Diablo 4 nerfs overpowered Season 3 boss capable of one-shotting players

diablo 4 son of MalphasBlizzard Entertainment

The Son of Malphas boss in Diablo 4 Season 3 dealt an overpowering amount of damage out of the gate; a new hotfix includes a nerf that better balances the fight.

The recent rollout of Season 3 added a new boss to the land of Sanctuary – Son of Malphas. As with any boss in Diablo 4, this particular enemy is nothing if not a formidable foe, even for the most skilled of players.

However, users weren’t entering Son of Malphas’ domain with a fair shot. People quickly realized that the character is incredibly overpowered, to a degree that allows him to one-shot his adversaries in a matter of seconds.

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One person in a recent Blizzard Forums post described the battle as follows: “Son of Malphas hits like a truck and has enough HP on World Tier 2 to be considered a boss on World Tier 4.” It didn’t take long for Blizzard to address the feedback.

Diablo 4 hotfix nerfs Son of Malphas boss

On January 25, Blizzard deployed Hotfix 2 for Update 1.3.0. The new patch tackles lingering issues impacting the previously fixed Drums of Vault quest. Interestingly, it also addresses damage complaints regarding the Son of Malphas.

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According to the release notes, players can expect the monster to deal reduced damage in its open-world form. This suggests Son of Malphas’ World Boss version will still pack quite the punch.

diablo 4 son of MalphasSeason 3 arrived on Tuesday, January 23

The full patch notes feature below:

BUG FIXES

  • Addressed additional issues with the progression blocker on the quest ‘Drums of the Vault’
  • Fixed an issue with Enhanced Lightning Storm passive not preserving stacks correctly.
  • Reduced the damage dealt by the open-world version of the monster, Son of Malphas.
  • Stability and performance updates.

Following the release of Hotfix 1 on January 24, Community Manager Adam Fletcher said the studio plans to address feedback about Season 3.

Thus far, the reception online seems rather mixed, with some Diablo 4 players labeling the new season a step down from the much-liked Season 2 update.

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