Blizzard has swiftly rolled out a significant update for Diablo 4, patch 1.3.0a, addressing various player concerns and enhancing gameplay just days after the launch of the game’s third season, the Season of the Construct. This move reflects the company’s commitment to refining the gaming experience based on player feedback and indicates a trend towards more dynamic and responsive game development.
The patch primarily focuses on adjusting the new features introduced in Season 3, which had been live for only three days before the update. Notably, the update addresses issues surrounding the new Seneschal Companion, which players felt lacked sufficient power.
Blizzard responded by creating more opportunities to acquire Governing and Tuning Stones, essential for enhancing the companion’s attacks. These can now be obtained through Whispers, and finding a max-level stone grants a substantial amount of Shattered Stones.
The Son of Malphas boss is now a guaranteed source of two to three Governing/Tuning Stones, and crafting costs for these stones have been standardized and reduced, making the system more accessible and consistent with player progression.
Another significant change involves the Echo of Malphas boss fight. Players had expressed frustration over the need to use Pearls of Warding against this boss, diverting them from their intended purpose.
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Blizzard’s solution introduces a new item, Igneous Cores, which will now be used to summon Malphas. To maintain balance, Malphas has become more challenging but also offers greater rewards.
The update brings several other improvements, particularly in boss fights and Vault experiences:
- Echo of Malphas level increased from 85 to 100.
- A 30% increase in the health pool of Echo of Malphas.
- Igneous Cores now drop from Vault Heralds and are guaranteed from Son of Malphas in World Tier 4.
- Enhanced drop rate of Unique Stones from Malphas.
- More Legendary items rewarded for defeating Echo of Malphas, with higher chances of Item Level 925 drops.
Quality of life changes extend to Vaults and the overworld event Arcane Tremors. Pearls of Warding now grant ten stacks of Zoltun’s Warding (up from three), and players can accumulate up to 999 stacks.
The game’s mechanics have also become more forgiving, with an increased grace period for losing Warding stacks and reduced hitboxes and speeds for various traps.
Vaults now guarantee a chest with a Legendary item at the end, and the likelihood of additional Legendary drops has been increased. Furthermore, Heralds of Malphas now have a 100% chance of dropping a Legendary item, with additional chances for more.
Bug fixes in this patch include issues with the Gatehall display on PlayStation, interaction problems with the Brazier during the Drums of the Vault quest, visibility issues with the Beckoning Thunder Horse cosmetic for Druid players, and syncing problems with floor trap effects in Vaults. Additionally, the update brings various stability and performance improvements.
