Diablo 4 Could Bring Back Chaos Armor in Future Update

Blizzard has teased the possibility of Chaos Armor coming back in a future Diablo 4 update, albeit in a slightly different fashion than how it was featured in Season 10. Rather than Chaos Armor returning in exactly the same way, it sounds as though Blizzard is going to try to incorporate its “DNA” in future Diablo 4 content.

Chaos Armor was one of the main seasonal mechanics of Diablo 4 Season 10, allowing players to equip most Uniques in different item slots as usual. While Chaos Armor drops were rare, the potential build paths it opened up for players made it well worth grinding for. And because of this new build versatility for Season 10, Chaos Armor became one of the most popular seasonal mechanics Diablo 4 has had in a while. It didn’t take long for Diablo 4 fans to call for Chaos Armor to return in Season 11, but it quickly became clear that this wasn’t going to be the case. The feature was overpowered, sure, but there was no reason why it couldn’t be balanced if it was to become a core feature in the game. Now, a new update from Blizzard has offered Chaos Armor fans some hope for the future.

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Diablo 4 Teases ‘DNA’ of Chaos Armor To Return in the Future

In the reveal of Diablo 4 Season 11, Blizzard developers answered the common fan question head-on: “Is Chaos Armor coming back?” To start, Class Designer Charles Dunn clarified that everyone loved Chaos Armor, from the players to the developers, but any potential return comes with a catch. “We’re definitely committed to taking those learnings and applying them as we make future updates,” Dunn said. “We’re looking at the lessons learned from Chaos Armor and thinking about where is the best way to bring back that buildcrafting, that variety, that chase.”

Ultimately, Dunn and the team remain aware of the problems surrounding just including Diablo 4 Chaos Armor as it is. Game Designer Aislyn Hall followed up on Dunn’s statement, pointing out that “Chaos Armor was definitely designed as a seasonal mechanic first. It was very powerful, and intentionally so, because we knew that it was going to be going away after the season was over. If we just were like, ‘Actually, it’s staying,’ there would be big problems.” Hall continued, “There are definitely a lot of really amazing things about it… We all really love it here. I think you’ll see its DNA in the future.”

So while it sounds as though Chaos Armor may not come back as players recognize it, it’s good that Blizzard is aware and looking for ways to implement “its DNA” in some way permanently. How exactly it does this remains to be seen, although there are some possible solutions. Having more possible slot options for each item is one potential approach – it’s the buildcrafting that people really loved with Diablo 4 Season 10, and this would solve that, although it might run into the same overpowered issues that Chaos Armor has. Blizzard could also change Uniques so that players could move a Unique effect to different slots. Players want creative freedom with their builds, and it’s easy to see how that is sometimes at odds with Blizzard’s desire to keep some semblance of balance in the game.

One thing is for sure: Chaos Armor won’t be present when Diablo 4 Season 11 launches on December 11. Instead, Season 11 will focus on Divine Gifts and Sanctification, with some controversial changes on the way to Tempering and Masterworking, too. Following the success of Season 10, there’s no doubt that Season 11 has a lot to live up to. Players weren’t exactly thrilled with the Season 11 PTR back in October, but let’s see how Blizzard’s latest efforts play out.

Released

June 5, 2023

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact