Diablo III’s upcoming Season 28 will introduce a whole new way for players to progress their characters, but not without some sacrifices.
The new system, called the Altar of Rites, is a talent-tree-like system where players will make choices on account-wide character buffs and Legendary potions that will last the entirety of Season 28. Unlocking the first node is the same for all players–kill streak timers and reward bonuses are doubled. From there, players will have to make some hard decisions as they go down the branching talent tree, with each node being progressively more expensive to unlock.
There look to be some truly wild buffs further down the tree, ranging from 15% increased damage across the board to the ability for pets to pick up and salvage common, magic, and rare items, Torchlight-style. The Legendary potions also look to put a major spin on moment-to-moment gameplay, such as one potion granting a random shrine or pylon effect whenever consumed or the ability to always receive two Primal items whenever a single Primal item drops. However, unlocking most of these upgrades won’t be easy. Players will need to sacrifice increasingly rare materials at the altar to gain access to the various upgrades, all the while learning more about Sanctuary’s “tumultuous past,” Blizzard writes in a blog post on the subject.