Blizzard has recently announced that it’s working to remove the famous “Shred Druid build” fromDiablo 4in order to restore the game’s balance. This was one of thebest druid builds inDiablo 4, as it allowed gamers to do insane amounts of damage, but it seems that it won’t last for long.
A few days ago, a streamer called Moxsy posted a clip in which hisDiablo 4druid dealt over 1.8 billion damagein a single hit. That was all due to a special build he was using, which focused on constantly doing big crits with area-of-effect lightning damage. Moxsy, who named the build “Lightning Shred 2.0,” explained that the strategy involves using a Waxing Gibbous axe to guarantee Shred criticals, reduce Shred Spirit cost, stack critical strike damage with abilities such as the Aspect of the Rampaging Werebeasts and increase the percentage of damage that crits do. By coupling that with special gear, the numbers add up, creating an unbelievably broken build.
RELATED:Blizzard Prez Comments on Diablo 4 Coming to Game Pass After Microsoft, Activision Merger
However, it seems that the days of the famous shred druid are numbered inDiablo 4if it’s up to the creators of the game. In a recent statement made to PC Gamer, Blizzard has affirmed that this kind of build is not intentional and that the company’s devs are currently looking into how to change it in the last update.
While this build does not seem to be one of thebugs inDiablo 4, it’s an unintended exploit of the mechanics that certainly affect gameplay balance, as other builds won’t get close to doing this damage. Blizzard is aware of that, and patching up some people’s fun by potentially removing some of the triggers that cause this exploit to work seems like the only way to prevent abuse. At the moment, it’s not clear how the build will be “fixed,” though.
Nerfs to exaggeratedly powerful druid builds are not everything that Blizzard has in store for the future. At the moment,Diablo 4is preparing its first season, Season of the Malignant, which will debut on July 20, bringing more content to the game. During a recent livestream, there were some hints about apossible date for Season 2 ofDiablo 4, too, as one image implied that it could happen in October 2023. Blizzard previously stated that each season of the action RPG would last for around three months, so this seems to be a credible date for its start.
