Blizzard has confirmed it Diablo 4 Season 12 makes some big changes to the Paladin, which is currently the most overpowered class in the game. These changes will first be tested in the Season 12 2.6.0 PTR for Diablo 4before going live in the main game pending further player feedback.
The classes in Diablo 4 can be very difficult to balance. Ultimately, the game is at its best when it feels like a power trip, allowing players to destroy hordes of enemies in seconds. But it must also be a challenge for the players. If it's too easy, players will lose interest quickly. Whenever Blizzard releases a new class into the game, it's standard for it to be very overpowered for a short time afterwards. It happened with Spiritborn in The ship of hate expansion, and Paladin has been the most overpowered Diablo 4 class after the release of Season 11. Blizzard is good at making the necessary balance changes fairly quickly, but not so quickly that players can't enjoy a period of overpowered chaos with these classes.
It's time to admit that Diablo 4 Season 11 knocked it out of the park with this feature, and it needs to make a comeback next season
I didn't expect to enjoy this part of Diablo 4 Season 11 as much as I did, and I'll be sad to see it go when the season ends.
Diablo 4's Paladin is changing for Season 12
In the patch notes for Diablo 4s 2.6.0 PTR, Blizzard confirmed that the Paladin will receive some changes for the upcoming season. Considering the power of Diablo 4s Paladin, it would be easy to expect widespread nerfs for Season 12. But that's not the case for the most part. In fact, there are some Paladin damage sources in the 2.6.0 patch notes that have even received some buffs.
- Heaven's Fury: Triple base damage increased from 36% to 56%.
- The way of the penitent: Damage increased from 10% to 12% per stack.
- Sunburn: Damage increased from 30-50% to 60-100%.
These tweaks provide intended damage buffs to the Paladin, but it's not all good news. One of the main reasons why Paladin is so overpowered right now is because some of its mechanics aren't working properly, allowing players to exploit these issues to do unintended damage. Season 12 will fix these issues, resulting in what is effectively a nerf. For example, the judgment damage stacked much more than Blizzard intended, and this is being resolved in time for the 2.6.0 PTR. Friendly NPCs inside the Holy Light Aura also did much more damage than intended, so this has been adjusted. Another big change comes in how the Pronunciation of Heaven enhancement for Spear of Heaven works. Previously, this skill summoned a spear that dealt passive damage, but now it spawns three spears that deal damage over 12 seconds. These spears can be marked with Judgement, making the Pronunciation of Heaven enhancement less focused on passive damage.
Blizzard recently lifted the lid Diablo 4s 2.6.0 PTR, which also confirms that Season 12 will focus on the Killstreaks system from Diablo 3. The PTR will run between February 3rd and 10th, giving players a chance to check out the changes made for Season 12 ahead of time. It's worth noting that Blizzard will also be making changes at the start of Season 12 based on the PTR feedback, so it's possible that the aforementioned Paladin tweaks will change further between now and then.
Blizzard is gearing up for another big year Diablo 4. After not releasing an expansion in 2025, Lord of Hate DLC will be released in April, bringing the biggest content drop for the game in a long time. In addition to Paladin, Lord of Hate will also add another new class, which is currently unknown. In addition to this, Blizzard hosts a Diablo showcase on February 11, hinting at a look at what the future holds for the wider franchise to celebrate its upcoming 30th anniversary. The showcase should offer more information beyond what comes in Diablo 4 Season 12 and Lord of Hate.
- Released
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June 5, 2023
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, User Interaction
