A new Diablo IV hotfix has gone live today, introducing some balance changes for select classes and a difficulty increase which don't require users to download and install a new patch.
The server-side 1.0.2 hotfix changes one of the Sorcerer's Class Specializations, the Flame Shield Enchantment, so that when the Flame Shield is equipped, it's placed on full cooldown. The Rogue's Inner Sight Class Specialization has also been changed so that when the Inner Sigght's unlimited Energy expires, it will take four seconds before another enemy is marked.
The new Diablo IV hotfix also removes the Shout Skill Cooldown Reduction affix from items and increased monster health values in later World Tiers, which should make for a much more challenging experience.
Diablo IV is currently available only for those who have purchased the game's Ultimate Edition and Digital Deluxe Editions and will release next week for everyone else. The latest entry in the series is a return to form for the franchise when it comes to both atmosphere and gameplay, although Blizzard played it a little too safe, releasing a game that feels rather familiar, as highlighted by Alessio in his review.
Diablo IV is a return to form at a much needed time for Blizzard. It delivers incredibly fun hack and slash action combat, a greatly improved skill system, and a ton of things to do, not to mention the best story told in the franchise yet. It also looks awesome, sounds great, and runs well (except for rare instances of traversal stuttering). That said, it sticks a little bit too closely to the rulebook, which works against it in a few areas. The open world is not as dynamic as one could have hoped, with events getting repetitive rather quickly. The side content doesn't provide any real narrative juice, and the endgame replayability may not be as deep as needed due to limited randomization and lack of certain features.
Diablo IV is now available in Early Access for owners of the Ultimate and Digital Deluxe Editions on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One. The game will officially launch on June 6th worldwide.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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