Diablo IV’s new pets cause big problems for Necromancers

Diablo IV’s most recent title update, which launched earlier this week, introduced pets to Blizzard’s blockbuster, loot-filled dungeon crawler. But while fans have been happy to see the return of animal companions — seen in every numbered release of the franchise going back 30 years — they and Blizzard are now reckoning with the fact they can break the current game for certain character builds.

As Diablo YouTuber Seroc Ifkre points out, Diablo IV players of the Necromancer class are discovering some unintended consequences for those playing that class, whose abilities and powers depend on whether they have or do not have minions serving them. That’s because pets count as minions, and if they do not have others joining them, certain abilities, offensive and defensive, lose effect.

To some, it might all sound a little esoteric but it’s a real enough problem that Blizzard community manager Adam Fletcher confirmed, on a social media post to X, that Blizzard is aware of the issue and is working up a fix.

The pet items will be fixed in an upcoming patch. Not intended. They gotta fight to be a companion. Looking cute doesn’t count 🥲

— Adam Fletcher (@PezRadar) June 10, 2024

You can also imagine that for someone who has put a long time into their character (Diablo IV launched in June 2023) this is a rather frustrating outcome.

Pets were introduced in the latest update 1.4.2 this week. Three of them are available to players who order the Vessel of Hatred expansion that was announced this weekend at the Xbox Games Showcase. But one is already available and free to claim to all players, which is how this problem was discovered.