Diablo 2 Resurrected Patch 2.4: New Runewords Buffs Jhcxqm

Explore the Diablo II: Resurrected Patch 2.4 changes, including new Ladder Mode, class skill rebalances, item tooltip updates, Uber Diablo events, and mercenary enhancements.

The long-awaited Ladder Mode for Diablo 2 Resurrected arrived on April 28th, 2022, with Patch 2.4. In Ladder Mode, players race to be the first to hit level 99, with top players ranked by character level. Ladders are segregated into Class/Expansion and Hardcore/Softcore categories.

Numerous classes had their skills rebalanced, mostly with lateral changes or buffs, and very few nerfs. This patch aimed to improve neglected skills without breaking popular builds. Universal improvements include segregating cooldown timers between skills, allowing for more synergy between abilities like Meteor and Frozen Orb.

Item tooltip changes clarify that properties like Open Wounds, Damage Taken Goes to Mana, Crushing Blow, Fire/Cold/Lightning/Magic Absorb, and Deadly Strike are cumulative. The "Piercing Attack" on items like Buriza-Do Kyanon and Razortail now has proper piercing percentages.

Uber Diablo is still summoned by selling Stones of Jordan to merchants. He now spawns for everyone in the region when enough rings are sold, rather than only for those on the same server instance. Progress towards spawning Uber Diablo is segregated by game mode (Ladder, Classic, Hardcore, etc.).

Changes were made to other Act Mercenaries to give them parity with the Act 2 Mercenary:

• Rogue Archer (Act 1 Mercenary): Receives significant bonuses, now functions similarly to an Amazon in gear selection. Can equip Amazon Bows and benefit from +Amazon Skills gear. Cold Arrow Mercenaries can use Freezing Arrow, and Fire Arrow Mercenaries can use Explosion Arrow. Stat and skill gains are now consistent across difficulties.
• Desert Mercenary (Act 2 Mercenary): Minor changes, making it easier to hire the desired aura. Nightmare and Hell difficulties now offer all 6 aura types from the Hire menu. Thorns aura level scaling has been increased.
• Iron Wolf (Act 3 Mercenary): Receives buffs to survivability and spellcasting. Life, defense, and resistances are increased. Cold Mercenaries cast Glacial Spike more often and use Frozen Armor. Fire Mercenaries no longer use Inferno, gaining Fire Bolt and an increased chance of using Fire Ball, and can cast Enchant. Lightning Mercenaries can use Static Field, have increased Charged Bolt level scaling, and more frequently use Lightning Bolt. Stat and skill gains are now consistent across difficulties.
• Barbarian (Act 5 Mercenary): Properly gains +skill bonuses from gear with +Barbarian Skills. Becomes more durable. Dual-wielding variants are now available.