Diablo 4 Update 1.0.3 patch notes: Increased XP rewards, Class buffs and more

Diablo 4 has received its first major update since its launch earlier this month. As previously detailed by Blizzard in the developer livestream, update 1.0.3, which is now available on all platforms, aims to provide quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes, and balance adjustments/buffs for the five playable classes.

Full patch notes for Diablo 4 update 1.0.3 can be found here but below are some of the major highlights. So let’s get right into it!

Increased Experience Rewards

One of the most welcomed changes in this patch is the update to Nightmare Dungeon XP. As promised in the livestream, Blizzard has “significantly increased” the experience awarded for completing Nightmare Dungeons as well as the experience gained from killing monsters in these Nightmare Dungeons.

Additionally, Helltide chests now also provide a “substantially more” bonus experience when opened. The update also increases the rewarded experience from completing individual Whispers.

One of the main points of contention with Diablo 4 since its launch has been the rate at which players earn experience. There have been complaints that grinding for XP is tedious. By increasing the experience rewards in some of these activities, it gives incentive to take on these harder challenges.

Better Loot Quality

Blizzard previously mentioned plans to increase the monster and elite density of end-game content. While that didn’t make it into this update, they do plan to implement these changes early in Season 1. In the meantime, Helltide Roaming bosses should now consistently drop high quality loot. Additionally, weekly bonus caches from world bosses no longer have a level requirement to open them. A bit of quality of life improvement, players can now teleport to their Nightmare Dungeon directly through the map.

Class Balancing and Buffs

Blizzard is hoping to make all Class builds viable. It’s important that they aren’t only powerful, but fun to play as well. While we’ll always have tiers that rank the different builds, they should all be somewhat viable.

In this update, Blizzard focused on the feedback that “Basic Skills aren’t impactful enough in combat.”

"These changes will not change the fundamental relationship between Basic Skills and Core Skills, but we hope that they help smooth out the leveling experience while we explore additional ways to strengthen them. We are also increasing the power of some Skills that players feel are lagging behind their peers."

With that in mind, each class in Diablo 4 got a pretty significant buff across the board. Some more than others, but each class should feel generally stronger, at least early on in the game.

Again, full patch notes for Diablo 4 update 1.0.3 can be found here. The update is now live on PC, Xbox and PlayStation.