The latest update for Diablo 4 has gone live, addressing a significant concern among players regarding Season 3—the perceived lack of power in the Seneschal Construct. Season 3, which kicked off on January 23, introduced new endgame content called Vaults and a customizable robotic companion with various abilities and modifiers.
However, players were quick to express dissatisfaction with the Seneschal Construct, stating that it didn’t contribute much to the gameplay and its impact was barely noticeable.
Blizzard responded to player feedback on January 26 by implementing changes that made the construct’s abilities more easily upgradable.
Despite these adjustments, the baseline power of the construct remained unchanged. With the release of the 1.3.1 update, the Seneschal Construct has undergone significant enhancements, aiming to establish itself as a formidable force.
The official patch notes reveal substantial buffs to the companion’s damage-dealing abilities. Gyrate, Pummel, and Impale now deal 30% more damage, while Bushwhack, Focus Fire, and Lightning Bolt have received a 20% increase in damage.
Firefly and Tempest now deal a modest 10% more damage. Beyond damage output, the healing ability, Reconstruct, has seen major improvements, now healing for 32% of maximum life at level 1, up from 22%. At level 10, this increases to 50%, compared to the previous 40%.
Support skill damage has also been raised, with burning, electrocution, bleeding, frigal, poison, and dusk support damage increasing to 60% of the supported skill’s damage, up from 50%.
While the majority of the update focuses on bug fixes related to the current season, there are notable changes to the Vampiric affix—a troublesome enemy modifier in Diablo 4.
The healing capability of monsters with Vampiric has been significantly reduced, dropping from 50% on World Tier 4 to 25%, with further reductions on lower World Tier settings. This adjustment aims to make encounters with elite enemies possessing the Vampiric affix more manageable.
Blizzard also mentions plans for a future update that will introduce a unique visual effect for ranged attacks from Vampiric enemies, aiding players in identifying these adversaries.
Diablo 4 Season 3 is set to continue until April. Additionally, later in the year, the game’s first expansion, “Vessel of Hatred,” will transport players back to an iconic location from Diablo 2 to confront Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred.
