Step into the world of Barbarian in Diablo 4! Explore our in-depth Barbarian class guides, including the best gear, builds and legendaries.

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<p>With many players very eager to get into Season 4, the issue of pre-downloads has once again come up. Having to wait to download the latest patch at the peak of excitement for it is never fun. Blizzard have now addressed this issue, clarifying that they want to allow a window for players to get the patch before the season launch. </p>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just a heads up &#8211; I hear ya on the pre-download stuff. <br><br>There are a lot of talks happening with the start of this season and we will look to address it in the future seasons so there is more of a window for players to grab the patch earlier.</p>&mdash; Adam Fletcher (@PezRadar) <a href="https://twitter.com/PezRadar/status/1790432064019341447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Future Seasons Might Have Pre-Downloads of the Patch


<p>Blizzard have now officially announced the next livestream, this one covering the changes to Season 5 post-PTR! We&#8217;ll be finding out more about the upcoming season on August 1st, at 11 AM PDT. </p>



<p>We already have plenty of information on Season 5, from the new <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/infernal-hordes-in-season-5-everything-you-need-to-know/">Infernal Hordes wave-based mode</a>, all the new <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/all-53-diablo-4-season-5-uniques-and-legendary-aspects/">Uniques and Aspects</a>, and <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/official-season-5-ptr-preview-starting-july-25th/">more</a>. </p>



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            <a class="source-link" target="_blank" href="https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/diablo4/24122263/tune-in-to-our-next-developer-update-livestream"><span class="white">(</span> Source URL <span class="white">)</span> </a>
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<p>Our next Developer Update stream arrives on <b>August 1 at 11 a.m. PDT</b> and gives a preview of our upcoming Season, and changes made since the last PTR (Public Test Realm).</p>
<p>Join community manager Marcus Kretz, associate director of community Adam Fletcher, and members of the development team, as they share more details for the next season of Diablo IV. Tune in to learn more on systems, balance updates and feedback learnings from our recent PTR.</p>
<p>There will also be a Q&amp;A segment at the end of the stream for players to field their questions directly to the team.</p>
<p>Visit our official Diablo <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/diablo" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-analytics="exit-link">Twitch</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/Diablo/featured" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-analytics="exit-link">YouTube</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Diablo" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-analytics="exit-link">X</a> channels to watch live! Following the stream&#8217;s conclusion, we’ll post another article with a video of the chat so you can catch up on the details if you miss them.</p>
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        <p>You can read the entire official news post <a target="_blank" href="https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/diablo4/24122263/tune-in-to-our-next-developer-update-livestream">HERE</a></p>
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Season 5 Developer Livestream: August 1st


<p>General Manager of Diablo 4 Rod Fergusson confirmed that the Spiritborn class will be &#8220;overpowered, for sure&#8221; and described it as being &#8220;broken in the most fun way&#8221;.</p>



<p>In the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@KindaFunnyGames">Kinda Funny Gamescast Interview</a>, Rod Fergusson provided several key details about the new Spirirtborn class and the game&#8217;s balance philosophy:</p>



<ol>
<li>Fergusson confirmed that the Spiritborn class will be &#8220;overpowered&#8221; and described it as being &#8220;broken in the most fun way.&#8221; The class will introduce four unique spirit guardians: the Eagle, Gorilla, Jaguar, and Centipied, each with its own set of abilities. You can watch the spirit guardian deep dive <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/vessel-of-hatred-spirit-guardians-deep-dive-video/">here</a>.</li>



<li>Rob revealed a shift in Blizzard&#8217;s approach to class balance. Instead of nerfing powerful builds, the developers will focus on maintaining <strong>fun</strong> and <strong>excitement</strong>. The devs want to avoid situations where players wake up to find their builds suddenly non-viable due to balance changes.</li>



<li>Fergusson emphasized that as long as an overpowered element is not causing game crashes or other issues, it will likely remain unchanged for a while.</li>
</ol>



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Diablo 4’s Spiritborn Class: “Overpowered in the Most Fun Way,” Says Rod Fergusson


<p>Blizzard has released a new video diving into the world of spirit guardians, explaining what these powerful beings are and their origins.</p>



<p>The Spiritborn gain their strength from four spirit guardians. Narrative Designer Eleni Rivera-Colon provides deeper insights into these mystical entities. Check out the video below to learn more!</p>



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<p>To learn more about the Spiritborn, check out the <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/official-spiritborn-preview/">official preview</a>.</p>


Vessel of Hatred: Spirit Guardians Deep Dive Video


<p>Blizzard is gearing up to host another Season 5 Campfire soon!</p>



<p>Global Diablo Community Development Director Adam Fletcher announced that the upcoming stream will cover the latest changes for Season 5 following the PTR. Each PTR cycle brings numerous adjustments, and Blizzard incorporates player feedback while reviewing all the testing data. Final balance tweaks for the classes and various bug fixes are also implemented at this stage.</p>



<p>This time, the stream will feature a new host, with Community Manager Marcus Kretz stepping in for Fletcher.</p>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As I’ve seen this question a bunch, I’ll jump the gun. Don’t rat me out! The plan is for our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DiabloIV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DiabloIV</a> Season 5 livestream to be on 8/1. We will go over all changes post PTR!<br><br>This will be hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcusKretz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarcusKretz</a>! I’ll still be there on the panel, but this time as a guest! Marcus…</p>&mdash; Adam Fletcher (@PezRadar) <a href="https://twitter.com/PezRadar/status/1815551164324446446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Season 5 Campfire Livestream on August 1st


<p>It seems&nbsp;<strong>Vessel of Hatred</strong>&nbsp;will introduce a stat squish. An official video by Blizzard shows that the new level cap is likely 60, and after that, you might start earning Paragon points. However, this information is based on gameplay footage and is not 100% confirmed by Blizzard.</p>



<p>Blizzard’s&nbsp;<strong>Inside the Game</strong>&nbsp;video revealed that the upcoming expansion’s max level cap is probably 60. The Paragon system also appears to be returning, where you start earning Paragon levels after reaching the max level, similar to Diablo 3. However, it is important to note that there are no definitive details confirming that the Paragon system in Diablo 4 will function exactly like in Diablo 3.</p>



<p>As shown in the screenshot below, the character is at Level 60 with 1 Paragon point.</p>



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<p>As shown in the screenshot below, the character is at Level 60 with 1 Paragon point.</p>



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<p>Currently, you gain 4 points per character level after hitting Level 50, for a total of 200 Paragon points at Level 100.</p>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading">How would the squish work in Diablo 4?</h1>



<p>Much like in WoW, current Level 100 characters would be squished down to around Level 50, with the new Vessel of Hatred cap being Level 60. If you recall, Diablo 3&#8217;s cap was originally 60 before it was raised to 70 in Reaper of Souls.</p>



<p>Obviously, take all of this with a pinch of salt. We&#8217;re still months away from the official Vessel of Hatred testing!</p>


Vessel of Hatred: Possible Level Cap of 60 and Potential Return of Diablo 3 Paragon System?


<p>In today&#8217;s new video focusing on the Spiritborn, Blizzard showed the new maximum skill points players will have access to in the upcoming expansion! </p>



<p>The &#8220;Inside the Game: the Spiritborn&#8221; video dives into the new class coming in the Vessel of Hatred. It features gameplay, artwork, commentary from the devs, but more interestingly, it also lets slip a key piece of information.</p>



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<p>As you can see, the Spiriborn character showcases has 69 available skill points! That&#8217;s 11 more than the current 58 available in the game at the moment. Obviously it&#8217;s not only the Spiritborn that gets these extra skillpoints, so all classes can look forward to more skill options! And considering this addition, it&#8217;s pretty likely the other classes will be getting new additions to the skill tree as well. Definitely some passives, but perhaps a few new active skills as well? We&#8217;ll have to wait for more to be revealed about the expansion to find out. </p>



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New Skill Point Cap for Vessel of Hatred Revealed: Everyone Gets More Points!


<p>Rob has shared a new video on YouTube showcasing the Spiritborn gameplay. In the hour-long video, we see all four builds!</p>



<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Rob2628">Rob</a> managed to record 1 hour of gameplay footage of the Spiritborn class at the Blizzard demo and we got to see all four different builds centered around a different spirit animal.</p>



<ul>
<li><strong>Centipede Spiritborn</strong> &#8211; Focuses on poison damage and debuffs to drain the life from their foes.</li>



<li><strong>Jaguar Spiritborn</strong> &#8211; Adopts an aggressive fighting style that relies on flashy multi-hit attacks. They utilize fire as their primary element.</li>



<li><strong>Gorilla Spiritborn</strong> &#8211; A defensive fighter focusing on resilience and mitigation. They are masters of physical damage.</li>



<li><strong>Eagle Spiritborn </strong>&#8211; A highly agile master of mobility. They are precise strikers who are evasive and control the elements of lightning.</li>
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Spiritborn Gameplay Video by Rob2628


<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@gamestar">GameStar</a>&#8216;s latest video on Spiritborn gameplay has unveiled what looks like a new zone map in the Vessel of Hatred.</p>



<p>The demo didn&#8217;t contain any new events and some zones were inaccessible, according to GameStar.</p>



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<p></p>



<p>The player seems to be in Upper Kurast, with Nahantu, the large jungle, visible to the right of the mouse cursor.</p>



<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" data-embed-height="636"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1e6ur5m/is_this_really_over_about_nahantu_map_size_will/">Is this really over about Nahantu Map size??? Will it be expanded? right??</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/According-Fig214/">u/According-Fig214</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote>



<p></p>



<p>Additionally, another snapshot of the same zone was shown, revealing more of the map. While the map doesn&#8217;t show the full extent of Nahantu, we do know the new expansion will include at least two zones.</p>



<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:316px" data-embed-height="624"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1e6kju5/new_map_in_video_from_the_gamestar_guy/">New Map in Video from the Gamestar Guy</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/kaishockz/">u/kaishockz</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote>



<p> </p>


New Vessel of Hatred Zone Map Spotted in Gameplay


<p>With the class reveal today, we got to see some new items coming in the Vessel of Hatred expansion as well! </p>



<p>These Aspects and Uniques for the Spiritborn showcase its potential, as all DIablo 4 classes are nothing without their items! We have a mix between the official preview blog and the livestream, as we got a collection of 6 Aspects and 3 Uniques.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Legendary Aspects</h2>



<p>During the livestream, Blizzard separated the Aspects into three general categories. Each represented a type of bonus for the Spiriborn. </p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hybrid Augmentations </h3>



<p>First off we have the Hybrids, which combine two of the four Guardian Spirits and have them buff each other! The two examples we got focused on the Centipede, as both seem to combine it with another Guardian. The Rallying Reversal gives stacks of the the Jaguar attack speed buff for crowd controlled enemies (which may be achieveable by the Gorilla spirit as well). The Tormentor&#8217;s aspect is very much Centipede + Gorilla focused, as poison is definitely Centipede and Thorns very much Gorilla! </p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Power Augmentations </h3>



<p>The power augmentations are much more straight-forward, as they directly buff an individual skill from a single Guardian. </p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Subpowers </h3>



<p>Subpowers are also very self-explanatory, as a Guardian&#8217;s skills or individual skill get a separate power that triggers off them. </p>



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<p></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Uniques</h2>



<p>Then we have the Uniques, as both the official preview and livestream showcased some. </p>



<p>First off we have the Basic-skill buffing Quarterstaff (which is also a new weapon type), which will make them quite deadly and make other classes really wish it wasn&#8217;t Spiritborn only! And then there&#8217;s the evade-transforming Eagle Unique, which makes your dodge skill into a teleport/leap, as well as buffs its damage. </p>



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<p>And then we have the Centipede ring, which spawns and buffs the Pestilent Swarm ability! It not only changes the way the skill works, but also gives it the ability to generate the Spiritborns basic resource, Vigor. </p>



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<p><br>And that&#8217;s it for now, but we&#8217;ll definitely be seeing more details on the Spiritborn&#8217;s items soon, as the expansion arrives on October 8th! </p>


Spiritborn Legendary Aspects and Uniques Revealed


<p>It appears Joe Shely is no longer the Game Director of Diablo 4.</p>



<p>During <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/spiritborn-reveal-livestream-recap-july-18th/">today&#8217;s livestream</a>, Brent Gibson was introduced as the new Game Director, sparking questions about what happened to Joe Shely.</p>



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<p></p>



<p>When you check <a href="https://x.com/joeshely">Joe Shely&#8217;s X profile</a>, his bio only mentions &#8220;Designer,&#8221; suggesting he might have been replaced by Brent Gibson as the Game Director of Diablo 4. The transition must have happened very quietly, as there haven&#8217;t been any official confirmations.</p>



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Future Seasons Might Have Pre-Downloads of the Patch

Diablo IV News