Blizzard is bringing some major changes to Diablo III in its upcoming 2.1.0 update, which is currently being tested on the Public Test Realm (PTR) by players who want a taste of what’s to come.
Among the many changes being delivered in 2.1.0, which we previously detailed here, are buffs to all two-handed weapons below level 70, to bring them in line with the buffs coming to level 70 two-handed weapons. Here’s community manager Grimiku on the subject:
We're planning on expanding the level range for the retroactive damage buff to 2-handed weapons, so that it will include item levels 10-70 in patch 2.1. One of the benefits of this change is that it should help lower level Crusaders feel like Heavenly Strength is still a good choice. The percent of increased damage will still be based on the weapon speed, and not based on item level. So, lower level items will receive the same base percent damage increase as their higher level counterparts.
Additionally, the PTR has been a great resource of feedback for Blizzard with regards to the upcoming Greater Rifts that are set to grace the game. Plenty of changes are coming in the next PTR patch—changes that will eventually make their way into the final version—that reflect concerns about the reward structure of the Greater Rifts.
– Urshi will no longer only spawn when a Greater Rift is failed; instead, she will spawn at the end of every Greater Rift level. You'll be able to choose whether you wish to upgrade your gem or, assuming that you completed that Rift within the time limit, move on to the next level.
– The Rift Guardian will spawn at the 15 minute mark regardless of whether your bar has reached full progress. This should eliminate "the slog" at higher Greater Rifts where you fail, but have the rest of the level to go before you get your rewards.
– The pacing for upgrading your Legendary Gems is being significantly revised.
– – Legendary gem upgrades are now more likely to receive multiple ranks per upgrade attempt at higher Greater Rift tiers, to a maximum of 4 ranks at a time.
– – This is in addition to the higher chance to upgrade gained at each additional Greater Rift tier.
– – To compensate for this change, individual ranks are less powerful. The rate of power accrual will roughly be the same, you'll just experience it more frequently!
And finally, a whole bunch of Monk changes are being implemented in the next version of the PTR update. Monk Spirit Generators will be seeing some significant changes, defining their class as quick attackers. Here’s what’s in store:
Monks are quick strikers, and we wanted to increase the Spirit generation and damage of each Primary skill without just upping the numbers. We're addressing this by increasing the Attack Speed scalar of most Monk generators. This means that each will operate more quickly and scale better with Attack Speed. This is a change you won't see reflected in the tooltip or PTR data mining, but should experience in practice, especially if you already have a substantial amount of Attack Speed. This change addresses both concerns while further embracing that Monk fantasy of being fast and nimble.
We're also addressing some of the remaining Dodge mechanics that Monks have left in their kit. We're leaving a few options for players who really want to embrace the Dodge mechanic and focus on it, but others we're retooling to provide more consistent and reliable benefits. Mantra of Evasion is being replaced with Mantra of Salvation, and the base skill will now provide you and your allies within 60 yards a 20% bonus to All Resistance. We've moved the Dodge bonus to a new rune, Agility, and you'll find some other useful utility among the other new runes.
There are plenty of other changes coming as well, but I don't want to get too patch-notey here. Expect some quality of life and DPS boosts to spenders like Lashing Tail Kick and Wave of Light to make them more competitive and offer you additional options. The new Alabaster Gloves have been removed and replaced with a new Monk Seasonal Legendary Fist Weapon that increases the maximum stack count of Sweeping Winds by 5-7. Overall, there will be new toys to play with, and we're looking forward to seeing your feedback on these changes as we move into our next PTR patch.
There is currently no release date for when the 2.1.0 update will be released to the general public, as the patch continues to remain a work-in-progress.
