Summary

  • Diablo 4's recent hotfix has doubled the drop rate of Uber Uniques in the Echo of Duriel boss fight, making it easier for players to obtain special gear.
  • The Season of Blood in Diablo 4 has improved the game with increased build diversity and new bosses, making the endgame less monotonous.
  • The Midwinter Blight event in Diablo 4 allows players to earn exclusive cosmetics by hunting down unique monsters until January 2, adding more incentive to play.

The Echo of Duriel boss fight in Diablo 4 has had its drop rate changed in the recent hotfix, as players now have a doubled chance to obtain Uber Uniques for a limited time. While the reception to Diablo 4's inaugural season was overwhelmingly negative, many players would agree that Diablo 4's Season of Blood was the course-correction that the game sorely needed. Build diversity increased for many classes, and the new bosses have made the endgame in Diablo 4 feel a bit less monotonous.

The debut of Abattoir of Zir in Season of Blood has also been received well by the community, albeit a decent number of fans initially found the content to be too challenging. Furthermore, the Midwinter Blight event for Diablo 4 allows players to earn exclusive cosmetics for a limited time by hunting down unique monsters in the Fractured Peaks until January 2. While these incentives have certainly made it enticing to come back to Sanctuary in time for Season 3, it would seem that Blizzard wants to sweeten the deal even more.

Archangel Inarius from Diablo 4
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After increasing Lost Heirloom drops from Frigid Husks in the previous update, the latest Diablo 4 hotfix also doubles the drop rate of Uber Uniques in the Echo of Duriel boss fight. Though Uber Uniques in Diablo 4 were absurdly rare at launch, Blizzard has since softened its stance after months of player feedback. Being able to reliably farm Uber Uniques by killing the Echo of Duriel has made the endgame experience reminiscent of Baal runs from Diablo 2, a comparison that certainly isn't bad by any measure.

Bloodseekers from Diablo 4 Season of Blood
Diablo 4 Season of Blood Bloodseekers art

It's important to note that the increased drop rate on Uber Uniques will only last until January 8, 2024, so players should take the opportunity to grab a Harlequin Crest or The Grandfather while they can. Though the Season of Blood lasts until January 23, 2024, having a few Uber Uniques in one's stash on the Eternal Realms is still valuable, especially if players aren't keen on playing through seasonal content in Diablo 4.

While it remains to be seen how Season 3 will expand on the game, leaderboards have been confirmed by Blizzard at BlizzCon 2023, and a more permanent version of Diablo 4's Abattoir of Zir is rumored to debut as well. With Diablo games currently on discount on the Battle.net store, players who may have been on the fence about Diablo 4 can check the latest Blizzard title out at a reduced price.

Diablo 4 Hotfix 5 Update Patch notes

Game Updates

  • Echo of Duriel drop rates for Uber Uniques will now be doubled until January 8th.

Developer Note: We’re boosting Duriel Uber Unique drop rates until January 8th to help all those looking for that special piece of gear. Happy Holidays!

  • Vampire Power Update:
    • Metamorphosis: Unstoppable duration changed to a flat rate instead of scaling with Vampiric power level.
      • Unstoppable duration changed to 2.5 seconds at all levels. No longer increases per level.
      • Damage increased from 80%/120%/160% to 110%/180%/250%

    • Note: Metamorphosis in-game tooltip will not reflect these new values, and will be updated at a later date through a client update.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where in extreme cases, Charged Bolts would result in stability and performance issues.
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9 /10

Diablo 4
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Action RPG
Hack and Slash
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
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Released
June 5, 2023
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s)
Blizzard
Publisher(s)
Blizzard
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
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Franchise
Diablo
Genre(s)
Action RPG, Hack and Slash