Acolyte of Chayula

Barbarian

Druid

Necromancer

Rogue

Sorcerer

Spiritborn


<p>The Sins of the Horadrim are almost upon us! After the grand reveal in the Campfire Chat stream yesterday, we have the patch available for download already. The Public Test Realm will be up on Tuesday, May 27th, so there&#8217;s still a little while to wait. But now you can be ready for launch by downloading the client ahead of time. </p>



<p>The PTR is only available on the PC Battle.net client.</p>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The 2.3.0 PTR is now available for early download. This PTR begins next Tuesday.</p>&mdash; Adam Fletcher (@PezRadar) <a href="https://twitter.com/PezRadar/status/1926062409162146110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>You can check out everything coming in the season in the <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/official-diablo-4-season-9-ptr-preview/">official preview</a> and in the <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/diablo-4-season-9-ptr-full-patch-notes/">patch notes</a>. </p>


Season 9 PTR Now Available for Download


<p>The mega gems are back! Blizzard usher in another jewel-socketed season, as Horadric Jewels bring a lot of power to players, including the return of a classic Diablo 3 gem, the Bane of the Stricken! </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Horadric Jewels</h2>



<p>We have another iteration of the power gem. After the first version was not that great with Malignant Hearts lacking any armor and thus making builds a lot more vulnerable due to skull-less issues, the most recent implementation in the Season of Withcraft fixed that. The Season 9 Jewels keep that solution, with the skull armor bonus baked in. </p>



<p>Their effects have a wide range as well. From complementing and boosting the Horadric Spellcraft aspect of the season to more generic stat boosts, a lot of them sport a downside, or at least a chaotic element as well. </p>



<p>They don&#8217;t drop at all, but rather are crafted. Players will receive Horadric Tomes from Horadric Strongrooms inside Nightmare Dungeons starting at Torment 1. These are recipes that can be learned, and then you can craft the gem at Wayfinders. You&#8217;ll need standard gem fragments and the new Horadric Phials to craft them. As before, they can only be socketed in rings and amulets. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://static.icy-veins.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-22-at-20.40.57.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Will Jewel Guardians be the new Butcher?</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><br>All Horadric Jewels</h2>



<p>There are 15 jewels, with some returning from previous seasons, many new ones affecting Horadric Spells, and more. So, let&#8217;s take a look at all of them. You might find &#8220;Tyrant Bane&#8221; to be very familiar if you played some Diablo 3.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Seal of Control</h4>



<p>While you have two or more Arcana from the School of Control equipped, gain 45%[+] Control Duration and 30%[+] Lucky Hit Chance.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Seal of Power</h4>



<p>While you have two or more Arcana from the School of Power equipped, gain 25%[+] Movement Speed and 15%[+] Critical Strike Chance.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Seal of Denial</h4>



<p>While you have two or more Arcana from the School of Denial equipped, gain 30%[x] more Barrier, Fortify and Thorns.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Horadric Crest</h4>



<p>For each Arcana from a unique School you have equipped, gain 5%[+] Damage Reduction and 1%[+] Maximum Resistance to All Elements.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Reverie Horn</h4>



<p>After you injure or kill an enemy, your Summons are empowered, growing larger and dealing 30%[x] more damage for 4 seconds.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Scornful Light</h4>



<p>You deal 20%[x] and take 10%[x] more Elemental damage.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tyrant Bane</h4>



<p>After you deal damage over time to an enemy, they take 0.33%[x] more damage over time from you forever.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Liminal Echo</h4>



<p>If you would take fatal damage, instead prevent that damage, invoke Propulsion, and become Invulnerable for 3 seconds. This can only occur once every 75 seconds.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Idol From Below</h4>



<p>You gain 6%[x] primary stat, 8%[x] maximum life and you are always Unhindered. However, you will be hunted in Sanctuary’s darkest places by Jewel Guardians who were entombed to protect this relic.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Myriad Stone</h4>



<p>After you cast your Catalytic Skill, if it is an Ultimate, gain 30%[+] Attack Speed for 10 seconds.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Spark of Creation</h4>



<p>After you cast your Catalytic Skill, gain 10 Primary Resource.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Luminate Eye</h4>



<p>Your Catalytic Skill gains 25%[+] Cooldown Reduction.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Brilliant Sigil</h4>



<p>Your Infusions are 150%[x] more potent.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Elemental Brand</h4>



<p>Your Catalytic Skill deals 33% damage of your Infusion’s element over 3 seconds. Lucky Hit: Dealing damage of your Infusion’s element has up to a 33% chance to trigger its secondary effect.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">The Starflux</h4>



<p>Your Catalysts deal 100%[x] more damage. However, you lose control over Horadric Spellcraft, causing your Catalysts to inherit Infusions randomly.</p>


Extreme Gem Power: Horadric Jewels in Season 9


<p>Season 9 is definitely the season of the Nightmare Dungeon. The rework of the activity not only brings the Horadric Strongroom mini-dungeons into NMDs and strings them together into Escalating Nightmares, but there&#8217;s also new affixes that offer big rewards! </p>



<p>The new affixes are different from the existing ones, as they&#8217;re purely beneficial to the player. We have reward-specific affixes that offer different types of currency or gear, as well as buffs to the dungeon itself, like more shrine spawns, golden goblins, and more experience, including XP wells! Let&#8217;s take a look:</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Affix Types</h4>



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<p>Horadric Reserves</p>



<ul>
<li>Spawns in loot chests with specialized rewards.</li>



<li>Rewards Gem Fragments, Gold, Obols, Seasonal Currency, Resources.</li>
</ul>



<p>Equipment Delve</p>



<ul>
<li>Spawns in collectible items which upgrade a cache of equipment when found.</li>



<li>Rewards Weapons, Jewelry, Armor.</li>
</ul>



<p>Power Shrines</p>



<ul>
<li>Spawns in additional shrines of the specified type.</li>



<li>Spawns the following Shrines: Artillery, Blast Wave, Channeling, Lethal, Protection.</li>
</ul>



<p>Miscellaneous</p>



<ul>
<li>Forgotten Wisdom: Experience will have a chance to spawn on kill, and an experience well will spawn somewhere in the dungeon.</li>



<li>Increase Experience motes on Kill.</li>



<li>Treasure Breach: A number of gilded gremlins will invade the dungeon.</li>
</ul>


XP Wells, Shrine Spam, Gold Goblins: NMD Affixes in Season 9


<p>The Sins of the Horadrim seem to have called an old boss back from the original Diablo 4 campaign! Astaroth and his trusty steed return in Season 9, but won&#8217;t be part of the Lair Boss system. He is also the face of the new season</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">More Bosses Outside the Lairs</h2>



<p>Blizzard talked about how they wanted more content outside the very endgame that is the Lair Boss system. Astaroth is going to start filling that role in Season 9. He will not be a Lair boss (for now) and is instead tied to the Nightmare Dungeon rework. </p>



<p>You can find Astaroth in the new Escalating Nightmares activity, which chains several Nightmare Dungeons together. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Two Bosses for the Price of One! </h2>



<p>This time around both Astaroth and the Amalgam of Rage will be in play! After a while fighting the original encounter setup, Astaroth will come down off the mount and engage the player directly. If you take down the Amalgam before his rider, the mount will start resurrecting and you&#8217;ll have to face them both again! Here&#8217;s a small tease:</p>



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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Diablo IV Campfire Chat | 2.3.0 PTR | May 2025" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xZvEKK9UE_E?start=1883&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p></p>



<p></p>


Two Bosses in One: Astaroth and Amalgam Return in Season 9


<p>Diablo 4 Season 9 is bringing long-awaited improvements to one of the game&#8217;s rarest loot types: <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/runewords-guide/">Legendary Runes</a>! After widespread <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/did-blizzard-nerf-legendary-rune-and-mythic-unique-drop-rates-in-diablo-4-season-8/">player feedback during Season 8 about poor Legendary rune drop rates</a>, Blizzard is stepping in with two major updates:</p>



<ul>
<li>The drop chance of Legendary Runes has slightly increased across the whole game.</li>



<li><a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/lair-boss-system-guide/">Lair Bosses</a> have an additional small chance of dropping a Legendary Rune.</li>



<li>All <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/kurast-undercity-guide/">Undercity runs</a> now reward at least one Rune.</li>
</ul>



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<p>These changes should make it easier for players to get their hands on Legendary Runes!</p>


Legendary Rune Drop Rates Buffed in Diablo 4 Season 9 – More Runes from Lairs and Undercity


<p>In the latest <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/diablo4-season-9-campfire-chat-summary/">Patch 2.3.0 PTR Campfire Chat</a>, the Diablo 4 development team revealed that they&#8217;re increasing <strong>the quality of items per Torment tier</strong>.</p>



<p>Starting in <strong>Torment II and above</strong>, players will see more frequent <strong>Ancestrals</strong> across all content sources! This includes:</p>



<ul>
<li><strong>Lair Bosses</strong> &#8211; Defeating these on higher Torment difficulties increases the chance at valuable Ancestrals, especially targeted Uniques.</li>



<li><strong>The Pit</strong></li>



<li><strong>Open World </strong>&#8211; Random world drops are also affected by this change.</li>
</ul>



<p>Blizzard emphasized that this change is meant to <strong>reward players for progressing</strong>, not force them into tougher content before they&#8217;re ready. The drop rate buff is tuned to feel impactful without punishing those who prefer to farm lower difficulties.</p>



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<p><em>&#8220;We wanted progression to feel enriching at every stage,&#8221;</em> said the team during the Campfire Chat.</p>



<p>Players testing the PTR are also encouraged to provide feedback on these changes before they go live in Season 9!</p>


Diablo 4 Torment Loot Buff: Higher Tiers Drop More Ancestrals in Season 9


<p>Season 9 brings exciting new changes to <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/nightmare-dungeon-guide/">Nightmare Dungeons</a>, and with every season, their rotation also changes! In this post, we&#8217;re looking at the full Nightmare Dungeon rotation for Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Season 9 Nightmare Dungeon Rotation</h2>



<p>The following Nightmare Dungeons will be on rotation in Season 9:</p>



<ul>
<li><strong>Beast Graveyard</strong></li>



<li><strong>Farai Cliffs</strong></li>



<li><strong>Feeding Grounds</strong></li>



<li><strong>Forge of Malice</strong></li>



<li><strong>Forgotten Remains</strong></li>



<li><strong>Hallowed Stones</strong></li>



<li><strong>Hierophant Pyre</strong></li>



<li><strong>Iron Cenotaph</strong></li>



<li><strong>Murmuring Spiral</strong></li>



<li><strong>Putrescent Larder</strong></li>



<li><strong>Razak’s Descent</strong></li>



<li><strong>Remnants of Rage</strong></li>



<li><strong>Ruined Wild</strong></li>



<li><strong>Seething Underpass</strong></li>



<li><strong>Sleepless Hollow</strong></li>



<li><strong>Ularian Sepulcher</strong></li>



<li><strong>Vile Hive</strong></li>
</ul>


Full Nightmare Dungeon Rotation for Diablo 4 Season 9


<p>Blizzard have detailed the six new Unique items coming to Season 9! Each class gets one, with powers ranging from Basic skill buffs to Werebear poison puddles, Skeletal Mage hordes, sacrificing HP for Flurry casts, Hydra overdrive, and poison Thorns!</p>



<p>Let&#8217;s take a look! </p>



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            <a class="source-link" target="_blank" href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/official-diablo-4-season-9-ptr-preview/#New"><span class="white">(</span> Source URL <span class="white">)</span> </a>
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        <p>New powerful Unique Items enter the fray to amplify your ability to dispatch demons at fabled speed.</p>
<h2>Barbarian<br />
Hooves of the Mountain God (Unique Boots):</h2>
<p>Affixes:</p>
<p>Inherent – Attacks Reduce Evades Cooldown by 2.5 Seconds<br />
+17.5-23% Movement Speed<br />
+16-25% Basic Attack Speed<br />
+7-10 Fury Per Seconds<br />
+2-3 Ranks to Belligerence</p>
<p>Unique Power</p>
<p>When reaching Maximum Fury, your Fury will rapidly drain until you run out and all your Basic skills now cleave and deal 70-100%[x] increased damage.</p>
<h2>Druid<br />
Noxious Spine-Breaker (Unique Two-Handed Weapon):</h2>
<p>Affixes:</p>
<p>Inherent: 110% Damage to Poisoned enemies<br />
14-18% Willpower<br />
114-150% Poison Damage<br />
26-35% Chance for Pulverize to Hit Twice<br />
26-35% Resource Cost Reduction</p>
<p>Unique Power</p>
<p>Every 10 seconds, Pulverize forms a puddle that deals 200-400% of its damage as Poisoning damage over 6 seconds. Pulverizing the puddle splashes an additional 20-40% of the puddle’s total damage within the area and around it.</p>
<h2>Necromancer<br />
The Hand of Naz (Unique Gloves):</h2>
<p>Affixes:</p>
<p>77.5-100% Skeletal Mage Damage<br />
10.5-15% Attack Speed<br />
+424-457 Maximum Life<br />
+2-4 Skeletal Mage Mastery</p>
<p>Unique Power</p>
<p>Sacrificing both Skeletal Warriors and Golems grants an additional Skeletal Mage for each Minion sacrificed.<br />
When a Skeletal Mage attacks enemies 25 times without dying it upgrades to a Skeletal Arch-Mage.<br />
Skeletal Arch-Mages teleport to safety when attacked and their attacks occasionally shatter on impact dealing 50-100% increased damage to the target and up to 3 additional targets.</p>
<h2>Rogue<br />
Deathmask of Nirmitruq (Unique Helm):</h2>
<p>Affixes:</p>
<p>+424-457 Maximum Life<br />
+2-3 Skillranks to Flurry<br />
+16-25 Movement Speed<br />
+224-296 Armor</p>
<p>Unique Power</p>
<p>You can now overexert yourself while Casting Flurry, spending 10% life when you don’t have enough Energy. Spending life to Cast Flurry increases its damage by 30-50% and your Attack Speed by 50% for 5 seconds.<br />
Developer’s Note: Flurry will fail to cast when the player has neither enough energy or health available.</p>
<h2>Sorcerer<br />
Ophidian Iris (Unique Amulet):</h2>
<p>Affixes:</p>
<p>Inherent: +30% Resistance to all Elements<br />
Inherent: Casted Hydras Have +2 Heads<br />
+11.5-15.7% Intelligence<br />
+5.2-6.0 Critical Strike Chance<br />
+77.5-100% Pyromancy Damage<br />
+1-2 to Devouring Blaze</p>
<p>Unique Power</p>
<p>Hydra is now a Core Skill and always Summons a 3-headed Hydra whose attacks explode on impact.<br />
For each head above 3 that it would have had, the Hydra instead grows larger and deals 50-100%[x] increased damage.</p>
<h2>Spiritborn<br />
Balazan’s Maxtlatl (Unique Pants):</h2>
<p>Affixes:</p>
<p>+107-121 Dexterity<br />
+424-457 Maximum Life<br />
+268-373 Thorns<br />
+2-3 Ranks to Bastion</p>
<p>Unique Power</p>
<p>Each attack damages Close enemies for 200-300% of your Thorns and also deals 100% of this damage as Poisoning over 3 seconds.<br />
Each time you’ve retaliated with Thorns, for 5 seconds the Poisoning damage is increased by 100%, up to 300%.</p>
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Season 9 PTR Now Available for Download

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