Diablo 4 Introduces Competitive Leaderboards

Leaderboards are making a comeback in the Diablo franchise, and starting today, players can dive into the action. A new update for Diablo 4 is rolling out across all platforms, reintroducing leaderboards alongside the multi-level dungeons known as The Tower. According to Blizzard, both features are currently in beta, with plans for further enhancements in upcoming seasons. The leaderboards will categorize rankings by the seven playable classes: Paladin, Rogue, Druid, Barbarian, Sorcerer, Necromancer, and Spiritborn. Instead of lasting the entire season, leaderboard rankings will reset every two weeks, giving everyone a chance to climb the ranks while Blizzard fine-tunes the system.

The leaderboard scores are directly tied to The Tower, where players’ performances against monsters and bosses will determine their rankings. Seasoned players with optimized character builds will thrive in the chaos, while newcomers will find that The Tower offers increased damage levels when they take down the various pylons scattered throughout. While this may not equate to having maxed-out characters, it ensures that players of all skill levels can hold their own against the relentless waves of enemies.

Looking ahead, Diablo 4’s next expansion, Lord of Hatred, is set to launch on April 28. A prequel novel, Diablo 4: The Lost Horadrim, will be available for preorder starting April 21. Meanwhile, the 2.5.2 build of Diablo 4 is scheduled to go live on January 12 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. Here are the complete patch notes for the 2.5.2 build:

**Diablo 4 2.5.2 Build #70156 Patch Notes**

**General**
– The Tower now unlocks Tiers similarly to the Pit.

**Encounters**
– Monster populations have been balanced for both ranged and melee builds.
– Bosses have been adjusted to eliminate unwanted behaviors like self-healing and invisibility.
– Boss health has been reduced to match that of Pit Bosses.

**Pylons**
– The delay between destroying a Pylon Cage and using a Pylon has been removed.
– Pylon health has been decreased to make them less tanky.
– Pylon spawn order has been tuned for better balance.

**Pylon of Power**
– Damage reduced from 4[x] to 3[x].

**Pylon of Speed**
– Players gain a significant boost in Temporary Attack Speed (+50%).
– Players can knock down enemies they pass through.

**Pylon of Channeling, Shrine of Channeling**
– Resource gain per second has been adjusted to support builds that drain resources without benefiting from Cost Reduction.

**Orbs**
– Orbs now drop immediately upon monster death, without waiting for post-death effects.
– Orbs will appear closer to players if they are nearby; otherwise, they drop at the enemy’s corpse.

**Quality of Life**
– Players will no longer respawn on the previous floor after dying.
– Exit portals now spawn closer to players at the end of a run.

**Game Updates**
– Spinning hazards in certain areas of the Vault of the Crucible dungeon have been removed.
– Locked Capstone Dungeons will now appear on the map with tooltips describing unlock requirements.
– Various updates to The Tower.

**Developer’s Note:** With the Tower’s release in this patch, we’ve implemented numerous changes since the Season 11 PTR, including various Quality of Life improvements and bug fixes. The Tower is launching in beta, so we welcome your feedback!

**Bug Fixes**
– **Paladin:** Fixed issues with Flails not being enchantable or dropping with certain affixes, and various other bugs affecting gameplay and abilities.
– **Spiritborn:** Resolved issues preventing Spiritborn players from using the Armory and reverted unintended balance changes.
– **Gameplay:** Fixed various issues affecting Druid players, Elite Monsters, and mounts.
– **User Interface and Experience:** Addressed issues with item comparisons, health bar displays, and visual effects.

**Miscellaneous**
– Various stability, performance, UI, and visual improvements have been made.