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On August 29, 2024, Diablo 4 hosted the 2.0 patch preview Campfire Chat. It was two and a half hours long and had tons of information revolving around Diablo 4, Vessel of Hatred, and everything coming in the next major patch. Players have much to be excited about, as it feels like it’s going to be a whole new game. From leveling/difficulty changes, itemization updates, new Mythic Uniques, and the return of Runewords, there’s a lot to love in this update.
Many of the reveals were new in this Campfire Chat about Diablo 4 patch 2.0, but some features were revealed earlier, like the Party Finder. If you’re curious about what you can expect in the coming months, let’s dive into the topic.
Note: Parts of this article are based on the author's opinion.
All the major changes coming in Diablo 4 patch 2.0
1) Difficulty changes and a new level cap of 60
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One of the biggest changes in Diablo 4 patch 2.0 is the overall player/leveling experience. Instead of the current difficulties, they’ll be adjusted into new levels, and instead of grinding Level 1-100, the new level cap is 60, where you’ll gain skill points. It sounds like we’ll still be getting Paragon Points, but we won’t get hard “level-ups” from them that go to Level 100. Naturally, that means characters are going to get stronger, too. All classes will get new skills, and we can’t wait to see what everyone can do in the expansion.
More detailed information on Paragon levels will be given at a later date. We do know that Paragon points will share across the realm, though. So once you hit Level 60, your paragon points from another character will be available. When Diablo 4 patch 2.0 hits, if you have Level 100 characters, they’ll be changed to Level 50. You’ll then receive all of your Paragon Points. Level 50 and below characters will see no changes since none are necessary.
Once you hit Level 60, The Pit will unlock, but with a level cap of 100 instead of 200, don’t make the mistake of thinking it will get easier. Each level should be an increase in challenge. Each difficulty has a Pit Level associated with it, so you should have a good idea of what to expect. They’ve also made a change to unlocking Keys for activities. Whatever difficulty you’re on, you’ll get keys that fit that level, so you can keep doing content.
There are now new difficulties, instead of World Tiers to keep an eye out for. Normal is the basic difficulty level, designed for new players, and is slower. Then you have Hard, Expert, and Penitent, each getting harder than the last. These increase both the challenge and rewards (and potentially the leveling pace).
I’m also a really big fan of the changes to the boss ladder. The days of Normal/Tormented bosses are done, as are varying amounts of Summoning Materials. If you want to summon Grigoire, the cost will always be the same. However, if you fight it on higher difficulties, the fight gets more challenging, and the rewards greater.
On that topic, your Glyphs will no longer level in Nightmare Dungeons, but in The Pit. They can go from Rank 1 to 46, and the radius increases at 15 and 46, respectively. However, if you can get one to 46, you’ll receive a seriously powerful multiplicative stat bonus on it.
2) Itemization changes remove “Sacred” gear type and more
With a new level cap and changes to the player experience in Diablo 4 patch 2.0, that means itemization changes are an absolute must. The new Level 60 player item level is looking to be 750, and the 51-59 levels should see some significant jumps in power compared to the lower levels.
Sacred items are going away, and Ancestral items will be the gear to chase instead of having that step up from Sacred. Diablo 4 patch 2.0 will see Ancestral gear start dropping in Torment I, with the gear being more frequent the further down you go. It sounds like instead of guaranteeing Ancestral gear, we’ll have to chase it a bit harder.
However, that comes with a nice bonus - all Ancestral gear will have at least one Greater Affix and will increase in power from 750 to 800. We can also expect new Mythic Uniques coming to the game, which is quite exciting.
Finally, we're also aware of a trio of new Mythic Uniques coming to the game for all classes: Heir of Perdition (Helm), Shroud of False Death (Chest), and Shattered Vow (Polearm). Each has a new unique affect seen below:
- Heir of Perdition: Succumb to hatred and earn Mother's Favor, increasing your damage dealt by 60%. Briefly steal Mother's Favor from Nearby allies by slaughtering enemies.
- Shroud of False Death: If you haven't attacked in the last two seconds, gain Stealth and +40% Movement Speed.
- Shattered Vow: Execute enemies afflicted by more Damage over Time than Remaining Life
3) Runewords are confirmed for Diablo 4 patch 2.0
This is the real big deal - Runewords are confirmed to be on the way in Diablo 4 patch 2.0. Runewords were where the real power was in Diablo 2. They will function similarly to the ones in Diablo 2, but with a fresh coat of paint to make them interesting and desirable in this modern style of game.
Essentially, you’ll be able to socket two Runes together (Rune of Ritual and Rune of Invocation), and that forms a Runeword. You can use this to make a wide assortment of powerful spells and gain access to abilities your class doesn’t normally have, like Sorcerer teleport or one of the Barbarian Shouts.
However, you can’t have two of the same Runeword and can only have two Runewords equipped at a time. This will only be available to Vessel of Hatred players, which is important to be aware of.
4) Quality of Life changes, character balance, and much more are coming
Diablo 4 patch 2.0 will feature some fascinating changes. Players can expect adjustments to crowd control and new features like being able to set their preferred/favorite teleport location. A major change for me is the Dungeon Key inventory tab. There will also be a Socketable Inventory Tab, which will be a nice change.
That way, I can hold more of them at one time, instead of them cluttering other parts of my inventory. On the topic of crowd control, normal monster crowd control has been reworked, so that they have CC but are far less debilitating, and they will make Unstoppable be far less of a “must-have.”
Another cool change is that some dungeons have had their logic updated, so there’s more variety in how you run them. It will be far less of “Go here, grab the box, bring it here” to make things feel more fluid and fun to play. This is only a handful of the changes, so there’s likely more to be revealed.
5) Diablo 4 Patch 2.0 will have a short PTR session soon
In addition, there will be a PTR for Diablo 4 patch 2.0, coming very soon. Players will have access to it from September 4 to 11, 2024, on PC. However, you don’t need Vessel of Hatred to check out the PTR. It’s also worth noting that what you see in the Player Test Realm will be subject to change further down the line.
Diablo 4 is making some incredibly huge changes in the 2.0 patch. Only time will tell if these changes will be good for the game, but we’re very excited.
