Season 12 of Diablo 4 is officially live, and like every new season, it brings a fresh set of challenges, bugs, undocumented changes, and of course, new opportunities for hardcore players to dive deep into the grind. For those of you who have already started, whether you're solo or in a group, there's a lot to discover-especially if you're looking to push the boundaries of your build and reach the highest Paragon levels early on.

 

In this article, we'll go over some of the key issues, undocumented changes, more Diablo 4 Items and tips for making the most out of the season's early moments. I'm playing hardcore this season, and in just under 10 hours, I've reached Paragon level 210 with my Wing Strikes Paladin build. It's been an exciting and challenging start, but it's also come with a few unexpected roadblocks-so let's break down everything you need to know to maximize your efficiency and fun this season.

 

1. The Save Rune Bug: What Happened to the Wolves?

 

One of the first things that hardcore players, especially those running pet-based builds, have noticed is a bug with the Save Rune. This rune, which is essential for many builds, doesn't seem to be functioning as expected in Season 12. Many players, myself included, have found that when trying to combine this rune with others (such as the Frost Nova rune), it just doesn't work properly. The effect seems to be broken, and it's causing significant issues for builds that rely on it for freeze and vulnerable effects.

 

Fix for Pet-Based Builds:

 

If you're running a build based on pets, you might want to pivot your strategy and use other ways to achieve similar results. For instance, switching to the Full Rune might be a good alternative. This rune triggers Frost Nova effectively, which can help mitigate the issue for those who want to maintain crowd control and other elemental effects.

 

While Blizzard is likely to patch this soon, it's important to note that Save Rune is broken at the start of Season 12, so plan accordingly if you're using it in your build.

 

2. Mythic Prankster Changes: One Mythic, Not Five

 

Another undocumented change that many players have noticed is the alteration to the Mythic Prankster mechanic. In previous seasons, the Prankster allowed players to find five Mythic items per difficulty level, with additional items coming in a special bag.

 

This made it a valuable farming method for high-end gear.

 

However, as of Season 12, the mechanic has been changed to only one Mythic drop per Prankster encounter, and it's much harder to get now.

 

Why This Matters:

 

While it's still worthwhile to farm Prankster encounters for the additional Mythic item and associated loot bags, the nerf reduces the efficiency of this farming method. Without the ability to farm multiple Mythics in one go, these encounters have become much rarer and less rewarding. If you're targeting Mythic gear, you'll need to be more strategic in your approach, focusing on optimizing other sources of high-tier loot.

 

3. Bloodied Items: The Non-Ancestral Bug

 

For players using Bloodied Items, there's a significant bug that you'll need to be aware of. When you try to imprint a non-Ancestral Bloodied item, you'll find that the imprint result often defaults to the minimum roll, which can be frustrating if you were hoping for a higher-tier version of the item. The issue seems to primarily affect non-Ancestral Bloodied gear.

 

What to Do:

 

 If you're using Ancestral Bloodied items, you won't encounter this issue. The imprinting process works as expected, and you can continue to use these items without worrying about lower-tier rolls.

 

 For non-Ancestral Bloodied items, it's recommended that you either avoid imprinting or focus on other sources of gear that don't rely on this mechanic.

 

Bloodied Items in the Early Game:

 

Despite the bug with non-Ancestral gear, Bloodied items are still highly useful early on in the game. They offer significant boosts to movement speed, critical chance, and resource generation-all of which are extremely helpful when leveling up. These items are fantastic for getting a solid early-game boost, and they can carry you through the first stages of the season.

 

However, once you start hitting higher levels and need more min-maxed gear, you might want to focus on Ancestral gear for better performance.

 

4. Season Journey: Completing the Bloodied Item Set

 

One of the challenges in Season 12 is completing the Season Journey objective that asks you to equip a full set of Bloodied items. This set requires items of various rarities, including Ancestral Legendary, Normal Legendary, Rare, and Blue items.

 

The objective gives you valuable skill points, so it's important to work towards completing it early.Tips for Completing the Set:

 

 Ancestral Legendary Items: You only need a full set of Ancestral Legendaries to complete the journey's first stage, which will automatically unlock the next set (Normal Legendary, Rare, and Blue). This is a much easier method than trying to collect the full set of 10 pieces of Bloodied gear.

 

 Efficient Farming: To complete the requirements, I recommend visiting the vendor in the game, which allows you to gamble for these Bloodied items. You can teleport directly to the Butcher and find the vendor right nearby. This makes it much easier to farm for the necessary items.

 

Why This Is Important:

 

Completing these objectives not only rewards you with skill points but also serves as an excellent way to obtain high-quality gear early on in the season. It's crucial to complete these objectives efficiently to maximize your power and gain early advantages over other players.

 

5. Mismatched Prerequisite for "Mangled Message"

 

Another issue that players have encountered in the first few hours of the season is the Mangled Message quest bug. This is one of the first steps in the Season Journey, where you need to complete a specific objective to earn your first point. However, some players have reported that the quest is bugged and won't complete properly.

 

Solution for the Bug:

 

The fix for this bug is straightforward. If the Mangled Message quest doesn't progress for you, simply create a fresh character, do the first quest, and this will unlock the reward as intended. It's a quick fix, but it's an annoying issue for those who encounter it.

 

6. Doom Collaboration: The Missing Relic Currency

 

One of the most anticipated features of Season 12 is the Doom Collaboration, which introduces a special Relic Currency that players can collect from elites and champions. However, many players, including myself, have not been able to collect any of this currency despite numerous attempts in Hell Tides and various high-level content.

 

What's Happening?

 

It seems that the Relic Currency is currently disabled or bugged, as I have received zero of it after hours of farming. This is an undocumented issue that could be fixed in a later patch, but for now, players will have to wait for the feature to be fully enabled.

 

7. Farming in Season 12: Where to Focus Your Efforts

 

While there are many bugs and undocumented changes in Season 12, there are also opportunities to farm d4 mats effectively. Here's a breakdown of the best activities for hardcore players:

 

1.Hell Tides: Continue farming Hell Tides for a mix of Sigils and Bloodied Infernal Hordes. These events offer great loot and fresh meat for gambling high-tier gear.

 

2.Prankster Encounters: These are still useful for Mythic farming, though their effectiveness has been reduced. Take advantage when possible.

 

3.Ancestral Bloodied Gear: Focus on farming for Ancestral Bloodied gear to complete your Season Journey objectives and bolster your build early on.

 

Final Thoughts: Season 12 Bugs and Strategies

 

Season 12 of Diablo 4 is off to an exciting start, but like any new season, it comes with its fair share of bugs and undocumented changes. From issues with the Save Rune to the Mythic Prankster nerf, there's a lot to keep track of as you dive into the grind.