On January 12, 2026 Blizzard temporarily removed the Executioner affix after players reported a persistent audio glitch tied to the latest 2.5.2 patch. The studio says the affix will be disabled until it can be fixed and reworked. The change is a stopgap to prevent the audio effect from repeatedly triggering during runs. Blizzard also outlined planned tweaks to how the affix behaves when it returns, aiming to make its sword spawns less chaotic.
Blizzard posted the notice on the official forums; the announcement lists the specific adjustments and notes the affix will come back in a future update. For context on recent fixes around Season 11 and earlier hotfixes, see our December hotfix 2.5.0 coverage.
Patch Notes
Blizzard’s brief overview says the affix is off while they address the audio issue and that the base affix will be changed before returning. The developer’s official post follows.
Temporary Disabling of Executioners Affix
Hey there,
With 2.5.2, we are temporarily disabling the Executioner’s affix, as it introduced a persistent audio bug. Additionally, we are making changes to the base affix as well so expect it to return new and improved in a later update.
Specific changes:
- Added a 1 second spawn cooldown. When killing large groups of enemies with the executioner affix at once, only one sword will spawn instead of multiple.
- Removed the tracking period. Swords will now fall as soon as they reach you.
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Diablo IV
Developed by Blizzard Entertainment
Endless demons to slaughter. Deep customization through Talents, Skill Points, Runes, and Legendary loot. Randomized dungeons contained in a dynamic open world. Survive and conquer darkness—or succumb to the shadows.
- Genre: Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- Modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release: 2023-06-06
- Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
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Age Rating:
CLASS_IND 18 / CERO Z / ACB MA 15+ / USK 16 / GRAC 19+ / ESRB M / PEGI 18
- IGDB Rating: 76.9/100
