Diablo 2 Resurrected Warlock Nerfs Guide: Bind Demon Changes & Easier Thunder Charm Farming

Diablo 2 Resurrected PTR (Public Test Server) will end on April 21st. PTR is a public test server where developers test changes they want to make to the game.

After the public test server ends, developers collect player feedback, experience points, and data, and adjust their initial proposed changes based on this information.

Warlock class is currently very overpowered, and this PTR will bring some significant changes. All builds will be considerably affected. These changes are beneficial for the long-term development of the game. Let's take a look.

Weapon Nerfs

After the nerfs, Warlock class can only use two-handed weapons one-handed when equipped with a Grimoire instead of a Shield. This will have a greater impact in the early game, but in the late game, I don't think it will actually make any difference except for players who like to use Phoenix all the time. Weapon durability will be reduced in the future. Therefore, you can no longer use Missile Weapons such as Insight.

Blood Oath and Blood Boil Skills

The damage reduction cap for Blood Oath skill has been reduced to 50%. Therefore, you should be aware that your Summon Warlock's survivability will be somewhat reduced. Blood Boil's range is now limited to a maximum of 4 yards, and it may rely more heavily on Sigil Death to extend its area of ​​effect, which will obviously slow down the kill speed of summoned builds. However, this doesn't significantly impact its overall damage output.

Demon Skill Nerf

You can no longer expect your demons to instantly cast curses. Since Demon Skills now require a significant number of skill points, we must limit skill points to the most basic skills.

If you want to increase the maximum number of demons you can summon, you must upgrade your Demonic Mastery skill level. Additional skill points from gear are ineffective; only skill points will take effect. Demonic Mastery now requires 20 skill points to bind three demons, whereas previously only one point was needed for a large amount of skill bonuses, easily achieving the same effect. Fortunately, most Warlock builds typically only require 60 or 80 points.

A new threshold has been added to Bind Demon skill. In the future, you will need to invest skill points to bind certain demons. At level 1, you can bind any common demon from the list. At level 10, you can bind Champion Monsters. At level 15, you can bind any unique demon you encounter in the list, i.e., demons with golden names. With Bind Demon skill maxed out, you can bind super unique demons, such as Rakanishu, Hephasto, and Lister.

The maximum health of demons has been increased. Now, a demon's health will increase based on the value set by the player, and with skill multipliers, it will essentially become an unkillable demon. A demon's maximum health depends on its type and its attributes.

The pool of Auras has also been adjusted. You can now randomly obtain Fanaticism, Vigor, Thorns, Concentration, or Holy Freeze. Conviction auras are no longer available, and previously possessed auras will be overwritten.

The frequency with which Cursed demons cast damage amplification has been significantly reduced, from 75% to 5%. These changes mean that binding demons will require dealing more damage and will take longer.

Miasma Skills

Regarding Miasma Skills, Cloud damage has been reduced by 50%. It's important to note that most of the damage comes not from the projectiles themselves, but from the dark violet dust they spread.

Miasma Bolt skill has had a bug fixed that caused damage to double. Chain skill has also had a bug fixed that caused Cloud damage to increase exponentially. However, Chain Skill has also received some buffs. The casting delay has been removed, but a maximum of five chains can be cast at a time. Therefore, although Miasma warlock damage has been reduced, you can now use chains more frequently, improving the gameplay experience.

Fire Skills

Fire Wave damage has been reduced by 15%. Ring of Fire has been nerfed the most, its power now only equivalent to Sorceress's Frost Nova, but this skill is insignificant in the late game. Players prefer Apocalypse and Fire Wave, and both skills remain very powerful.

Echoing Strike

The reduction of all synergy bonuses for Echoing Strike from 5% to 3% might not sound like a huge amount, but it's practically equivalent to halving synergy damage. A bug fix has been implemented where Echoing Strike always hits and is unaffected by attack level. In the future, it will correctly hit like other skills with attack levels.

Compensation

As compensation, obtaining Thunder Charms, Ancient Jewels, and various other Diablo 2 Resurrected Items will be significantly easier.

Statues can now drop from non-terrorized bosses, and the drop rate of World Stone Shards is no longer dependent on the number of players; drop rates will be more evenly distributed across different maps.

New Thunder Charms will appear anywhere. They are no longer tied to Herald or terror zones, but the drop rate in Heralds remains the highest. The drop rate will increase significantly in Tier 2 Heralds.

The number of players will still increase the drop rate, but not as significant as before. Solo players should see more Thunder Charms. The drop rate for jewelry items, including amulets, rings, charms, and jewels, will be increased. Monsters in danger zones will appear instantly with no need to be awakened, and the spawn rate will increase with each monster killed.

Despite the nerfs, Warlock class remains highly playable. It's more balanced than other classes, and hopefully Diablo 2 Resurrected PTR will bring us more high-quality content.