"Essentially A Brand New Diablo Game": The Best New Features Confirmed For Diablo 4 2.0 (2024)

Diablo 4’s 2.0 update is getting ready to enter the Public Test Realm (PTR), and its changes are so substantial that some players have said it feels like a brand-new game. The changes are meant to address some complaints with the game’s current leveling system and introduce some features from previous Diablo games that fans liked. There will also be added content like some new Mythic Unique weapons to help enhance players’ gear, and players can test this content in the PTR from September 4–11.

Players who are currently displeased with aspects of Diablo 4 should consider taking the time to test this new content while it is in the PTR. The Public Test Realm is used in part to gather player feedback, which will inform changes that Blizzard makes to the update before it goes live. Anyone who is planning to check out Diablo 4’s new content should also know exactly what the upcoming changes are, so they can give more in-depth feedback on the specific changes.

Diablo 4’s 2.0 Update Fixes Rewards For The Pit And Paragon Glyphs

Players Now Upgrade Paragon Glyphs Through The Pit

One change that already seems to be a popular decision by Blizzard is the new rewards that Diablo 4’s Nightmare Dungeons and Pit of the Artificer now give players. In a Reddit thread started by user nanosam, players expressed their excitement over what they see as improvements to the current reward system in these modes. The main highlights of these changes, as pointed out by nanosam, are Nightmare Dungeons being a good place to farm Masterwork Materials, and the Pit of the Artificer now offering Glyph upgrades.

Initially, Glyph upgrading was a feature players accessed through Nightmare Dungeons. Blizzard itself acknowledged in its patch notes that the original system felt too “grindy” due to the way player experience scaled. Now, instead of Glyph upgrades being tied to experience, these upgrades are rewards for completing certain tiers of the Pit.

How much a given run in the Pit upgrades a glyph is determined by the level difference between the Glyph and the Pit Tier. The higher the Pit Tier is in relation to the Glyph level, the more upgrades it will receive on a given run. This allows players to more quickly upgrade their lower-level Glyphs. This not only fixes the somewhat frustrating Glyph upgrade system that Diablo 4 currently employs, but it also gives players more of a reason to do Pit runs.

Major Changes To Paragon Points Make Reaching The Endgame Easier

A Character’s Paragon Points Are Now Becoming Realm-Wide Paragon Levels

Another major change that will help make Diablo 4 feel like less of a grind is the new Paragon Points system. Originally, players earned Paragon Points for individual characters, but in 2.0 they will earn them for all characters within the same Realm. This allows players to share the points between their characters, making it easier for second or third characters to reach Diablo 4’s endgame activities. Paragon Points are also being renamed Paragon Levels.

Paragon Levels are also now a completely separate thing from the level of an individual character. The level cap for characters has been reduced to 60, with progression after that coming from advancement in Paragon Levels. Again, because these levels are shared between characters, players can more quickly get a new character to the level cap of 60 before continuing to progress them with Paragon Levels.

Players who have already advanced beyond level 60 with their characters don’t have to worry about losing out on their progress. Blizzard made it clear in its patch notes that the update will be converting any excess levels earned by players into realm-wide Paragon Levels. This means players won’t lose any progress, even though the entire system is being overhauled.

Diablo 4 2.0 Adds New Mythic Unique Items

Two Pieces Of Armor And A New Weapon Spice

Diablo 4 2.0 isn’t just making changes to how the game’s leveling and rewards work, but also adding some new content in the form of Mythic Unique items. The update will be adding at least three new Mythic Unique items that are available to every class. This includes the Heir of Perdition, Shroud of False Death, and Shattered Vow.

The Heir of Perdition is a Helm that offers a huge 200% bonus damage to both angels and demons. It also increases the chance to score a critical or lucky hit, base movement speed, and all Core Skills. It also has a Power that allows players to increase damage by 60% and steal Mother’s Favor from their allies by killing enemies.

Shroud of False Death is a Chest Armor that grants a +1 to all Passives. It also gives +111 to All Stats, +222 to Max Life, +333% Damage on the first attack after entering stealth, and 11.1% resource generation. Its power allows players to gain Stealth if they haven’t attacked for two seconds, and increases their movement speed at the same time. This works well with the massive damage bonus this item grants for attacking after entering stealth, so this is the perfect item for players who like to pop in and out of direct combat throughout a fight.

Shattered Vow is a Polearm that has a base +400% damage to healthy enemies. It also gives a major increase to max life and damage over time, as well as a smaller bonus to attack speed while Berserking. Scoring a Lucky Hit with this weapon also grants a 44.4% chance to start Berserking. Its power also allows players to immediately kill enemies that would eventually die to the Damage Over Time already dealt to them.

Many Of Diablo 4 2.0’s Changes Make The Game More Like Diablo 3

Players Seem Happy For The Return Of A Familiar Structure

As many Diablo 4 players were quick to point out in response to nanosam’s Reddit thread saying 2.0 is a new game, the “new game” it is becoming is essentially Diablo 3. However, this isn’t really a bad thing, as many players preferred Diablo 3 to the base version of Diablo 4. This is likely an example of Blizzard listening to fans about what they missed from the previous game, and making Diablo 4 closer to what players had initially expected.

In general, the reaction to Diablo 4’s upcoming update seems to be overwhelmingly positive. Players seem both excited about the changes and also grateful that the development team was willing to address the complaints of the Diablo community. Any players who want to give additional feedback on the changes should make sure to check the game out while 2.0 is available in the PTR, and let Blizzard know what parts are working best.

Sources: nanosam/Reddit, Blizzard

6 Images

6 Images

Diablo 4

4.5

Players are set to return to the world of Sanctuary in Diablo 4. Set after the events of Diablo 3's Reaper of Souls DLC, Lilith, the daughter of Mephisto, has been summoned to the world and has assumed power in the absence of demons and angels. Lilith establishes Sanctuary as a haven for refugees caught in the crossfire between hell and heaven. Wanting to protect her kind from the recently emerged Nephelem, Lilith is banished to the void. Now she has returned, seeking revenge for the crimes committed against her

Action RPG

Hack and Slash

Platform(s)

PC , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5

Franchise

Diablo

Released

June 6, 2023

Developer(s)

Blizzard

Publisher(s)

Blizzard

ESRB

m

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PC, PS4,PS5, Xbox One &Xbox Series X|S

Local Co-Op Support

1-2 Players

Split Screen Orientation

N/A (Shared Screen)