The latest patch for the PC version of Diablo III is now live, and among the changes it introduces is Blizzard's attempt to keep your pets alive.

　　The 2.1.1 patch (which, if you want to get super-specific, is actually v2.1.1.27255) deals with pets in a number of ways. Overall, Blizzard says it "want[s] pet survivability to be roughly equivalent to the player that summoned them." One way it's doing this is to lower the damage taken by pets from attacks "that are intended to be avoided by players." Several of the Witch Doctor's pets, including the Fetish Army, Gargantuan, and Zombie Dogs, have also had their life "greatly increased."

　　Even if you don't use any sort of pet, there are still changes and fixes of note in this patch. These include making Rift Guardians and Greater Rift Guardians drop more crafting materials, and turning the Key of Bones, Key of Gluttony, and Key of War into group drops. In other words, when those items decide to drop, they'll do so for the entire party, rather than some players and not others.

　　Other changes include making it easier to add sockets to jewelry, and tweaking the way purchases are made from Kadala (the NPC who sells random items for Blood Shards). The items she sells are now much more expensive, but are more likely to be Legendary items.

　　The full patch notes are available on Blizzard's website. You can download the update now if you're in North America, while other regions may need to wait until later today for it to be distributed worldwide.