Blizzard has released the latest update for Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Patch 2.2.1 brings with it the usual array of tweaks, fixes and balance changes, but there are also some interesting new features. As well as increasing the chance of the rarest items in the game to drop from monsters and chests, a new level of Rarity has been added to the game. Ancient items are essentially the same as Legendary items, albeit with improved stats. You’ll need to be playing to Torment I difficulty or higher before they’ll drop, however. In addition, any Legendary items that are either crafted or purchased from Kadala have a chance of being upgraded to an Ancient item.
New Legendaries have also been added to the game, but they won’t become available to players until the beginning of Season 2. The most interesting of these are a handful of new Legendary gems:
- Esoteric Alteration
Gain 10% non-Physical damage reduction
Upgrade rank grants: +0.5% non-Physical damage reduction
Rank 25 unlocks: While below half Life, your resistances to Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison, and Arcane are increased by 75%
- Gem of Ease
Monster kills grant +500 experience
This is multiplied by the difficulty multiplier
This is intended to be an exorbitant amount of experience for a low level character
For example:
A level 1 monster grants 40 experience
A level 55 monster grants 8,700 experience
A level 60 monster grants 18,700 experience
Upgrade rank grants: +50 experience per kill
Rank 25 unlocks: Level requirement reduced to 1
- Molten Wildebeest’s Gizzard
Regenerates 10,000 Life per Second
Upgrade rank grants: +1000 Life per Second
Rank 25 unlocks: After not taking damage for 4 seconds, gain an absorb shield for 200% of your total Life per Second
Gem of Ease will be of particular interest to those who levelling alts, making it a much faster process to level a new character to 70 and beyond.
You can read the full patch notes over on the official Diablo 3 website.
I reviewed Reaper of Souls upon its original PC release last year, awarding the game 9/10. “Reaper of Souls manages to fix the majority of the original game’s flaws, provides more than enough new gameplay to keep players going for a while, and fully justifies its price tag,” I said in my Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Review. ” It’s still not quite the direct continuation of Diablo 2‘s famously addictive gameplay systems many wanted – and, no doubt will continue to demand – but it does an excellent job of finding an agreeable middle ground.”
Dale Morgan
@spamdangled
Latest posts by Dale Morgan (see all)
- New screenshots show off Final Fantasy XV - 23 February 2024
- Diablo 3 gets new Legendary armor sets in patch 2.2 - 20 February 2024
- Xenoblade games on 3DS and Wii U are hungry for your storage space - 19 February 2024
