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Blood Surge. Blood Lance. Blood Wave. Blood Orbs. Blood builds. Blood complaints. At this point, the class fantasy is less “master of death” and more “haunted blood accountant with corpse access.”
But Season 14 PTR has kicked off a very specific Blood Necro frustration: some players think Blood Wave is starting to make Blood Surge look pointless.
A fresh Diablo 4 PTR feedback thread argues that Blood Wave now feels like Blood Surge, just stronger, wider, and much nastier. The player’s complaint is not simply “nerf Blood Wave.” It is that Blood Surge and Blood Lance risk losing their identity when Blood Wave appears to do the same job with much bigger numbers.
That is not build diversity. That is one blood button eating the family.
Blood Wave Looks Like The Approved Blood Button
The frustration is easy to understand.
Blood builds are supposed to offer different fantasies. Blood Surge is the close-range pulse. Blood Lance is the targeted spear. Blood Wave is the dramatic ultimate, the big crimson disaster button that makes the battlefield look like someone offended a cathedral.
But if Blood Wave starts outperforming the others too hard, players naturally ask why they should bother building around Surge or Lance at all.
That is the danger of overcentralized power. A skill can be fun, strong, and visually excellent while still flattening the rest of the toolkit into background decoration.
Players Want Options, Not One Correct Blood Ritual
The thread also taps into a wider Season 14 concern: players do not want every class fantasy reduced to the single best-performing interaction.
Blizzard’s Diablo 4 3.1 PTR tested major Season 14 systems like Mythic Uniques 3.0, Horadric Cube updates, War Plans, Solo Self Found, and broad class/system changes.
That means players are not just judging raw damage. They are judging whether their favorite build paths still have a reason to exist when all the new systems start stacking on top.
If Blood Wave becomes the obvious winner, Blood Necro players may feel pushed into the same crimson lane, even if they prefer Surge’s rhythm or Lance’s style.
The Fix Does Not Have To Be Boring
This is PTR feedback, so nothing here should be treated as final. Blizzard still has room to adjust numbers, interactions, cooldowns, item support, or scaling before Season 14 lands properly.
And Blood Wave should not be made boring. Nobody wants the big spooky blood tsunami to hit like a damp napkin. It is an ultimate. It should feel rude.
But Surge and Lance need their own space too. Surge should have a reason to pulse through packs. Lance should have a reason to exist beyond “that other blood thing.” Blood Wave should feel massive without turning the rest of the Blood kit into unpaid interns.
That is the real balance problem.
Not whether Blood Necro is allowed to be strong.
Whether Blood Necro is allowed to be more than one red button with excellent branding.
For more Diablo 4 coverage, check our latest posts on Diablo 4 and Lord of Hatred.
