Diablo 4’s build-defining Unique items are about to become potentially even more game-changing with the arrival of Lord of Hatred.
As detailed in a blog post outlining all the new features and changes coming to Diablo 4 as part of its 3.0 Lord of Hatred update, Uniques are receiving a big makeover. While the affixes and power of these items have up to this point been mostly set in stone, come the 3.0 update, Uniques will have fewer fixed affixes. That means more variance, with potential for Uniques with more potent affixes than they previously possessed.
Adding to these new options for Uniques is the fact they can now be Tempered. In Diablo 4, Tempering allows a player to add specific affixes to an item to further customize it as they see fit. Being able to do this to Uniques is game-changing, as now players can fine-tune Uniques into far more powerful versions than before and better tailor Uniques towards specific builds.
The icing on top is that Blizzard revealed it also “tightened the scale” of Unique powers to make them “more consistently powerful.” While technically Uniques could roll with less favorable affixes than before, when taken all together, it sounds like Uniques will have the potential to be far more powerful, and also far more customizable, allowing for an even greater variety of builds and options. Even Mythic Uniques, the rarest and most powerful items in the game, can be Tempered.
It also gives players more goals to pursue. Rather than simply finding a max-level Unique and being done forever as is currently the case, players in Lord of Hatred will want to keep an eye out for repeat Uniques with better affixes that could be potential upgrades. Adding another layer of RNG to a part of the game that previously had little could potentially become a point of frustration, so we’ll have to wait and see how it shakes out in Diablo 4’s new endgame to see if the chase for better Uniques ends up feeling more like a chore than a fun long-term goal.
Those issues, however, might be a problem Lord of Hatred’s addition of the Horadric Cube could solve. Blizzard has confirmed the cube will be able to add, remove, and reroll affixes, as well as reroll items in their entirety. With those kinds of tools, crafting the perfect Unique may be easier than it initially sounds.
Diablo 4’s reworked Uniques are just one of the big ways Blizzard’s ARPG is changing with Lord of Hatred. Its endgame is transforming with the addition of War Plans, allowing players to essentially build a playlist of activities to pursue. Difficulty is also being overhauled, with 12 Torment levels to grind through. It’s even bringing back a classic feature from Diablo 2, the map overlay, as well as a customizable loot filter. And that’s in addition to majorly reworked skill trees for each class and two new playable classes, the Warlock and Paladin.
Blizzard recently announced the exact launch times for Lord of Hatred and when pre-downloads for the expansion and its 3.0 update will go live. Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred launches on April 28 (or April 27 in North America). In GameSpot’s Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred review-in-progress, writer Jessica Cogswell called the expansion a “must play” and one that amplifies all of Diablo 4’s best qualities.
