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Diablo III Patch 1.0.3a – v.1.0.3. 10235

The latest client patch notes can be found here.
Visit our Bug Report forum for a list of known issues.
The most recent hotfixes can be found here.

Classes

• Witch Doctor
• Bug Fixes
• Zombie Charger
• Skill Rune – Zombie Bears
• Fixed a bug where Zombie Bears were unable to attack targets on slopes
• Zombie Bears should no longer become stuck on objects with which they shouldn’t have collision

Items

• General
• Equipped items will now take "wear-and-tear" durability damage at half the previous rate
• Please note that durability loss as the result of normal combat is different from the 10% durability loss characters will incur when they die. Equipped items have always suffered durability loss while fighting, and we are simply slowing the rate at which the loss occurs.

• Bug Fixes
• Fixed a bug that was causing Unique monsters to not drop the appropriate amount of loot when slain
• Fixed a bug with linking items with 3 gem sockets
• It is no longer possible to create fake achievement links

Bug Fixes

• General
• Fixed a bug that was causing the “Switch Hero” button to occasionally disappear after leaving a game while in town
• Fixed several gold and leveling exploits
• Fixed several game and service crashes (for Mac and PC)

Due to the quick turnaround, we were unable to make any adjustments to item drop rates for Hell and Inferno difficulty in 1.0.3a, but we do have some changes planned for 1.0.3b (which isn't far out)

Great, another week of this crap.
For clarity, we're currently looking to patch to 1.0.3b some time this week. That may change depending on testing needs, but it's definitely our goal to get the patch out sooner rather than later.

And locking this thread up. =/
To reiterate the major points:

• Based on your feedback, we elected to make some adjustments to item drop rates for later Hell and Inferno difficulties.
• Those adjustments did not make 1.0.3a, but they are scheduled for 1.0.3b.
• We are hoping to patch 1.0.3b later this week.

We know this is an important change for many players and will provide more updates when they're available. In the meantime, please be sure to keep your posts and replies as civil as possible -- otherwise, threads may be locked. For posting rules and guidelines, check out these resources:

Code of Conduct: http://us.battle.net...mmunity/conduct
Posting Guidelines: http://us.battle.net...ic/2878400673#2

Thank you!

No problem, we hope they're helpful to get out a bit earlier, especially when we know a patch is going to hit. I mean, why not? Of course I can't promise we'll be able to get them out early every time.

Patches have a longer development and testing process than I believe many expect them to. For instance, 1.0.3a was already in development before 1.0.3 was released, and some 'room' on it (which really means time for development, implementation, testing and localization) was left for any extreme bug fixes should they crop up very shortly after 1.0.3's release. It's more efficient to not wait for a patch to launch before starting work on the next one. Changing item drop rates was something that took some time to discuss and decide how we were going to address it, and thus it wasn't something we could make in time for tomorrow's patch.

We know drop rates are one of the main changes you guys are looking for, and we're working to get it into the game as soon as possible. It doesn't mean we chose the changes for 1.0.3a over drop rate changes, it's just a matter of timing and them lining up with the next release.

With all the said "development and testing" that goes into these patches, how did the development team not identify the current loot table/drop rate issues? Doesn't make sense.
The drop rates in 1.0.3 are exactly as they're listed in the 1.0.3 design preview blog, so there were no issues as far as validity/accuracy of the changes. Obviously a reduction in drop rates later on in favor or increased drop rates earlier on (and overall more high end items circulating in the economy) wasn't very popular. We agree it was a bad change, so we'll be correcting it, but it wasn't a quick enough change to get into 1.0.3a.

So what you're saying is the team working on D3 is actually ran in such a way that the same people who are making commits to the code base are also in charge of making core game play decisions too?
No, are you thinking the drop rate changes were a bug?

I'm confused a little by this, is the intention to nerf the drop rates again?
Wha? No. Buff. Also, welcome to being green.

We will be performing scheduled maintenance for Diablo III starting tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. PDT in order to deploy patch 1.0.3a. We anticipate that maintenance will conclude and that all services will be available by approximately 7:00 a.m. PDT. Patch notes are available below.

Important: Please note that you will not be prompted to download patch 1.0.3a until the patch is live in your home region. If you are logging in from a European or Asian client, you will need to wait for this patch to release in that region before it can be installed. Additionally, if your home region is the Americas, you will be unable to log into Europe or Asia using Global Play after patch 1.0.3a is live until those regions have also patched.

For reference, here are the scheduled maintenance times for each region:

The Americas: 5:00 a.m. PDT to 7:00 a.m. PDT
Asia: 1:00 p.m. PDT to 3:00 p.m. PDT
Europe: 8:00 p.m. PDT to 10:00 p.m. PDT

Please note that these times are subject to change. For time zone assistance, please visit: http://everytimezone.com