At Blizzcon 2015, we were all expecting Blizzard to make an announcement for a new Diablo 3 Expansion but instead, we got a new patch. Nonetheless, patch 2.4 has been out on the public test realm for a while now and here's some key changes you should know about.
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New Feature: Set Dungeons:
Whichever class you might be playing and whichever set you might be using, there's a dungeon challenge just for you! This new feature requires you to have a full set for your class. Once your set is complete, you can run specific dungeons and objectives that are designed around that set you are using. Completing these objectives will unlock cosmetic rewards. This can be done for every single class set.
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New Feature: Empowered Rifts:
This is a straightforward "gold sink" feature. When selecting your Greater Rift difficulty, you will now also have the option to make it an "Empowered Rift". When selected, you will be prompted to pay a specific amount of gold and upon successfully completing the Greater Rift, you will have a fourth opportunity to upgrade your legendary gem.
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New Feature: Season Rebirth:
This feature allows you to transform one of your non-seasonal heroes into a fresh level 1 season hero. You will ONLY keep the name and the number of hours played. Everything else will not be transferred over. Instead, It will be mailed to your non-seasonal game mode and you will have 30 days to claim the items in your mailbox.
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New Feature: Revised Buff Bar:
A much needed change. All static buffs will no longer appear in the buff bar area. Instead, It will appear at the top of your skills in your skill bar.
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Seasons:
Thankfully, Blizzard has finally decided to make seasons only last three months. Season exclusive rewards will now consist of new custom portraits, pennants, wings and pets. They also decided to get rid of season exclusive legendaries.
Stash Tabs:
You can now purchase a sixth stash tab for 500,000 gold. You will also be able to earn an additional stash tab every season (up to a maximum of four) by completing objectives during the season.
New Bounties:
Nothing too fancy, added about 175 new bounties because we clearly did not have enough. But don't get too discouraged, most of them will be the standard cursed chests or cursed shrines events.
Nephalem Rifts:
Several changes have been made in order to make progression during rifts easier such as increased the progression earned from orbs. Rare monsters now also drop four orbs instead of three.
Old Class Set Changes:
The following class sets have been redesigned for the most part which should give us a few different build options. Although I am fairly certain there will always be one build that stands out for each class. Most would call it the "cookie cutter" build.
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The Legacy of Raekor, Might of the Earth, Armor of Akkhan, Thorns of the Invoker, Embodiment of the Marauder, Monkey King's Garb, Raiment of the Jade Harvester, Delsere's Magnum Opus.
Monsters:
Most rift guardian bosses have received some changes to ease the encounter against them.
These were the major changes for the most part expected for patch 2.4 which will hopefully be released very soon. Season four is scheduled to end sometime in December and we will get a two week notice prior to the season's end. It also seems like Blizzard will now allow a "few weeks" of break between seasons.
All in all, I feel like patch 2.4 will be one of the biggest and most impressive patches to date with all the great changes they are making. I am personally looking forward to the new class set dungeon feature. I believe it will get people to start playing different classes and tackle these dungeon challenges instead of sticking to one class for the entire season.
Keeping my fingers crossed for a new Diablo 3 Expansion in the future....hopefully very soon.
References: Patch 2.4.0 PTR Patch Notes - Diablo III
Whichever class you might be playing and whichever set you might be using, there's a dungeon challenge just for you! This new feature requires you to have a full set for your class. Once your set is complete, you can run specific dungeons and objectives that are designed around that set you are using. Completing these objectives will unlock cosmetic rewards. This can be done for every single class set.
New Feature: Empowered Rifts:
This is a straightforward "gold sink" feature. When selecting your Greater Rift difficulty, you will now also have the option to make it an "Empowered Rift". When selected, you will be prompted to pay a specific amount of gold and upon successfully completing the Greater Rift, you will have a fourth opportunity to upgrade your legendary gem.
New Feature: Season Rebirth:
This feature allows you to transform one of your non-seasonal heroes into a fresh level 1 season hero. You will ONLY keep the name and the number of hours played. Everything else will not be transferred over. Instead, It will be mailed to your non-seasonal game mode and you will have 30 days to claim the items in your mailbox.
New Feature: Revised Buff Bar:
A much needed change. All static buffs will no longer appear in the buff bar area. Instead, It will appear at the top of your skills in your skill bar.
Seasons:
Thankfully, Blizzard has finally decided to make seasons only last three months. Season exclusive rewards will now consist of new custom portraits, pennants, wings and pets. They also decided to get rid of season exclusive legendaries.
Stash Tabs:
You can now purchase a sixth stash tab for 500,000 gold. You will also be able to earn an additional stash tab every season (up to a maximum of four) by completing objectives during the season.
New Bounties:
Nothing too fancy, added about 175 new bounties because we clearly did not have enough. But don't get too discouraged, most of them will be the standard cursed chests or cursed shrines events.
Nephalem Rifts:
Several changes have been made in order to make progression during rifts easier such as increased the progression earned from orbs. Rare monsters now also drop four orbs instead of three.
Old Class Set Changes:
The following class sets have been redesigned for the most part which should give us a few different build options. Although I am fairly certain there will always be one build that stands out for each class. Most would call it the "cookie cutter" build.
The Legacy of Raekor, Might of the Earth, Armor of Akkhan, Thorns of the Invoker, Embodiment of the Marauder, Monkey King's Garb, Raiment of the Jade Harvester, Delsere's Magnum Opus.
Monsters:
Most rift guardian bosses have received some changes to ease the encounter against them.
These were the major changes for the most part expected for patch 2.4 which will hopefully be released very soon. Season four is scheduled to end sometime in December and we will get a two week notice prior to the season's end. It also seems like Blizzard will now allow a "few weeks" of break between seasons.
All in all, I feel like patch 2.4 will be one of the biggest and most impressive patches to date with all the great changes they are making. I am personally looking forward to the new class set dungeon feature. I believe it will get people to start playing different classes and tackle these dungeon challenges instead of sticking to one class for the entire season.
Keeping my fingers crossed for a new Diablo 3 Expansion in the future....hopefully very soon.
References: Patch 2.4.0 PTR Patch Notes - Diablo III