Diablo 4 1.3.3 patch notes: Vampiric powers, class changes & more

Brianna Reeves
diablo 4 1.3.3 patch

Patch notes for Diablo 4’s 1.3.3 update have gone live, detailing what players can expect from various class changes and the returning vampiric powers.

As promised, Blizzard developers hosted a Campfire Chat on February 29, outlining the changes coming to Diablo 4 Season 3’s mid-season update.

The broadcast most notably confirmed the six vampiric powers that will return from Season 2. Developers also went over class changes, as well as new additions like The Gauntlet and Leaderboards.

Thanks to the release of complete patch notes, Diablo 4 players can pour over the specifics for themselves.

Diablo 4 1.3.3. adds vampiric powers, several class changes

The 1.3.3 patch notes specify exactly what players can expect from the six reinstated vampiric powers, which include Accursed Touch, Blood Boil, Hectic, Metamorphosis, Moonrise, and Undying.

Of course, several class-related balance changes will launch alongside the update, as well. Barbarians, for example, will receive damage increases for skills such as Bash and Frenzy. And Necromancers will be pleased to see the damage buffs coming to the Book of the Dead mechanic.

diablo 4 1.3.3 patch
Update 1.3.3 also promises balance tweaks for the Seneschal

Full patch notes for Diablo 4 1.3.3 read as follows (via Blizzard News):

Gameplay Updates

Vampiric Powers

Developer’s Note: Select Vampiric Powers from Season of Blood have returned with some tweaks to make their power level fit into Season of the Construct. These powers will be available as Legendary Aspects in all World Tiers and in both the Eternal and Seasonal Realms.

  • Of Accursed Touch
    • Lucky Hit: Up to a 20-35% chance to inflict Vampiric Curse on enemies. Enemies afflicted by Vampiric Curse are also Vulnerable.
    • Vampiric Curse’s stored souls deal 20%-50% increased damage.
  • Of Metamorphosis
    • When you Evade you turn into a cloud of bats, becoming Unstoppable for 2.5 seconds. Enemies along your path take Physical Damage and are inflicted with Vampiric Curse.
    • Evade’s cooldown is increased by 5-10 seconds.
  • Blood Boiling
    • When your Core skills Overpower an enemy, you spawn 3 Volatile Blood Drops. Collecting a Volatile Blood Drop causes it to explode, dealing Physical Damage around you.
    • Every 20 seconds, your next Skill is guaranteed to Overpower.
  • Hectic
    • For every 5 Basic Skills you cast, one of your active Cooldowns is reduced by 2-4 seconds.
  • Undying
    • Casting Skills heals you for .5-2% life. This heals for an additional 1% life while you are below 50% Life.
  • Of the Moonrise
    • Damaging an enemy with a Basic skill grants you 4% Attack Speed for 10 seconds, stacking up to 5 times. Upon reaching maximum stacks, you enter a Vampiric Bloodrage, gaining 40-80% Basic Skill damage and 15% Movement Speed for 10 seconds.

Balance Updates

General

Unique Items

  • Ring of Starless Skies
    • Now shows a buff on the bar while active.
  • Penitent Greaves
    • Damage to Chilled enemies increased from 7-10% to 12-15%.
  • Tassets of the Dawning Sky
    • Maximum Resistance increased from 6-10% to 8-12%.
  • Mother’s Embrace
    • Resource refund increased from 20-40% to 30-50%.

Legendary Aspects

  • Of Inner Calm
    • Damage maximum increased from 30% to 40%.
  • Of Retribution
    • Stun chance increased from 8% to 10%.
    • Damage to Stunned enemies increased from 10-20% to 15-25%.
  • Starlight
    • Amount of Life Healed needed for Resource gain changed from 25% to 20%.

Barbarian

Skills

  • Bash
    • Damage increased by 10%.
    • Fury gain increased from 13 to 15.
  • Battle Bash
    • Additional Fury increased from 3 to 5.
    • Additional Fury with 2-handed weapons increased from 4 to 10.
  • Frenzy
    • Damage increased by 10%.
  • Flay
    • Damage increased by 10%.
    • Fury gain increased from 13 to 15.
  • Enhanced Flay
    • Vulnerable duration increased from 2 to 3 seconds.
  • Strategic Ground Stomp
    • Ultimate Cooldown Reductionincreased from 1 to 2 seconds.
  • Strategic Iron Skin
    • Fortify amount increased from 15% to 20%.
  • Prime Call of the Ancients
    • Bonus damage increased from 10% to 20%.

Passives

  • Endless Fury
    • Fury gain increased from 7/14/21% to 10/20/30%.

Paragon

  • Executioner Glyph
    • Previous: While wielding a Polearm, you deal 10%[x] damage to Healthy or Injured Enemies.
    • New: While wielding a Polearm, you deal 10%[x] increased damage.

Legendary Aspects

  • Aspect of the Iron Warrior
    • Damage reduction increased from 18-28% to 25-35%.

Unique Items

  • Gohr’s Devastating Grips
    • Ranks of Whirlwind increased from 2-3 to 3-4.
    • Damage increased from 16-26% to 25-35%.

Druid

Skills

  • Earth Spike
    • Spirit Generation increased from 13 to 16.
    • Damage increased by 10%.
  • Enhanced Earth Spike
    • Chance to Stun increased from 10% to 15%.
  • Fierce Earth Spike
    • Fortify amount increased from 8% to 12% maximum Life.
  • Wind Shear
    • Spirit Generation increased from 14 to 16.
    • Damage increased by 10%.
  • Wild Wind Shear
    • Additional Spirit per enemy hit increased from 3 to 4.
  • Claw
    • Spirit Generation increased from 12 to 15.
    • Damage increased by 15%.
  • Fierce Claw
    • Damage increased by 30%.
  • Maul
    • Spirit Generation increased from 17 to 20.
    • Damage increased by 10%.
  • Enhanced Maul
    • Fortify amount increased from 3% to 5% max Life.
  • Wild Maul
    • Knockdown duration increased from 1.5 to 2 seconds.
  • Wolves
    • Passive damage increased by 30%.
    • Active damage increased by 45%.
  • Poison Creepers
    • Passive damage increased by 30%.
    • Active damage increased by 40%.
  • Ravens
    • Passive damage increased by 30%.
    • Active damage increased by 20%.

Passives

  • Quickshift
    • Damage bonus increased from 5/10/15% to 7/14/21%.
  • Bestial Rampage
    • Damage bonus while in Werebear form increased from 30% to 50%.
  • Ursine Strength
    • Damage and Overpower damage bonuses increased from 25% to 30%.
  • Perfect Storm
    • Damage bonus increased from 15% to 20%.

Legendary Aspects

  • Seismic Shift
    • Previous: Earth Spike launches spikes in a line and has a 2-1 second cooldown.
    • New: Earth Spike gains 35-50% bonus damage, launches spikes in a line, and has a 2–1 second Cooldown.

Unique Items

  • Storm’s Companion
    • Ranks of Wolves increased from 2–3 to 3–4.
    • Storm Howl damage increased by 180%.

Necromancer

Book of the Dead

  • Skeleton Skirmishers
    • Damage increased by 30%.
    • Life increased by 10%.
  • Skeleton Defenders
    • Damage increased by 30%.
    • Life increased by 10%.
  • Skeleton Reaper
    • Damage increased by 20%.
    • Life increased by 10%.
  • Skeleton Frost Mage
    • Damage increased by 20%.
    • Life increased by 10%.
  • Skeleton Shadow Mage
    • Damage increased by 20%.
    • Life increased by 10%.
  • Skeleton Sacrifice Mage
    • Damage increased by 20%.
    • Life increased by 10%.
  • Golem
    • Basic Attack Damage increased by 30%.
    • Life increased by 20%.

Skills

  • Blood Surge
    • Damage bonus per enemy drained reduced from x10% to x5%.
    • Nova damage increased by 40%.
  • Developer’s Note: The goals of this change are to reduce the opportunity cost of using Blood Surge against fewer numbers of enemies as well as increasing its overall power, even in scenarios of hitting multiple enemies.
  • Supernatural Blood Surge
    • Damage bonus increased from [x]20% to [x]30%.
  • Sever
    • Outgoing Damage increased by 6.5%.
    • Returning damage increased by 20%.
  • Enhanced Sever
    • Damage increased from 40% to 75% of Sever’s initial damage.
  • Paranormal Sever
    • Vulnerable duration increased from 2 to 3 seconds.
  • Blight
    • Impact damage increased by 33.3%.
    • Damage over time increased by 10.5%.
  • Paranormal Blight
    • Immobilize duration increased from 1.5 to 2.5 seconds.
  • Supernatural Blight
    • Damage bonus increased from [x]15% to [x]20%.
  • Corpse Explosion
    • Damage increased by 21.5%.
  • Plagued Corpse Explosion
    • Damage bonus increased from 8% to 10%.
  • Enhanced Bone Prison
    • Previous: Enemies inside Bone Prison are Vulnerable.
    • New: Enemies inside of Bone Prison when cast are made Vulnerable for 8 seconds.
  • Blood Wave
    • Damage increased by 25%.

Passives

  • Death’s Approach (name changed from Death’s Reach)
    • Previous: You deal 4%[x] increased damage to Distance enemies.
    • New: Gain 4/8/12% Movement Speed.
  • Spiked Armor
    • Previous: Gain .1/.2/.3 Thorns.
    • New: Gain 0.1/0.2/0.3 Thorns and 5/10/15% additional Armor.
  • Death’s Embrace
    • Damage Reduction from Close enemies increased from 3/6/9% to 4/8/12%.
  • Hellbent Commander
    • Damage bonus increased from x10/20/30% to /15/30/45%.
  • Crippling Darkness
    • Previous: Lucky Hit: Darkness Skills have up to a 15% chance to Stun for 1 Second.
    • New: Lucky Hit: Darkness Skills have up to a 15% chance to Stun enemies for 1/2/3 seconds and deal .2 Shadow damage to them.

Paragon

  • Cult Leader Legendary Node
    • Bonus Minion damage per 20% Attack Speed increased from 10% to 15%.
  • Corporeal Glyph
    • Previous Additional Bonus: You and your minions deal 10%[x] increased Physical damage.
    • New: You and your Minions deal 10%[x] increased Physical damage and you gain 1% Movement Speed for each active Minion.

Legendary Aspects

  • Aspect of Hardened Bones
    • Damage reduction also applies to the player in addition to their Minions.
  • Blood-Bathed Aspect
    • Damage of Blood Surge echoes changed from 60-50% less damage to 10-30% less damage.

Sorcerer

Skills

  • Incinerate
    • Damage increased by 40%.
  • Enhanced Incinerate
    • Damage of Burn radius increased from 25% to 50%.
  • Destructive Incinerate
    • Enemy damage reduced amount increased from 25% to 30%.
  • Greater Incinerate
    • Immobilize duration increased from 1 to 1.5 seconds.
  • Hydra
    • Damage increased by 15%.
  • Ball Lightning
    • Damage increased by 10%.

Passives

  • Icy Veil
    • Barrier duration increased from 5% to 8%.
  • Snap Freeze
    • Lucky Hit chance increased from 3% to 5%.
  • Soulfire
    • Previous: After Standing still for 1.5 Seconds, your Pyromancy Skills cost 5/10/15% less mana.
    • New: Your Pyromancy Skills cost 4% less Mana and deal 2% increased damage. Double these bonuses after standing still for 2 seconds.
  • Avalanche
    • Damage increased from 40% to 45%.
  • Shocking Impact
    • Damage increased by 33%.

Paragon

  • Frostbite Glyph
    • Damage Reduction increased from 13% to 15%.
  • Invocation Glyph
    • Damage Reduction stacks increased from 12% to 15%.
  • Stalagmite Glyph
    • Critical Strike Chance increased from 10% to 20%.
  • Enchanter Glyph
    • Damage per 5 Intelligence purchased in range increased from +1.3% to +2%, maxing out at +10%.
  • Conjurer Glyph
    • Damage per 5 Intelligence purchased in range increased from +2.6% to +3%, maxing out at +15%.
  • Unleash Glyph
    • Damage and Mana Regeneration increased from 6.7% to 7%.

Legendary Aspects

  • Of Searing Wards
    • Mana cost reduced from 100-200 to 75-125.
  • Of Overwhelming Currents
    • Chance increased from 10-20% to 15-30%.

Rogue

Skills

  • Heartseeker
    • Attack Speed increased by 20%.
    • Dev Note: Lower the Power interrupt frames from 20 to 16.
  • Forceful Arrow
    • Attack Speed increased by 20%.
    • Dev Note: Lower the Power interrupt frames from 20 to 16.
  • Flurry
    • Damage increased by 10%.
  • Improved Flurry
    • Previous: If Flurry hits any Vulnerable enemy, it will make all enemies hit by that cast Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
    • New: Flurry deals x20% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. If Flurry hits any Vulnerable enemy it will make all enemies hit by that cast Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
  • Advanced Flurry
    • Previous: Evading through an enemy will cause your next Flurry to Stun enemies for 2.5 seconds.
    • New: Evading through an enemy will cause your next Flurry to deal x30% increased damage and Stun enemies for 2.5 seconds.
  • Rapid Fire
    • Damage increased by 10%.
  • Rain of Arrows
    • Damage increased by 10%.

Passives

  • Precision
    • Stacks required for bonuses reduced from 6 to 4.

Paragon

  • Infusion Glyph
    • Cooldown reduction increased from .5 seconds to 1 second.

Legendary Aspects

  • Of Encircling Blades
    • Damage bonus increased from 8-15% to 15-22%.
  • Of Branching Volleys
    • Previous: Barrage’s Arrows have 15-25% chance to split into two arrows whenever they ricochet.
    • New: Increase the damage of arrows that Ricochet from Barrage from 40% to 60-80%. In addition, Barrage’s arrows have a 40-60% chance to split into 2 arrows whenever they ricochet.
  • Shadowslicer
    • Damage increased from 80-100% base damage to 200-300%.

Unique Items

  • Eaglehorn
    • Damage bonus increased from 20-40% to 40-60%.
  • Eyes in the Dark
    • Death Trap bonus damage increased from 30-50% to 50-70%.
  • Writhing Band of Trickery
    • Cooldown to summon a Shadow Decoy reduced from 12 to 10 seconds.
    • Shadow Decoy damage increased by 20%.

The Seneschal

Developer’s Note: We want the Seneschal to feel strong, but there are certain powers that are overperforming. Additionally, there are a couple of unintended interactions that are being addressed.

  • Poison Support
    • Poison Support no longer reapplies the Construct’s damage bonuses when it spreads, matching the functionality of the other damage over time Tuning Stones.
  • Bleeding Support
    • Bonus Bleeding damage from 20% to 10%.
  • Burning Support
    • Bonus Critical Strike damage from 20% to 10%.
    • Bonus Critical Strike damage per Skill Rank from 2% to 1%.
  • Tempest
    • Tempest no longer gains bonus damage and duration when its reapplied or when it spreads.

User Interface and User Experience

Player Profile Updates

  • Players’ equipped skills are now displayed in their profile.
  • Equipped Emblems are now displayed in the header of player Profiles.
  • The applied cosmetic name and where it was earned from are displayed in the tooltips of items that have been transmogged.
  • From Edit profile, Players can select seals from those they earned during the current week to display on their profile header and social card.
  • The current character’s time played is displayed at the bottom of the profile.

Miscellaneous

  • The cost to craft Uber Unique items has been reduced from 5 Resplendent Sparks to 4.

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where the Seneschal gained double the benefit from skills that benefit allies, such as Barbarian’s War Cry or Druid’s Blood Howl.
  • Fixed an issue where an attack that swaps from melee to Crossbow would double the bonuses from the Precision and Weapon Mastery Rogue passives.
  • Fixed an issue where some interactable objects associated with various quests, such as Lyndon’s Stash during the Discretionary Spending quest, could not be interacted with while mounted.
  • Fixed an issue where the camera would not reset if the player died during the Echo of Lilith encounter while the camera was zoomed out.
  • Fixed an issue where the Juggernaut Aspect didn’t apply armor while the player was mounted.
  • Fixed an issue where the Guaranteed Overpower granted by the Druid’s Enhanced Pulverize did not apply immediately after acquiring 12 stacks.
  • Fixed and issue where the Necromancer’s Skeleton Reapers’ chance to create a corpse was based on Lucky Hit instead of a flat percentage.
  • Fixed an issue where Bone Splinters cast from the shattered Spirit Aspect didn’t receive the Vulnerable effect granted by Initiate’s Bone Splinter.
  • Fixed an issue where Thorns was not consistent when applying Lucky Hit. (Ex: Thorns could trigger Abhorrent Decrepify but not Hewed Flesh).
  • Fixed an issue where the Cult Leader Legendary Paragon Node didn’t properly give bonus damage based on bonus minion Attack Speed.
  • Fixed an issue where the Rotting Aspect wouldn’t spawn additional corpses.
  • Fixed an issue where Sorcerer’s Frigid Fate and Elemental Summoner Legendary Paragon effects did not work properly with the Aspect of the Elements.
  • Fixed an issue where the Fiery Surge Passive was not granting as much mana regeneration as it should.
  • Fixed an issue where bonus damage from Enhanced Caltrops could apply more often than intended when stacking multiple casts of Caltrops on the same enemy.
  • Fixed an issue where Enhanced Caltrops was dealing less damage than expected to bosses.

Developer’s Note: Some items, Legendary Aspects, Passives, Paragon bonuses, and Skills displayed bugs that allowed players to gain more power than intended when you equipped and then unequipped them. We believe these interactions lead to a worse experience for all players, as it creates a stigma that these bugs must be exploited to reach new levels of power. The bug fixes below address all known instances of this issue.

  • Fixed an issue with multiple Legendary Aspects where equipping duplicate Aspects would always apply the effect of the first equipped Aspect, ignoring the rule of applying only the strongest equipped Aspect.
  • Fixed an issue where unlearning Vyr’s Mastery with the Mage-Lord’s Aspect equipped would cause the effect of Vyr’s Mastery to remain active.
  • Fixed an issue where a power that grants a bonus Stat based on another Stat would not re-adjust after the temporary bonus wore off.

User Interface and User Experience

  • Fixed an issue where editing your profile could also trigger the prompt for adding a friend.
  • Fixed an issue where the description for Enhanced Caltrops was missing the damage cap.

Miscellaneous

  • Fixed an issue where Heddam, the quest giver NPC for Guardians of the Pit, would disappear while Helltide was active in the area.
  • Various performance, UI, visual, and stability improvements.