Diablo 4's game changing Season 4 PTR patch notes includes over 10,000 words of changes

Diablo 4 is changing. Season 4 will change how loot and crafting work, overhaul some class items, skills, and abilities, and expand the endgame with new modes and features. It's an update so massive that Blizzard will let players test all the changes early via a PC-only PTR playable from April 2 to 9. The Diablo 4 team will use this as an opportunity to "make adjustments to Season 4 before it goes live for everyone."

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Andariel is coming to Diablo 4's Boss Ladder endgame system, image credit: Blizzard.

After detailing the changes coming during a live stream last week, today we've got the full PTR Patch Notes for the massive overhaul coming to the game. To say the list is long would be an understatement; clocking in at over 10,0000 works; these are the sort of patch notes where you'll need a bunch of time and a strong coffee to get through.

With fundamental changes being made to how loot, crafting, and putting together a build works, there are so many changes being made to class items, skills, Legendaries, and Unique Items that this update will fundamentally change how Diablo 4 plays.

• Read more: Diablo 4's ray-tracing and DLSS 3 Frame Generation update is finally here
• Read more: Diablo 4 is getting its major Loot 2.0 update and endgame overhaul in Season 4

So, if you're planning to fire up a Barbarian, Necromancer, Rogue, Druid, or Sorceror next season, be sure to comb through the Patch Notes to see all of the new items, skill changes, and build opportunities coming. There's so much here that it will take veteran players days to see how it all plays out. Here's a summary of the main items, loot, gameplay, and endgame changes coming with Season 4. And to think, there's still a Season 4 theme with story, mechanics, and more new stuff coming, too.

ITEMIZATION

We have three guiding pillars for our itemization updates: quality over quantity, the best items having a journey of power and improvement that you can work toward, and of course, having items feel satisfying and exciting to use. For a full list of what's new or adjusted for Classes, check out the Class Update patch notes here, but here's a summary of the itemization changes:

Basic Item Updates

• Reduced number of affixes: now 3 on Legendary items, and 2 on Rare items.
• Smaller pool of more potent affixes.
• More relevant affixes (eg: ranks of a single Core Skill).
• Only Sacred items in World Tier 3, only Ancestral items in World Tier 4.
• Affix values are tuned up to be punchier; we want you (and the fiends of Sanctuary) to really feel them!
• New affixes and positioning of affixes: Resource per Second, Resource on Kill, Lucky Hit: Apply Vulnerable, Life per Hit, Basic Skill Ranks

Miscellaneous Updates

• Legendary items dropped from enemy level 95+ are always 925 item power.
• Gems are simpler, more useful, and have a much longer crafting tail.
• Gems now have Core stats, and the more conditional bonuses have been simplified.
• Salvage, crafting, and rewards have all been tuned.
• Significantly reduced item drop rates (less time sorting, more time slaying!)
• Item rerolling gold cost capped when Enchanting.
• Material removal and consolidation.
• Forgotten Souls can now be obtained from Whispers and are now a global rare drop from Elites.
• Uniques appear earlier.
• Some Uniques now dropping starting in World Tier I and II.
• All Uniques can now drop in World Tier III.
• Uber Uniques can start dropping from monster level 55, drops at 925 item power.

New crafting system: Tempering

• This new system will allow you to add affixes to your items at the Blacksmith through a new reusable item that can drop from most content in-game, called Temper Manuals!
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• These are categorized like the Codex of Power (eg: Resource, Mobility, etc)
• Once gained, you retain these for unlimited use!
• Each manual contains a handful of affixes; you are able to attach one at a time.
• Affixes can be rerolled up to the item's Temper Reroll limit.
• Ancestral items can have two Tempered affixes from different categories.
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Greater Affixes

• Only appearing on Ancestral Legendary and Unique items, these are more powerful versions of normal affixes, with a 1.5x multiplier on the affix's maximum roll.
• An item with a Greater Affix will be immediately obvious, with a unique audio cue, as well as a I up to a IV next to the item name indicating how many affixes are Greater. eg: Helm (Ancestral) - II
• Each affix on an item has a chance to be Greater in World Tier III & IV.
• Players cannot Enchant into a Greater affix - they can only be found!

Masterworking

• A late-game crafting system to upgrade items, using materials gathered from The Pit.
• Improves the value of your current affixes.
• There are 12 upgrade ranks.
• Every 4 ranks, a single affix is massively upgraded.
• Other ranks slightly increase the value of all affixes.
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Codex of Power updates

• All Legendary Aspects now appear in the Codex of Power, so you can focus on chasing great items instead of managing your inventory.
• The highest roll Legendary you salvage is stored in your Codex.
• Legendary Affix ranged increase based on item tier (Normal, Sacred, Ancestral).
• Most Legendary Affix ranges have been increased.
• The UI has been revamped, now includes manual and keyword search.
• You can also favorite Legendary Aspects to make them easier to find!
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HELLTIDE REBORN

A tide so nice we made it twice, here's what's new in the revamped Helltide event to bring the depths of Hell to the surface of Sanctuary:

Helltide Threat

• As you battle through Helltides, you will generate Threat - how much will be determined by the difficulty of monster and how often you're securing Tortured Gifts within Helltide. Dying will reset your Threat.
• There are three Helltide Threat Tiers, with each increasing the danger and frequency of monster ambushes. At Tier 3, you will become Hell-Marked.
• Achieving maximum Threat will initiate a brief ambush frenzy of maximum enemy density. The ambush will end with a final Hellborne spawn, an immensely powerful agent of Hell, resurrected from the tortured souls of Sanctuary's most powerful champions. There are five variants representing each Class in Diablo IV.
• Upon activating the Hellborn ambush, your Threat will reset.
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Accursed Ritual

• Baneful Hearts can primarily be earned through opening Tortured Gift chests and can be used at the Accursed Ritual location.
• A scene of shocking gore, the Accursed Ritual is the ultimate testament to the disturbing lengths the manic Cultists will go to appease their dark wishes. It is here where you can begin the Accursed Ritual.
• Deposit three Baneful Hearts to begin the ritual, and you will be swarmed with a dense demonic ambush. Other players within your subzone will be alerted that the ritual has begun if they wish to join you in your fight.
• This ambush will climax with the arrival of the Blood Maiden, an immensely powerful demonic creature who will offer great reward upon her death.
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World Tier I and II adjustments

• To get players into the thick of Helltides much earlier in their overall Character journey, the PTR will see these upcoming adjustments to help make Helltide more fun and rewarding in World Tier I & II.
• All Tortured Gifts are Mystery Chests.
• No roaming bosses or ambient meteors.
• Less monster density overall compared to World Tier III and IV.
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THE PIT OF ARTIFICERS

There are rumors that deep within the network of dungeons crisscrossing the north of Sanctuary, there are strange varieties of ore, perfect for crafting exceptionally crafted armor with secret Horadric techniques.

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• Upon entering World Tier IV, you'll receive a priority Quest to complete a Tier 46 Nightmare Dungeon. Upon completion, you'll begin to collect Runeshard during endgame activities. Collect enough Runeshard to ultimately activate the Obelisk in Cerrigar.
• Activating the Obelisk will send you to The Pit. Your goal will be to slay enough monsters before a 10-minute timer runs out. Each player death removes time from the clock: first death removes 30 seconds, second death removes 60 seconds, third and subsequent deaths will remove 90 seconds.
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• If you slay enough monsters, a portal will appear, taking you to the boss's arena.
• Killing the boss before the timer expires will grant you Masterworking materials and unlocks the next tier of The Pit.
• Killing the boss with 4-6 minutes to spare grants you an additional Tier unlock.
• Killing the boss with 6 or more minutes to spare grants you two additional Tier unlocks.
• The Pit has hundreds of Tiers of difficulty.
• If the Mastery timer expires before you finish running through the Pit you'll still receive loot, but won't receive any Masterworking materials.
• The Pit can be undertaken with groups up to four, with the player who opened The Pit receiving the lion's share of materials.
• Only the player who opened The Pit has the chance of receiving the Materials used for summoning Tormented Echoes.

BOSS LADDER UPDATES

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VIEW GALLERY - 11 IMAGES

• The Echo of Andariel joins the ladder in our Season 4 PTR, in the same bracket as her brother Duriel, with the same Uber Unique drop rate. With a mix of Shadow, Fire, Lightning, and her iconic Poison attack, Andariel stands ready to face all who dare fathom her demise.
• Summoning parts can be acquired from Beast in Ice and Lord Zir.
• Tormented Echoes of all ladder bosses can be summoned with Stygian Stones, obtained from deep within The Pit.
• Stygian Stones are needed along with an increased amount of summoning materials, but fear not - they also drop more rewards!
• Tormented Echoes will be level 200.
• All items dropped are item level 925.
• Defeating your first Tormented Echo drops one Resplendent Spark as a first-time reward (account bound).