Season of the Malignant Patch

July 18th, 2023

This update is extensive, introducing numerous balance changes to every class, modifying mechanics, fine-tuning item attributes, and resolving a substantial number of bugs. Additionally, each class now boasts new Aspects and Uniques. These updates are currently available for testing on your Eternal Realm characters, ahead of the season's official launch on July 20th, 2023.

Summary and Major Takeaways:

Item Affixes have been overhauled. The Developers have noted that many Affixes (such as Critical Strike Damage and Vulnerable Damage) were outshining any alternative options. Items without these affixes felt extremely punishing to use and made farming for items a miserable experience.
- Offensive Stats: With hard nerfs to Vulnerable and Critical Strike Damage, we are going to see an overall damage nerf to every build. At the same time, finding any items without these stats will not be as punishing. We still predict that these stats are going to be a necessity for min-maxing most builds, but gives us more flexibility when grinding for these perfect rolls.
- Defensive Stats: Defensive stats were hard-nerfed across the board. Expect to feel much squishier in the endgame since each form of damage reduction had roughly a 20-25% reduction on items. We predict that paragon boards will see many more defensive options, especially for hardcore players.
Barbarian: Barbarians have seen quite a bit of changes this patch, including many buffs to underutilized skills and aspects as well as a nice rework to Gohr’s Devastating Grips. Whirlwind will probably see a comeback due to this buff as well as some bug fixes surrounding some other builds. Hammer of the Ancients was putting out some unintentional numbers which has been fixed in this patch. The build utilizing Berserk Ripping, Skullbreaker, and Anemia has also been patched, which allowed players to stack absurd amounts of damage to the point where the number did not fit on the screen. Check out our in depth breakdown of these Barbarian changes here.
Druid: Similar to Barbarian, there are many bug fixes that may cause a meta shift for Druids. To start, there was an issue where seeking Tornados produced by the Stormchaser’s Aspect were not dealing damage. They did not state how often this was happening, but this will likely cause this build to be much stronger. Another big bug fix was an issue causing Stormclaw’s Aspect, causing Shred do extreme amounts of damage. The popular Earthen Bulwark build will also see a nerf due to changes lowering the Cooldown Reduction from the Symbiotic Aspect. This build will still likely be incredibly strong. The new aspect may make Trampleslide and any other Landslide builds much stronger. Check out our in depth breakdown of these Druid changes here.
Necromancer: Bone Spear Necromancer was without a doubt the most played build across the class. The build was capable of clearing rooms and deleting bosses. It saw some pretty big nerfs in this patch. The build will still likely be quite powerful, but we may see minion builds and Blood Lance gaining some popularity due to some buffs and a new Blood Lance Aspect (Hopefully Blood Lance still doesn’t break the game). We also expect to see the new Unique, Lidless Wall, used in a majority of builds due to the power and popularity of Bone Storm. Check out our in depth breakdown of these changes Necromancer changes here.
Rogue: Rogues saw a few small bug fixes, but nothing game breaking like Druid or Barbarians. They saw some small buffs to some pretty unused aspects. We may see Penetrating Shot shine this season with the new Unique Bow, Eaglehorn. This build has potential and may be used for Nightmare Dungeon Pushing and will be much stronger in this patch. They also have a new aspect that causes Punture to apply Poison Imbuement every third hit. We could possibly see some new synergies with the newly buffed Toxic Alchemist and Icy Alchemist aspects with Combo Points. Overall, Rogues got out of these nerfs pretty well. They didn't take any big hits to their meta builds like some other classes and will likely be one of the stronger classes this season as a result. Check out our in depth breakdown of these Rogue changes here.
Sorcerer: There was a bug causing Aspect of Control to apply it’s damage to bosses 3 times on Staggered bosses. This will likely hit each of their builds quite hard. Changes to Devouring Blaze also make it so Burning is no longer a necessity for every single build. This was a very large source fo bonus damage, so losing this multiplier is going to really hurt Socerers. There have also been buffs to quite a few aspects, so we may see some new builds emerging this season. These buffs do not come close to outweighing the nerfs unfortunately, making Sorcerers the hardest hit class in this patch. Check out our in depth breakdown of these Sorcerer changes here.

New Uniques

General

Ahavarion Spear of Lycander(Uber Unique Staff – World Tier 4): Gain a random Shrine effect for 10-20 seconds after killing an Elite enemy. Can only occur once every 30 seconds.

Barbarian

Azurewrath (Unique Sword): Lucky Hit - Your Core Skills have up to a 20% chance to Freeze enemies for 3 seconds and deal 0.75-1.5 Cold damage to them.

Druid

Fleshrender (Unique One-Hand Mace): Debilitating Roar and Blood Howl deal 0.5-1.0 damage to Nearby Poisoned enemies.

Necromancer

Lidless Wall (Unique Shield): Lucky Hit - While you have an active Bone Storm, hitting an enemy outside of a Bone Storm has up to a 5-25% chance to spawn an additional Bone Storm at their location. Each of your active Sacrifice bonuses increases the chance by 25% and the total number of additional Bone Storms you can have by +1.

Rogue

Eaglehorn (Unique Bow): Penetrating Shot has a 30-80% chance to fire an arrow that bounces off walls and scenery. Hitting enemies from behind with Penetrating Shot will make them Vulnerable for 3 seconds.

Sorcerer

The Oculus (Unique Wand): Gain the effect of the Teleport Enchantment for free. When you Evade using Teleport Enchantment, you are taken to a random location.

New Aspects

General

Audacity (Utility Aspect): When there are at least 5 Close enemies, Stun them for 2-4 seconds. This can only occur once every 20 seconds.
Craven (Mobility Aspect): You gain 20-40% increased Movement Speed when moving away from Slowed or Chilled enemies.

Barbarian

Ancestral Charge (Offensive Aspect): Charge calls forth 4 Ancients who also Charge, dealing 50-100% of normal damage.

Druid

Subterranean (Offensive Aspect): Poison Creeper’s active also casts Landslide in a circle around you. Earth Skills deal 10-20% increased damage to Poisoned enemies.

Necromancer

Gore Quills (Offensive Aspect): Blood Lance will consume Blood Orbs to also conjure lances from them. Each additional Blood Lance deals 20-50% of normal damage and prioritizes targeting un-lanced enemies.

Rogue

Pestilent Points (Offensive Aspect): Every third cast of Puncture is Poison Imbued with 100-150% of normal potency.

Sorcerer

Searing Wards (Offensive Aspect): After spending 200-100 Mana your next Firewall is free to cast and will destroy incoming Small Missiles.

Balance Updates

General

Aspects

Aspect of Disobedience maximum stacks reduced from 100 to 60, reducing maximum Bonus Armor % from 25%-50% to 15%-30%.
Aspect of Retribution bonus damage to Stunned reduced from 20-40% to 10-20%.
Exploiter's Aspect bonus damage to Unstoppable reduced from 20-50% to 20-40%.
Starlight Aspect Resource restore increased from 10-20 to 20-40.

Barbarian

Skills

Violent Double Swing Vulnerable duration increased from 1 to 2 seconds.
Furious Upheaval damage bonus per stack increased from 3% to 5%.
Power Charge Cooldown reduction is now capped to 3 targets, for a maximum of 9 seconds of Cooldown reduction.
Tactical Ground Stomp Fury gain increased from 25 to 40.
Enhanced Death Blow's damage bonus to Bosses increased from 100% to 150%.
Enhanced Steel Grasp Vulnerable duration increased from 2.5 to 3 seconds.
Enhanced Rupture damage increased from 30% to 45%.
Warrior’s Rupture Attack Speed bonus increased from 20% to 30%, and duration increased from 4 to 5 seconds.
Fighter’s Rupture healing increased from 15% to 18% Maximum Life.

Passives

Hamstring now only Slows Healthy enemies, and Slow amount increased from 10/20/30% to 20/40/60%.
Cut to the Bone Bleeding damage bonus to Vulnerable reduced from 6/12/18% to 5/10/15%.

Paragon

Wrath Glyph's bonus now affects all damage instead of just Core Skills.

Aspects

Relentless Berserker's Aspect Berserking duration increased from 1 to 2 seconds.
Battle-Mad Aspect Beserking duration increased from 1-2.5 to 2-3.5 seconds.
Brawler's Aspect damage increased from 1-1.3 to 1.5-1.8.
Aspect of Burning Rage damage increased from .08-.14 to .22-.28.
Aspect of the Iron Warrior Damage Reduction increased from 15-25% to 18-28%.
Slaking Aspect Lucky Hit Chance increased from 30-50% to 40-60%.
Aspect of Ancestral Echoes Lucky Hit Chance increased from 40-50% to 50-60%.
Weapon Master's Aspect Lucky Hit Chance increased from 32-50% to 37%-55%.

Items

Gohr's Devastating Grips now explodes every 2 seconds or after it ends, and its hit cap has been removed.
Fields of Crimson Bleeding damage bonus increased from 10% to 15%.

Druid

Skills

Enhanced Claw Attack Speed bonus increased from 10% to 15%.
Stormstrike Damage Reduction reduced from 25% to 15%.
Boulder damage increase from 33% to 46%.
Savage Trample Spirit gain increased from 20 to 40.
Prime Lacerate healing increased from 3% to 5%.
Cataclysm Lightning damage increased from 64% to 77%, and Tornado damage from 19% to 23%.
Supreme Cataclysm Vulnerable duration increased from 2 to 3 seconds.
Prime Cataclysm duration increased from 2 to 4 seconds.
Prime Grizzly Rage now grants Unstoppable for 6 seconds instead of while active.

Passives

Provocation threshold required for guaranteed Overpower reduced from 35/30/25 to 24/20/16 seconds.

Spirit Boon

Masochistic now also requires a Lucky Hit chance of 75%.
Prickleskin Thorns increased from .1 to .15.
Iron Feather Maximum Life increased from 10% to 14%.
Bolster Fortify increased from 10% to 15% of Maximum Life.
Overload damage increased from .2 to .25.

Paragon

Spirit Glyph's bonus now affects all damage instead of just Core Skills.

Aspects

Aspect of the Calm Breeze Lucky Hit chance increased from 5-10% to 7-12%.
Balanced Aspect Maximum Spirit increased from 30-50 to 60-80.
Aspect of the Tempest damage bonus increased from 7-15% to 10-18%.
Skinwalker's Aspect healing increased from .05-.1 to .07-.12.
Symbiotic Aspect Cooldown reduction reduced from 4-8 to 3-5.
Aspect of the Stampede damage bonus increased from 10-20 to 16-26%.
Shepherd's damage bonus increased from 6-8% to 6-10%.

Items

Insatiable Fury Werebear Skill Ranks increased from 2 to 3.
Mad Wolf's Glee Werewolf Skill Ranks increased from 2 to 3.

Necromancer

Skills

Initiate’s Decompose Slow increased from 30% to 50%.
Paranormal Sever casts required for Vulnerable reduced from 4 to 3.
Enhanced Blood Surge Healing increased from 2.5% to 3% of Maximum Life.
Enhanced Blood Lance damage reduction for piercing reduced from 15% to 10%.
Bone Prison initial Essence gained increased from 15 to 25.
Abhorrent Iron Maiden healing increased from 5% to 7% of Maximum Life.
Golems move faster and unhindered through enemies when their Cooldown is activated.
Supreme Blood Wave leaves behind Blood Orbs earlier in its path.
Raise Skeleton, Corpse Explosion, and Corpse Tendrils range for auto-targeting Corpses on mouse and keyboard increased by 50%.
Raise Skeleton Skeletal Priest bonus damage increased from 20% to 30%.
Raise Skeleton Skeletal Priest healing increased from 10% to 15%.

Passives

Evulsion bonus damage to Vulnerable reduced from 6/12/18% to 5/10/15%.
Transfusion Minion healing increased from 15/30/45% to 20/40/60%.
Drain Vitality Lucky Hit Chance increased from 25% to 30%.
Amplify Damage increased from 3/6/9% to 4/8/12%.

Book of the Dead

Necromancer's minions will now automatically re-summon after respawning during a World Boss fight.
Skeleton Warrior Defenders Upgrade Thorns inherited increased from 40% to 50%.
Shadow Skeleton Mage Upgrade attacks required for an additional shadow bolt reduced from 5 to 4.
Bone Skeleton Mage Upgrade Fortify amount increased from 11% to 20%.
Iron Golems Upgrade attacks required for Slam attack reduced from 5 to 4.

Paragon

Essence Glyph's bonus now affects all damage instead of just Core Skills.

Aspects

Splintering Aspect Bone Shard damage bonus reduced from 50-100% to 30-60%.
Aspect of Plunging Darkness bonus damage increased from 50-100% to 75-125%.
Coldbringer's Aspect blizzard cooldown reduced from 10 to 8 seconds.
Aspect of Hungry Blood chance to fire a Blood Lance increased from 10-20% to 13-23%.
Blood-soaked Aspect damage increased from .15-.2 to .24-.31.
Aspect of Ultimate Shadow damage increased from .16-.22 to .43-.48.
Aspect of Grasping Veins Critical Strike Damage bonus reduced from 30-60% to 20-40%.
Osseous Gale Aspect bonus Bone Storm duration increased from 4-8 to 5-10 seconds.
Aspect of the Damned damage bonus increased from 30-40% to 40-50%.
Blood-bathed Aspect Echo damage reduction reduced from 70-60% to 60-50%.
Aspect of Reanimation Skeletons damage bonus increased from 20-30% to 30-40%.

Items

Bloodless Scream Essence gained increased from 2-5 to 7-10.
Deathless Visage damage increased from .25-.35 to .28-.38.

Rogue

Skills

Advanced Rapid Fire duration increased from 3 to 5 seconds.
Caltrops cast speed increased by 15%.
Enhanced Cold Imbue Lucky Hit Chance increased from 30% to 40%.
Enhanced Smoke Grenade damage bonus increased from 15% to 20%.
Methodical Dash maximum Cooldown reduction increased from 3 to 4 seconds.
Concealment Stealth duration increased from 4 to 5 seconds.
Enhanced Dark Shroud's chance to not be consumed increased from 10% to 14%.
Supreme Death Trap Cooldown reduction increased from 10 to 12 seconds.

Passives

Victimize Lucky Hit Chance increased from 30% to 35%.
Siphoning Strikes now also requires a Lucky Hit chance of 75%.
Rugged Damage Reduction against Damage over Time effects increased from 5/10/15 to 6/12/18.
Mending Obscurity healing per second while Stealthed increased from 3/6/9% to 4/8/12%.
Aftermath Energy restored increased from 25/50/75 to 30/60/90.

Paragon

Combat Glyph's bonus now affects all damage instead of just Core Skills.
Eldritch Bounty Legendary Node duration increased from 6 to 9 seconds.

Specialization

Preparation's Ultimate Cooldown reduction increased from 4 to 5 seconds.

Legendary Aspects

Aspect of Volatile Shadows damage increased from .1075-.193 to .2-.27.
Icy Alchemist's Aspect Chill increased from 15% to 25%.
Shadowslicer Aspect damage increased from 25-35% to 80-100%.
Toxic Alchemist's damage increased from 0.080-0.13 to .11-.16.
Vengeful Aspect Lucky Hit Chance increased from 30-50% to 40-60%.
Aspect of Imitated Imbuements duration increased from 5 to 9 seconds.
Aspect of Stolen Vigor healing increased from .02-.06 to .04-.08.
Aspect of Lethal Dusk Life of Kill duration increased from 4 to 6 seconds.
Aspect of Noxious Ice bonus damage increased from 10-25% to 14-29%.
Aspect of Elusive Menace Dodge chance increased from 1-5% to 3-7%.

Items

Skyhunter's Energy gain increased from 15-25 to 20-30.
Grasp of Shadow Lucky Hit Chance increased from 20-30% to 24-34%.

Sorcerer

Skills

Enhanced Charged Bolts damage increased from 24% to 30%, and now benefits from Skill Ranks.
Destructive Charged Bolts Damage Reduction increased from 20% to 25%.
Destructive Incinerate Damage Reduction increased from 20% to 25%.
Ice Blades cast clean up has been tightened, allowing players to act after its cast sooner.
Firebolt initial damage increased from 10% to 18%.
Wizard's Firewall maximum increased Mana Regeneration increased from 25% to 35%.
Wizard's Blizzard Core Skill Mana cost reduction increased from 10% to 20%.
Supreme Deep Freeze Cooldown Reduction increased from 50% to 100%.

Passives

Elemental Dominance now also affects Mastery Skills instead of just Core Skills.
Potent Warding duration increased from 3 to 9 seconds.
Protection Barrier duration increased from 2 to 3 seconds.
Align the Elements Damage Reduction per second increased from 1/2/3 to 3/6/9.
Mana Shield Damage Reduction increased from 5/10/15% to 7/14/21%.
Devouring Blaze bonus Critical Strike damage reduced from 10/20/30% to 7/14/21%.
Devouring Blaze bonus Critical Strike damage to Immobilized reduced from 25/50/75% to 10/20/30%.
Fiery Surge Mana Regeneration increased from 10/20/30% to 15/30/45%.

Paragon

Destruction Glyph now affects all damage instead of just Core Skills.

Enchantments

Spark Enchantment chance to form Crackling Energy increased from 10% to 14%.
Frozen Orb Enchantment chance to be cast increased from 20% to 30%.
Incinerate Enchantment cooldown reduced from 18 to 14 seconds.
Hydra Enchantment Mana threshold reduced from 300 to 200.

Legendary Aspects

Aspect of Efficiency Mana cost reduction increased from 10-20% to 15-25%, and now also affects Mastery Skills.
Aspect of Armageddon damage increased from .205-.25 to .35-.4.
Aspect of Shattered Stars damage increased from .15-.2 to .2-.25.
Serpentine Aspect Hydra duration reduction reduced from 30-20% to 20-10%.
Glacial Aspect Ice Spikes bonus damage to Frozen reduced from 25% to 15%.
Glacial Aspect Ice Spikes damage increased from .2-.3 to .25-.35.
Aspect of the Frozen Tundra Ice Spikes damage increased from .25-.35 to .3-.4.
Aspect of the Frozen Wake Ice Spikes damage increased from .2-.3 to .25-.35, and Chill increased from 10% to 15%.
Aspect of Biting Cold chance to apply Vulnerable to Frozen enemies increased from 25-35% to 30-40%.
Encased Aspect Life and Mana restore per second increased from 10-20% to 20-30%.
Stable Aspect chance for a free cast increased from 5-10% to 7-12%.
Aspect of Splintering Energy chance to spawn an additional Lightning Spear increased from 11-20% to 41-50%.
Aspect of the Unbroken Tether chance for additional Chain Lightning chains increased from 25-35% to 30-40%.

Items

Gloves of the Illuminator Fireball damage reduction reduced from 65-75% to 55%-65%.
Esu's Heirloom Critical Strike Chance from Movespeed increased from 15-25% to 20-30%.
Esadora's Overflowing Cameo chance to release a lightning nova increased from 10% to 15%.