Diablo III Hotfixes – June 28

Blizzard rolled out with some hot-fixes this morning that does address some of the glaring issues (In my opinion) that have cheapened the Diablo experience and made the game far from enjoyable.  I actually will applaud Blizzard, THIS TIME, for listening to the fan-base and implementing increase drop rates that, in theory, should significantly improve the chances of farming your own gear instead of being forced to rely on the Auction House.  My calculations may be off, but based on the percentage rates, posted here, it’s a 50% increase from before to roll a ilvl61+ in A1 Inferno.  You’re also less likely to roll the lower level items, though it did happen in the few runs I did, albeit was a small sample size.  Yes, I did log on and play Diablo 3 even though I said I was done.

Another positive addition is that Boss monsters will now drop guaranteed rares if you have so many stacks of Nephalem Valor.  1 if you have 4 stacks, 2 if you have 5 stacks.  Couple that with the large amount of drops a Boss typically has, it’s possible to see anywhere from 2 to maybe even 5 rares from Bosses with a 5 stack.  Bosses relevant again?  Thumbs up here.

While this is just a precursor to the 1.0.3b patch which has been delayed, I’m glad Blizzard is finally listening to reason.  It means there’s still hope for Diablo 3 and maybe the game will be in a place sooner than I thought so I can go back to enjoying the game I’ve been waiting for.  What are your thoughts on the hotfix?