Diablo 4 has achieved the impossible: no numbers. One barbarian discovered a bug which allows barbarians deal so much damage, the game stops calculating. Ironically, this was done as part of an update that was meant to reduce the size of all damage numbers to make them more readable.
"We did it, no more numbers!" Diablo 4 influencer Rob2628 described the moment when the game stopped calculating the damage he dealt and began showing infinity symbols. The build Rob2628 is playing is a bug and only available on Blizzard’s playtest server for Diablo 4’s next update. But I don't believe anyone knew that it was possible to break a game so badly it stops doing math.
Unknown is the perpetrator of this crime. A Chinese player found it before Rob2628. He wore armor with more than 30 bonus ranks for a barbarian's skill that deals thorns or damage that is returned when enemies hit you. It's not an easy feat either. You have to be very lucky with Diablo 4’s randomized item upgrades system to get the skill to that level. It would not be possible without unlimited crafting materials on the test server.
The thorns damage will continue to increase until the numbers no longer matter. The barbarian's Whirlwind skill is the engine of this whole thing. It triggers another skill every time it hits, allowing for even more thorns damages. The only thing you can stop is anything that stops you from moving.
In a dungeon, where the enemies aren't waiting for you to attack them, it takes a while to build up. But as long as you keep on spinning, you will win. You're no longer a barbarian, but an eraser tool when you reach full power. Rob2628's ability to rip through the toughest dungeons and pop the boss like a ball made me regret all of the time I spent carefully avoiding their attacks with builds that could only deal damage within a range that was conceivable for humans. What is an action-RPG if the numbers don't go any higher? I was expecting the credits to start rolling.
It's unlikely that Blizzard would let this go live with the next update and expansion. But it would be hilarious (and bad) if they did. You still have one day to test it out on Diablo 4 2.0's PTR, or you can wait and hope that it will be powerful enough when Vessel of Hatred launches October 8.
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