Diablo 4: How is Damage Resistance being reworked in Season 11?

Damage Resistance is being overhauled in Diablo 4 Season 11, and it should make the game far more survivable than it has been in past seasons. While not every part of the upcoming season is filling players with joy, in particular the Masterworking, this is something that should be a positive change overall for both the Eternal and Seasonal servers of D4.

While we don’t have the specific numbers, we do know how the system is going to work, and what it should look like in game. Diablo 4 Season 11 is already starting off by upsetting some players, but I do think this Damage Resistance change is a net positive.

Damage Resistance reworked in Diablo 4 Season 11: What’s new?

Diablo 4 Season 11’s Damage Resistance system is getting a total overhaul, and now both the Armor and Resistance system will have numbered ratings. The Resistance percentages never really seemed all that helpful anyway. The higher your Armor and Resistance rating is, the more damage you can reduce. However, there will be diminishing returns, but we don’t know at what point that will kick off, yet.

As you can see, the damage resistance numbers have changed greatly (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Armor now also reduces all incoming damage, whether it’s physical or magical. To complicate this just a bit, there was also a Physical Resistance stat, to show exactly what physical damage is being reduced. The Physical Resistance stat covers regular Physical Damage as well as Bleeding Damage.

You’re also going to see something new in your character menu, no matter what Diablo 4 character you’re playing, for this Damage Resistance rework: Toughness. Toughness is the new stat that covers the “total amount of raw damage of each type you can take after considering all forms of all damage mitigation sources.”

It even shows you which of your resistances is lowest. In the screenshot above, mine is Fire Resistance, at 24,265. Of course, this is also on a level 60 character with reasonable gear, and 200 points of Paragon to spend. I haven’t spent them yet, so this is what you could possibly expect before investing Paragon Points, skill points, or refining your armor.

If you hover over the Toughness stat, you can see exactly what makes that number up (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

On the topic of Damage Resistance in D4, Fortify is changing, and is no longer another form of resistance. Instead, when you build up Fortify, it now acts as a sort of extra amount of life. It will keep you healthy and regenerate you when you aren’t at full health, so it should be a great way to stay alive in longer fights.

Overall, I think this rework is going to be good for players who get tired of being blasted and one-shotted if they make one tiny mistake. Of course, there’s going to be a limit to how useful Armor and Resistances will be, and before long, I’m sure players will find it. Hopefully this winds up being a good change for Thorns builds, and makes them better, instead of making them worse.

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About the author

Jason is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda holding an amazing 11 years of experience under his belt. Having put out 4000-plus articles and amassing over 15 million reads for Sportskeeda, he is among the company’s most experienced writers. Jason holds a Bachelor's degree in English from UNC Pembroke and was inspired to become a gaming journalist very early on in life after reading Nintendo Power.

Jason is a jack of all trades when it comes to gaming journalism. He’s a key writer in Sportskeeda's MMO department, but he also likes to help out in other categories, like streamers, RPG, card games, and whatever else is needed. A solo gamer at heart, Jason's favorite titles include Earthbound and Dragon Warrior.

Jason places high value on accuracy and relevance in his write-ups. He achieves this with thorough research to sift facts from rumors. One of the biggest highlights of his career is his interview with Canadian pro wrestler Kenny Omega about his inclusion in the Like a Dragon game series. He is also good friends with journalist Kazumo Hashimoto, who he admires for the kind of stories he works on and his deep ethics.

A true cinephile, one of Jason’s primary hobbies involves enjoying cinematic experiences. He also loves reading, be it fiction or manga, when not working. Additionally, he streams on Twitch and posts his gaming insights on YouTube.

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Edited by Jason Parker