PTS News: New Essences from Bloodfire Raid Rifts

There are new essences up on the PTS. They are dropped from the new Fire-based Raid Rifts “Bloodfire Incursion” and “Hell’s Insurgents” coming to Patch 2.6.

• 2 upgrade paths costing a Coruscating Ethereal Shard for the first upgrade and a Radiant Infinity Cell for the second upgrade.
• Final upgrade creates Relic essences that are better than some Torvan Venerated essences.
• They are Bind on Equip, even the upgrades.

Check out more info below, including 4 of the drops:

2.6 Fire Raid Rift Essences

These are 4 of the possible essences dropped from the Bloodfire Incursion and Hell’s Insurgents Raid Rifts.

The final upgrade is better than some of the Torvan Venerated Essences.

Interestingly – as Accol has mentioned on the forums – they are Bind on Equip for each upgrade so it may be possible to upgrade to Relic version and then sell them. This is therefore, possibly, an indirect means of selling excess Radiant Infinity Cells.

Update: 02.07.14 – Looks like the upgrades have been converted to Bind on Pickup. [r]

In any case – perhaps it’s time to save up on Planarite and Infinity Stones in preparation for Patch 2.6 and these new Raid Rift essences.

Note: Whether there’s new Raid Rift essences for the other Raid Rifts is unknown at this point.

Upgrade Components

Coruscating Ethereal Shards

The first upgrade requires a Coruscating Ethereal Shard. Those you can buy from Rift Store -> Crafting for 1,500 Empyreal Slayer’s Marks (Level 60 Expert Dungeon + Tier 1 Raid Currency) or 625 Credits (562 for Patron).

You earn them through Chronicles, Level 60 Daily Random Expert Dungeons, Tier 1 Raids and Dendrome Weekly Bosses.

Radiant Infinity Cells

The second/final upgrade requires Radiant Infinity Cells. Currently you can only obtain them from:

• Defeating Crucia in Tier 1 20-man Frozen Tempest.
• Defeating Regulos in Tier 1 20-man Endless Eclipse.
• Defeating Hardmode boss encounters in Tier 1 Raids.
• Via rare chance from Lockboxes.

Daglar has also mentioned there will be a PvP method to obtaining Radiant Infinity Cells to link up to the upcoming PvP Relics upgrade paths – but as of yet no details have been provided.

Unique – Family

The “Unique – Family” designation for the new essences is an interesting one. What exactly does this mean in the context of these essences?

Is it ‘Unique-Family’ as in:

• Can’t equip essences from similar Plane?; or
• Can’t equip the alt essence (i.e. if you have the STR one, you can’t equip the DEX one; if you have the INT one, you can’t equip the WIS one)?; or
• Some other restriction?

It’s more likely that you can only have one of the new essences (i.e., can’t equip both the STR and DEX essences dropped from the new raid rifts).

As always, everything on the PTS is subject to change prior to hitting Live; and is even subject to change when it hits Live.

Fire Raid Rifts

Just a reminder of what these Raid Rifts are:

• They are Tier 1 Raid Rifts – supposed to be similar difficulty to the current rotation. They thus require 400 HIT minimum.
• As per the other Raid Rifts, they cost 60k Planarite and 900 Infinity Stones and can be found under Rift Store -> Rifts.
• Daily Raid Rift quest rotation includes these.
• They are being released in Patch 2.6.
• ‘Bloodfire Incursion’ lures are used in Steppes of Infinity.
• ‘Hell’s Insurgents’ lures are used in the Dendrome.