Diablo New Patch 2.6.0 Overview: Challenge Rifts, New Zones and Realms of Fate Explained
Jun. 23, 2017Diablo New Patch 2.6.0 Overview: Challenge Rifts, New Zones and Realms of Fate Explained
Releasing with next week’sRise of the Necromancercontent pack forDiablo 3which adds the new Necromancer class is a brand newpatchfor thePS4,Xbox OneandPCthat also adds a few new features to the popular loot RPG, specifically for players who own theReaper of Soulsexpansion.
In addition to some expected changes, tweaks and fixes, patch 2.6.0 is adding the following new content to Diablo 3:
Let’s take a look at these new additions, starting with the beefiest, Challenge Rifts.
Challenge Riftsare a weekly opportunity to try a totally new build, receive a reward for your efforts, and compete with other players on a level playing field. They can be accessed through the main screen are a weekly static version of a previously completed Greater Rift and are created directly from a player’s account. The player’s exact character,items,paragon levels,skillsandgearare made available for everyone to play on the Challenge Rift.
The Challenge Rift used is also an exact copy of the Greater Rift completed with that character including enemies, pylons and the dungeons all appearing exactly as how the original player completed their first run. If you beat the original player’s time, you’ll earn a weekly satchel of loot, crafting materials andBlood Shards. They rotate every Monday giving players a weekly challenge to tackle.
Blizzard’s goal in Challenge Rifts is to create a field of competition that is a departure from Diablo’s hallmark randomization by providing every player with equal footing and tools to let their skills shine. Memorizing the map, enemy spawns and pylon locations will be vital as well as deciding how to proceed. This gives these rifts a Soulslike dungeon vibe, but goes a step further by creating a tracked competition with an ever ticking clock to beat. It will also take players out of their comfort zones by giving them builds they not be familiar with, tasking them with learning the game from a different perspective.
Also coming with the patch are 2 new zones and some bounties. The 2 new zones areThe Shrouded MoorsandTemple of the Firstbornand they can be explored in Adventure Mode through a new waypoint on the Act 2 map.
Located in northern Kehjistan, theShrouded Moorsare a rain-swept, windy, and desolate grassland, with rocks and plateaus. They have been abandoned for centuries, after several civilizations tried and failed to establish long term settlements in this harsh land. Currently the land is overrun by monsters and demons. The zone consists of a large outdoor open area with standard array of enemies, chests, and shrines.
Eventually the zone funnels you to the next area, the undergroundTemple of the Firstborn. This temple is full of lore and Diablo history as the birthplace of humanity and the nephalem. The temple is large, appropriately grim designed with 2 levels and tons of enemies and will culminate in a signature boss fight. Blizzard is referring to this zone as the history lesson of the franchise’s setting.
TheRealms of Fatecan be found on four new Waypoints that have appeared in Act IV. They are the unintended consequences of the battle between the nephalem and Diablo in the High Heavens and behave as connections for the various locations. They are in practice fractures that allow for these four new zones to meld together seamlessly. Each one of these four zones is a mashup of different locations from within the game and each will have bounties to complete.
This should all help make sense of what to expect when the patch andDLCrelease next Tuesday, June 27th. 5 years going and still going strong for Diablo 3, and Rise of the Necromancer is a fitting title for a content pack that will resurrect the game for many players. Excited for the new Necromancer class, Challenge Rifts and the new zones? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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Emergence
Editor at Fextralife. I look for the substantial in gaming and I try to connect video games to the emotions and stories they elicit. I love all things culture and history and have an odd fondness for the planet Jupiter. I think my dogs are pretty awesome too.
That would absolutely be worth it. Haha
^Maybe I should finish my melee Demon Hunter build just to give people a good ‘wtf is this?’.
I really like the challenge rifts idea… This is something that could be added to Bloodborne’s Chalice dungeons to make them actually fun, for example.
I wonder what kind of crazy builds we’ll see
So far this DLC is shaping up great, I’m quite looking forward to it!
Okay, so they’re just a couple of new locations in an already existing region, and a few bridges for walking from one region to the other. Seems alright.
The results of my research
