Patch 2.4.1 Brings the Next Content Patch and Season 6
Item changes in Season 6 include a revamp of the Taeguk Legendary gem
The development of the next Diablo III content patch is in full swing. It will be patch 2.4.1, but it will go live after Season 5 is completed. The first details about this patch have been provided, including changes to the Legendary gem Taeguk and the weapon Solanium. Here are the first official details about the next content patch.
With minor balancing changes like this will we need to pick up new versions of legendary items // gems to have the changed effects or will they take effect retroactively on the 2.4 versions?
The changes to Taeguk, Twisted Sword, and Solanium will be retroactive.
is this patch going to be live in season 5 later or its targeted for next season?
We won't be dropping the live 2.4.1 patch mid-season. The PTR patch will most likely be happening while Season 5 is still active, but that of course won't affect any of your Season 5 heroes.
So what's going to happen to the non-channeling builds that currently use Taeguk? Will you add new legendary gems in 2.4.1?
We're taking a look at some of the other Legendary gems as well to open up as many viable alternatives as we can. More on that soon!
In another exchange with a player who wants buffs to the Barbarian Whirlwind set apart from buffs to Rend damage, Mr. Yang stated that improvements specifically for that playstyle are on the way.
Patch 2.4.1 will likely arrive on the PTR in the next week to start the testing of the many changes in the patch. The patch will eventually go live as the next content update and Season 6.
Patch 2.4.1 Changes
Community manager Kauza posted info about some of the first big changes that will be noticed in patch 2.4.1. This includes overhauling the Legendary gem Taeguk to only work with channeled skills, among other changes. Recent discussions in the forums also included taking feedback on the Stone of Jordan; that may be another item receiving attention in the patch.
Post by Blizzard (Blue Tracker, Official Forum)
We’ve been hard at work on our next patch, which is going to bump us up to version 2.4.1. We’ll have our official PTR patch notes available soon, but we’d like to call out a few specific changes and talk about the philosophy that went into making them.
First, we’ve been looking at the prevalence of Barbarians in group play beyond Greater Rift 80 and how they’re being used. While many classes bring party-based buffs, the damage reduction of Ignore Pain – Mob Rule combined with Pride of Cassius is currently a clear outlier. As a result, we’re reducing the party benefit of Ignore Pain – Mob Rule from 50% to 25%. To ensure this doesn’t harm the overall viability of group play, we’re also reducing the damage of monsters at high Greater Rifts. This allows not only groups with Barbarians to remain near the same levels in terms of incoming damage, but it affords alternative group compositions greater survivability.
Next up, Wyatt had recently posted a bit about Taeguk. We are making some significant changes to Taeguk, as well as some other Legendary Gems.
First up, for Taeguk:
The idea here is that Taeguk will complement those moments when you’re channeling and need an extra boost. You probably won’t have Taeguk up all the time, but it won’t hurt as much when your stacks fall off as you’ll build them up much more quickly. And while the Armor % reduction will affect survivability, the reduced monster damage at higher Greater Rifts will help to balance this out. We’ll have much more to share soon on changes to other gems, which will help to make as many gems as possible work as reasonable substitutes for Taeguk.
Finally, we are changing both Twisted Sword and Solanium. What we’ve seen from group compositions is a playstyle based around Wizards spamming Energy Twister, while the group spams Health Globe generation. We’ve received a ton of feedback on these, and we agree completely that manipulation of the generation of health globes is not good for the game. Here’s what we’re changing:
This means a couple of things for users of these items. For Solanium users, you’ll still be able to generate additional health globes, but this removes any possibility of the current health globe spamming mechanics moving forward. For Twisted Sword users, Wizards who use the skill in the course of their normal playstyle shouldn’t see much of a change. However, the exponential scaling made possible by Energy Twister spamming won’t be possible anymore.
In short, you should be able to play support builds, and your Wizard should feel powerful. What we found with both of the above cases, though, is a negative effect on group dynamics and class playstyle. We’ll be taking all of your feedback during PTR to ensure we’ve hit our goals here. And, of course, thanks for all of your feedback on Patch 2.4.0.
First, we’ve been looking at the prevalence of Barbarians in group play beyond Greater Rift 80 and how they’re being used. While many classes bring party-based buffs, the damage reduction of Ignore Pain – Mob Rule combined with Pride of Cassius is currently a clear outlier. As a result, we’re reducing the party benefit of Ignore Pain – Mob Rule from 50% to 25%. To ensure this doesn’t harm the overall viability of group play, we’re also reducing the damage of monsters at high Greater Rifts. This allows not only groups with Barbarians to remain near the same levels in terms of incoming damage, but it affords alternative group compositions greater survivability.
Next up, Wyatt had recently posted a bit about Taeguk. We are making some significant changes to Taeguk, as well as some other Legendary Gems.
First up, for Taeguk:
- Taeguk will now only work for channeled powers
- Taeguk will now stack more quickly, but also drop off more quickly. The maximum is now ten stacks, and you’ll now lose the stack after 1.5 seconds instead of 3 seconds
- The Armor % component of Taeguk has been changed to 2% per stack
The idea here is that Taeguk will complement those moments when you’re channeling and need an extra boost. You probably won’t have Taeguk up all the time, but it won’t hurt as much when your stacks fall off as you’ll build them up much more quickly. And while the Armor % reduction will affect survivability, the reduced monster damage at higher Greater Rifts will help to balance this out. We’ll have much more to share soon on changes to other gems, which will help to make as many gems as possible work as reasonable substitutes for Taeguk.
Finally, we are changing both Twisted Sword and Solanium. What we’ve seen from group compositions is a playstyle based around Wizards spamming Energy Twister, while the group spams Health Globe generation. We’ve received a ton of feedback on these, and we agree completely that manipulation of the generation of health globes is not good for the game. Here’s what we’re changing:
- Solanium is getting an internal cooldown (ICD) of 8 seconds
- Twisted Sword is getting a cap at 5 Energy Twisters
This means a couple of things for users of these items. For Solanium users, you’ll still be able to generate additional health globes, but this removes any possibility of the current health globe spamming mechanics moving forward. For Twisted Sword users, Wizards who use the skill in the course of their normal playstyle shouldn’t see much of a change. However, the exponential scaling made possible by Energy Twister spamming won’t be possible anymore.
In short, you should be able to play support builds, and your Wizard should feel powerful. What we found with both of the above cases, though, is a negative effect on group dynamics and class playstyle. We’ll be taking all of your feedback during PTR to ensure we’ve hit our goals here. And, of course, thanks for all of your feedback on Patch 2.4.0.
With minor balancing changes like this will we need to pick up new versions of legendary items // gems to have the changed effects or will they take effect retroactively on the 2.4 versions?
The changes to Taeguk, Twisted Sword, and Solanium will be retroactive.
is this patch going to be live in season 5 later or its targeted for next season?
We won't be dropping the live 2.4.1 patch mid-season. The PTR patch will most likely be happening while Season 5 is still active, but that of course won't affect any of your Season 5 heroes.
So what's going to happen to the non-channeling builds that currently use Taeguk? Will you add new legendary gems in 2.4.1?
We're taking a look at some of the other Legendary gems as well to open up as many viable alternatives as we can. More on that soon!
Set Changes
The upcoming patch will also include adjustments to many of the class Sets. Developer John Yang noted that the developers look to balance those out to give many gearing options.
@_JohnYang Will you guys take another look at the Wastes Set in a future patch to bring it on par with reworked Sets (R6, MotE6, IK6)?
— Dr K (@walkintall93) February 28, 2016
Yes, we continually look to balance all sets and builds, including buffing the weaker ones. https://t.co/Lr9Po0UIrl
— John Yang (@_JohnYang) March 2, 2016
In another exchange with a player who wants buffs to the Barbarian Whirlwind set apart from buffs to Rend damage, Mr. Yang stated that improvements specifically for that playstyle are on the way.
Getting people to use unused buttons is a good thing. But I hear you - adjustments to WW-focused builds are coming. https://t.co/Ri9GOGDFHZ
— John Yang (@_JohnYang) March 5, 2016
Patch 2.4.1 will likely arrive on the PTR in the next week to start the testing of the many changes in the patch. The patch will eventually go live as the next content update and Season 6.