D2R Season 9: Everything You Need to Know
09.12.2024 - 02:15:38
Diablo 2: Resurrected , Game Guides
Diablo II: Resurrected Ladder Season 9 has begun! If you are interested to know what is in store for you in the new season, then you are in the right place! Here is everything you need to know:
What’s New in D2R Patch 2.8?
A new update for Diablo II: Resurrected dropped several days ago, which included only two changes to the game. Despite the rather slim patch notes, the things that Blizzard made in Patch 2.8 are quite substantial, particularly for the long-time fans of the game.
First, let’s talk about the bug fix. According to the company, Patch 2.8 has fixed an annoying bug that occurs when both the player and the monster have the same level of aura. Blizzard did not go into much detail about what this issue is, but do not worry, we are going to explain what happened.
Prior to the release of Patch 2.8, there was an issue with Infinity where you and your mercenary would also suffer from the effects of the runeword’s level 12 Conviction Aura. The problem would typically occur when you join any of the high-level Terror Zones in Diablo II: Resurrected.
For those who don’t know, the level 12 Conviction Aura from Infinity reduces your resistances by 85%, which is quite substantial if you play in Hell Difficulty. Add to that the fact that this Conviction Aura would linger unless you remove the weapon runeword in question and equip it back again.
Thankfully, Blizzard caught on and has fixed this bug with this update, so you no longer have to painstakingly remove and equip Infinity from now on just to resolve it.
Another noteworthy thing that was implemented in Patch 2.8 is a new feature that has been requested for quite some time now. Basically, you can now move your character in Diablo II: Resurrected using the WASD keys on your keyboard!
The reason why this is huge is that kiting monsters or strafing is now much easier to do than ever before! This means that you do not have to rely solely on your mouse to move and use your skills, thus saving you from carpal tunnel or other similar conditions!
It is also important to note that the new movement scheme is actually re-bindable. If you do not like the default WASD, you can bind the movement buttons to other keys, whichever is more convenient for you.
Season 9 Ladder Start
D2R Season 9 has begun! It started on December 6 at 5 PM PST. If you haven’t played a ladder season before, this is basically a “fresh start” for all people who want to play Diablo II: Resurrected.
Having said that, you are probably thinking about what D2R build you should play in Season 9. Fortunately for you, we have some recommendations!
D2R Best Starter Builds
There are four incredible D2R ladder starters in season 9. According to the community, the four best ladder starters are the Bladesin, Singer Barbarian, Bowazon, and the FOH Paladin. Let’s discover why they are amazing, shall we?
The “Bladesin” is just a shorter way of saying the Blade Fury Assassin. This build uses the Blade Fury to cut her foes into pieces with relative ease. She also has Blade Sentinel and Blade Shield to ensure that no monster can escape her grasp.
What makes the Bladesin a great ladder starter in Diablo II: Resurrected is that she can work on a minimal investment. In fact, she can effectively slay enemies just by wearing a couple of set items: Cleglaw’s Tooth and Cleglaw’s Claw.
Of course, you have the option of taking things to another level. Your next upgrade for the Bladesin, assuming that you are going to play this D2R build, is the Plague runeword. After that, the Phoenix is quite an appealing shield for defense and sustain.
The “Singer” Barbarian (aka War Cry Barbarian) is an odd name for a build, but make no mistake, this is actually a very viable D2R ladder starter. This build does not rely on physical combat like bashing skulls or slicing enemies with the ever-popular Whirlwind.
Instead, the Singer Barbarian destroys the minions of Hell by relying solely on War Cry. For the uninitiated, War Cry is a skill that damages and stuns enemies. The question you are probably asking yourself is: “Where does the damage come from?”
For starters, you can equip a couple of Spirit swords for that huge FCR boost. Having a relatively high Faster Cast Rate is crucial for this build because you want to reduce War Cry’s cast time as much as possible.
Ultimately, you will switch from the Spirit runeword to the HOTO or Heart of the Oak. Aside from its 40% FCR, HOTO increases the mana pool of the War Cry Barbarian, giving him enough resources to cast War Cry without fear.
The Bowazon has been a popular Diablo II: Resurrected build for several ladder seasons now and it still is the case in Season 9. She can fire a volley of arrows that deal physical damage with Multiple Shot. With enough investment, she can switch to Freezing Arrow for utility, as well as heavy damage.
Early on, the Bowazon can wield the Witchwild String, which is a pretty inexpensive bow that fires magic arrows. The next viable upgrade for this D2R build is Windforce. This bow is known for its 250% Enhanced Damage, mana steal, and 20% increased attack speed, among others. Windforce also knocks enemies back, giving the Bowazon enough room to comfortably shoot arrows without running away.
And then, there’s the FOH Paladin. FOH stands for Fist of the Heavens and it’s quite a damaging skill under the Paladin’s kit. Begin by investing in two Spirit runewords; one for the weapon and another for the shield. The runes required to create Spirit—Tal, Thul, Ort, and Amn—are relatively affordable even in the early stages of the new ladder season, so acquiring them is not a problem.
If you want to try other weapons, there are some awesome unique items that work really well with the Fist of the Heavens Paladin. For example, the Hand of Blessed Light is best known for improving the damage of Fist of the Heavens, and one way it does this is by increasing the level of the said skill by several points. Besides that, this particular unique weapon increases your damage against the undead by 50%, which is in line with what FOH is known for.
For more D2R ladder tips, be sure to visit our website often because we provide you with some amazing guides to help you with your journey.
In case you want to skip the grind and get your hands on some awesome items right off the bat, then visit our D2R store today.
Having said that, are you going to participate in Diablo II: Resurrected Ladder Season 9? If so, which build are you going to play? Let us know in the comments!