Diablo 3 Patch 2.3 Will Introduce Kanai's Cube, New Difficulty Levels

Diablo 3's Patch 2.3 will be coming to the game soon. Today Blizzard gave a run-down on the update's major features, including a powerful new relic.

The new item is called Kanai's Cube. Unlike the Horadric Cube, this artifact doesn't allow you to merge items. Instead, it breaks them down. You can disassemble Legendary items and then equip their special effects as passive skills for your character. Additionally, Kanai's Cube can convert crafting materials from one type to another. Blizzard is teasing other uses as well that I'm sure we'll find out about soon.

The wider crafting system is being overhauled in Patch 2.3. Once patch is live, the crafting materials you find while leveling up will be the same as the materials you find at level 70. Blizzard further simplified things by cutting down the number of crafting recipes in the game.

Players will also have a new zone to explore with Patch 2.3. The Ruins of Sescheron are an icy wasteland inhabited by new enemies. One of the many destinations here is the Tomb of King Kanai, where you'll first find the Cube.

Adventure Mode, meanwhile, will be undergoing some significant changes so you'll feel the need to return to older zones:

This patch also includes changes designed to improve the pacing of Adventure Mode while encouraging players to explore Bounties across a variety of Acts. In addition to removing the Realm of Trials, we’re improving Bounty rewards by adding new Act-specific crafting mats to Horadric Caches. Completing Bonus Acts in Adventure Mode games will also now grant a bonus Horadric Cache stuffed with crafting materials, gold, and additional Act-specific crafting mats.

To ensure that players still find the game challenging, Blizzard is expanding the range of difficulty levels beyond Torment 6. Now the game's difficulty will go all the way up to Torment 10. By braving this highest setting, you'll find appropriately powerful loot. Speaking of loot: the development team plans to add new items and revamp some existing ones as well.

Players who participate in Seasons will have a new way to track their accomplishments. A new Season Journey interface debuting with Season 4 will list the milestones you've reached. Dedicated players can complete Tiers of advanced challenges to unlock new portrait frames for their characters.

Blizzard plans to add Patch 2.3 to the Public Testing Realm soon so PC and Mac players can get an early look at the update's features. No firm release date was announced for the patch yet.

Pete Haas

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.