Diablo 4 nerfs overpowered Season 3 boss capable of one-shotting players

The Son of Malphas boss in Diablo 4 Season 3 dealt an overpowering amount of damage out of the gate; a new hotfix includes a nerf that better balances the fight.

The recent rollout of Season 3 added a new boss to the land of Sanctuary – Son of Malphas. As with any boss in Diablo 4, this particular enemy is nothing if not a formidable foe, even for the most skilled of players.

However, users weren’t entering Son of Malphas’ domain with a fair shot. People quickly realized that the character is incredibly overpowered, to a degree that allows him to one-shot his adversaries in a matter of seconds.

One person in a recent Blizzard Forums post described the battle as follows: “Son of Malphas hits like a truck and has enough HP on World Tier 2 to be considered a boss on World Tier 4.” It didn’t take long for Blizzard to address the feedback.

Diablo 4 hotfix nerfs Son of Malphas boss

On January 25, Blizzard deployed Hotfix 2 for Update 1.3.0. The new patch tackles lingering issues impacting the previously fixed Drums of Vault quest. Interestingly, it also addresses damage complaints regarding the Son of Malphas.

According to the release notes, players can expect the monster to deal reduced damage in its open-world form. This suggests Son of Malphas’ World Boss version will still pack quite the punch.

The full patch notes feature below:

BUG FIXES

• Addressed additional issues with the progression blocker on the quest ‘Drums of the Vault’
• Fixed an issue with Enhanced Lightning Storm passive not preserving stacks correctly.
• Reduced the damage dealt by the open-world version of the monster, Son of Malphas.
• Stability and performance updates.

Following the release of Hotfix 1 on January 24, Community Manager Adam Fletcher said the studio plans to address feedback about Season 3.

Thus far, the reception online seems rather mixed, with some Diablo 4 players labeling the new season a step down from the much-liked Season 2 update.