Diablo 4 has finally fixed one of the most frustrating Paladin class issues: the Judgement bug that quietly broke a lot of Judgement-based builds. For a long time, the class felt inconsistent, not because of bad design, but because core mechanics simply didn't behave the way they were supposed to. Into early 2026, Blizzard finally stepped in and cleaned things up, and the difference is noticeable almost immediately once you play again Diablo 4 Items .

The biggest fix is also the most important one. Judgement Consumption now properly applies its damage bonus when you actually use it. Before, many builds that revolved around stacking and consuming Judgements felt unreliable, especially in longer boss fights where timing really matters. You'd do everything right, line up your window, and still see damage numbers that didn't make sense. With the fix in place, damage ramps the way it should, and Judgement-focused rotations finally feel rewarding instead of random.

Arbiter of Justice also feels like it's working the way the skill description always claimed it did. Players had been reporting for a while that certain upgrades weren't granting the full movement speed or damage bonuses, which made the ultimate feel weaker than it should have been for such a defining ability. After the update, those bonuses actually apply consistently, and the ultimate feels much more impactful during sustained fights rather than something you pop and immediately regret.

Another quietly important change is the Judgement gauge itself. Previously, the gauge could drain incorrectly or sometimes not drain at all, which completely messed with combat flow and decision-making. Resource management is a huge part of playing a Judgement Paladin well, and when the gauge lies to you, the entire build falls apart. Now the gauge behaves predictably, which makes timing, positioning, and cooldown planning feel intuitive again instead of guesswork.

On top of the major fixes, Blizzard also cleaned up a lot of smaller quality-of-life issues. Tooltips are clearer, icons make more sense, and descriptions better reflect what abilities actually do in combat. That might not sound exciting, but it matters a lot when you're experimenting with builds or adjusting to balance changes during Season 11. Less confusion means more time actually playing instead of second-guessing mechanics.

These Judgement fixes didn't happen in isolation either. Season 11 included several small adjustments to related Paladin systems like Justice skill tempering, Resolve stacks, and Sanctification interactions. None of those changes steal the spotlight, but together they help the class feel more stable and cohesive, especially in group content where bugs used to show up more often.

For anyone who's been running a Judgement-focused build, the improvements are easy to feel. Damage output is smoother, boss fights feel more consistent, and the class no longer relies on awkward workarounds to perform at the level it should. Instead of fighting the system, you can focus on execution and timing, which is how the Paladin is meant to be played.

These updates finally deliver what Paladin players have been asking for: Judgement that behaves consistently, an ultimate that feels powerful again, and a resource system you can trust D4 items . The Paladin feels dependable in a way it hasn't for a long time, and Judgement-based builds no longer feel like a gamble. As the season goes on, the class once again feels defined by control, timing, and righteous burst damage—exactly what it should have been all along.

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