Blizzard announced a nerf to the popular Evade Eagle Spiritborn build in Diablo 4 this week. The change comes in response to severe server lag caused by the build’s overwhelming power.
The Evade Spiritborn build dominated the Diablo 4 meta since its introduction in the Vessel of Hatred expansion. Players relied on the Evade ability for massive damage while staying nearly invulnerable.
By spamming Evade, players could effortlessly defeat enemies and achieve extremely fast clear times in high-level content. It was, and likely will continue to be, a solid build – one that we have a guide for – but it was also one we predicted would get nerfed in the near future.
A bug allowed players to cancel Evade animations, leading to even faster casting than intended. As a result, many players, including content creator Rax, experienced lag that made the game “unplayable.”
Just a quick update on some plans. We will have some additional client patches and hotfixes coming out this week. Some possibly as early as this afternoon/evening. These will hit on some crash related items and some of the hot button items from the weekend. We also looked at…
— Adam Fletcher (@PezRadar) October 14, 2024
In a post from community manager Adam Fletcher on X, Blizzard acknowledged these issues, stating, “We looked at the Spiritborn’s Evade animations and identified a bug.”
The developers confirmed that players would no longer be able to chain Evade casts instantly. Instead, the animation would normalize to the standard Evade cast rate in all situations. The change is set for patch 2.0.3, expected later this week.
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Popular content creator Rax expressed his thoughts on the nerf in a video. “This change is impacting everyone’s experience,” he said, highlighting that he experienced lag during gameplay. He noted, “I went to Helltide last night, and there were so many Evade Spiritborns that I couldn’t play.”
While Rax acknowledged that the nerf might reduce damage output, he also emphasized that the Spiritborn class remains incredibly strong compared to others.
Despite the changes, many players felt the need for balance. Rax pointed out that while the Evade Eagle Spiritborn build was powerful, it was not the only viable option.
“The Quill Volley build has a bunch of different ways to make it hit for a trillion damage,” he stated, suggesting that the Spiritborn would still be a top contender. With patch 2.0.3 on the horizon, players will have to adapt.
While the nerf may lessen the Evade Eagle Spiritborn build’s dominance, it still remains one of the top builds in Diablo 4. As players adjust, they will find new ways to tackle challenges and enjoy the game.