In the latest hotfix released in November 2023, significant changes were made to improve the drop rates of Living Steel in Diablo 4, primarily to address player frustrations over its scarcity. The patch notably increased the quantity of Living Steel obtainable from specific chests during Helltide events, which are the main activities for farming this valuable resource.
Before the hotfix, players could receive only 1 Living Steel from the chests at World Tier 3 difficulty. The update doubled this amount, allowing players to get 2 Living Steel per chest, with a chance of obtaining 1-2 additional units beyond that. At the more challenging World Tier 4 difficulty, the number of Living Steels dropped from 3 to 5 per chest, plus a chance to drop an extra 5 Living Steel. This substantial increase was designed to reduce the grind and make farming Living Steel more rewarding and efficient.
Additionally, the hotfix ensured that all other Helltide chests at World Tier 4 now also grant 1 Living Steel each, further broadening the sources of this resource during the events. The developers fixed spawns of Living Steel chests, allowing players to capitalize on newly spawned chests that appear on the hour during Helltides, enabling them to collect multiple chests if timed well.
These changes made farming Living Steel far faster and more appealing by significantly raising drop quantities and accessibility during the core Helltide farming activity. This update was warmly received by the Diablo 4 community as it alleviated one of the bottlenecks in summoning important bosses like Grigoire, thus enhancing the flow and enjoyment of endgame content.
To maximize benefit from these changes, players should focus on efficient routes during Helltide events to collect Aberrant Cinders and open the increased number of Living Steel chests released with the hotfix. With strategic play, it's now possible to accumulate much larger amounts of Living Steel in a single Helltide cycle than prior to the patch, making progression smoother and quicker.