Blizzard just dropped Patch 2.5.2 (or Update 2.00 for the console crowd), and honestly, it’s about time. If you’ve been grinding Season 11, you know the vibe has been a bit... hit or miss. We finally got the Tower and Leaderboards today, but they’re coming in as a "Beta" tag.
That basically means they know it might be a mess. But hey, transparency is cool.
The big headline for the d4 patch notes today is how they’ve handled the Tower. If you played the PTR, forget half of what you saw. They’ve gutted some of the most annoying mechanics and streamlined the floor progression so it feels less like a chore and more like the high-stakes gauntlet we were promised.
The Tower and the Leaderboard Gamble
The Tower is officially live in the Seasonal Realm. It’s a multi-phase dungeon where you’re racing the clock, killing randomized monster families, and trying to stack a high score.
Here is the thing: it’s competitive now.
The Leaderboards are finally here to show who’s actually cracked and who’s just following a Maxroll guide word-for-word. Blizzard mentioned this is a "Beta" phase, so don't expect it to be perfect. They’ve already adjusted the floor tiers to unlock just like the Pit, which makes the progression curve feel way more natural. No more jumping into a difficulty spike that feels like hitting a brick wall.
Massive Fixes for Paladins and Spiritborn
If you’re maining a Paladin, you’ve probably been pulling your hair out over flails. Good news: today’s update finally fixed the issue where flails wouldn’t drop with Critical Strike Damage or Overpower affixes. Basically, you can actually play the class the way it was intended now.
They also addressed some weirdness with the Spiritborn.
- In-Fighter damage bonus went from 15% to 30%.
- Viscous Shield stacking bonus doubled to 2%.
- Vital Strikes (Key Passive) Vulnerable damage is now 100%, up from 80%.
It’s a massive buff for Spiritborn players who felt like they were falling behind the power creep. Honestly, the Spiritborn meta was starting to feel a bit stale, so these shifts in the Paragon board should shake things up.
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Why Your Tower Runs Will Feel Different
They tweaked the Pylons. Like, a lot. The Pylon of Power took a hit, moving from 4[x] damage to 3[x]. It sounds like a nerf, but they’re trying to prevent people from just fishing for one specific pylon to clear a floor.
On the flip side, the Pylon of Speed is now actually useful. You get a 50% Attack Speed chunk and—this is the fun part—you can knockdown enemies just by running through them. It’s sort of like being a human bowling ball.
They also fixed the boss behavior. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a boss go invisible or start self-healing mid-fight. That’s supposedly gone now. Boss health has also been brought down to match Pit Bosses, so you aren't spending ten minutes chipping away at a health bar that won't move.
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Quality of Life Tweaks You’ll Actually Notice
- Dying no longer resets you on the previous floor.
- Exit Portals spawn right next to you at the end of a run. Small change, huge time saver.
- Spinning Hazards in the Vault of the Crucible are gone. Seriously, nobody liked those.
- Capstone Dungeons now show up on your map with clear tooltips on how to unlock them.
The Azmodan Exploit is Dead
Remember that trick where you could re-summon Azmodan by messing with your controller or leaving the party? Yeah, Blizzard killed that. Hotfix 1 and today’s 2.5.2 patch have locked down the "secret Lesser Evils" boss fight. You can't just jump in and out of parties to farm loot anymore.
It’s a bit of a bummer for the efficiency hunters, but it makes the leaderboard integrity actually mean something. If you want the rewards, you have to do the run. Simple as that.
What You Should Do Right Now
First, check your gear. If you’re a Paladin, go re-roll those flails. The affixes you were looking for are actually in the pool now.
Second, jump into the Tower. Since the Leaderboards just reset and launched, this is your best chance to snag a high rank before the ultra-sweats figure out the absolute pixel-perfect meta for the week.
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Keep an eye on your Divine Gift rank too. They updated the scaling so that Rank 5 now gives you a 100% chance for an extra Glyph upgrade attempt. If you’ve been sitting on your Glyphs, today is the day to burn through those runs and get your power level up.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Update your game client to version 2.5.2 immediately to access the Tower.
- Re-enchant your Paladin flails if you were missing Critical Strike or Vulnerable damage.
- Push your Divine Gift rank to 5 to guarantee that 100% Glyph upgrade bonus.
- Test the Pylon of Speed in the Tower to see if the knockdown mechanic fits your clear speed strategy.