It has now been announced that Diablo 4 (D4)’s version 1.1 update will be available on July 18, 2023, bringing new content, balance changes, as well as new features in preparation for Season of the Malignant.
Version 1.1 Patch Notes
The complete Version 1.1 Patch Notes are also available below.
Now Available as of July 18th at 10 AM PDT
The Version 1.1 Patch is now available for download as of 10 AM PDT! At 4.57 GB, it’s a big one so be sure to go ahead and start downloading, but note that there is scheduled Diablo 4 maintenance from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM PDT, so you may have difficulty getting into the game during this time.
If you’re currently in-game, be sure to Exit Game first. The patch will immediately begin installing after you leave the game.
Buffs and Nerfs Summary
- Vulnerable damage nerfed by 40%
- Critical damage nerfed by 17%
- Cooldown reduction nerfed by 30%
- Significant buffs to underperforming skills
- Necromancer Minions buffed
- Offensive Affixes buffed, Defensive Affixes nerfed
- Nightmare Dungeons and Helltide buffed, standard Dungeons nerfed
- Powerleveling nerfed significantly
Nerfs to Core Concepts, Not Classes
Version 1.1 took an interesting perspective on balancing. Instead of slashing overpowered builds like the Bone Spear Build directly by nerfing the Skills themselves, Blizzard has instead changed the paradigms of build creation by cutting down the effectiveness of Vulnerable, Critical Strike, and Cooldown Reduction which many of the top builds rely on.
We’re excited to see how the meta develops in Season 1 with reduced focus on the Gather Enemies -> Apply Vulnerable -> Use Burst Damage loop, and hope to see more builds with a more creative structure take the reins.
Buffs to Underperforming Skills
Who doesn’t love buffs? While Blizzard managed to avoid heavy nerfs to popular skills by instead nerfing the underlying mechanics, they were liberal with the buffs to underused skills.
That said, most of the buffs tiptoe around straight DPS, and prioritize less-direct improvements in areas like resource gain, duration, and Lucky Hit chance, with damage boosts reserved mostly for Skill Upgrades, Enchantments, etc. which require extra investment in the Skill.
Necromancer Minions Buffed
The dead rise again! A variety of small buffs across the board for the Necromancer’s summoned minions will hopefully make them viable for an endgame build this time around. That said, Blizzard was careful not to make any massive changes and risk repeating the whiplash which hit Necro during the beta, when its overpowered minions were nerfed into the ground. We’ll have to wait and see if the tweaks are enough.
Offensive Affixes Buffed, Defensive Affixes Nerfed
Although you might think that Offensive Affixes are the king of the meta, it’s Defensive Affixes that took the hit this time. The reasoning here is that players are managing to survive end-level enemies like Uber Lilith and Tier 100 Nightmare Dungeons by tanking hits, while Blizzard seemingly wants to reward players who find ways to win without relying on stacking defenses.
Endgame Content Buffed, Standard Dungeons Nerfed
Following up on many previous hotfixes which attempted to balance the mob spawns in standard Dungeons and reduce their usefulness for farming, Patch 1.1 again makes several moves to steer players towards endgame content and away from standard Dungeons.
In particular, the cap on enemy level in standard Dungeons and the Overworld, making them trail behind the player after a certain point, should make farming standard Dungeons largely unviable.
On the other hand, Nightmare Dungeons are buffed to the sky with extra Legendary and rare drops on completion, improved Sacred and Ancestral rates, and more drops from Elites. Helltides might seem like a mixed bag with increased costs for Mystery Chests, but a level increase in enemies from 2 to 3 is actually a buff since it means more XP while farming, and Helltides also received a 10% increase in drops from elites, so we think Helltides will stay viable going forward.
Powerleveling Nerfed to Death
Although it’s not the traditional kind of nerf players might expect, the reduction of viability of powerleveling will make using alts even harder in Season 1.
Before Season 1, when in a dungeon with Level 100 monsters, a player at level 1 received 125% of the full amount of XP from Level 100 monsters their party killed for them. Starting in Season 1, players will only receive 115% of a Level 11 monster’s XP.
Needless to say, this is likely to increase the amount of time required for powerleveling multiple times over. Presumably, this is to prevent players from essentially skipping the grind for the Season by waiting for other players to hit level 100 and simply powerleveling to catch up.
New Content for Season One
The version 1.1 patch on July 18, 2023 contains all the data required for the Season of the Malignant on July 20th, 2023. It will include all the new incoming content, but will not be available in the Seasonal Realm until the start of the season. The patch drops two days earlier to help launch go smoothly and give players time to download the patch.
Also included in the version 1.1 patch are seven new Aspects and six new Unique items. These new Aspects and Unique items are already available on the Eternal Realm, not just in the new season.
Balance Changes for All Classes
Sweeping balance updates have been implemented for all classes to make more builds viable.
In the Season One Official Trailer, some class skills that were perceived to be underperforming like the Barbarian’s Upheaval and the Sorcerer’s Fireball were showcased, possibly indicating that it may be their turn in the limelight.
Implemented on the Eternal Realm
Players can get their feet wet before the start of season one because version 1.1 will be immediately available on the Eternal Realm on July 18, 2023.
Feel free to experiment with the new Aspects, Unique items, balance changes, and other new features so you are better prepared for the start of the season!
Character Level Cap on Sacred and Ancestral Items
Sacred and Ancestral items now have a fixed character level cap of 60 and 80 respectively. This means that your characters below the said level caps will not be able to equip their sacred or ancestral items regardless of the item level.
This also means that any sacred or ancestral item that has a higher level than your character can be equipped as long as your character is on or above the level cap.
