Update 3: the patch notes are live! You can read them here and they are indeed massive.
Update 2: Rod Fergusson has now posted on Twitter that the patch will go live in 1 hour and 40 from now.
Update: we now know when the patch notes are coming! Global Community Development Director Adam Fletcher shared that we’ll be seeing all the changes in the PDT AM on July 18th (which is also the day the patch arrives, with the season coming on the 20th). The patch itself should arrive around 10 AM PDT (according to Rod Fergusson and this week’s maintenance).
Original Post
The pre-season patch coming on the 18th is going to be a big one. We already knew it was bringing the new Uniques (including one Uber Unique) and legendary Aspects to the Eternal realms, as well as some nerfs to over-performing builds. Today we also found out that it’s a whopping 6,600 words long! They couldn’t jam in another 60 to make it perfect it seems.
The patch notes should contain all the Season 1 info in addition to the patch 1.1 details, as that was the way it was done in Diablo 3, but there could be a different approach this time around. We already know quite a bit about both the 7 new Aspects that are coming and the 32 Malignant Hearts. But there’s still plenty to find out in the patch notes. Most notably the class nerfs are hanging over a lot of builds’ heads. However, since the season brings the 32 new heart powers, it’s likely we’ll be seeing new builds anyway!
Hopefully we see the patch notes today, ahead of its release tomorrow.
In the meantime you can check the official Season 1 preview here, what to do to get ready for S1 here, and our overall season hub with all the relevant info here.