Although Diablo 4 is currently nearing the end of Season 13, by combining the game’s current state with insights from the recently concluded 3.1 PTR, we can piece together an overview of Season 14 and offer suggestions for the upcoming season.
Of course, even if suggestions address existing shortcomings, there is no guarantee Diablo 4 will implement them for Season 14; however, they can at least help you avoid potential pitfalls in the new season.
Here, IGGM.com outlines several changes not included in 3.1 PTR that would be valuable additions to Season 14, while also highlighting the potential benefits of implementing them.
Realmwalker optimizations
First introduced in Season 6, Realmwalker is making a comeback in Season 14. It appears after you complete a new seasonal mechanic called Pandemonium Ruptures.
Notably, Pandemonium Ruptures come in three tiers: the lowest tier does not trigger a Realmwalker; the mid-tier Surging Ruptures have a chance to spawn one; and the highest tier, Colossal Ruptures, guarantees a spawn.
Defeating a Realmwalker yields gear or gold as loot and opens a portal to a new mini-dungeon, Deathtoll Chamber, allowing you to delve deeper and earn even more rewards.
This suggests Realmwalker will be a primary source for farming Diablo 4 gold in Season 14. Based on PTR performance, these encounters feature high monster density and offer a solid overall experience.
However, the mechanic could be further improved by expanding the combat zone where monsters spawn and accelerating the zone’s expansion and contraction speeds. Such changes would increase AoE coverage, boost farming efficiency, and quicken the game’s pace.
Of course, regardless of whether Realmwalker mechanic receives further adjustments, the best way to survive these encounters and farm resources successfully is to buy Diablo 4 items on IGGM.com. Powerful items can enrich your gear and build setups, boosting your character’s overall strength and ensuring you can continue to tackle Realmwalker encounters and potential new dungeons.
Reduce the wave number of Infernal Hordes
Unlike Realmwalkers, Infernal Hordes is a staple activity present in almost every Diablo 4 season, having undergone numerous adjustments in the past.
Overall, Infernal Hordes now offers more XP and significantly better leveling efficiency. However, there is still room to optimize the experience for a faster pace and more engaging gameplay.
A popular suggestion within the player community is to reduce the number of enemy waves per run while allowing players to choose two boons after each wave.
Although this reduces the wave count, the total amount of Burning Aether earned would remain largely the same, after all, completing the current total number of waves is extremely time-consuming.
Cutting the wave count in half, introducing 3, 4, or 5-wave Infernal Hordes modes, while increasing monster density and the number of selectable boons would greatly improve the experience, bringing the pacing closer to other Diablo 4 endgame activities like Nightmare Dungeons.
Increasing Grim Favors stacking cap
Tree of Whispers features a unique bounty system in Diablo 4 that assigns tasks based on other in-game events. Completing them awards Grim Favors, a special currency used to redeem reward caches.
The cap for Grim Favors has long been set at 10; this means you must redeem a reward to use them once you hit the limit, or else you cannot earn any more.
While Diablo 4 has previously adjusted stack limits for various items, Grim Favors were left out, despite strong player demand for a change.
Therefore, it would be ideal if Diablo 4 Season 14 raised Grim Favors cap to at least 50. This would allow players to turn in more favors at Tree of Whispers at once to redeem rewards, saving time in the process.
More importantly, there are times when you might encounter multiple tasks that grant Grim Favors in quick succession, only to be unable to capitalize on them because you’ve already hit the cap. It is certainly a missed opportunity.
Reducing randomness in Mythic crafting
Perhaps the most controversial new feature in Season 14 is the ability to upgrade certain standard unique items into Mythics using Horadric Cube. Previously, there was only a fixed number of Diablo 4 Mythic items, but that landscape is about to change.
While the development team likely intended to diversify builds and gameplay, the randomness inherent in this new crafting mechanism is excessive; you might place a pair of pants into the cube, only for them to transform into a chest piece or a helmet.
This creates problems beyond just a potential drop in gear stats; a change in item slot can disrupt your entire build setup, effectively defeating the developers’ original purpose.
Therefore, IGGM.com suggests that the upgrade process should be restricted to specific gear types or even specific items. For instance, if you use this method to upgrade Tyrael’s Might, the result should ideally be an enhancement of its existing stats, or at the very least, it should remain a pair of pants.
Furthermore, this crafting system risks diminishing the status of the original 12 standard Mythics; randomly generated stats could strip them of the unique value and significance that defined them.
Consequently, while allowing more standard gear to become Mythic items, the developers should bolster the original Mythics in other ways, such as adding an extra affix, to ensure they remain truly unique.
Stat optimization
Based on the current game state and 3.1 PTR experience, the numerical values involved, whether it is the base damage you take or the damage reduction and other bonuses provided by certain Diablo 4 items, feel excessive.
While these numbers are constantly inflating, the underlying ratios often remain largely unchanged. This offers no real benefit to the player experience and can make combat effects appear bizarre or nonsensical.
These are IGGM.com’s further expectations and related suggestions for Diablo 4 Season 14. We hope to see these ideas implemented in the future!