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Developer Insights - Patch Preview
Patch 6.2 Live This Week!
Update 3:47PM EDT: Tyvalir posted some clarifications in the blog's comments on how the passives from Kanai's Cube are going to work. It looks like they will not take up any existing skill or item slots!
Nevalistis also teased another blog post with more details on the Cube which might be coming soon.
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
@PardalBR: There's been some confusion about how these passives work, so let me clarify.
With the current plan, the passives you get by breaking down Legendary items with special effects in Kanai's Cube do not replace passive skills on your character, but are instead part of a separate set of passives that are specifically stored within the cube. You can store as many special effects as possible in the cube, but only a limited number can be active at a given time (currently, this is three: one weapon effect, one armor effect, and one jewelry effect). Hope that helps!
Patch 2.3 Preview and PTR
Blizzard has posted a Preview for Patch 2.3 and its soon to go live Public Test Realm! Check the post below. Also make sure you actually "click" on the image previews to see their full version!
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The Public Test Realm for Patch 2.3.0 is right around the corner! Are you ready to feast your eyes on all the new goodies that await you in the world of Sanctuary? There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started.
Table of Contents
As always, please note that this is only a preview. The below information does not reflect all changes available in Patch 2.3.0 and is subject to change. Some images represent works in progress, and may not be representative of the final product.
- New Zone: Ruins of Sescheron
- New Artifact: Kanai’s Cube
- Crafting System Updates
- Adventure Mode Updates
- New Feature: Season Journey
- New Difficulty Levels
- New Legendary and Set Items
- Combat Changes
New Zone: Ruins of Sescheron
In Patch 2.3.0, the frozen wasteland that is the Ruins of Sescheron will open for exploration. Here you’ll face off against strange new enemies and perilous environmental hazards, all while unearthing new mysteries from the lore of the mighty Barbarians. Those brave enough to make it through in one piece will discover curious new points of interest, including the lost Tomb of King Kanai and his ultimate treasure—Kanai’s Cube.
New Artifact: Kanai’s Cube
Those who played Diablo II might remember the Horadric Cube, a unique device which allowed you to combine items. Useful as it was, it was easily surpassed in power by the item from which it originated, Kanai’s Cube. In Patch 2.3.0, players will be able to discover this powerful ancient relic and utilize its incredible potential, including the ability to break down Legendary items and equip their special effects as passive skills, convert crafting materials from one type to another, and so much more.
Crafting System Updates
For those who eagerly gather crafting materials on their journey to level 70, we’ve got good news you’ll especially enjoy. Starting in Patch 2.3.0, the same crafting mats you use at max level will be available as you level up! We’ve also crunched down the number of crafting recipes, making the process easier and more fluid than ever as your results now dynamically adjust to your character’s level. Whether you’re bashing skulls on the highest difficulty or have just started your career and killed your first Champion or Elite pack, your crafting mats will never go to waste.
Adventure Mode Updates
This patch also includes changes designed to improve the pacing of Adventure Mode while encouraging players to explore Bounties across a variety of Acts. In addition to removing the Realm of Trials, we’re improving Bounty rewards by adding new Act-specific crafting mats to Horadric Caches. Completing Bonus Acts in Adventure Mode games will also now grant a bonus Horadric Cache stuffed with crafting materials, gold, and additional Act-specific crafting mats.
New Feature: Season Journey
Every player’s Seasonal journey is different—and so are their accomplishments. Starting in Season 4, you'll be able to track your individual progress through the Season Journey interface. This helpful feature is divided into Chapters, which include major milestones that are achievable by most players, and Tiers, which are designed for advanced players. Completing Tiers unlocks new portrait frame rewards, and the highest Tier includes challenges which will take effort to achieve for even the most powerful nephalem.
New Difficulty Levels
As players continue to discover powerful new gear, the current hardest difficulty level—Torment VI—can begin to feel less challenging. To help keep hardened battle veterans on their toes, we’re adding four new Torment levels with appropriate reward rates, including Torment X. We’ll be iterating on these new difficulties and rewards as the PTR progresses, so we look forward to hearing your feedback!
New Legendary and Set Items
For all you dedicated loot hunters, we’re also adding lots of shiny new Legendary and Set effects to the game. Aside from doing this through introducing new items, we’re also revamping special effects on some existing items, and granting new effects to some items which don’t currently have one. As in other patches, changes to Legendary items are not retroactive, so you’ll need to find them once more to use their updated form. Overall, this should result in more build options for you to explore.
Combat Changes
Several changes to monsters are coming to the game as well. Along with reducing the amount of crowd control the game’s tougher monsters will tolerate, we’ve adjusted the experience and Rift progress granted by killing monsters so they better reflect the effort required to kill them. For example, monsters that take more time or effort to kill now provide more experience, and those that are especially easy to kill will provide less. We’ve also made changes that create a better balance between the time you spend exploring and clearing Nephalem or Greater Rifts, and the time you spend facing the Rift Guardian. With these changes, more of the emphasis will be on your journey as you explore and clear the Rift.
Prepare Yourself!
New zone, new Cube, new items, new difficulty levels, new Adventure Mode changes—the list goes on and on! We hope you’re looking forward to trying out all these new features and leaving your valuable feedback once the PTR hits. Out of all that you’ve seen above, which of these changes are you most excited to experience for yourself? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll see you on the Public Test Realm!
ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN..... CHOOO CHOOO....
Wait what? Blizzard listening to their players? Is it april fools already?
the amount of hype is un-fucking real
*Boards the Hype-train*
Wow.. I was not expecting so much new stuff - cube sounds like it will make everything more exciting.. like trickle down excitement into every aspect of gearing.
dunno if anyone here remember MU Online, game have/had (dunno how it looks right now) at last for me, challenging item upgrade system with gems or goblin machine.
at point u could upgrade item to higher level or lose everything.
could be great to see something like that in D3.
game is to ez atm.
Some really cool stuff coming in this patch. Can't wait to get on the ptr!
horadric cube? didn't see that comming!
HYPE IS REAL BOYZ
Ok it's some fake patch notes or somone hacked blue posts becouse it cant be TRUE !
we need specific torment levels to get the new cube ?
do passive skills remain on a character or do they vanish when you end a game or log out
To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting very many big changes in the near future. What makes it more interesting is that so many big changes are all being put into the same patch.
Hope they pull it off well.
Dude.... it would take years and lots of redesigning to catch up to D2 in any aspect.
BUT I WANT IT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
more... More..... MOre..... MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 effects on the cude is insane!
so after 2 weeks , we gonna get boring with this patch to
without d2 systems this game have no hope . always saying .
Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!
Someone said WW barb with shard of hate effect?
can't wait for ptr to hit the servers.
A little hyped but still afraid that I will get bored fast. The game is too easy to equip and progress right now, and BiS gear and builds make the longevity really suffer. Praying for combat changes that completly remove one hit jailer kill and better GR experience. New difficulties is awesome if TX is hard and rewarding. I still think that equip should be WAY harder and not full of sets and legendaries. Cube seems awesome at first, but if its limited to add equipment passives, I can see all of us with Calamity/Furnace as weapon passive, Hellfire/RoRG as jewelry passive and only armor passive changing based on the class. Smart loot and trade removal made it all to easy.
I think i need to see the doctor. Something grew tremendously in my pants and it won't disappear. Starting to loose all blood in my arms and legs. Feeling lightheaded.
lol...no way this will go live...but if it does. ill be happy i dont need to farm for that GG krider...1 garbage roll will do..LOL. this is leaps and bounds beyond mortics brace...really.