With the controversy surrounding Diablo 4 Season 11's changes to the Tempering and Masterworking systems comes a new issue that players will have to navigate. After the patch 2.5.0 PTR period, some Diablo 4 players are already voicing their concerns about the game's gear upgrade system rework and how it feels unrewarding to progress an item through the upgrade path compared to the current system. Not only will this system affect new items in Season 11, but existing Eternal Realm builds will also take a hit when patch 2.5.0 drops.
Diablo 4 players are already used to losing their characters at the end of a season. However, those builds are still able to live on via Diablo 4's Eternal Realm, where all the player's seasonal characters and gear head after a season is over. With the release of Diablo 4 update 2.5.0 and the start of Season 11, the legacy characters players have sitting in the Eternal Realm will undergo a change that is likely to make any build they have preserved there outdated by comparison.
Diablo 4's Season 11 Update 2.5.0 Will Make Eternal Realm Builds Outdated
Although Diablo 4's Eternal Realm won't be relevant to every player, it's important to those who like being able to access their previous seasons' character builds. Even without a particular season's mechanic to support them, builds that fully completed a season with a high Paragon level and multiple Mythics are still strong contenders for endgame content on the Eternal Realm. Existing Eternal Realm builds will likely fall behind the meta after update 2.5.0 because the change to Diablo 4's Tempering and Masterworking system will essentially make them irrelevant.
Diablo 4's Tempering and Masterworking changes will affect both the Seasonal and Eternal Realms when Season 11 starts.
How Diablo 4 Patch 2.5.0 is Going to Break Eternal Realm Gear
Diablo 4 Season 11 is completely reworking the gear upgrade system, including changes like:
- Tempering only allows one affix per item, but players can select their desired affix, and Tempering charges can be restored indefinitely.
- Masterworking no longer upgrades affixes, but increases the overall quality of an item and grants a Capstone Bonus at the final upgrade tier.
- Sanctification is a new level of gear upgrading that can potentially add a new powerful affix to an item, but this affix is random, and the item becomes unalterable after undergoing Sanctification.
Unfortunately, legacy items in Diablo 4's Eternal Realm will not be eligible for use in this new upgrade system, as they will be rendered unalterable when the update goes live. Although Blizzard has confirmed that the items will retain their current upgrades and affixes, players won't be able to continue altering them with the new Sanctification mechanic or re-roll the Tempers on them.
Diablo 4 Players Should Prepare to Rework or Abandon Their Eternal Realm Builds to Stay Competitive
While Eternal Realm builds will still technically be usable when Diablo 4 patch 2.5.0 drops, players may want to make plans to swap out their gear if they wish to stay competitive on that realm. It's likely that with the Sanctification system, a new meta will emerge, and legacy gear won't be able to keep up with newly Tempered, Masterworked, and Sanctified items.
Although most players will be diving into the Seasonal Realm once Diablo 4 Season 11 starts, there is a solid argument for continuing to use existing builds on the Eternal Realm to try and push a build as far as it will go in terms of Paragon level and Pit tier. However, these builds may not be as finely tuned as those possible with the power of Sanctification, meaning they could be quickly outclassed. The future of Diablo 4's meta is likely going to evolve around this new gear upgrade system, making any existing Eternal Realm builds destined to become irrelevant when update 2.5.0 is released.
Diablo 4
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