Like with every Diablo 4 season, the Sins of the Horadrim season has seen a rebalance of some of the game's core mechanics. For better or for worse, Diablo 4 players will have to adjust to these changes, and the game's meta has shifted accordingly as well. In Season 9, the game's different damage types have seen two drastic changes, with one type succumbing to a massive nerf in the seasonal update, while another enters a renaissance.
The viability of Diablo 4 builds in a given season often comes down to factors like how strong a particular damage type is or which new uniques can serve as build cornerstones. With different Diablo 4 classes benefiting from different damage types—for example, Barbarians tend to utilize Overpower Damage and Spiritborns can capitalize on Poison Damage—the status of these damage types in a given season can dictate where a class falls in the meta. The rise of Spiritborn builds in Diablo 4 Season 9 can be attributed to the love Poison Damage has been shown this season, while the decline in Barbarian build viability is the result of the nerf Overpower Damage received.
One Diablo 4 Class Gets the Short End of the Stick in Season 9
Diablo 4 Season 9's nerfs to one class make it an outsider in the seasonal meta, but there is still a bright spot for players wanting to try it out.
Diablo 4 Season 9 is a Tale of Two Damage Types
Overpower Damage Has Been Nerfed Hard in Diablo 4 Season 9
One of the biggest gameplay changes that came with the Diablo 4 Season 9 update was in the way Overpower Damage is now calculated. Overpower Damage no longer includes an inherent additive damage based on the player's Life and Fortify stats, resulting in a lower overall damage output from attacks that Overpower. Now, Overpower attacks will only grant up to a 50%[x] damage increase when triggered, severely reducing the viability of builds that rely on this mechanic.
Classes like Barbarians, Rogues, and Necromancers all come with skills that aim to capitalize on Overpower Damage by increasing the player's Life and Fortify stats and guaranteeing that some hits will Overpower. However, while the Necromancer has other build options that have kept it relevant in the Diablo 4 Season 9 meta, Rogue and Barbarians have had some of their best build options gutted by this change. While this change may be an overcorrection that gets rectified in the next season, it remains a sore spot for Rogue and Barbarian fans during the Sins of the Horadrim season.
There are still some viable build options for fans of these classes to try out, such as Bash Cleave Barbarian or Penetrating Shot Rogue, but none will be ideal for endgame Pit runs.
Poison Damage Has Seen an Unexpected Boost This Season
In stark contrast to Overpower Damage, Poison has seen a massive surge in build potential in Season 9. Although the damage type itself has not seen the same types of blanket changes as Overpower, it has risen in prominence thanks to the new Diablo 4 Season 9 uniques that offer affixes tailored to Poison Damage builds. The Spiritborn's new Balazan's Maxtlatl unique pants have pushed the class to the top of the meta, with several builds designed around compounding Thorns Damage with Poison Damage.
While not as impressive as the meta dominance the Spiritborn has seen because of its Poison-centric builds, the Druid's best build for Diablo 4 Season 9 also capitalizes on the conversion from Overpower Damage to Poison Damage with its new unique. The Rotting Lightbringer unique two-handed mace comes with a unique affix that creates pools of Poison when the Druid uses their Pulverize Skill that deal 200-600%[x] of its normal damage as Poisoning over 7 seconds, while also splashing existing pools to damage nearby enemies for an additional 20-60%[x] increased damage. This unique turns a build that would typically rely on Overpower Damage to succeed into one that puts Poison front and center to further cement the importance of Poison Damage in Diablo 4 Season 9.
Diablo 4
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