert Gallerani. “But we want there to be more reasons for players to use other mercenaries in certain situations.”
The developers also want to add more variety to the mercenaries.
As an example, Matthew Cederquist cites the barbarians from Act 5: “These mercenaries haven’t really been something players have for 20 years. Based on feedback we received from testers, we have now equipped the barbarian mercenaries with screams, for example. “
The developers cannot guarantee whether these changes will ultimately be adopted for the release of patch 2.4. They are currently trying out a lot, are in conversation with streamers and testers and are waiting for the reaction of the players from the PTR, which should be due in early 2022.
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