Diablo 4 just killed its best Barbarian build
The equilibrium of Diablo 4 is very easily disturbed, and fans have been careful not to push their luck. Balancing characters in a game that boasts such differing playstyles with each class is utterly crucial.
Nobody wants to play as a character that is objectively weak, while game devs don't want to see their hard work p*ssed up the wall as a result of another character simply being "better." It's a delicate tightrope, but it's one that fans think Blizzard has snapped.
Diablo's new patch notes decimate builds
Click to enlargeThe new patch notes for Diablo 4 have been revealed, and fans feel utterly smoked by the latest changes. The presiding complaint is that Sorcerers have been nerfed within an inch of their lives, but it doesn't end there, as the changes have destroyed an OP Barbarian build.
Previously, there was a bug that was causing the Hammer of the Ancients - a powerful ability for Diablo 4's endgame - to do more damage than it was supposed to. The patch has disallowed players from stacking Ripping, Skullbreaker, and Anemia aspects.
Now, they're forced to choose one from the three, tearing apart the meta for many. It's a pretty devastating change, and though many fans could have seen it coming, it means that a lot of players are going to have to entirely readjust their builds.
Diablo acknowledges fan disappointment with new changes
In the patch notes themselves, Blizzard touches on the fact that the changes themselves are making a pretty huge impact on the way that fans are using the ability - but they're doing so in order to take control of the build back from bugs.
"We recognise this adjustment is a significant decrease to the Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian build, but we do not want its strength to be reliant on an underlying bug," Blizzard says underneath the announcement of the change. Even though that's fair enough, it's doing some pretty big damage to builds everywhere. Time to find a plan B.