For once, though, a bug worked in the player's favour.
Shortly after Patch 3.2.2 went live on September 30, some Diablo IV players logged in and discovered cosmetics appearing on their accounts that they had never actually earned or purchased. Blizzard investigated, discovered that the items were being granted unintentionally, fixed the problem and then made the rarest possible live-service decision.
You can keep them.
Blizzard Says the Accidental Cosmetics Will Not Be Removed
Community Manager filthierich confirmed that the problem appeared around the launch of Patch 3.2.2 and caused certain cosmetics to be automatically awarded when affected players logged into Diablo IV. Blizzard has since stopped additional items from being granted, but anyone fortunate enough to receive something before the fix will retain it permanently.
So if you logged in after the patch and wondered why your wardrobe suddenly contained something unfamiliar, congratulations. Sanctuary has finally experienced a loot bug where the appropriate response is not opening a support ticket.
Blizzard's official clarification does not specify exactly which cosmetics were affected, how many players received them or whether every affected account received the same items. The important part is considerably simpler: the grants were accidental, the bug has been fixed, and Blizzard has no plans to claw the cosmetics back.
Diablo 4 Has Been Giving Away Quite a Lot of Clothing Lately
The timing makes the whole thing slightly funnier because Diablo IV has already spent the last few months distributing cosmetics through almost every method imaginable.
In August, players began finding random free cosmetics inside Diablo IV's personalized shop, although those legitimate gifts did not appear for everyone. One player might find a free wand, another a bow, while somebody else received the traditional Blizzard reward of absolutely nothing.
More recently, Game Pass subscribers were offered more than 50 Diablo IV cosmetics after connecting their subscription to Battle.net. Blizzard has also continued filling seasonal tracks, events and promotions with armour sets, weapons, portals and enough decorative skulls to suggest Sanctuary employs an entire department devoted exclusively to accessories.
The Patch 3.2.2 cosmetics are different because nobody was supposed to receive them this way at all.
This Is Probably the Best Kind of Diablo Bug
Patch 3.2.2 itself was mostly a repair job. Blizzard fixed problems with the Season of Hell's Legacy questline, Chamber of Bone rewards, Nihlathak teleporting outside his arena, several Rune interactions and various Tower and UI issues. None of those changes mentioned a surprise wardrobe lottery.
Then players logged in and discovered one anyway.
There is also a sensible reason for Blizzard not to remove the items. Taking cosmetics away from players after they appeared automatically would create considerably more frustration than simply allowing the lucky accounts to keep them, especially when players did nothing to exploit the issue.
It is a refreshingly simple solution.
The bug happened.
Blizzard fixed it.
The people who got free stuff keep the free stuff.
Check Your Wardrobe
Additional accidental grants have now stopped, so repeatedly logging in and out is unlikely to summon free armour through sheer optimism. But if you played around the release of Patch 3.2.2, checking your cosmetic collection may still be worthwhile.
Diablo IV players have spent years arguing about cosmetic prices, Battle Pass rewards and whether older seasonal cosmetics should eventually return.
This time Blizzard found an entirely new distribution model.
Make a mistake.
Give players cosmetics.
And, remarkably, leave everyone happier than before.
