Goths rejoice: partway through the 'Server Slam' Diablo 4's nerfed Necromancers got a little boost

More than halfway through its "Server Slam" online stress test, Blizzard rolled out a buff for Diablo 4's Necromancer class. According to a post on the official forums from Blizzard community manager PezRadar, the buff "will be addressing some of the feedback we've seen regarding Necromancer pets and their survivability." PezRadar further adds that "This is a backend change so users will not need to download a new update."

Definitely hearing the feedback on the Necro nerfs. I'm feeling 'em too. Remember, balance is journey, not a destination - it takes tweaking to get it right.May 13, 2023

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When I took a gander at the overall response to the Server Slam yesterday, everyone seemed to be having a good time⁠—except the Necros. While there's always complaints or disagreements about any change, Necromancer mains (and even some players of other classes) almost unanimously agreed that the character's signature skeleton minions had all the staying power of wet toilet paper in the latest beta

As reported by Eurogamer, Diablo 4 GM Rod Fergusson tweeted that he was "hearing the feedback on the Necro nerfs," and even that he was "feeling 'em too." Blizzard's official communications haven't specified what granular numerical changes have come to the skellies, just that they'll be a little bit beefier now.

At the time of writing there are still several hours to go on this final beta, but I'm more interested in what this means for Diablo 4 in the future. Necromancers will in all likelihood retain this buff at launch, meaning they'll be a more viable choice next month than they were in the Server Slam, and more interestingly, this is a demonstration of some pretty impressive online infrastructure on Blizzard's part. In most other live service games, a change like this would require a restart and a patch download. This sort of convenient, discreet hotfixing is in line with the beta's impressively queue-free experience this weekend. I'll be curious to see if it translates to a smooth launch (has such a thing ever happened for a live service game?) when Diablo 4 is released on June 6.