THEY NERFED EVERYTHING? Barb DELETED FROM SEASON 9 Diablo 4

Summary

In this detailed update, Rob discusses major changes in the game’s Season 9 patch notes, focusing on class balance, nerfs, buffs, and adjustments to various builds. Significant nerfs to top-tier builds like Earthquake and Blood Spear are highlighted, with some potential shifts in the meta. While Hydra Sorc and Spirit Born remain strong, other classes, particularly Barbarian and Rogue, face challenges with no top-tier builds. Additionally, updates to escalating nightmare dungeons and seasonal changes promise faster leveling and more rewarding endgame content. Rob shares his initial impressions and plans to update his tier list, but overall, the season brings both exciting and disappointing changes.

Takeaways

• 😀 Significant nerfs to the top-tier builds in Season 9, including Barbarian, Rogue, and Necromancer.
• 😀 The Barbarian class sees heavy nerfs, with popular builds like Earthquake, Dust Devils, and Heavy Hitter all being significantly reduced in power.
• 😀 Despite nerfs, some builds, like Spiritborn and Hydra Sorcerer, remain strong and competitive.
• 😀 The Spiritborn class had several changes, including nerfs to Thorns but buffs to other ultimates, keeping it viable in Season 9.
• 😀 The Necromancer’s Bone Spear and Overpower mechanics were heavily nerfed, affecting its top-tier builds, but summoner builds got buffs.
• 😀 Rogue's Death Trap build was nerfed, with significant reductions in cooldown and damage, making it less viable for high-level content.
• 😀 Hydra Sorcerer received substantial buffs, including faster attack speeds for Hydra heads and stronger crit multipliers, keeping it a top choice.
• 😀 Druid received buffs across multiple builds, especially Pulverize with a new poison puddle mechanic, making it a potential A-tier build.
• 😀 There was a focus on nerfing S-tier builds rather than buffing weaker builds, leaving classes like Barbarian and Rogue with fewer viable options.
• 😀 The update includes improvements to the escalating nightmare dungeons, such as faster strong room completion, new bosses, and more rewarding progression.

Q & A

What are the main changes in the class balance for Season 9?

Season 9 brings several significant nerfs to class builds, with many of the S-tier builds being heavily affected. Notable nerfs include those to Earthquake and Dust Devils for the Barbarian, the nerf to the Blood Wave build for Necromancer, and the nerf to Death Trap for the Rogue. Additionally, some builds saw minor buffs, like Spiritborn's Thorns build and some buffs to Hydra Sorc.

Why was there a nerf to the Overpower mechanic for the Necromancer?

The Overpower mechanic for the Necromancer was nerfed because it was deemed too strong. Previously, it granted a large multiplier, but now Overpower works similarly to critical strikes, with only a 50% damage multiplier. This change affects multiple builds, including the Bone Spear and Blood Wave builds, as it reduces the damage output from Overpower.

How did the developers address the Spiritborn class balance changes?

The developers reverted some of the Hunter changes from the PTR and also reduced the damage bonus that Hunter provided. However, they also buffed other Spiritborn ultimates, such as Devourer, Seeker, and Protector, which now grant multiplicative damage bonuses. Despite some nerfs, the Thorns Spiritborn build remains strong, and overall, Spiritborn looks like a viable choice for the season.

What impact did the Death Trap nerf have on the Rogue class?

The nerf to Death Trap significantly weakened the Rogue class. The cooldown reduction on Overpower from Death Trap was removed, and its pull and damage were also reduced. With these changes, Death Trap is no longer a dominant build for the Rogue, and overall, the Rogue class may struggle to maintain a presence in the S-tier this season.

How is the Hydra Sorc build performing after Season 9 changes?

Hydra Sorc is performing exceptionally well after the changes in Season 9. While some other builds were nerfed, Hydra Sorc received major buffs, including faster Hydra head attacks, a 50% crit damage multiplier, and a buff to the serpentine aspect. These changes make Hydra Sorc one of the most powerful builds, particularly for speed farming.

What changes were made to the Druid class in Season 9?

Druid received significant buffs, especially for Pulverize builds. The addition of the poison puddle mechanic to Pulverize provides substantial damage boosts. Other Druids skills, such as Grizzly Rage and Toxic Claws, also saw improvements. Although the Druid is affected by the Overpower nerf, the Pulverize build shows strong potential to be an A-tier or possibly even S-tier build.

What is the main issue with the class balance in Season 9?

The main issue with the class balance is that the developers focused on nerfing the top-tier builds instead of buffing weaker builds. While some classes like Sorcerer and Spiritborn still have strong builds, Barbarian and Rogue appear to be significantly weaker, with some builds becoming almost unplayable in comparison to others.

What are Escalating Nightmare Dungeons and how did they change in Season 9?

Escalating Nightmare Dungeons are a new feature that scales with difficulty and offers increasing rewards as players progress. In Season 9, these dungeons have been made more challenging and rewarding. There are new affixes on bosses, and the dungeon difficulty increases as players advance. Additionally, the Forgotten Wisdom experience globes now scale with difficulty, making leveling faster.

What is the new reward system for the Escalating Nightmare Dungeons?

The new reward system for Escalating Nightmare Dungeons includes permanent buffs, more experience points, and better loot. Players can also earn additional rewards for completing strong rooms, such as Optoidite, more bosses, and faster completion times, all of which make these dungeons a valuable endgame activity.

What are the new Twitch drops in Season 9?

In Season 9, there are new Twitch drops that players can earn by watching Diablo streams. For example, by watching for 3 hours, players can earn cool rogue transmogs. These Twitch drops are part of a broader set of rewards available for free by completing the seasonal journey and engaging in the game.