Disclaimer: this topic is a teaser and everything is subject to change. The full patch notes will be released 2 days prior to the new season.
Dear players, welcome to a very special Median XL holiday season! Time flies when you're having fun, and wouldn't you know it - it's been nearly 5 years since we embarked on the Sigma journey together. To celebrate this momentous milestone we have prepared an update for you that features elements of two of the most beloved seasons from Median XL history. The "Challenge" season from 2016 and the "Goblin" season from 2021.
We have taken the best elements from those patches, sprinkled some spice, made multiple improvements, and are proud to present Season 36: "Pandemonium"!
Christmas Pandemonium
The inhabitants of Sanctuary pose new challenges for the Nephalem
Acts 1 - 5
- You will face new enemies, from elsewhere in Sanctuary, in all areas beyond the normal Blood Moor
- In addition the monster pool will be randomised for each level instance
- You will face a different combination of monsters every time you revisit a zone
- There will be more Elite enemies than usual when going through the storyline on Normal Difficulty
- On Nightmare and Hell difficulty Veteran monsters can spawn in all areas
- On Nightmare and Hell difficulty you can seldom meet Rift or Dungeon enemies which will drop items from the respective endgame quest pool
- Some of the monsters you will fight have clawed their way back from the depths of Median XL history
- This includes fan favourites such as Porkulators, Alpha Centaurs, of course: Startled Witches, and more!
All have been updated to fit the current balance
Endgame Quests
- The pandemonium has also enveloped every Rift and most Dungeons in the game
- Every rift will feature an even bigger pool of thematically appropriate potential enemies, every clear will feel different and pose new challenges
- The new guests in Rifts will drop items appropriate to the zone you are farming
- For example: if you meet Necrobots in K3K, they will drop items with the area's set bias and NOT Fauztinville's runes
- Similarly, Dungeon guests will not drop items from their original pools but serve as a way to refresh the challenge of those quests
- Some dungeons will also feature thematic challenges
- For example: all teleports will be put on cooldown after use in Bremmtown, but the charm roll variance is now greatly reduced
Festive loot feast
Goblins are great again!
Goblins
- The spawn rate of all goblins has been doubled
- Relic goblins will now appear three times as often, drop 3 relics each, and start appearing from Nightmare difficulty onwards
- The Rainbow Staff may be found once again in the Pandemonium
Relics
- All relics have had their skill bonuses greatly boosted and you can now carry 4 instead of 3
- Relics now drop twice as often from most monsters
- Added ~30 new rare and powerful relics. Featuring: Challenge skills, Ultimate Skills, new oSkills, and even some boss skills
- However, the Pandemonium has also infused all Relics with chaos and each one could transform your season journey in an unexpected way!
- All relics will now spawn with a random class requirement
The Pandemonium Ladder
Featuring Sanctuary's very own advent calendar
Paragon of the Worldstone
- Baal on Hell difficulty will now drop a Paragon Soulstone as his one time reward for completing the Eve of Destruction quest
- This will track your progress throughout the season and give you exclusive rewards as you level up
- The rewards include: new Mastercrafted bases, new Sacred uniques, Relics, procs like Goblin's Glee, the Rainbow staff, and much more!
The Pandemonium Ladder
- The season will also feature a remixed progression system
- The level requirements of most dungeons have been removed
- Hell Baal now requires 110
The Mirror temple is closed in the Pandemonium season
Requirements for Heroic dungeons and those which are found in Rifts are unchanged - Obtain charms as soon as you can and unlock your Paragon potential to progress through the challenges of the season:
- Increased monster density and monster health in the campaign
Dungeon enemies and bosses in the 105-115 bracket have more health and later dungeons feature unique obstacles
Rift enemies in the 105-120 bracket have been juiced up so they are no longer weaker than their campaign brethren
Experience gain in areas with level 90+ has been reduced by 30%
And more!
There will be additional changes in the patch notes that are not discussed in this topic. If you haven't already, please join our Discord community here for updates and to get ready for the upcoming season.
Thank you again for your continued support, it makes all of this possible and we wouldn't be here without you. We wish you a very merry holiday season and look forward to seeing you in Sanctuary!
