Summary
One of the most popular parts ofDiablo 4is trying to optimize a character’s build through their gear, skills, and Paragon Boards to create the most powerful character possible. The Season of the Malignant forDiablo 4adds another tool to the player’s chest for reaching the optimal build through the introduction of Malignant and Caged Hearts. Similar to gems, Caged Hearts earned from Malignant enemies can be socketed into certain pieces of gear, but vastly overshadow their counterparts by offering much more useful effects despite the more limited number players can have equipped.
Players looking to optimize their builds will want the ideal pieces of gear inDiablo 4which have sockets that gems can be set in to gain a variety of different passive bonuses. However, the introduction of Caged Hearts inDiablo 4’s Season 1update drastically drops the utility of gems as the different bonuses these new items offer are far superior in terms of how they affect the player’s build strength. Although there are more restrictions placed on Caged Hearts than gems, these new socketable items are still able to eclipse gems as the new must-have item for augmenting anyDiablo 4build.
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Diablo 4’s Gems Are Far Less Useful With the Addition of Caged Hearts
Gems inDiablo 4come in a variety of types that include Rubies, Sapphires, Topazes, Emeralds, Amethysts, Diamonds, and Skulls, each with their own specific effects that change depending on what type of gear they are socketed in. For example, a Topaz buffs Basic Skill damage when socketed within a weapon and reduces damage while Impaired when in armor, and increases Lightning Resistance when in jewelry. Gems also come in a variety of qualities ranging from Crude to Royal, with higher-quality gems offering more powerful versions of their effects.
While the passive effects of gems can certainly add up, they still don’t really compare to the bonuses offered byDiablo 4’s new Caged Hearts, which are tailored more toward specific builds, making them perfect for maximizing a character’s potential. A great example of a powerful Caged Heart effect is the Creeping Death heart which increases damage over time effects by 30-40% for each crowd control effect on the target. This can make a build likeDiablo 4’s Corpse Explosion Necromancer incredibly powerful as their multiple damage-over-time skills can stack this effect to the point where crowd-controlled enemies can fall in quick succession.
Compared to gems, Caged Hearts are more difficult to obtain needing to be farmed fromDiablo 4’s Malignant Monstersor crafted at Cormond’s Wagon using Ichor. Malignant Monsters will drop a Malignant Heart when defeated which allows the player to battle the monster again to earn a Caged Heart, but players can farm newly added Malignant Tunnels to ensure they encounter Malignant enemies. Gems, on the other hand, are very common finds from a multitude of places like chests, ore veins, and even enemy drops, and can also be crafted into higher qualities at a Jeweler in one ofDiablo 4’s major cities.
Although Caged Hearts have the potential to be much more useful than gems thanks to them essentially acting as more versatilelegendary aspects inDiablo 4, they do have their drawbacks. For one, Caged Hearts can only be socketed into Infested Sockets of the corresponding color on Amulets and Rings, so players can only have up to three Caged Hearts equipped at a time, compared to gems that can be equipped on pieces of armor and weapons as well as jewelry. Unfortunately, all Caged Hearts will disappear afterDiablo 4’s Season 1 ends, so players should take advantage of these fantastic items while they can, and utilize their effects to tackle some ofDiablo 4’s hardest bosses.
Diablo 4is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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