Diablo 4 Players Call for Removal of Vulnerable Status Effect

The gaming community of Diablo 4 has expressed dissatisfaction with the Vulnerable status effect, arguing that the game’s itemization would be more effective without it.

Unlike the traditional value of investing in Critical Strike stats, Diablo 4 offers several “buckets” for players to pursue, with Vulnerable Damage being the most significant and crucial bucket.

While Diablo 4’s itemization issues extend beyond the Vulnerable attribute, its effects permeate other game aspects, such as player builds.

The Vulnerable Status Effect: A Thorn in the Side

Currently, all five Diablo 4 classes gain a substantial advantage from having a bonus to Vulnerable damage. However, not all abilities or builds can consistently generate the Vulnerable status effect on enemies. S

orcerers in Diablo 4 face a significant challenge in this regard, as Ice spells are the only Vulnerable generators for the entire class. This forces even Lighting and Fire-based Sorcerers to invest and rely on Frost Nova to deal any substantial amount of damage.

The Community’s Response

The community’s aversion to Vulnerable Damage has reached such a level that a thread submitted by TheTrueAlCapwn on the Diablo 4 subreddit received almost unanimous support for its removal.

While Critical Strike and Attack Speed remain valuable in Diablo 4, they have a significant advantage over Vulnerable Damage in that they are universal and their effect on a build extends beyond being just a numbers boost.

Many players consider Vulnerable to be a dull stat, as it seems to solely determine the viability of one’s gear.

A Proposal for Change

One of the comments posted by mtv921 portrays Vulnerable as a more intriguing attribute. Instead of providing a massive damage increase, it would offer different bonuses for each Diablo 4 class.

Sorcerers could have a high Lucky Hit Chance versus Vulnerable enemies, Rogues could have Armor Penetration, and Barbarians could have Damage Reduction or Thorns. Compared to the more inspired aspects of Diablo 4’s combat, Vulnerable Damage sticks out like a sore thumb, and the community doesn’t feel it’s good enough to justify its existence.

The Impact on Build Diversity

Build diversity has been one of the biggest strengths of Reaper of Souls in recent years. As long as Vulnerable Damage continues to pigeonhole players into certain skills, Diablo 4 classes will struggle to offer the same level of variety.

The ability to guarantee the Vulnerable status on enemies trivializes the other spells of their category, as seems to be the case with Bone Spear for Necromancer and Puncture for Rogues.

Although Season of the Malignant in Diablo 4 will not fix the issues that players have with Vulnerable Damage, the developers have shown a willingness to listen to the community. Fans can hope that their feedback will be heard sooner or later.