Blizzard have listened to the feedback from the PTR! There’s plenty of evidence for that throughout the patch notes, but one of the most obvious is the changes to the Horadric Strongrooms.
A Worthwhile Side-Dungeon
Strongrooms are timed mini-dungeons inside Nightmare Dungeons. The main issue players had with them was their seeming contradiction with the basic purpose of NMDs. Players head into Nightmare Dungeons to gather Obducite for Masterworking items. However, the Strongrooms didn’t reward any, making them very empty for those who came to the dungeon for this specific purpose. Luckily, Blizzard listened to the feedback and added Obducite as a reward from these mini-dungeons! Not only that, but they also added some new buffs granted at the end of a Strongroom run!
Another new addition since the PTR is the option to fight different bosses at the end of a Strongroom. After you defeat any of them, you will be able to choose your Grand Horadric Cache reward, based on how much Attunement you managed to gather throughout the run, similar to Infernal Hordes chests. Obducite is one of the new options for the cache rewards pointed out specifically in the patch notes.
Buffs as Additional Rewards
But that’s not all in terms of rewards. Upon finishing the boss fight and leaving the Strongroom, players will also be getting special buffs that last until the end of the Nightmare Dungeon! They range from extra experience to reputation, gold, and probably the most coveted, extra Obducite drops! We don’t know whether the buffs will simply be randomly chosen or if there will be a way to target them. Here are all the buffs:
- Experience
- You gain increased Experience from Monster Kills.
- Reputation
- You gain increased Horadric Favor from Monster Kills.
- Obducite
- You gain increased Obducite from Monster Kills in this dungeon.
- Gold
- You find 25% more gold.
- Horadric Phials
- Monsters in this dungeon can drop Horadric Phials.
More Improvements
There were a few other updates to the Strongrooms in the patch notes as well. First off, you can now complete the Horadric Pillars in any order. They also have larger radiuses and are faster to complete. There was also a negative update, as any deaths within the Strongroom will remove time from the 100 seconds total you have to gather as much Horadric Attument as you can!
There is also a new Nightmare Dungeon affix which guarantees a Horadric Strongroom spawn.
Here is the full section from the patch notes in case you aren’t familiar with the base Strongroom mechanics.
Hidden deep within Nightmare Dungeons, members of this once revered order left obscured Horadric Relics powered by the blood of a great enemy far away from the unworthy. Such Horadric Relics are protected within Strongrooms, revealed to only those who have the wisdom and courage to unveil their awesome potential.
Found within Nightmare Dungeons, Horadric Strongrooms are potent micro-dungeons that hold powerful rewards and new fearsome mummified enemies, delve into these rare Horadric tombs and fight your way out. Slay demons and satiate Horadric Pillars within to bolster your ability to earn Horadric Attunement, which is used in exchange for illustrious rewards upon emerging triumphant.
Obtained through the Seasonal Questline, use your Horadric Wayfinder to isolate these repositories of Horadric knowledge. But beware, for there are unyielding mummified entities that will attempt to take your life in exchange for disturbing their unending sleep. Once the Strongroom is unsealed, there will only be a limited amount of time to complete the Strongroom before the Horadric Relics are sealed away again forever.
Hunt for Knowledge: Finding Strongrooms
There are a couple of ways to improve your chances of finding Horadric Strongrooms within Nightmare Dungeons. The first is by increasing your difficulty level or Torment Tier. The second, and more potent method, is to find and use a Nightmare Dungeon Sigil with an affix that guarantees a Horadric Strongroom will appear.
Once you’ve entered a Nightmare Dungeon, follow the distinct flash emanating from your Horadric Wayfinder that will lead you to a Horadric Gateway. Once you locate the Gateway, activating it will trigger monsters to ambush your location. Defeat them, and a Horadric Portal will materialize to teleport you into the safeguarded Strongroom.
Fight the Horrors Sealed Away
Once you’ve stepped into the musty, iron-tinged confines of the Strongroom, you’ll have a few decisions to make.
Initiate the Horadric Artifact Pillar and slay the enemies to complete the initial ritual. Once completed, you’ll be presented with a selection of Horadric Statues that augment the Strongroom. Some of these Statues have held the bonds of their original intent, while others have been corrupted by Astaroth’s influence and pose significant danger with vastly increased rewards.
You’ll need to invoke these Horadric Statues to influence your Strongroom, so choose wisely. The number of Statues you need to select and have available to choose from will increase once you reach Torment Tiers.
Within the Strongroom, you’ll have 100 seconds to ramp up the carnage and earn as much Horadric Attunement possible. Stay near the Pillars to satisfy their base needs, and keep in mind the specific Horadric Pillars selected prior to the run to maximize your Horadric Attunement. These Pillar Rituals can be completed in any order, and these Rituals now complete more quickly with a larger radius to kill within.
Upon Completing each Pillar Ritual, all monster kills will grant +2 increased Horadric Attunement for 15 seconds. Tread carefully, for any deaths will remove time from your Strongroom run.
Locate Sacrifice Shrines within the Strongroom to aid your fight, which spawns an ambush on your location. When the time runs out in the Strongroom, you’ll need to fight one of the several potential bosses that can spawn to leave the Strongroom with your Attunement in-hand. If you manage to max out your Horadric Attunement during your run, you’ll go directly to the boss.
On defeating the final boss, you’ll have the option to select a Grand Horadric cache which scales its rewards based off the amount of Horadric Attunement earned within the Strongroom, earning you powerful rewards such as Obducite. On leaving the Strongroom, you’ll also be given one of the following buffs for completing the Strongroom, which will last until the end of your Nightmare Dungeon. Check to see which one you’ve earned by checking the active buffs above your Action bar.
Experience
You gain increased Experience from Monster Kills.
Reputation
You gain increased Horadric Favor from Monster Kills.
Obducite
You gain increased Obducite from Monster Kills in this dungeon.
Gold
You find 25% more gold.
Horadric Phials
Monsters in this dungeon can drop Horadric Phials.
