The Diablo 4 Season 9 PTR is live, and the hunt for viable builds and meaningful new content is on. After diving into the fray, two things became immediately clear: the reworked Frenzy Barbarian feels surprisingly potent, but the much-anticipated Nightmare Dungeon Escalation system currently lacks the punch and progression it desperately needs.
The Frenzy Barbarian: Cleaving Through Expectations
Driven by a desire to test the buffed Basic Skills firsthand, a Frenzy-focused Barbarian build was thrown together. The results? Frankly, impressive.
Solving the AOE Problem: Historically, Frenzy's fatal flaw was its single-target focus, making it cumbersome for clearing dense dungeons. The introduction of the Cleave Aspect (or similar mechanics enabling Frenzy to hit multiple targets) appears to be a game-changer. "Frenzy has always been extremely strong. The only problem with zero AOE, and I think that problem is solved… This is looking pretty good… Frenzy was already strong and this cleave aspect is wicked."
Smooth and Powerful Gameplay: The build cut through regular mobs "like butter," demonstrating strong clear speed. Boss encounters, while not instant melts, felt manageable and effective, especially when utilizing cooldowns like Wrath of the Berserker strategically ("save our Wrath of the Berserker for our ugly bastard helm").
Work in Progress: This was an initial, untested setup ("I haven't even tested it yet… This is probably not the best way to play frenzy"). Issues like Wrath of the Berserker cooldown management were noted, indicating room for optimization. Despite this, the core feeling was overwhelmingly positive: "Frenzy feels so far the best I've tried… Overall, the Frenzy Barb that we have going on right now… Kill[s] everything up like butter… I like it."
The verdict? Frenzy Barbarian, empowered by its new cleaving capability, is shaping up to be a highly viable and fun playstyle in Season 9, solving its historical weakness and offering satisfying, fast-paced combat.
Nightmare Dungeon Escalation: Where's the Escalation?
The new system chains together three Nightmare Dungeons capped off with a boss fight. Unfortunately, the initial PTR experience felt less like an exciting escalation and more like a slightly repackaged grind.
Lack of Perceived Difficulty Ramp: Running the three dungeons back-to-back didn't create a tangible sense of increasing challenge. "It didn't seem like it did… I literally felt like I was throwing three nightmare dungeons and then a boss at the end." The mechanics and monster density felt consistent with standard Torment IV Nightmare Dungeons, quickly outscaled by a decently geared character.
Strong Rooms: Ambiguous and Underwhelming: The "Strong Rooms" encountered mid-run offered choices but lacked clarity and impact. "It didn't say we were [getting a strong room]. It just happened." Completing objectives within them felt confusing ("I'm actually not sure. Something seems to be killing me… I think we're done this one… it doesn't say when you're finished") and the rewards were minimal ("one ancestral and not much else… ruby fragments, seasonal currency… This still feels like a mechanic that feels kind of bad… honestly, they kind of feel like a skip").
Boss Fight: Decent Challenge, Lackluster Loot: The final boss (e.g., Astaroth) provided a moment requiring some movement and attention ("He's going to take a couple seconds to kill… Oh, that that hurts"). However, the rewards felt insufficient for the time investment: "We didn't get any obdeight for this fight. We got some gold, which was nice. We got a couple ancestral items, which was great, but it doesn't really feel that good… 15 million gold, an infernal horde compass, a regular nightmare dungeon, regular nightmare dungeon, and four items that were ancestral."
The Glaring PTR Issue: Broken Artifacts: A significant part of the new content within these dungeons – the Artifacts – were non-functional on the PTR. "These artifact things are actually busted. They don't do anything… It would have been nice to see what those do… I think that was a missed opportunity." This hinders proper testing and feedback on a core seasonal mechanic.
The Lone Bright Spot: Treasure Goblin Bonanza! The only moment of genuine excitement came from a specific dungeon modifier flooding the instance with Treasure Goblins. "This run is literally filled with treasure goblins… That is the best part of this so far… They're dropping a lot of uniques and a lot of ancestral items… That is cool. That is the best part of this so far… Knowing that you can get lucky and get one with treasure goblins is amazing. That makes this fun." This highlights how rewarding, surprising events can elevate the experience, but relying solely on RNG for fun isn't a sustainable system.
Early Verdict: Potential Needs Polish
The Frenzy Barbarian experience is a resounding success story for Season 9 so far, demonstrating the positive impact of the Basic Skill rework. However, the Nightmare Dungeon Escalation system, a cornerstone of the season's new content, falls flat in its current PTR state.
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It lacks a clear sense of progression or escalating difficulty.
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The Strong Rooms are confusing and unrewarding.
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The final boss loot feels underwhelming.
Core mechanics (Artifacts) are broken, preventing full testing.
The structure feels like simply chaining existing content rather than offering a truly new experience.
The Treasure Goblin event proves that excitement is possible, but it's an exception. For Escalation to feel worthwhile and not "just thrown together," significant work is needed before Season 9 launch: fix the Artifacts, significantly boost rewards (especially for the final boss and Strong Rooms), enhance the difficulty curve, and improve the clarity and engagement of the Strong Room mechanics. Otherwise, this much-hyped system risks becoming another activity players feel compelled to skip. "Overall, season 9 needs some work. Essing dungeons need work. Strong rooms also need work." The potential is there, but the PTR reveals a system currently running on fumes, saved only by the glee of murdering hordes of Treasure Goblins.
