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Patch 6.0.3 Hotfixes - January 7, Blue Posts, Blue Tweets

Patch 2.1.2 Next Tuesday

Great news: we got an estimate launch date for Patch 2.1.2 - they are aiming for a Patch release as early as next Tuesday! Tyvalir made a huge post explaining how this first Season rollover will work, with the Patch being deployed 3 weeks prior to the new season, to avoid some possible technical issues by releasing both in conjunction. That will not be the case for future patches and season rollovers. It was also pointed that they are aiming for a simultaneous patch launch on PC, PS4 and XBox One. Read below.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

As we prepare for patch 2.1.2 and the Season rollover, we wanted to share some important information regarding the timing of these two milestones. 

Patch 2.1.2 And Season 1:
With respect to Seasons, our goal is to avoid implementing major balance changes towards the end of a Season. Ideally, patches and significant hotfixes will occur between Seasons or early enough in the Season that players have ample time to adjust to the new environment. 

However, we discovered some technical risks in executing a simultaneous launch of patch 2.1.2 and the upcoming Season rollover, and it’s clear that trying to do both in tandem or close proximity would jeopardize both processes. This left us with two options:

A) We launch patch 2.1.2 after the Season rollover. In this scenario, Seasonal players wouldn’t have access to any new 2.1.2 items including updated Set items, updated Legendary items, and the new Seasonal items for at least a couple of weeks after the Season went live.

We could launch patch 2.1.2 before the Season rollover. In this scenario, this would impact Seasonal Leaderboard progression.

Not giving Seasonal players access to new items right away in Season 2 would take a lot of the excitement out of the start of that new Season. With this, we believe that by giving players a few weeks to adjust to patch 2.1.2 changes, and by allowing them to test existing changes on the PTR, the impact on the existing Leaderboards can be minimized.

After weighing both options carefully, we have decided to launch patch 2.1.2 three weeks prior to the Season rollover. This should provide players enough time to adjust to the patch changes before the Season ends as well as ensure that Season 1 is not prolonged further for those looking forward to Season 2. 

Future Season Rollovers:
Season 1 has been a great learning experience for us and we aim to provide a smoother transition at the end of Season 2. In fact, our intent for future Seasons is to have the current Season end, the corresponding patch deployed, and then the following Season start—in that order. While we will not be able to do that for this inaugural Season rollover, this will be our plan for all rollovers moving forward.

For more information about the upcoming Season rollover, click here. To get a sneak-peek at upcoming patch 2.1.2 changes,click here. 

Thank you for your patience and support. We hope to see you in Sanctuary and Season 2!

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so, since season 2 will start on 2/3/2015, we should get patch 2.12 three weeks before that, which means next Tuesday?

As mentioned previously, February 3rd is the earliest date that we would be able to begin the Seasonal rollover, which means the patch could fall as early as next Tuesday. It's important to remember, however, that this is just the earliest date it may fall, and that it may change if the need arises.

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Does this schedule align with the console releases? IE, can we expect to get the console patch on the same day as PC? Or will there be a lag?

Our current goal is to release patch 2.1.2 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on the same day. This may change depending on a variety of reasons, but we are indeed hoping to provide a simultaneous launch (or as close to one as possible).

Seasonal Items

Most players already understand how seasonal items work by now, but some might still get confused how their "semi" exclusivity works. Nevalistis made a blue post explaining how these are exclusive only during the Season - hopefully clearing up the doubts on this for good.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

The items that are Season only, will they now be available for drops on non-Season or is it only the Season items that you have currently obtained rolled over but no new ones will drop for non-Season?

Once the season ends, all seasonal items introduced in Season 1 will be added to the loot pool for non-seasonal games. These items will continue to be available in Season 2 as well, as they'll be part of the general loot pool. 

When Season 2 begins, new seasonal legendaries will be available for players participating in the new season. Those items will also roll over to the general loot pool at the end of that season, so on and so forth. 

D3 Chainsaw Carving

Griffon E. Ramsey, a gamer and artist that works with chainsaws, has put together a video talking about her experience with Diablo 3, and showing an amazing carved Diablo head. The message of the video could be summarized, but watching it is simply a much more enjoyable experience. Check it out!