January 26 Update 1.3.0a Patch Notes and Summary

Update 1.3.0a is a huge gameplay patch that addresses player feedback for Season 3 of Diablo 4 (D4). Read on to learn more about the newest changes to the Season's mechanics including info on Uber Malphas updates, Stone XP changes, and trap nerfs.

Update 1.3.0a Patch Highlights

Patch 1.3.0a Content Highlights
Uber Malphas Buffs and Entry Requirement Changes Reduced XP Requirements for Stone Upgrades Nerfed Traps in Vaults and Arcane Tremors Zoltun's Warding Buffed for Vaults

New Boss Mats and Buffs for Uber Malphas

Endgame players can rest easy knowing they will no longer have to hoard Pearls of Warding to challenge Uber Malphas. Instead, the entrance fee has been changed to Igenous Cores.

Additionally, given player feedback on how easy it was to defeat the Echo of Malphas at Level 100, the developers have gone ahead and buffed the boss. Its level has been raised to 100 and its HP was increased by 30% in Patch 1.3.0a.

Reduced XP Requirements for Stone Upgrades

Getting from Rank 1 to 5 now only requires a total of 50 XP for all 5 Ranks.

After this patch, Governing and Tuning Stones will now require less XP in order to upgrade, meaning less time spent grinding for duplicates in Arcane Tremors and Vaults.

This change should allow players to feel a bit more impact from their (so far) underwhelming Seneschal constructs by easing the leveling pains of all Seneschal Stone types.

How to Level Governing and Tuning Stones

Nerfed Traps in Vaults and Arcane Tremors

Traps have been nerfed across the board for both Vaults and Arcane Tremors in Season 3. Sweeping changes have been made due to player feedback, nerfing traps due to how they tended to disrupt gameplay when tackling seasonal content.

• Arcane Tremor Obelisk traps no longer have knockback!
• All floor and rotating traps inside Vaults have smaller AoEs. This gives players a bit more breathing room when threading the needle between traps.
• Vault turret traps now have slower projectiles allowing for more manageable dodge windows.

Zoltun's Warding Buffed for Vaults

Since players have been hesitant to challenge Vaults due to how punishing they were, Zoltun's Warding has also received a massive buff in this update. Now, instead of granting 3 stacks per Pearl of Warding, statues will give you 10 stacks per Pearl.

Update 1.3.0a Full Patch Notes

Echo of Malphas New Materials and Boss Buffs

The developers commented that they noticed players have been using Pearls of Warding to challenge Uber Malphas rather than spending them to get Zoltun's Warding.

To remedy this, they created a new boss material called Igneous Cores which are used to summon Uber Malphas. Pearls of Warding are now solely used to get Zoltun's Warding inside Vaults.

• Echo of Malphas has had their Level raised from 85 to 100.
• The Health pool of Echo of Malphas has been increased by 30%.
• Igneous Cores now exists for the purpose of accessing the Uber Vault and Echo of Malphas. This item will replace the usage of Pearls of Warding in providing access.
• Igneous Cores have a chance to drop from Vault Heralds and are guaranteed to drop from Son of Malphas in World Tier 4.
• The drop rate of Unique Stones from Malphas increased from 0.25% to 0.5%.
• Unique Stones now have a 3% chance of dropping from the chest after the boss.
• Defeating Echo of Malphas will now reward more Legendary items. Additionally, Item Level 925 items will drop more often.

Seneschal Companion Updates

• Crafting a Governing or Tuning Stone will now always cost 200 Shattered Stone and 20 Iron Chunks regardless of level.
• If you find a duplicate of a Governing or Tuning Stone you've already maxed out, picking it up will now grant 150-200 Shattered Stone instead.
• Governing and Tuning stones can now be acquired as rewards for completing Whispers.
• Son of Malphas now always drops 2-3 Governing and Tuning Stones.
• Stones awarded from Seneschal Stone Caches has been increased from 1 to 2 stones.
• Experience requirements for Governing and Tuning Stones have been reduced so they can be ranked up more naturally with your leveling experience.

Vaults and Arcane Tremors QoL Changes

• Consuming a Pearl of Warding at a Statue of Zoltun Kulle now grants 10 stacks of Zoltun's Warding, instead of 3.
• The max stacks of Zoltun's Warding has been increased from 300 to 999.
• The grace period for losing stacks of Zoltun's Warding when being hit by multiple traps at once has been increased from 1 second to 1.5 seconds.
• Heralds of Malphas now guarantee a Legendary item drop starting at Level 26, with a 15% chance to drop a second Legendary item.
• Knockback has been removed from all Obelisk Hazards.
• Chests will now appear after completing a Vault's ending encounter. These new chests will drop a guaranteed Legendary item starting from level 26+, with a 35% chance to drop another Legendary item.
• The projectile speed from Elemental Dart hazards has been reduced by 20%.
• The hitbox for floor-based Elemental Grate and Spike hazards have been reduced by roughly 15%.
• The spout hitbox for Elemental Pillars has been reduced by roughly 15%.

General Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the Gatehall would not display on the map for players on PlayStation.
• Fixed an issue where the Brazier could not be interacted with in certain circumstances during the Drums of the Vault quest.
• Fixed an issue where the Beckoning Thunder Horse cosmetic was invisible for Druid players.
• Fixed an issue where the damage effect and the visual effect were not in sync for floor traps in Vaults.
• Various stability and performance improvements.

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