With significant nerfs to Hammer of the Ancients, Cooldown Reduction, Critical Strike, and Vulnerable Damage, plenty of Barbarian endgame builds have been obliterated as far as the Eternal Realm is concerned. Though it remains to be seen if Malignant Hearts will mend the new weaknesses of Diablo 4 Items the Barbarian class, this is no doubt a huge blow to Diablo 4 players who were hoping to main the most iconic class of the franchise.

All five classes appear to be victims of the new patch notes, as the problems that players have with Diablo 4's itemization are only going to be further amplified due to the drastic reductions in the benefits they provide. In addition to effectively halving the value of the three most important stats in Diablo 4, the new update introduces Barrier Generation, Lucky Hit Chance While You Have Barrier, and Mastery Skill Damage for all classes. As a result, many Diablo 4 players have pointed out that it will only get harder to obtain viable gear.

The open world is also receiving nerfs across the board, as power leveling in Diablo 4 has been removed from the game. In Season of the Malignant, if a friend takes a fresh Level 1 player to World Tier 4, and sits them at the entrance of a Level 100 dungeon, they will only receive Level 11 monster experience as opposed to Level 100 monster experience. Furthermore, in higher World Tiers, monsters will start to trail players in terms of level, making the leveling process significantly slower.

Following the recent buffs that were widely praised by the community, Helltide rewards in Diablo 4 were nerfed in the new update, as the cost of the Tortured Gift of Mysteries has been increased from 175 to 250. The current atmosphere among fans seems to be that of confusion and shock. It remains to be seen how the game will play with the new mechanics coming in Season of the Malignant, but the patch notes have certainly left players in a forlorn state.

Diablo 4 offers players a compelling story as they venture through the demon-filled land of Sanctuary on a quest to stop Lilith's rise to power. Over the course of the story, players will have to take down a number of bosses in order to progress, but like most entries in the series, some of these fights are more memorable than others. The boss fights in Diablo 4 span a range of highs and lows with some demonstrating interesting boss mechanics and punishing difficulty, and others feeling like wasted potential or filler bosses.

Although the story of Diablo 4 focuses on the main antagonist Lilith, players encounter returning enemies from past entries as well. Additionally, there are a myriad of other optional bosses located within dungeons and strongholds, and even world bosses for Diablo 4 players to tackle that won't be considered here. These main story bosses will be judged based on their uniqueness, memorability, and how difficult they are to beat.

Diablo 4's Meta Builds Explained

S-Tier Astaroth

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By far the best boss fight in Diablo 4 is against the Guardian of the Cathedral of Hatred, Astaroth, whom players will face as the boss of Diablo 4's second Act in the region of Scosglen. After Lilith frees the lieutenant of Mephisto from his prison in the Soulstone, Astaroth seeks his revenge on the Horadrim who imprisoned him and sets his sights on terrorizing Donan and the inhabitants of Scosglen. Astaroth represents the pinnacle of boss design in Diablo 4, boasting a unique and tricky fight that also serves as an important force for character growth in the game's story.

The fight against Astaroth is unique in that he will frequently move locations after the player deals enough damage to his health bar. The arena of the burning Scosglen village of Cerrigar, the citizens attempting to flee him, and his Cerberus-like mount all add to the tense atmosphere of this fight. What elevates this boss even further is the heartbreaking death of Donan's son Yorin whom Lilith uses as a vessel to host Astaroth's soul, leading to cheap D4 Gold one of the most memorable scenes in the game.