Blizzard is overhauling Diablo 4's crafting, loot, and combat 'very soon'

Blizzard's Diablo 4 debuted in 2023, and since its release, the game has received one major expansion alongside multiple seasonal updates that have improved the game, overhauled systems, and limited-time content for players to enjoy. The latest, Season 10, the 'Season of Infernal Chaos', overhauls the game's popular horde mode, alongside introducing Chaos Armor, which has introduced several new viable builds for some of the game's most challenging content.

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Diablo 4's Masterworking and Tempering crafting systems are set to get a major overhaul.

With Diablo 4 set to get a new expansion next year, Blizzard will be overhauling key aspects of the game, namely crafting and combat, as part of Season 11. Diablo 4's lead community director, Adam Fletcher, took to X to post that the game's Season 11 update features numerous "big" changes, so it will hit the PTR (Public Test Realm) earlier than usual.

• Read more: Diablo 4 is adding a rogue-like horde mode in Season 5
• Read more: Diablo 4's first roadmap is here - new seasons, IP crossover events, expansions, and more
• Read more: Diablo 4's massive 2.0 update changes the game to be more like Diablo 3 and Diablo 2

A detailed breakdown of what changes are coming will be revealed soon, with Adam teasing changes to Diablo's Masterworking and Tempering crafting systems, as well as updates to combat and the Renown system. The latter has been a part of the game since launch and relates to regional or zone progress and rewards.

With the seasonal approach to playing the game, Renown is not a factor that returning players need to pay attention to, so an overhaul of this aspect is overdue. However, it's the promised changes and updates to the game's Masterworking and Tempering crafting systems that have fans and players excited. These systems involve both 'leveling' gear with materials to increase their power, alongside assigning new affixes to Legendary gear, greatly expanding their capabilities and overall power.

It's Diablo 4's version of crafting, and the main issue is that the current Masterworking and Tempering system leans heavily into RNG, with the bonus of it being easy to brick an item or render it useless as a viable endgame piece of gear. Changes and updates here would be very welcome, as would an overhaul of crafting to make it a little more complex or detailed in what you can or can't do. As for the changes to Diablo 4's combat, that one is a mystery, as the moment-to-moment gameplay and action of the game is consistently the one thing most players praise.

Adam Fletcher adds that the PTR for Season 11 and these changes "will be important," so expect significant changes to Diablo 4 ahead of the second expansion's full reveal and release.