Level 62+ Items Dropping Properly
Blizzard Blues on item tiers, Blood Shard purchases, and more
The Reaper of Souls Expansion has brought many changes to the game, even beyond what we saw in the major Patch 2.0. Leveling up from 60 to 70 can feel a bit different than in lower levels in the game, both in the difficulty and how items drop. The latest Blizzard Blues posts deal with those topics, along with new features in the expansion. Let's jump on in!
Yes, it's a bug. I hope. In the Euro forums, a blue said they were looking into it, but we can't get a blue to comment here. Which I don't understand, as so many people have already made posts about this. Please, could we get a comment from a blue?
It looks like there was a little confusion on this topic, so allow me to clarify - there is not a bug involved here. Required level is not the same thing as an item’s power level, and it definitely does not mean a level 69 character should feel uncomfortable about using an item that specifies “Requires Level 61.†Items saying "Requires Level 61" on them is by design. The item can be at a power level intended for level 68 or 69 characters but we let players use it at Level 61 - this is intentional.
A primary boon of this approach is you know that items you find early on in your leveling experience (around 61-62) aren't replaced immediately upon reaching 63. That awesome item you found at 61 should be able to stick with you up through 69. When there are too many tiers of items, you transition through them rapidly and the items start to feel transient. Why bother gemming or enchanting an item if you expect to find an upgrade in 30 minutes? The Mystic’s Enchanting is powerful, but it doesn't feel worth using if you don’t have confidence your item will still be useful in 2 levels. Another benefit of this design choice is that it is alt-friendly. We think it's really fun to have the option to twink characters. Why not allow items you find at the upper echelons of the 60's to be passed down to your new characters fairly easily?
This does have some downsides, including that upgrades can feel a little sparse between the latter levels before cap (66-69). However, in this situation, we felt the benefits outweighed the detriments and it keeps the element of randomness that we feel is core to the Diablo experience. We want to ensure there is a chance to find an amazing top tier item the moment you ding 61 and get to hold on to it for hours if fortune smiles upon you, though that may mean it takes a little longer to find an upgrade for that particular slot.
66-70 is a really brutal slog though. Honestly, you could probably tone down monsters or speed up leveling in this bit safely. I've had a lot of clanmates griping about it already.
It is, and that's also intended. It's totally fine to drop the difficulty as you climb closer to 70, because the game does get more difficult as you level up (since monsters now level alongside you). Once you reach 70, you're entering a new environment where you can ascend back up through the difficulties as you acquire additional gear, shift things around with the Mystic or gems, or gain additional Paragon levels.
Some folks might start at higher difficulties than others at 70, either because they found some pretty amazing items as they level that keep well or because they're seeking a really tough challenge and it better suits their play style. That's fine - the difficulty systems are there to tailor your experience and level of challenge as well as to offer a sense of progression.
1) Apparently they were, and now the Rift boss just drops whatever loot they would've contained.
This is correct! We felt it was more appropriate to have the Rift bosses explode with loot, rather than just open up a bag in town. The reward simply moved places.
Also, is there anything else to use Blood Shards on other than Kadala?
Currently, there is not. It's always possible we explore other avenues of Blood Shard use at a later date. We'll see what the future holds!
because i was farming it for a long time without sucess together with the dataminer (the ghost from the realm of shadows). and today the objetive of a bounty was to kill the dataminer so i got the achievement
Bashiok can indeed be the target of a Bounty quest. In addition, all uniques have their normal chance of spawning in Adventure Mode, even if they aren't currently a bounty target.
Drops Working at Levels 61-69
In a previous news article, we looked at the "item tiers" of drops through the process of leveling from 60 up to 70. Rare items only drop at the required levels of 61, 66, and 69 in the intermediate levels. Nevalistis took some time to explain why this is intended, to keep players from feeling overwhelmed by constant small upgrades.
Post by Blizzard (Blue Tracker, Official Forum)
Yes, it's a bug. I hope. In the Euro forums, a blue said they were looking into it, but we can't get a blue to comment here. Which I don't understand, as so many people have already made posts about this. Please, could we get a comment from a blue?
It looks like there was a little confusion on this topic, so allow me to clarify - there is not a bug involved here. Required level is not the same thing as an item’s power level, and it definitely does not mean a level 69 character should feel uncomfortable about using an item that specifies “Requires Level 61.†Items saying "Requires Level 61" on them is by design. The item can be at a power level intended for level 68 or 69 characters but we let players use it at Level 61 - this is intentional.
A primary boon of this approach is you know that items you find early on in your leveling experience (around 61-62) aren't replaced immediately upon reaching 63. That awesome item you found at 61 should be able to stick with you up through 69. When there are too many tiers of items, you transition through them rapidly and the items start to feel transient. Why bother gemming or enchanting an item if you expect to find an upgrade in 30 minutes? The Mystic’s Enchanting is powerful, but it doesn't feel worth using if you don’t have confidence your item will still be useful in 2 levels. Another benefit of this design choice is that it is alt-friendly. We think it's really fun to have the option to twink characters. Why not allow items you find at the upper echelons of the 60's to be passed down to your new characters fairly easily?
This does have some downsides, including that upgrades can feel a little sparse between the latter levels before cap (66-69). However, in this situation, we felt the benefits outweighed the detriments and it keeps the element of randomness that we feel is core to the Diablo experience. We want to ensure there is a chance to find an amazing top tier item the moment you ding 61 and get to hold on to it for hours if fortune smiles upon you, though that may mean it takes a little longer to find an upgrade for that particular slot.
66-70 is a really brutal slog though. Honestly, you could probably tone down monsters or speed up leveling in this bit safely. I've had a lot of clanmates griping about it already.
It is, and that's also intended. It's totally fine to drop the difficulty as you climb closer to 70, because the game does get more difficult as you level up (since monsters now level alongside you). Once you reach 70, you're entering a new environment where you can ascend back up through the difficulties as you acquire additional gear, shift things around with the Mystic or gems, or gain additional Paragon levels.
Some folks might start at higher difficulties than others at 70, either because they found some pretty amazing items as they level that keep well or because they're seeking a really tough challenge and it better suits their play style. That's fine - the difficulty systems are there to tailor your experience and level of challenge as well as to offer a sense of progression.
Dropping the Difficulty
As noted above, the new Dynamic Difficulty system in patch 2.0 can also take a little getting used to. In two threads, the community managers talk with players who have very different views of the difficulty settings. A player running a new Crusader through at high difficulty thinks the game is too easy, while a higher level player finds the game is getting too difficult as he levels up to 70. The great part about the new system is that players can find the difficulty that works best for them, based on the gear and playstyle they use.
Post by Blizzard (Blue Tracker, Official Forum)
The difficulty system now is very different from previous iterations, primarily because enemies now level along with you (where previously their levels were static across difficulty settings). While leveling, moving up to a higher difficulty should be a way for you to tailor what's comfortable for you, and some players find the higher difficulties better suited to their style of play (or level of gear they've acquired).
You'll find the difficulties interact a little differently once you reach level cap, since monsters no longer get progressively harder as you gain Paragon levels. It’s likely that you’ll lower your difficulty as you get closer to cap. Once you reach 70, over time as you acquire more gear you’ll find yourself ascending through difficulties again. I know some of you are super pro and might be able to tackle harder difficulties from the get-go, but that just highlights what’s different about this new system – it’s much easier to tailor to your play style as well as level of skill and gear.
You'll find the difficulties interact a little differently once you reach level cap, since monsters no longer get progressively harder as you gain Paragon levels. It’s likely that you’ll lower your difficulty as you get closer to cap. Once you reach 70, over time as you acquire more gear you’ll find yourself ascending through difficulties again. I know some of you are super pro and might be able to tackle harder difficulties from the get-go, but that just highlights what’s different about this new system – it’s much easier to tailor to your play style as well as level of skill and gear.
Post by Blizzard (Blue Tracker, Official Forum)
The bosses are pretty challenging in Act V, so it's perfectly normal to lower your difficulty a bit (especially while leveling). Remember that difficulty is separate from monster levels now, so if you're wearing a lot of pre-61 gear or you've had less than fortunate luck with upgrades and find yourself struggling, you always have that option to adjust your difficulty setting, if only for the time being.
Blood Shard Purchases
Two posts talk about Blood Shards, the new currency that comes from completing Adventure Mode activities. One post talks about the exact items that can come from the random item purchases with Blood Shards. Most of those purchases will be Magic or Rare items, but there is a small chance at a great Legendary item, too. The other post mentions the potential idea of letting Blood Shards purchase other things in the future.
Post by Blizzard (Blue Tracker, Official Forum)
I have some additional information about the Legendary items Kadala can potentially offer, so let's get to it (cause it's good to know!). Previously I said it was possible to get a wide variety of Legendary items from Kadala, but what I have recently learned is that list actually includes all of the Legendaries currently in game except for the ones only found in Torment, and those only found in a Horadric Cache.
Post by Blizzard (Blue Tracker, Official Forum)
1) Apparently they were, and now the Rift boss just drops whatever loot they would've contained.
This is correct! We felt it was more appropriate to have the Rift bosses explode with loot, rather than just open up a bag in town. The reward simply moved places.
Also, is there anything else to use Blood Shards on other than Kadala?
Currently, there is not. It's always possible we explore other avenues of Blood Shard use at a later date. We'll see what the future holds!
Shield Bash Dangerous Bug
The Patch 2.0.3 Known Issues List has been updated, and includes a potentially life-threatening bug for Crusaders who use Shield Bash. Using the skill to move towards a monster, while being trapped by a Jailer or other root, can cause the character to be totally desynced. As the player no longer has control of the character, this can cause the character's death. Until this is fixed, it is recommended that at least hardcore characters do not use Shield Bash.
Combat
- Crusaders who use the Shield Bash skill while being rooted by a monster with the Jailer affix can become desynced and disconnected from the server.
Uniques in Bounties
Many of the Bounties in Adventure Mode involve killing a specific unique mob. Even the unique monsters that aren't a target of a Bounty can still load normally in Adventure Mode, as noted here.
Post by Blizzard (Blue Tracker, Official Forum)
because i was farming it for a long time without sucess together with the dataminer (the ghost from the realm of shadows). and today the objetive of a bounty was to kill the dataminer so i got the achievement
Bashiok can indeed be the target of a Bounty quest. In addition, all uniques have their normal chance of spawning in Adventure Mode, even if they aren't currently a bounty target.
Transmogrification Patterns from Reaper of Souls
Finally, a discussion of the special transmogrification patterns that come from the Collector's Edition or Deluxe Digital Edition of the expansion. There is an issue with one of them not showing up properly, at the moment.
Post by Blizzard (Blue Tracker, Official Forum)
Here are the names of all the transmogrification patterns you can learn from Arma Mortis and and
Arma Haereticorum (the books you receive for purchasing the DDE or CE of Reaper of Souls):
Arma Mortis:
Arma Haereticorum:
Note that when you train these patterns at the Mystic, the toasts can progress a little slowly. As long as you right-click on both books with the Mystic window open, though, you will train all 10 transmogrification patterns.
We've tested this several times based on your reports and everything seems to be working correctly. The only issue we've found is that the "Grim Reaper - 2h Mighty Weapon" pattern is not properly appearing in the Mystic's list of eligible appearances (even though is it being successfully learn by your hero). As noted above, we're already looking into that bug and hope to have it resolved as soon as possible.
Can you folks, next time you log into the game, take a look at your lists and see if everything is there?
Arma Haereticorum (the books you receive for purchasing the DDE or CE of Reaper of Souls):
Arma Mortis:
- Quietus - Hand-XBow
- Mortal Coil - Flail (1H)
- Death Reach – Fist
- Sacrificer - Sacrificial Dagger
- Heart of Darkness - Source
- Lifebane – 1H Weapon
- Grim Reaper – 2h Mighty Weapon (This item isn't currently appearing in the Mystic's transmogrification list, which is a known issue that we've already bugged.)
Arma Haereticorum:
- Infernal Helm
- Death Mask
- Hallowed Helm
Note that when you train these patterns at the Mystic, the toasts can progress a little slowly. As long as you right-click on both books with the Mystic window open, though, you will train all 10 transmogrification patterns.
We've tested this several times based on your reports and everything seems to be working correctly. The only issue we've found is that the "Grim Reaper - 2h Mighty Weapon" pattern is not properly appearing in the Mystic's list of eligible appearances (even though is it being successfully learn by your hero). As noted above, we're already looking into that bug and hope to have it resolved as soon as possible.
Can you folks, next time you log into the game, take a look at your lists and see if everything is there?
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