Season 27 Compendium for Diablo 3 (2024)

Last updated on Aug 26, 2022 at 10:00by Deadset

Season 27 introduces a new type of consumable item called AngelicCrucibles. Once uncovered by Nephalem, these heavenly artifacts can beused to Sanctify any equippable Legendary item.

Patch 2.7.4 for Diablo 3 entered PTR testing phase on Tuesday, July 12thand lasted over the course of 4 weeks, showcasing all the new changes toDiablo 3. This content hub article will guide you through the most importantchanges in the patch and will show you the best, strongest builds to take intothe new Season 27.

Diablo 3's Season 26 ended on August 21th 2022 at 5pm PDT (NAservers), 5pm CEST (EU servers), and 5pm KST (Asian servers).

Patch 2.7.4 will be applied to on Non-Seasonal servers on August 23rd, andSeason 27 will start on August 26th 2022 at 5pm PDT (NA servers), 5pmCEST (EU servers), and 5pm KST (Asian servers).

The Public Test Realm runs for a period of two weeks (extended to 4 forSeason 27 specifically!), with periods of scheduled maintenance and possiblehotfixes, minor patches, and server outages. Should you decide to participatein the PTR, you can expect the following alterations to the normal state ofthe game:

• There will be PTR-specific buffs that will assist with accelerated testingof changes. Legendary drop rate is increased, Experience gain is boosted, andBlood Shards (currency used for gambling) are doubled. Additionally, there is aPTR-only vendor, Djank Mi'em, who will exchange Blood Shards for class-specificbags full of Legendary items, greatly increasing the pace at which you acquireany and all items you may need for testing.
• There will be a test run of the new Season 27 theme, along with all of itsseason-specific items and gameplay alterations.

Season 27 introduces a new type of consumable item called AngelicCrucibles. Beyond the quick overview below, we also have a massive AngelicCrucible Effects and Mechanics article, where we go in-depth over the effectsof this seasonal addition. If you are interested in the particulars of thesebonuses and how they can affect your build, delve right in!

Once uncovered by the player, Angelic Crucibles can be used to Sanctify anyequippable Legendary item. Sanctifying an item reforges it to have perfectAncient-level stats on all affixes while also preserving the item's LegendaryPower. In addition, this process adds one of three new powers unique toeach class.

As season-specific consumable items, Angelic Crucibles share the followingtraits:

• Angelic Crucibles and Sanctified Items can only be acquired in Seasonalplay and will not transfer to your non-Seasonal character when Season 27ends.
• Angelic Crucibles can drop anywhere in Sanctuary at level 70.
• Players can obtain as many Sanctified items as they would like, however,only one Sanctified item can be equipped at a time.
• Sanctified items can be Sanctified again using another AngelicCrucible.
• No stats are preserved when Sanctifying an item.
• Only level 70 equippable items can be Sanctified—crafted items cannot beSanctified.
• Followers cannot equip Sanctified items.

The following is an overview and commentary of the new class-specificSanctified Powers, on a class-by-class basis:

Barbarians have a reasonably useful of array of Sanctification outcomes,making them one of the "winners" of this Seasonal power. The WhirlwindSanctification is by far the strongest outcome for Barbarians, and will betaken almost universally for high-end GR-pushing builds. The ability tocontinuously drag monsters from pull to pull will amplify the benefits of yourArea Damage stats on gear, resulting in a boatload of extra damage for noadditional effort. On top of that, dragging monsters cannot be understated asa source of indirect survivability; every second wasted by the monster in itsdisplacement state is a second not spent damaging you, effectively turning itinto hard Crowd Control. The Hammer of the Ancients power is reasonablystrong, as the omni-directional hits allow you to cover much larger groundthan expected for HotA. This power is very build-specific however, locking itinto the HotA-centric playstyles and making it unusable anywhere else. Wrath of the Berserker's Sanctification is the least flavorful of thethree Barbarian powers. While Wrath of the Berserker is an omnipresentself-buff in endgame Barbarian builds, the extra damage multiplier is dwarfedby the ability to pixel-stack monsters with a Whirlwind pull.Nevertheless, a WotB damage bonus is almost never going to waste, and is muchmore build- and content-agnostic compared to the Whirlwind and HotASanctifications.

• Whirlwind pulls in and holds all enemies within 25 yards.
• Hammer of the Ancients hits in all directions around the Barbarian.Every tenth cast of Hammer of the Ancients unleashes a powerfulshockwave.
• Hitting enemies generates stacks of Tempest Rhythm. Activating Wrath of the Berserker consumes 50 stacks of Tempest Rhythm andstartles enemies within 16 yards, causing them to take 2% increased damage perstack for 20 seconds. Max 50 stacks.

Crusader sanctifications ended up somewhat underwhelming, and many of theclass' builds don't have a proper way to utilize them — especially forhigh-end Greater Rift progression. The Blessed Hammer Sanctificationproduces a "crackling energy" addition to the Blessed Hammer effect;this adds considerable damage to the Seeker of the Light set-based "Hammerdin"build, but does not remedy the set's mechanical clunkiness. The Seeker of theLight set needs a rework that no amount of straight numerical buffs canremedy. The Fist of the Heavens Sanctification produces a fun andevocative visual, and with the Steed Charge-based addition it got inthe last PTR patch, it ended up being a fresh take on the classic Bombardment-based speed farming builds. You will not see it muchoutside of speed farming, but it is undeniably effective at what it does. TheAngelic summons provided by the Falling Sword Sanctification are quitepowerful and capable aides, and you can expect most Crusader players to adapt Falling Sword in their builds for Greater Rift solopushing.

• Blessed Hammer now crackles with energy damaging enemies within 15yards of its path. All runes but Dominion now throw the hammer in adirect path in front of the Crusader.
• Every two seconds, call down Fist of the Heavens on a random nearbyenemy. After casting Steed Charge, this effect occurs more rapidly forfive seconds.
• After casting Falling Sword, you descend from the sky with twoArchangels that can cast Consecration and Condemn.

The Sanctifications available to Demon Hunters have decent potential, andmost of their bugs were fixed by the end of the PTR. The StrafeSanctification is by far the most fun of the bunch, and produces severalviable Strafe alterations to popular builds — most notably, theImpale and Multishot playstyles. The rocket barrage of the VengeanceSanctification deals significant amounts of damage and contribute massively toGreater Rift progression clears, especially on the Rift Guardianfight (despite the reduced effectiveness, as per the tooltip). This power isuseful to Demon Hunters both in solo DPS builds and group Supportbuilds, adding a Rift Guardian Killer aspect to an unlikely candidate.Similarly to the Hammer of the Ancients Sanctification, the Cluster Arrow Sanctification is locked onto its namesake build, andwill not show up anywhere else — but enhances its dedicated spec greatly.

• Strafe now casts the last non-channeled Hatred spending abilitycasted.
• Casting Vengeance unleashes a barrage of rockets that deal damageequal to a percentage of the maximum life enemies possess. The number ofrockets fired increases over 30 seconds. Elites and Bosses receive less damageper rocket.
• Firing Cluster Arrow no longer drops explosive ordinance. Instead,it concentrates its explosive force into piercing rays of light.

Monks have an outstandingly powerful sanctification for Wave of Light, and a moderately powerful effect for Seven-Sided Strike Uliana Monks. Sadly, the "pure punching" GeneratorMonk fantasy is left by the wayside again. The Wave of LightSanctification is by far the strongest power available to Monks, andpotentially the strongest Sanctification overall. The additional bellssummoned by this power multiply the already vast damage potential of Wave of Light, resulting in massive waves of AoE destruction that clearentire screenfuls of enemies. The same cannot be said about the Way of the Hundred Fists Sanctification. The unconditional nature of thispower allows you to make use of it practically every engagement, but that isabout all of its upsides. Unfortunately, this power simply does not do all thatmuch to overcome the underwhelming Raiment of a Thousand Fists set — anecessary inclusion for a generator-oriented Monk. Unless the set itself isupdated, this power will linger in obscurity. The Seven-Sided StrikeSanctification is, of course, a targeted buff for the Uliana set-based Monk,contributing significantly to its single-target damage potential. TheSanctification is especially noticeable against Rift Guardians and high-healthyellow Elites.

• Casting Wave of Light now summons a bell at the target location thatdeals damage when the caster attacks the bell. Up to five bells can be activeat one time.
• All Way of the Hundred Fists combo punches use the second stage combopunch. Consecutive hits from Way of the Hundred Fists increases its damage by2%. Max 350 stacks.
• The target of your Seven-Sided Strike is barraged with spiritualpunches for 15 seconds. This can only affect one enemy at a time.

Necromancers have some of the most flavorful sanctifications of the bunch,with each enhancement providing a distinct and instantly recognizable effect.While functional, the esoteric Command Golem Sanctification is hard toplace within the Necromancer arsenal. Corpse consumption-based builds churn alot more than 30 corpses during their burst cycles, greatly reducing theimpact of the Golem storage. The Army of the Dead Sanctification iseasily the highlight of Necromancers, producing a powerful and visuallyevocative effect that tramples enemies in Greater Rifts with ease.This power is excellent in both progression and speed farming, and is just funto use all around. Following a theme present in all the classes, the Death Nova Sanctification is a targeted buff to its own brand ofbuilds, and will not show up anywhere else.

• Your Command Golem now picks up corpses within 20 yards. Eachcorpse it stores allows you to cast any corpse spending ability with the maxnumber of corpses consumed per cast. Up to 30 corpses can be stored.
• Enemies within 50 yards are constantly assaulted by the Army of the Dead Unconventional Warfare while this item is equipped.
• Hitting enemies with Death Nova five consecutive times adds aspirit that afflicts an enemy every fifth cast of Death Nova. Up tothree spirits can be sent at a time.

Initially underwhelming in the PTR, Witch Doctor Sanctifications foundredemption in the massive buffs received over the patch's testing cycle. The Haunt Sanctification is easily the highlight of the class, producing asignature Bogadile summon at the end of its chain of interactions— a summon that hilariously one-shots everything in its path. This poweralone puts the Witch Doctor back on the radar for some of the strongest damageoutput in Season 27. Much more tame and subdued, the HorrifySanctification produces an aura-like effect and hefty damage buff for Horrify, making it an easy inclusion in builds that cannot find synergywith the other two Sanctifications. Lastly, the summon-oriented Gargantuan Sanctification provides a decent damage boost topet-oriented Witch Doctors, but is pulled back by the lacking state ofsummoner sets. While not at fault, this Sanctification might not see a lot ofplay in S27.

• Enemies affected by Locust Swarm are also Haunted. When youcast Piranhas, all Haunted enemies within 60 yards are pulledinto the pool. A lesser enemy stunned by Bogadile is instantly killed.Elites and Bosses stunned by Bogadile take massive damage.
• Horrify becomes an aura that causes enemies to receive 100% moredamage and deal 15% less damage in addition to its other effects.
• You summon two Gargantuans and three Summon Zombie Dogsperiodically. Gargantuans gain the effect of the Restless Giantrune. Summon Zombie Dogs gain the effect of all runes. Enemies hit by Sacrifice are Immolated, causing them to take 100% more damage fromyour Pets.

Exploitative issues aside, Wizard Sanctifications were among the strongestof the bunch throughout the PTR, both thematically and mechanically. The Storm Armor Sanctification was, quite expectedly, fixed into anon-exploitable state, and is one of the easiest inclusions across Wizardbuilds — considering the nearly omnipresent Halo of Karini. The Arcane Orb Sanctification feels almost as a targeted buff for DMO-usingbuilds; when used in conjunction with the newly reworked Delsere's Magnum Opuss*t, it results in some fairly impressive Arcane Orb-based GR pushes.The most extravagant of the new Wizard powers however is, without a doubt, the Magic Missile Sanctification. While it will remain tied to Firebirdbuilds for GR pushing (and LoD for speed farming), the sheer spectacle of thedozen projectiles — spewing off in every direction and covering thescreen in flames — simply cannot be denied. I hope Wizards get to keepthis power in some form in the future.

• Your Storm Armor charges over 30 seconds. Casting Storm Armor at full charge releases a powerful thunderbolt, instantlykilling a random enemy within 30 yards. Bosses and Elites are not killed buttake significant damage.
• Arcane Orb now periodically spawns up to four orbiting charges thatwill generate an additional orb when cast. All charges from the Arcane Orbit rune now detonate at the same time.
• Magic Missile fires 10 missiles and gains the effect of the Seeker rune.

• Adventure Mode is now unlocked for all accounts by default. Playersare no longer required to complete the Campaign to access Adventure mode.
• Default difficulty selection has been updated to be consistent for allplayers and platforms.
• All players now have access to Normal-Torment 6 difficulties by default,and upon reaching level 70 with a character, players gain access to Torment7–Torment 16.
• Uber Boss Realms now automatically close 60 seconds after the Uber Bosseshave been defeated. Additional portals to the same Uber Boss Realm can now beopened in a single game session.
• The Experience rewarded upon completion of an Echoing Nightmare has beenreduced by 83%.

Patch 2.7.4 made a bunch of changes to class sets and legendary items, mostnotably reworking the Tal Rasha set for Wizards, the Armor of Akkhan forCrusaders, and Trag'Oul's Avatar for Necromancers.

• Guardian's Jeopardy (2-piece bonus): Your melee damage reduction isincreased by 1% per 1000 base Vitality from equipped items. Your missiledamage reduction is increased by 1% per 1000 base Strength, Dexterity, orIntelligence from equipped items depending on your class.
• Guardian's Jeopardy (3-piece bonus): You gain an additional 100% ofyour base Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Vitality attributes fromequipped items.

• Armor of Akkhan (2-piece bonus): Judgment has no cooldownand gains the effect of every rune.
• Armor of Akkhan (4-piece bonus): Attacks from PhalanxAvatars reduce the cooldown of Akarat's Champion by 0.5 seconds, andalso apply Condemn when attacking enemies that are affected by Judgment.
• Eternal Union: Increases the duration of summoned Phalanx Bowmen and Bodyguard indefinitely.

• Trag'Oul's Avatar (2-piece bonus): Blood Rush and Siphon Blood gains the effect of every rune. Your Life-spendingabilities no longer cost Essence.
• Trag'Oul's Avatar (4-piece bonus): While at full Life, your healingfrom skills is added to your maximum Life for 45 seconds, up to 300% more.
• Trag'Oul's Avatar (6-piece bonus): Your Life-spending abilitiesdeal 10,000% increased damage and your healing from skills is increased by100%.
• Iron Rose: Attacking with Siphon Blood has a 100% chance tocast a free Blood Nova. After cumulatively losing 10% of your maximumLife, your Death Nova deals 40% increased damage for 60 seconds. Thiseffect stacks up to 10 times.
• Bloodtide Blade: Death Nova deals 300-400% increased damagefor every enemy within 25 yards, up to 25 enemies.
• Funerary Pick: Siphon Blood drains blood from 2 additionaltargets. Each target takes 250-300% increased damage from you unless there isonly 1 target, then it gains double the increased damage. The bonus from Siphon Blood Power Shift is now 20% per stack and benefits all skills.

• Delsere's Magnum Opus (2-piece bonus): Casting Arcane Orb, Energy Twister, Magic Missile, Shock Pulse, Spectral Blade, Electrocute, or Arcane Torrent alsocasts Slow Time at them. This effect will not trigger if the target isalready inside a Slow Time bubble. The cooldown of Teleport will reset while you are inside bubbles generated fromthis set or cast by you.
• Delsere's Magnum Opus (4-piece bonus): You take 75% reduced damagewhile you have a Slow Time active. Allies inside your Slow Timegain half benefit.
• Delsere's Magnum Opus (6-piece bonus): Enemies affected by your Slow Time and for 5 seconds after exiting take 12,500% increased damagefrom your Arcane Orb, Energy Twister, Magic Missile, Shock Pulse, Spectral Blade, Electrocute, or Arcane Torrent abilities.
• Crown of the Primus: Slow Time gains the effect of every rune except Point of No Return and permanently follows you.
• Tal Rasha's Elements (2-piece bonus): Damaging enemies with Arcane,Cold, Fire, or Lightning will grant immunity to that element and cause a Meteor of the same damage type to fall from the sky. The same meteorcannot happen twice in a row.
• Tal Rasha's Elements (4-piece bonus): Arcane, Cold, Fire, andLightning attacks each increase all of your resistances by 50% for 8seconds.
• The Smoldering Core: Lesser enemies are now lured to your Meteor impact areas. Meteors deals 40-50% increased damage onconsecutive hits to the same target. This stacks up to 10 times.
• Mirrorball: Magic Missile fires 2 extra missiles and deals400-500% increased damage.
• Mempo of Twilight: Meteor Shower rune is now applied to allcasted Meteors and deals 300–400% increased damage.

• Inna's Mantra (6-piece bonus): Gain the passive abilities of thefive runed Mystic Allies at all times. Attacking enemies creates your chosen Mystic Ally that lasts 15 seconds, up to 10 Mystic Allies. The damageof your Mystic Allies is increased by 900% for each Mystic Ally youhave out.
• Bindings of the Lesser Gods: Enemies hit by your Cyclone Striketake 150-200% increased damage from your Mystic Ally for 5 seconds.Split Fire Allies gain 3 times this bonus.

• Strafe: Updated base skill to allow any equipped weapon, ratherthan requiring a Bow.

• Fixed a bug that prevented the Legendary Spear Empyrean Messengerfrom dropping.
• Captain Crimson's Trimmings: Fixed a bug that caused the 3-pieceset bonus to occasionally drop off.
• Updated Bone Spikes and Siphon Blood tooltips to reflect theappropriate damage values.
• Fixed a bug that caused Sanctified items to not always roll withAncient-level stats.
• Fixed a bug where Slow Time and Archon Slow Time stacked.