Royalty so rarely have their plans unravel, and it’s said the anger of a thwarted Prince is twice the rage of a wise King. Our next content update brings the Creation’s Domain preview event, Season of the Harvest returning events, updates to the Helliquary Gauntlet and more.
As with all previous content updates, there will be server maintenance starting on November 25th, from 4-6 p.m. PST for Oceania, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe servers, and on November 26th from 12-2 a.m. PST for servers in the Americas. After the maintenance has concluded, all items mentioned below will be live—specific dates for any features going live afterward are provided below.
As this article is an early look at the next content update, information conveyed in this article may be subject to adjustment.
Fear the Creation’s Domain
For something to be re-born, it must die. Metamorphosis requires sacrifice of the highest price. Are you willing to pay the cost?
From December 10, 3:00 a.m.—December 21, 3:00 a.m. local server time, log-in to glimpse a preview of our next major update coming in to the lands of Sanctuary. Note that you will need to be over Level 30 to participate in the event. Log-in on multiple days to glean what Prince Albrecht has in store for his people.
While Creation’s Domain is live, you’ll receive a 100% bonus to XP gained from Battle Pass levels. Rewards unlock on Day 2, 4, and 8 by logging-in and completing daily tasks.
Reap the Season of the Harvest
Amidst the terror wreaked by the many pestilent demons that riddle the countryside, the destitute farmers still manage to eek out a meager harvest. Will the hope they spead be enough to support their dwindling numbers?
From December 10, 3 a.m.—January 7, 3 a.m. local server time, crush your way through returning events to receive gleaming rewards for your efforts. Once the weekend hits, prepare to face-off against your fellow adventurers. Their blades will be well-honed and prepared!
Earn progress in Season of the Harvest in the following Returning Events:
Survivor’s Bane
- December 10—December 17, 3 a.m. local server time
Conqueror
- December 17—December 24, 3 a.m. local server time
Trial of the Hordes
- December 24—December 31, 3 a.m. local server time
Fractured Plane
- December 31—January 7, 3 a.m. local server time
Rift Racer Returns
Searing Flame
The gauntlet for the swiftest demon slayers returns! From December 10, 3 a.m.—December 14, 10 p.m., attempt to clear deadly Rifts in the fastest time.
For this next round of Rift Racer, we’re leaving the event open at all times, so you have more freedom to attempt your fastest clear. Normal difficulty will have a stat normalization effect active, and we’re also increasing the difficulty of Nightmare. Treasure Goblins will be replaced with an all-new challenge called Trials. Coordinate with your team to overcome the Trial of Souls and the Trial of Life to earn Rift Progress Orbs to push you towards the Rift Guardian faster. Nightmare difficulty will now also have a party restriction, limiting the number of duplicate classes down to 2 to help increase class representation in the event.
Normal difficulty will have a server only leaderboard, while Nightmare difficulty will be a cross-server competition. Your rank in each difficulty will earn you rewards at the end of the event. May your killing be swift, and rewards bountiful.
Changes to the Prodigy’s Path
We are making changes to Prodigy’s Path with the desire to make it more accessible for players that may want a more affordable option. We will be decreasing the duration and rewards, but also the price accordingly. Players that are used to purchasing the Prodigy’s Path will not see a difference over time, but this change will give players that may not have usually purchased it access to some rewards at a lower price point.
Feature Updates
Buff Bar Tooltip Improvements
We’ve added the ability to create hyperlinked text inside the buff bar tooltips, so we can provide short descriptions of text while still providing the ability to give longer descriptions as a pop-up next to the link.
One of the main places you’ll see this is the buff for Strife. As you can see below, the text displayed can now be selected to display more details about the buff’s functionality. We want to make it clear that Strife functionality has not changed in any way, this is solely a change that updates the display and text in the tooltip to make it easier to read.
Changes to Deeds of Valor
In response to community feedback, we’re making additional changes to the Deeds of Valor system to increase the number of Impact Marks awarded during the Cycle of Strife. These are only the first round of adjustments we are making to how players can earn the Akeba’s Chosen Deeds of Valor badge. So, be on the lookout for additional changes next year.
Beginning on your server’s next Immortal Reign, you can earn 8 additional Impact Marks through Rite of Exile battles. With this change, it brings the total amount of Impact Marks to 24 for winning Shadow Clans and losing Shadow Clans can receive 16 Impact Marks.
Additionally, the win condition has changed to include any week, instead of the final week in the Rite of Exile. For example, if a Shadow Clan wins on week 4, but loses every other week while still finishing in the top 10 during the final week, they’ll earn 24 Impact Marks.
The only way to earn 16 Impact Marks is by losing every single Rite of Exile match. Participating Clan members who claim victory on the final week in Rite of Exile will still earn their own Impact Mark which can’t be reassigned by the Clan Leader. Clans can now earn up to a maximum of 40 Impact Marks through Rite of Exile activities, when you include the extra Impact Marks earned during the Vigil of Blades.
Clan leaders will also now have access to UI that lets them more easily assign Impact Marks. Once an Impact Mark has been assigned to a clan member, their Impact will be automatically updated, and the Impact Mark will remain with them even if they leave the clan. Other clan members may view this UI as well to see where your Impact Marks are being assigned, but they will not be able to interact with it to change player positions.
Upcoming Changes to Selling Gems
In this next update, we are disabling the ability to sell Normal Gems ranked 2-5 in exchange for Platinum on the Market. If you have any Rank 2-5 Normals Gems and attempt to post them to the Market, they’ll be dismantled down to Rank 1 and posted as Rank 1 Gems.
This upcoming change will take effect on November 26. During this time, all 2-5 Normal Gem posts on the Market will expire and be removed. You can collect them from the Market and re-post them, but the new changes will take effect. Vic in Westmarch will also offer the option to dismantle the Rank 2-5 Gems as well.
Special Effects Adjustments
We’re adding a new Graphics setting where you can reduce the visual effects of other player skill effects, or monster skill effects. Additionally, we’re including a simplified mode to reduce PvP combat interface information and visual effects.
War Games Optimizations
We’re adding a suite of changes to existing War Games modes, alongside optimizations and improvements to the UI and functions.
We’re excited to see what players have done with War Games and we’re looking forward to future iterations for this game mode. The development of this game mode is heavily driven by community feedback, so please let us know how you feel and how you’ve fared so far.
The following Optimizations and changes will be added:
- The current host can now promote another player to host. If the current host is inactive for too long, you can also take hosting from them to continue playing in the same lobby.
- If a host leaves the lobby, it’ll no longer force the lobby to close for everyone else. Instead, it will promote the first player who joined to be the new host.
- The number of points needed to win a match is now a customizable setting for Tower War and Destruction’s Call - Capture the Flag.
- Preparation Time is now a modifiable setting.
- Destruction’s Call - Slayer now has an option to disable the safe bases and healing zones within them.
- Destruction’s Call - Slayer safe bases will now appear green for your base, and red for the enemy base to represent that one will heal, while the other will deal damage to you.
- The AFK check inside Destruction’s Call has been removed.
- The Tower War map will now close as intended if the only players left are Spectators.
- The War Games table now has a new unique icon, which can be found in the Map Legend when viewing the Westmarch map.
- Potency and Resistance are now available as Stat selections in the Player Info notification.
4 Person Co-op Raid Optimization
We’re returning to the Ravenous Glade for an update to Vanguard. We wanted to push this version of Vanguard to emphasize the need to control the Glade Bane Boss, and for you to modify your builds to succeed in the higher difficulty levels.
To do this, we’re increasing the amount of monster attacks that swarm your party, and emphasize the quick decisions needed to progress through this challenge. We’ve upped the unique challenge of this version while streamlining the flow, so it’ll be easier to get through your weekly runs.
The Glade Bane Boss will enter a 15 second invulnerability chanting state at 75% and 30% health, during which time a significant number of elite monsters will spawn. If you successfully kill all elite monsters within 15 seconds, the boss will fall to the ground for 15 seconds. This makes them open to attacks, which also deal a damage bonus. If you fail to kill all elite monsters in time, the boss will unleash a full-screen attack dealing high amounts of damge to everyone. Plan carefully to overcome this vicious onslaught.
Considering this gameplay already relies on constant boss attacks, we’re removing the final Helliquary Boss. Many normal monsters have been added back into this Raid.
Cheating Prevention in PvP Matches
In an effort to help prevent foul play in PvP matches, we’re implementing mode-specific restrictions on Items, Legendary Gems, Paragon, and other systems to prevent players from manipulating combat power. This is typically done through unequipping or swapping items. Ensuring fair matchmaking and balanced PvP experiences.
Spectral Allies AI Behaviour
Improved several AI functions for Spectral Allies under various conditions. Spectral Allies should now:
- No longer continuously teleport back to your position if you’re dead.
- Have the ability to split themselves up to attack multiple targets when there are requirements for enemies to die at the same time.
- Have the ability to detect nearby priority targets or objectives and interact with them.
Updated Cheating Prevention Measures
We’re updating the following gamemodes to help prevent any foul play.
Battleground
- Once you’ve found a match, you’ll no longer be able to change your Warband Remnants.
- When in Combat, you’ll now be prompted that you can’t replace your Paragon skills.
Tower War
- Once you’ve found a match, you’ll no longer be able to change your Warband Remnants.
- When in Combat, you’ll now be prompted that you can’t replace your Paragon skills.
Wild Brawl
- Once you’ve found a match, you’ll no longer be able to replace the following: Legendary and Normal gems, Paragon Skills, Runes, Helliquary, Warband Remnants.
- When in Combat, you’ll no longer be able to change your Paragon Skills.
Trial of the Hordes
- When matchmaking, the following can be replaced, but you’ll still matchmake with the highest combat rating value previously equipped. Once you’ve found a match, you won’t be able to replace them. This applies to Legendary Items, Set Items, Legendary and Normal gems, Paragon Skills, Familiars, Runes, Helliquary, Warband Remnants.
Future Changes
Fabled Wisp Material Updates
On December 17, we are making changes to how Fabled Wisps are converted to help reduce some of the clutter from the high number of different materials required to craft Set Items.
We’ll be adding three new difficulties: Inferno X-XII and their corresponding materials: Fabled Wisp Inferno X, Fabled Wisp Inferno XI, Fabled Wisp Inferno XII. Fabled Wisp Inferno VII-IX will still exist, but the older Fabled Wisp Hell I – Inferno VI will be automatically converted into a new universal crafting material called Fabled Wisp, which has no difficulty attached to it.
Upon logging in after this patch, you will receive an in-game mail containing the new Fabled Wisp material with the quantity equal to the amount of Fabled Wisp Hell I – Inferno VI that you had in your inventory. This also means that Salvaging Set Items from Hell I – Inferno VI will now generate Fabled Wisps instead of their previous materials. These Fabled Wisp materials can be used to craft set items for any difficulty between Hell I and Inferno VI, or they can be converted into Fabled Wisp Inferno VII materials at the rate of 7:1.
This change not only reduces the overall number of materials for set crafting but also helps provide a smoother progression experience through lower difficulties for both new and returning players.
Helliquary Gauntlet Rotation Changes
Starting on December 17, Helliquary Gauntlets will no longer rotate out immediately when new difficulties are added into the game, and their new Helliquary Gauntlet is introduced.
The previous set of Helliquary Gauntlets will remain available for completion for 6 months after the new bosses are added to the game.
Developer’s Note: Our intent is to help reduce the pressure for completing the final Helliquary Gauntlets in each rotation by leaving the challenges and rewards open for longer. We’ll also have some additional changes to the rewards for Helliquary Gauntlets that we are currently working on for future updates.
