Diablo 4 Season 5: What Do You Hope Will Change? - Item Changes

In the various builds of Diablo 4, players can often see that Aspects play an important role. Legendary Aspects can upgrade rare items to legendary items, bringing powerful enhancements to the player’s character. In the seventh season of Diablo 4, Necromancer performed very well. Whether it is against bosses or farming Diablo 4 Gold, Necromancer is easy and efficient. And a complete Necromancer build also requires specific Aspects. Here is how to get Necromancer Aspects. How To Get Aspects? Legendary Aspects will not fall from the sky. Generally speaking, there are two ways to get Legendary Aspects, one is Codex of Power, and the other is Legendary items. Codex Of Power Codex of Power is a collection of Aspects. You can engrave it on your rare or legendary equipment in The Occultist. You can unlock more Legendary Aspects by clearing dungeons. However, Codex of Power does not include Legendary Aspects available in the game. Some truly unique Aspects can only be obtained through other means. Legendary Items Legendary weapons have a chance to drop from demons or farming enemies. Legendary items contain Legendary Aspects, which can then be extracted from Legendary items at The Occultis and placed on other Legendary items. Aspects Categories Aspects can provide powerful properties to items, but they cannot be placed on items at will. Each piece of equipment has a specific slot for Aspects, and the bonuses provided by Aspects vary from item to item. Some Aspects can give a character 100% bonus on a two-handed weapon, but only 50% of the effect on an amulet, so players must be careful when choosing Aspects for their equipment. Here are the categories of Aspects: Offensive Aspects: Can be engraved on one-handed weapons, two-handed weapons, gloves, rings or amulets. Defensive Aspects: Can be engraved on pants, shields, helmets, breastplates and amulets. Resource Aspects: Usually can only be engraved on rings. Utility Aspects: Similar to Defensive Aspects, can also be engraved on amulets, breastplates, boots, gloves and helmets. Mobility Aspects: Can only be engraved on amulets and shoes. Necromancer Aspects There are many Aspects suitable for Necromancers. It is worth mentioning that some Aspects are limited to classes. For example, some Aspects say that they are limited to Sorcerer, but they are completely ineffective for Necromancers. You can still use them on your equipment or weapons, but they will not have any effect. The important way to unlock Aspects is to explore dungeons. When you clear dungeons, you can not only get Diablo 4 Gold and equipment but also have the opportunity to unlock various Aspects. The following introduces Necromancer Aspects that you can unlock in the dungeons of each map. Some of them are limited to Necromancer, while others are available to all classes. In any case, they are all Aspects that Necromancer can use. Learn More: What Can We Expect In Diablo 4 Season 8? - Release Time, Theme & Gameplay Fractured Peaks Aspect of Plunging Darkness: In Rimescar Cavern, Offensive Aspects Aspect of the Protector: In Lost Archives, Defensive Aspects Aspect of Torment: In Black Asylum, Resource Aspects Blood Seeker’s Aspect: In Mercy’s Reach, Offensive Aspects Blood-bathed Aspect: In Hoarfrost Demise, Offensive Aspects Eluding Aspect: In Caldera Gate, Utility Aspects Flesh-Rending Aspect: In Nostrava Deepwood, Resource Aspects Dry Steppes Aspect of Bursting Bones: In Path of the Blind, Offensive Aspects Aspect of Might: In Dark Ravine, Defensive Aspects Aspect of Potent Blood: In Betrayer’s Row, Resource Aspects Aspect of the Umbral: In Champion’s Demise, Resource Aspects Rapid Aspect: In Buried Halls, Offensive Aspects Splintering Aspect: In Guulrahn Slums, Offensive Aspects Scosglen Aspect of Empowering Reaper: In Flooded Depths, Offensive Aspects Aspect of Inner Calm: In Raethwind Wilds, Offensive Aspects Aspect of Reanimation: In Aldurwood, Offensive Aspects Aspect of Swelling Curse: In Hive, Offensive Aspects Aspect of the Expectant: In Underroot, Offensive Aspects Edgemaster’s Aspect: In Oldstones, Offensive Aspects Ghostwalker Aspect: In Broken Bulwark, Mobility Aspects Requiem Aspect: In the Vault of the Forsaken, Resource Aspects Hawezar Aspect of Shared Misery: In Oblivion, Utility Aspects Aspect of the Deflecting Barrier: In Lost Keep, Defensive Aspects Blighted Aspect: In Akkhan’s Grasp, Offensive Aspects Fastblood Aspect: In Iron Hold, Resource Aspects Sacrificial Aspects: In Ruins of Eridu, Offensive Aspects Unyielding Commander’s Aspect: In Faceless Shrine, Offensive Aspects Kehjistan Aspect of Disobedience: In Halls of the Damned, Defensive Aspects Aspect of Grasping Veins: In Corrupted Grotto, Offensive Aspects Aspect of Retribution: In Abandoned Mineworks, Offensive Aspects Aspect of the Damned: In Uldur’s Cave, Offensive Aspects Hulking Aspect: In Sepulcher of the Forsworn, Resource Aspects Needleflare Aspect: In Yshari Sanctum, Offensive Aspects Torturous Aspect: In Deserted Underpass, Utility Aspects Wind Striker Aspect: In Shivta Ruins, Mobility Aspects The above Aspects are not all Aspects of Necromancer, which could be farmed in these areas. There are also many Legendary Aspects that are not included. Since there are too many dungeons in Diablo 4, players may not have explored all of them. Therefore, when you lack Aspects suitable for Necromancer, you can try to sweep these areas. As the main game content of Diablo 4, exploring dungeons can bring you too many rewards. In the process of farming Aspects, you will naturally accumulate some equipment and gold, which are very useful for your creation of a better Necromancer.

Wanderer, the new Diablo 4 season is about to start. Are you ready? For every player, the initial goal of a new season journey is to level up, and although some people don't mind seeing the scenery halfway, the vast majority of people want to reach the level cap as quickly and efficiently as possible so that they can enter the endgame mode they really want to play. With this in mind, here, we will discuss some tips on leveling in Season 7, especially the overall leveling plan and specific strategies, on how we can optimize them and make them better according to the changes in the new season. It is worth mentioning that most of the information we have at present comes from D4 Season 7 PTR, which may affect some parts of it, both because of the nature of Public Test Realm and because they have changed the game since the second edition, but they do tell us some new content. Do You Need To Skip Campaign? The first big question is whether you skip Vessel of Hatred Campaign, and the answer is very likely. If you skip the dialogue and scenes in the expansion campaign entirely, you can actually finish it and level up in a few hours. Especially in Season 7, you don’t have to do the campaign because some new changes severely limit the actual benefits of doing so, but Vessel of Hatred Campaign itself is not actually a slow way to level up. So if you want to do Diablo 4 DLC campaign, it’s not a direct fault, but there are better ways, especially ones that overlap more with long-term goals. Mercenaries A quick note first, at this point we’re not sure what will happen to Mercenaries in the new season. If you skipped the campaign on both the live servers and PTR, you already have Mercenary unlocked from your main character, of course, provided your main character has already completed the campaign, and Mercenary levels are shared between characters. However, we’re not sure if skipping the campaign will automatically unlock Mercenary in the new season, or if we’ll have to do the quest again. Regardless, for Mercenaries, I specifically recommend Subo, as he’ll help you find herbs more easily, which will help you keep your Elixirs stocked up to ensure that XP buffs from Elixirs never wear off. Beyond that, there are more general uses in between, and it’s recommended that you use Varyana and her passive skill, which gives you extra movement speed when you kill things with Massacre Bonus. It’s a perfect open world leveling combo. Completing Headhunts Next, let’s look at the mainstay of the new season mechanics, Witch Powers, which are all tied to Tree of Whispers, and the result of that is a new sub-region takeover event called Headhunts. Among these events will be a whole new and improved set of Whispers of the Dead activities that will offer more rewards, there will be a ton of new monsters in there, and when you complete them, you can repeatedly turn them in for tons of Diablo 4 Gold and XP. Since this is Whispers of the Dead event, combined with the fact that open world activities don’t scale in difficulty with the player’s level, we’re guessing the more people you interact with, the more efficient your leveling will be. What’s more, the developers have said that they will reduce the density of monsters and elites in Headhunts areas in the last patch made between PTR and release, so this means that the fastest way to level up is expected to be in these Headhunts areas unless they completely eliminate the monster density in them. So let’s continue to assume that they won’t completely destroy the monster density in Headhunts and make it our main activity. Players will complete Whispers in Headhunts areas, however, it will eventually spawn a boss around the main tree of the area. If your goal is just pure pursuit of leveling speed efficiency, I would say that you should never kill the boss. Honestly, most leveling builds in Diablo 4 don’t focus on bosses or single target damage, so it makes sense to stick to your strengths and keep doing Whispers. If you run out of Whispers in an area, just move on to another Headhunts area. Season Questlines It is well known that the best way to level up in Diablo 4 is to interact with the season questlines themselves, and Season 7 is no exception, especially since this season will be directly tied into Coven’s Favor Reputation. This is the new Reputation system for Season 7, and it unlocks things for you, like more parts of the questline, and Witch Powers that you can’t get from anywhere else. So, combined with the actual reward boxes from Whispers of the Dead Caches, this has the potential to give you some really nice power upgrades when you level up, speeding up your leveling process. Rootholds Dungeon Also of note are the new Rootholds mini-dungeon activities, which let you get Sigils from Silent Chests and Whispers Caches. What’s more, they’re highly intensive activities, so they’re completed very quickly compared to regular dungeons, and they have decent rewards, too. The only downside is that there’s always a boss at the end of a Roothold, so whether or not you do this when leveling up depends on your single target damage. If your single target damage isn’t good, the general Whispers in Headhunts area will be more effective, but if single target damage is good, then you can do whatever Rootholds you encounter when you run into them. Choosing Difficulty Tiers The next big question is how to choose your Difficulty Tiers, how difficult these activities should be when you do them. This is a pretty easy problem to solve, just do it and don’t try to prove anything to someone. Start with Normal Difficulty, get to level 15 or so, then if you’re only half as fast on Hard Mode as you are on Normal, then maybe you can try to bump it up to Hard Mode, because the extra gold and XP from running on Hard Mode is worth it. But if it takes twice as long to kill monsters, then it’s not worth it. So if you want to increase your leveling efficiency by increasing Difficulty Tier, the most important thing is to keep up the speed. This is an efficiency game, so only do it when your build and gear are good enough, no matter how good you think it is subjectively. Using Elixirs It is well known that Elixirs give you 5% extra experience as long as they are activated. These Elixirs are easy to make early on, especially the high-level Elixirs, which give you 8% extra experience once you can start making and using them. Of course, this number itself is not high, but every little bit counts, and if you activate them 100% of the time, then it will definitely accumulate. Season Journey Meanwhile, Season Journey itself is also a consideration. Based on information leaked by the developers, we’ve learned that our early-game quests should be more effectively aligned with the efficient leveling activities of the first few chapters of Season Journey. This means that if we’re lucky enough, it will directly align with what we’re already doing and give us some nice little power boosts when we open those reward caches. Season Blessings The last thing to talk about is season boosts, which you can unlock with Smoldering Ashes after reaching them on the free track of Season 7 Battle Pass. The one consistent function they have always had is to get Boost XP buffs by killing monsters. So if you only care about leveling speed, this is also where you want to stick with the first four Smoldering Ashes. Outro In short, these methods should allow you to level up to level 60 easily and quickly. Of course, we still need to pay attention to the new seasonal activities, interact with them, and enjoy the new content they add in Season 7, and the new things they provide also happen to be a very effective way to level up. If you want to better welcome the new content that is coming, then you can pay attention to the giveaways that are often launched in iGMeet Discord. Here is your chance to get free D4 products and help you conquer the Sanctuary! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new season!

In Diablo 4 Season 4, one of the major highlights introduced is the tormented bosses, which are torment versions of all the Uber bosses. These bosses offer greater rewards and present more challenging encounters. However, to summon these tormented bosses, players need Stygian Stones, which can enhance the excitement of the boss fight. How To Obtain? When it comes to obtain Stygian Stones, there are a few ways available. You can obtain a handful through the season journey, specifically in the last two chapters, which reward a total of 11 Stygian Stones. Completing Iron Wolves Reputation grind up to Level 18 can give you 4 Stygian Stones. However, this process is time-consuming and not very efficient for farming Stygian Stones. Players may gather around 1 and a half to 2 dozen of Stygian Stones through regular gameplay. After exhausting these initial sources, players are left with grinding the Pit, where the issue becomes apparent. Although expectations of Stygian Stones dropping deep in the Pit, they're elusive. Even after extensive grinding, Stones are scarce, with drop rates seemingly inconsistent across different Pit levels. While some players report finding Stygian Stones as early as Pit Level 50, others, like myself, have had no luck below Level 61. The drop rate doesn't seem to scale significantly with higher Pit levels. The rarity of Stygian Stones is a significant obstacle, hindering players from accessing tormented bosses as intended. The discrepancy between drop rates for Stygian Stones compared to other boss materials exacerbates the issue, leaving players questioning the intended design and seeking alternative methods to acquire these elusive resources. Low Drop Rate The drop rate for Stygian Stones in the Pit seems to be extremely low, roughly around 2% per time, equating to about a one in 50 drop rate. After countless runs, players like myself have only obtained a handful of these Stones, contrasting sharply with the abundance of other boss materials obtained from similar efforts. The introduction of tormented bosses was intended to ease the pain of repeatedly farming lower-level bosses like Varshan or Duriel. Despite the promise of enhanced loot from tormented bosses, the reality is disappointing. These tormented bosses don't yield more materials, making them less appealing compared to their normal counterparts. There is a noticeable difference in the drop rates between tormented bosses and regular Bosses. While larger bosses like Andariel and Duriel boast a 2% drop rate for Uber , smaller bosses only offer a meager 0.5% drop rate in normal versions. Even when multiplied by 5 for tormented versions, it only amounts to a 2.5% drop rate. This disparity undermines the notion of equal difficulty among tormented bosses deserves the developer's attention. The rarity of Stygian Stone creates a significant obstacle to our intended access to tormented bosses. Rectifying this issue and ensuring equitable drop rates across boss encounters would enhance the gameplay experience and promote diversity in boss farming strategies. Boss Farming For now, I can only recommend focusing on farming Uber bosses as much as possible with those Stygian Stones if you have any. It seems to be the safest in terms of Uber Unique drops, and the encounter is relatively easy compared to some of the others. However, you don't really want to farm Grigoire because of the lower drop rates and potential issues with materials. Instead, you should focus on farming Duriel as much as possible. That being said, the tormented versions are also a good way to obtain level 925 unique drops. However, with the changes to item power and the availability of 925 loot, it's not as critical as it was in the past. Tormented Grigoire versus normal Grigoire might give you an edge in terms of getting certain weapons, but it's not a significant concern anymore. Greater Affixes There's also another very strange phenomenon that maybe you have not noticed yet or heard yet. Every time you defeat one of those bosses on the boss ladder, the Unique that drops cannot have Greater Affixes. At least, I have not gotten a single item that has a Greater Affix that is unique from those bosses. But the normal , all these like Tibault's Will, Flickersteps and X'Fal rings, they all have zero Greater Affixes. So, that may be intended because the bosses are kind of like the easy way to get your build going, to get those that you may want for your build, but they just don't have Greater Affixes. This is kind of strange, so you can't really go find them and try to hope for like a really big drop or something like that. Final Thought I must express some disappointment in how low the Stygian Stone drop rate is. I expected to obtain more, not necessarily every run in the Pit. Especially when compared to the abundance of other boss materials dropping. It's impossible to catch up to those materials with Stygian Stones. This means I'll always have to go back and farm the low-level versions repeatedly, which is tedious and inefficient. I hope that Blizzard will reconsider this and buff the Stygian Stone drop rate, as well as the drop rates of all the tormented versions, to the same level. This would allow us to farm any of them and obtain Uber Uniques, as well as potentially acquire any other we may want from those bosses. Currently, it seems pointless to do anything besides boss farming, as it's easier and more rewarding than the other tormented bosses. This imbalance needs to be addressed.

Hardcore mode in Diablo 4 is not for the faint of heart. It's a permadeath difficulty mode where your characters and their items are permanently deleted when they die. However, for those seeking a truly challenging and rewarding experience, Hardcore mode is the way to go. In Season 1 of Diablo 4, choosing the right class and build is crucial for survival. Below, we've updated the best classes and builds for Hardcore mode based on the changes in patch 1.1.3. 1. Rogue: Barrage Build (S Tier) The Rogue remains the top choice for Hardcore mode in Diablo 4 Season 1. With high mobility and defensive skills, the Rogue is challenging to kill and can deal substantial damage. The Barrage Rogue build is particularly effective for Hardcore. It's a ranged, multishot specialist that excels at dealing damage from a distance. Here's what you need for this build: Skills: - Barrage: Your primary damage-dealing skill. - Twisting Blades: Apply Vulnerable debuff to enemies. - Shadow Strike: Mobility and repositioning. - Concussive Shot: Stun enemies. - Concealment: Grants temporary invisibility for immunity to damage. Gear: - The Barber (Weapon): Boosts Barrage skill damage. - Caged Heart of the Vile Apothecary: Chance to spawn health globes on enemy kills. - Caged Heart of Tempting Fate: Chance to avoid death. Tips: - Stay aware of your surroundings and use Shadow Strike for repositioning. - Stun enemies with Concussive Shot before engaging. - Utilize Concealment for healing or buffing. - Patience is key; avoid unnecessary risks. 2. Sorcerer: Ice Shards Build (A Tier) The Sorcerer is a ranged class that deals substantial damage from a distance. While not as tanky as some other classes, the Ice Shards Sorcerer build remains a viable Hardcore option. This build focuses on using Ice Shards for damage and crowd control. Here's what you need: Skills: - Ice Shards: Main damage skill. - Frost Nova: AoE skill with a stun effect. - Blizzard: Creates a damaging ice field. - Teleportation: Mobility for escaping danger. - Elemental Barrier: A shield that absorbs damage. Gear: - Caged Heart of the Winter: Increases cold attack damage. - Caged Heart of the Tempest: Boosts critical hit chance and damage. - The Barber (Weapon): Enhances cold attack damage. Tips: - Maintain awareness of your surroundings. - Crowd-control enemies with Frost Nova and Blizzard. - Use Elemental Barrier for protection. - Teleportation helps you escape or reposition. 3. Necromancer: Bone Spear Build (A Tier) The Necromancer offers versatility with crowd control and damage-dealing abilities. The Bone Spear Necro build is a powerful option for Hardcore. It centers around the Bone Spear skill, which deals massive damage and makes enemies vulnerable to critical strikes. Here's what you need: Skills: - Bone Spear: Main damage skill. - Corpse Explosion: AoE damage based on nearby corpses. - Bone Armor: Boosts armor, resistance, and bone attack damage. - Bone Prison: Crowd control by trapping enemies. - Command Skeletons: Summons skeletons to fight for you. Tips: - Maintain distance from enemies. - Use Bone Prison for crowd control. - Maximize survivability with Bone Armor. - Utilize summoned skeletons as tanks. 4. Druid: Pulverize Build (B Tier) The Druid is a versatile class known for its tankiness and damage output. The Pulverize Druid build offers both melee damage and survivability, making it suitable for Hardcore mode. Here's what you need: Skills: - Pulverize: Primary damage skill with area effect. - Debilitating Roar: Weakens enemies. - Maul: Powerful attack with a stun effect. - Frenzied Charge: Mobility skill. - Spirit Wolf: Summons a wolf companion. Tips: - Keep your health high. - Use Debilitating Roar to weaken foes. - Stun enemies with Maul. - Summon the Spirit Wolf for support. 5. Barbarian: Whirlwind Build (B Tier) The Barbarian excels in melee combat and deals significant damage. The Whirlwind Barbarian build offers both damage and tankiness, though it's riskier in Hardcore compared to some other classes. Here's what you need: Skills: - Whirlwind: Primary damage skill with area effect. - War Cry: Increases damage and survivability. - Leap: Mobility for closing the gap. - Call of the Ancients: Summons warriors to fight alongside. - Ignore Pain: Reduces damage taken. Gear: - Bul-Kathos' Oath (Weapon): Enhances Whirlwind skill. - Helm: Crown of the Primus for shout bonuses. - Aquila Cuirass (Chest Armor): Reduces damage above a resource threshold. - Magefist (Gloves): Increases Fire damage and attack speed. Tips: - Maintain high health. - Use War Cry for increased power and survivability. - Close the gap with Leap. - Summon Ancients for support. - Activate Ignore Pain when taking heavy damage. While the Rogue and Sorcerer remain top choices for Hardcore in Season 1, the other classes offer viable options with their respective builds. Each class brings unique strengths and playstyles, catering to different preferences. Ultimately, success in Hardcore mode depends on careful play, awareness, and the right build for your chosen class.