Diablo 4's big upcoming loot overhaul is going with a "quality over quantity" approach so that you can get new builds off the ground quicker.
Diablo 4's forthcoming Season 4 was meant to launch next month in April, but Blizzard announced yesterday that it's been delayed a whole month to May. The new loot overhaul with the season is so big that Diablo 4 is getting its own Public Test Realm nine months after launch, and the delay for the Season 4 launch is so that Blizzard gets time to implement feedback from the PTR.
Now, Blizzard has dropped the 'Quick and Dirty' notes from the recent Campfire livestream, in which the game's leads discussed the new season. The notes reveal that the new loot overhaul is taking a "quality over quantity" approach so that while you're getting fewer loot items in total from undertaking in-game activities, you can "get your build going quicker."
Look at Affixes for a great example of this new approach. With the loot rework, Diablo 4 will have fewer affixes in total, but what Affixes remain will be more powerful than ever before. Affixes will be able to be added to items via the game's new crafting system. Additionally, Rare items will now have two Affixes, while Legendary items will boast three Affixes in total.
That aforementioned crafting system will be paramount, as it's effectively a brand new way of improving the items you've already got in Diablo 4. Finally, you won't always walk out of a Nightmare Dungeon with 25 items—the implication here seems to be that you'll have garnered fewer items, but what you will have earned will be more useful for your current character.
Diablo 4's Season 4 launches on May 14, while the PTR server goes live for users to try between April 2 and 9.
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