Acolyte of Chayula

Barbarian

Druid

Necromancer

Rogue

Sorcerer

Spiritborn


<p>Whenever a new season starts, even the most basic tips come across as very useful, and <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/diablo-4-latest-season/">Season 9</a> is no different. One of Diablo 4&#8217;s most facepalm-inducing mistakes is back, and Veteran players still forget it every time!</p>



<p>When players create their seasonal character, most of the time, they either forget to hire a <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/mercenaries-guide/">Mercenary</a> or equip their pet! In worst case, they forget about both!</p>



<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" data-embed-height="240"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lprygd/comment/n0xe4er/">Comment</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/General_abby/">u/General_abby</a> from discussion<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lprygd/psa_dont_forget_to_hire_your_mercenarys_to_equip/"></a><br> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote>



<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" data-embed-height="240"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lprygd/comment/n0xgcpi/">Comment</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/General_abby/">u/General_abby</a> from discussion<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lprygd/psa_dont_forget_to_hire_your_mercenarys_to_equip/"></a><br> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote>



<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" data-embed-height="240"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lprygd/comment/n0xkvhm/">Comment</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/General_abby/">u/General_abby</a> from discussion<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lprygd/psa_dont_forget_to_hire_your_mercenarys_to_equip/"></a><br> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why Are We Like This?</h2>



<p>There&#8217;s no in-game alert or a questline that would remind you of this. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Some Players Are Deliberately Going Merc-Free</h2>



<p>Believe it or not, some players are skipping mercenaries on purpose. Reddit user <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/-Midas-/">-Midas-</a> says they refuse to hire a merc because they can&#8217;t stand their voice lines!</p>



<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" data-embed-height="260"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lprygd/comment/n0x32uf/">Comment</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/General_abby/">u/General_abby</a> from discussion<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lprygd/psa_dont_forget_to_hire_your_mercenarys_to_equip/"></a><br> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where Do You Activate Your Pet?</h2>



<p>Use the Wardrobe to equip your pet.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where Can You Hire a Merc?</h2>



<p>Open your Inventory and head to the Mercenaries tab to get started.</p>


You Probably Forgot This in Diablo 4 Season 9 — And It’s Costing You


<p>Just a few days into <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Diablo 4</a> <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/diablo-4-latest-season/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Season 9</a>, players have spotted the return of an old bug: the Aether counter inside <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/infernal-hordes-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Infernal Hordes</a> is broken again!</p>



<p>According to a Reddit post, the Aether tracker no longer appears during runs, meaning players can&#8217;t see how many orbs they have collected during Infernal Hordes stages. While it does not prevent progression, it is a frustrating issue, especially for those trying to optimize their run or hit specific thresholds.</p>



<p>You can take a look at the post on Reddit here:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-reddit wp-block-embed-reddit"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" ><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lqgch5/aether_counter_is_broken_again_in_s9/">Aether counter is broken again in s9</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/pink_tshirt/">u/pink_tshirt</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote><script async src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>This bug has appeared in the past and seems to have resurfaced with the latest season. As of now, there is no official response from Blizzard, but players are hoping for a quick hotfix to bring the counter back.</p>



<p>Let&#8217;s hope it is not gone for long. Knowing your Aether count can make a big difference in Infernal Hordes, as it allows you to know how much you still need, depending on the chest you want to open at the end.</p>


Diablo 4’s Aether Counter Bug Returns in Season 9


<p>Players have been (rightfully) complaining about <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/horadric-spells-guide/">Horadric Arcana</a> drops in Season 9. We talked about it in <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/the-struggle-for-horadric-arcana-is-real-in-diablo-4-season-9/">an earlier post</a>, and while the drop rates were fairly low, Blizzard have buffed them in<a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/arcana-drop-rate-buffed-and-sigil-drops-fixed-june-2nd-hotfixes/"> the latest hotfix batch</a>! However, a buff to the drop rate doesn&#8217;t mean free Arcana, so you still might want to follow this (fairly obvious) tip.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Floor is <s>Lava </s>Treasure</h2>



<p>As pointed out by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Winter_Ad_2618/">Winter_Ad_2618</a>, Arcanas are actually items you need to pick up off the ground. Your pets won&#8217;t get them for you! They also have their own rarities, so it is possible players simply overlook them as useless blue or yellow items. We have seen many players comment about only getting legendary Arcanas, and this may account for those instances. </p>



<p>Now you&#8217;ve probably picked up everything you could anyway, but just in case, always check the floor for some strangely named blues, yellows, and oranges! </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-reddit wp-block-embed-reddit"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:316px" ><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lq155t/psa_for_players_not_getting_arcana_drops/">PSA for players not getting arcana drops</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Winter_Ad_2618/">u/Winter_Ad_2618</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote><script async src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p><br>So good luck with those Arcana drops now that the rates have been increased! </p>


Still Missing Arcana? Diablo 4’s Latest Hotfix Helps — If You Check the Floor


<p>The announced fixes and buffs have arrived already! Players can now find Arcana more frequently, and Nightmare Dungeon Sigiils will now once again drop at the end of dungeons! We also have the usual stability improvements added as well. </p>



<div class="blizzard-blue-post">
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            <a class="source-link" target="_blank" href="https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/d4/t/hotfix-2-july-2-2025-230/226222"><span class="white">(</span> Source URL <span class="white">)</span> </a>
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        <p>HOTFIX 2 &#8211; July 2 &#8211; 2.3.0</p>
<p>Bug fixes:</p>
<ul>
<li>The drop rate for Arcana in Horadric Strongrooms has been significantly increased.</li>
<li>Fixed an issue where Nightmare Dungeon Sigils were not awarded when completing a Nightmare Dungeon.</li>
<li>Stability improvements.</li>
</ul>
    </div>
</div>


Arcana Drop Rate Buffed and Sigil Drops Fixed! July 2nd Hotfixes


<p>It seems some elements of Season 9 don&#8217;t play well with each other. Players have been noticing their Forgotten Wisdom Nightmare Dungeon affixes would just stop working after a short time in a dungeon. It seems something&#8217;s wiping them out, so let&#8217;s see what it is and how to avoid it! </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A Weak Room</h2>



<p>Many players realized their hard-earned Forgotten Wisdom affix, which causes enemies to drop experience globes on death in NMDs, would simply stop working after a while. Some even only got it for 30 seconds! Luckily, the issue was quickly figured out by the perceptive: the Strongrooms are stealing the buff! </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-reddit wp-block-embed-reddit"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:316px" ><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lpstm8/season_9_dungeon_escalation_forgotten_wisdom/">Season 9 Dungeon escalation Forgotten wisdom affix bug</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/PassiBC/">u/PassiBC</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote><script async src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Fix</h2>



<p>The affix is also a pretty rare occurrence on Sigils, especially now that their drops from dungeons are bugged. And so it&#8217;s pretty important to get the most out of it, even when you&#8217;re later on in your Paragon leveling journey. </p>



<p>The fix is pretty simple once you know the problem. You just avoid Horadric Strongrooms until the end of the dungeon. This isn&#8217;t optimal, as they also give you a buff when finished, so you may cost yourself some extra Obducite, or even another XP buff! But clearing out most of the dungeon with the Forgotten Wisdom globes is definitely worth it if you still want experience, unless you really need Obducite and want to gamble on the Strongroom buff. </p>



<p>The other &#8220;fix&#8221; is to just hope you don&#8217;t get a Strongroom in your Forgotten Wisdom affix dungeon! But that one&#8217;s a little too much RNG even for Diablo! So, watch out for those XP-stealing Strongrooms when you get those nice experience globes and good luck with the loot! </p>


Warning: You Might Lose the XP Affix in NMDs – Here’s How to Avoid Losing Forgotten Wisdom


<p>Blizzard just dropped a hotfix for Season 9, addressing the issue of Horadric Phial drop rates being too low. They also took the opportunity to announce upcoming fixes, like increased Arcana drop rates in Strongrooms, and Nightmare Dungeon Sigils now being awarded on dungeon completion. </p>



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            <a class="source-link" target="_blank" href=""><span class="white">(</span> Source URL <span class="white">)</span> </a>
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    <h3></h3>
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<p><strong>HOTFIX 1 &#8211; June 2, &#8211; 2.3.0</strong></p>
<p><strong>BUG FIXES</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Fixed an issue where Horadric Phials were not dropping at the intended rate.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote><p>Developer Note: We will have a follow-up Hotfix to address a bug with the low droprate of Arcana in Horadric Strongrooms. We also plan to fix a bug with Nightmare Sigil drops not being rewarded upon completing a dungeon. We thank you all for your patience and feedback on this.</p></blockquote>
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Arcana Rates to be Buffed, Phials Fixed, Sigils Fix Coming: July 2nd Hotfixes


<p>With <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/diablo-4-latest-season/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Season 9</a> of <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Diablo 4</a> that just started, more and more players are voicing their frustration over the game&#8217;s new battle pass format: the <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/reliquaries-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reliquary system</a>. Originally introduced in Season 8 as a reworked battle pass, the Reliquary promised a better way to get the rewards you want. But now, many in the community are calling it underwhelming, uninspired, and not worth the price.</p>



<p>A Reddit thread has gathered attention lately, with players sharing their disappointment over what feels like a downgrade in content despite the hefty 2800 platinum price tag (roughly $25 USD) for the deluxe version.</p>



<p>You can check out the original post here:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-reddit wp-block-embed-reddit"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:316px" ><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lpkago/sorry_blizz_i_can_not_justify_the_new_reliquary/">Sorry Blizz, I can not justify the new reliquary purchase</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/SpaceXSmoke/">u/SpaceXSmoke</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote><script async src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why Is the Reliquary System Causing So Much Fire Compared to the Old Battle Pass?</h2>



<p>The main complaints seem to center around three main points:</p>



<ul>
<li>Repetitive cosmetics: 
<ul>
<li>Players say the armor sets and skins offered in the Reliquary are visually bland and often copy-pasted from previous shop items. </li>
</ul>
</li>



<li>Loss of variety and value: 
<ul>
<li>Previous battle passes included titles, trophies, mounts, player cards, and more. You also had the possibility to get around 700 platinum back through the Battle pass, including a full free cosmetic set that f2p players could also get. The new system stripped down platinum gain to 200 only, and all the armor sets are available only in the paid versions.</li>
</ul>
</li>



<li>No incentive to spend: 
<ul>
<li>Many admit they have purchased every battle pass until now, but say Seasons 8 and 9 are the first ones they have skipped. One user even noted they have 5400 platinum just sitting unused because nothing feels worth it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A System in Need of a Refresh?</h2>



<p>In theory, the battle pass system was just changed in Season 8, but it clearly is not going as expected. Some players point out that the new format hides a lack of content behind a &#8220;convenience&#8221; system that lets you unlock rewards in any order, but you get overall less.</p>



<p>Despite all this, players made it clear they are not quitting the game entirely, just holding off on premium purchases until things improve.</p>


Players Question Diablo 4’s New Reliquary Value


<p>Blizzard acknowledged yet another bug that went live with the 2.3.0 update and Season 9!</p>



<p>This time, it&#8217;s tied to <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/diablo-4-season-9-chat-font-has-players-seeing-big/">large font in the chat window</a>. Earlier today, we reported about the bug, and now, Blizzard has confirmed the bug will be addressed in a future update, most likely alongside the <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/news/horadric-phials-bug-in-diablo-4-season-9-fix-coming-tomorrow/">Horadric Phials bug</a>, which currently prevents players from obtaining Horadric Phials from Astaroth and Horadric Strongrooms.</p>



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            <a class="source-link" target="_blank" href=""><span class="white">(</span> Source URL <span class="white">)</span> </a>
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        <p>Greetings, Wanderers<br />
The team is aware of the issue where the font size displayed in the chat window is unusually large. While a minor adjustment was intended to align with updated display needs, a bug led to the text being larger than intended. This will be addressed in a future update. Thank you for your reports!</p>
    </div>
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Season 9 Bug Makes Chat Text Huge — Blizzard Responds


<p>DLSS 4 is now officially baked into Diablo 4, and if you are running an RTX 50 Series card, it&#8217;s going to feel like you&#8217;re playing a different game. We&#8217;re talking up to <strong>500 FPS</strong>, full ray tracing, and buttery-smooth performance even in the most dense mob packs.</p>



<p>Here&#8217;s why it matters way more than just a frame counter flex.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What is DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation</h2>



<p>DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) has been around for a while, but DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation is the latest evolution that doesn&#8217;t just upscale visuals, it adds AI-generated frames between real ones, giving you higher FPS with minimal latency impact. And now, for the first time, Diablo 4 supports it natively, without the need of the NVIDIA app!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Does That Look Like In-Game?</h2>



<p>Here&#8217;s what players are seeing with the new DLSS 4 update:</p>



<ul>
<li>4K with Max Settings + Ray Tracing
<ul>
<li>RTX 5090: Up to 370 FPS.</li>



<li>RTX 5080: Nearly 270 FPS.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.nvidia.com/content/dam/en-zz/Solutions/geforce/news/mecha-break-dlss-4-multi-frame-generation/diablo-iv-geforce-rtx-3840x2160-nvidia-dlss-4-multi-frame-generation-desktop-gpu-performance.png" alt=""/></figure>



<ul>
<li>1440p (2560&#215;1440)
<ul>
<li>Maxed out at 445 FPS</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.nvidia.com/content/dam/en-zz/Solutions/geforce/news/mecha-break-dlss-4-multi-frame-generation/diablo-iv-geforce-rtx-2560x1440-nvidia-dlss-4-multi-frame-generation-desktop-gpu-performance.png" alt=""/></figure>



<ul>
<li>1080p Ultra
<ul>
<li>RTX 5090 hits 500 FPS</li>



<li>Laptop GPUs push up to 280 FPS</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.nvidia.com/content/dam/en-zz/Solutions/geforce/news/mecha-break-dlss-4-multi-frame-generation/diablo-iv-geforce-rtx-2560x1600-nvidia-dlss-4-multi-frame-generation-laptop-gpu-performance.png" alt=""/></figure>



<p>This performance boost results in faster, more responsive, and better gameplay experience.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why Should You Care?</h2>



<p>D4 is a visually dense game. Between spell effects, dynamic lightning, and now full raytracing, it can bring even beefy rigs to their knees&#8230;</p>



<p>DLSS 4 makes that overhead basically vanish, while making everything look even sharper!</p>



<p><strong>Source</strong>: <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/mecha-break-dlss-4-multi-frame-generation/?linkId=100000371789862">NVIDIA</a></p>


Diablo IV Just Got a Massive FPS Boost with Native DLSS 4 Support


<p>With <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Diablo 4</a> <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/diablo-4-latest-season/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Season 9</a> now live, players have jumped straight into the new story and seasonal quests. However, some are already sharing frustration about the design choices behind the quest progression.</p>



<p>One particular quest requires players to complete a full Stronghold run before they can inspect three statues, which is a step that feels unnecessary and sort of slows down the whole thing.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why Are Players Upset?</h2>



<p>The main complaint is the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lp910f/comment/n0sxnea/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">repetitive nature of the questline</a>. Many say the progression feels like a grind:</p>



<ul>
<li>Do one quest</li>



<li>Earn enough reputation</li>



<li>Unlock the next quest</li>



<li>Repeat</li>
</ul>



<p>This cycle can make it all feel drawn out for no reason, especially when a single quest involves extra tasks like a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lp910f/this_seasonal_quest_can_screw_right_off/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">full Stronghold run for what seems like a minor objective</a>. </p>



<p>The fact you constantly have to &#8220;stop&#8221; in the seasonal quest to grind for enough reputation makes you less committed to the overall story as well, as it breaks your immersion constantly.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Is It That Bad?</h2>



<p>While a lot of players are venting about the &#8220;chore-like&#8221; feel of the quest, others are actually enjoying how the Stronghold clear was implemented inside the seasonal quest, pointing out as well that it really only takes about 5 minutes to complete. And if you play <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/druid/builds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Druid</a>, you anyway have to clear that dungeon for your class. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-reddit wp-block-embed-reddit"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" ><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lp910f/comment/n0uf91x/">Comment</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/freefromthetrap47/">u/freefromthetrap47</a> from discussion<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1lp910f/this_seasonal_quest_can_screw_right_off/"></a><br> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/">diablo4</a></blockquote><script async src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Once it is done, you can head into the more exciting parts of Season 9, like <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/nightmare-dungeon-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nightmare Dungeons</a>, <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/helltide-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Helltide</a>, <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/astaroth-boss-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">other challenges</a>, and <a href="https://www.icy-veins.com/d4/guides/how-to-farm-uniques-from-bosses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rewards</a>!</p>



<p>While some might find the questline slow or repetitive, the majority of players agree that it is more of a minor bump than a major problem. The good stuff in Season 9 is still waiting right after, so it&#8217;s worth pushing through.</p>


You Probably Forgot This in Diablo 4 Season 9 — And It’s Costing You

Why Are We Like This?

Some Players Are Deliberately Going Merc-Free

Where Do You Activate Your Pet?

Where Can You Hire a Merc?

Diablo IV News