It's hard to name a more iconic action RPG franchise than Diablo. Blizzard's most recent iteration of the classic series, Diablo Immortal, has taken the mobile market by storm, inspiring passionate discussion over everything from the best builds for each class to micro transactions.
In Diablo Immortal, there's always another demon to kill. Whether the player is following the main story, hunting random monsters in the wild, tracking down Bounties, or getting into some PvP action, there's no shortage of enemies to test one's blade and spells against. Elder Rifts, instanced mini-dungeons with a Rift Guardian at the end, can be a quick way to earn some EXP and gear. Here are some tips every player should know before jumping into the Rifts.
8 Elder Rifts Scale To The Player When Solo
Unlike Challenge Rifts in which the player can set the difficulty, the difficulty of Elder Rifts scales automatically. In short, this means that the stronger the player is, the more difficult the Elder Rifts will be.
How much of a problem this is depends upon a variety of factors, including the player's class, build, strategy, and whether they are playing solo or with friends. There is no cap on how many times Elder Rifts can be undertaken, and no real penalty for death other than the frustration of restarting. Because of this, difficulty scaling isn't a massive concern, but it should be kept in mind.
7 Watch Progress Bar Vs. Timer
Killing monsters within the Elder Rift fills up a blue progress bar at the bottom of the screen. Once the bar is filled, a Rift Guardian boss is summoned. Unlike Challenge Rifts, which the player automatically fails if Rift is not completed before the timer runs out, Elder Rifts can still be successfully completed after time has elapsed.
Killing the Rift Guardian before the timer expires will grant the player bonus rewards, so there's an incentive to fill the progress bar as quickly as possible. That said, even if the player dies multiple times within the Rift, their rewards will be the same as long as they can reach the end and defeat the Rift Guardian in time.
6 Crests Are Essential
Using Crests and Legendary Crests allows the player to empower the Elder Rift. An empowered Rift rewards the player with Runes and Legendary Gems, whereas an unempowered Rift gives the player far less valuable loot. In general, it's only worth spending the time running Elder Rifts if the player has the Crests to empower them.
If not, the player's time is better spent doing other activities such as Challenge Rifts, Bounties, or other quests. Even using only a regular Crest has a small chance of awarding the player with a Legendary Gem. As long as the player has some Crests or Legendary Crests to work with, Elder Rifts are worth the time.
5 Rifts Scale To The Strongest
When playing solo, the difficulty of Elder Rifts scales according to the strength of the player. When playing with a group, however, the difficulty of the Rift scales according to the strength of the strongest player in the group.
Because of this, the player should take heed when considering whether to accompany a certain group into the Rift. The rewards might be greater, but the risk of dying and/or failing the Rift is much higher if the player is grossly underleveled. Players can certainly accompany those stronger than them into the dungeon, but they should understand the kind of risk they are taking.
4 Groups Have Their Advantages
Diablo Immortal, like many action RPGs, can be played solo. Shredding through dungeons, ripping apart skeletons, and wading through piles of treasure by oneself can be a blast. Going the solo route through Elder Rifts is totally doable, but there are some important advantages that come with being part of a group. More teammates mean more Crests used to empower the Elder Rift, which in turn means more Fading Ember rewarded to the players. Having certain classes on board can also make the run much easier.
Because Fading Ember is an essential ingredient for purchasing Runes and upgrading Legendary Gems, this reward should not be passed up on lightly. Also, because of the way Rift scaling works, players will receive higher quality loot if they manage to survive as part of a party of stronger players.
3 Know How Empowering Works
Each player taking part in the Elder Rift can add up to three Crests to empower it. These can either be ordinary Crests or Legendary Crests, and they can be added in any number and combination.
A Crest adds one modifier, which can either be positive or negative. It guarantees Rune drops, and grants the chance of a Legendary Gem drop. A Legendary Crest adds one positive and one negative modifier, and guarantees a Legendary Gem drop. Empowering with Crests also grants Fading Ember to all party members. The amount of Fading Ember granted increases with the addition of more Crests, and even party members who did not add Crests of their own will receive Fading Ember.
2 Understand Legendary Drops
Though Fading Ember is gained by the party as a whole regardless of who added which Crests, Legendary Gems can only be found by the player who added Crests. If the player doesn't add any Crests or Legendary Crests of their own, they will not find any Legendary Gems, regardless of what their teammates added.
This is an important point, both to manage player expectations and to note that trying to piggyback off the riches of others simply won't work. Adding three Legendary Crests guarantees three Legendary Gem drops. When it comes to Elder Rifts, the player either has what it takes to get better loot or they don't.
1 Embrace The Chaos
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The map, enemies, and Rift Guardian encountered within each Elder Rift are randomized. Positive modifiers like Chain Lightning, Holy Vengeance, and More Shrines will add useful changes, while negative modifiers like Elite Monsters, Lava, and Wild Hunt will add detrimental ones.
This combination of factors means that no Elder Rift will play out exactly the same, especially when changes to one's own build and teammates are considered. There's no right or wrong way to fight through an Elder Rift as long as one beats the Rift Guardian in time for the bonus reward. Always feel free to experiment and have fun with the challenge.
Diablo Immortal is now available for Android, iOS, and PC.