Patches are released by Blizzard to fix bugs and remedy issues with game balance and gameplay issues.
Hotfixes are also applied to Diablo 3. Hotfixes are updates Blizzard make on their end without requiring you to download a new patch. Some hotfixes go live the moment they are implemented, while others may require your realm to be restarted to go into effect.
2013
- Patch 1.0.8 -- May 8, 2013. A major content patch, it greatly increased the monster density in Acts 1 and 2, and slightly increased it in Act 4. These monster density changes are only found in Inferno difficulty, on Monster Power 1 and higher. Also included buffs to various skills, numerous changes to the game UI, crafting usability improvements, and numerous new Battle.net social and game creation features.
- Patch 1.0.7a - 12 March, 2013. Bug fixes.
- Patch 1.0.7 - 15 January after several weeks of PTR testing. This patch introduced numerous new crafting recipes, enabled the PvP brawling system, and made numerous skill buffs, chiefly for the Monk and Wizard.
2012
- Patch 1.0.6a - 13 December - Minor bug fix.
- Patch 1.0.6 - 27 November - Minor bug fixes.
- Hotfixes: 2012-11-16 - November 16
- Hotfixes: 2012-10-31 - 31 October
- Hotfixes: 2012-10-23 - 23 October
- Patch 1.0.5a - 28 October - Europe only
- Hotfixes: 2012-10-18 - 18 October
- Patch 1.0.5 - 16 October -- Many game and skill changes, a major nerf to Inferno, and the new Monster Power and Infernal Machine game systems.
- Hotfixes: 2012-08-22 - 22 August
- Patch 1.0.4 - 21 August-- A huge content patch with dozens of skill changes, Inferno nerfs, the Paragon system, and much more.
- Hotfixes: 2012-08-03 - 3 August
- Patch 1.0.3b - 10 July
- Hotfixes: 2012-07-26 - 26 July
- Hotfixes: 2012-07-03 - 3 July
- Hotfixes: 2012-06-29 - 29 June
- Hotfixes: 2012-06-28 - 28 June
- Patch 1.0.3a - 26 June
- Patch 1.0.3 - 19 June -- included numerous major skill and balance changes.
- Patch 1.0.2c - 12 June
- Hotfixes: 2012-06-08 - 8 June
- Patch 1.0.2b - 6 June
- Patch 1.0.2a - 31 May
- Patch 1.0.2 - 29 May
- Hotfixes: 2012-05-23 - 23 May
- Hotfixes: 2012-05-22 - 22 May
- Hotfixes: 2012-05-18 - 18 May