The server provides 3D acceleration usage statistics to the client applications.The statistics can be rendered in On-Screen Display or provided to client applications connected to the server. Framerate and frametime statistics is being collected for DirectX, OpenGL and VULKAN applications. The server provides framerate and frametime monitoring support to the client applications.All in all, a cool little bit of flavor to the new challenge. If the players are the Nephalem of today, it makes sense that they’d eventually have to face off against the spirits of Nephalem past who failed at the very challenge they’re attempting now. The theme also has a cool connection to in-game lore, as it is based on a line that Orek - the NPC who starts Rifts for the player - states upon first starting them. Potentially this will amplify player power and make further progress in the Echoing Nightmare possible. The Whisper of Atonement seems like it will be useful for most players, with its ability to augment Ancient Legendary items.
The specific wording in the patch notes - “today’s Nephalem must stand their ground until they are inevitably Overwhelmed or defeated” - with the word Overwhelmed capitalized makes me wonder if there’s a specific mechanic to the Echoing Nightmare that means it unfolds as an endless gauntlet, and that it’s not about winning so much as seeing how long it takes you to be overwhelmed. The main difference seems to be in the scaling difficulty - where a Greater Rift has a set difficulty level determined upon entering it, the Echoing Nightmare ascends in difficulty as you progress. The rewards for completing the Echoing Nightmare also feel similar to those in a Greater Rift. The Echoing Nightmare plays out like a Super Greater Rift as strange as that sounds - just as you run Nephalem Rifts to gain the Keystones to run Greater Rifts, you run Greater Rifts to get the Petrified Scream to unlock the Echoing Nightmare. We found inspiration in Orek’s warning, “Many nephalem have stood where you are now, but few succeeded in overcoming the trials.” The Echoing Nightmare explores what happened to those Nephalem who did not succeed. In the Echoing Nightmare, players will experience an intense, densely packed, increasingly challenging event that stretches their ability to stay in the fight as long as possible. It drops pre-ranked based upon player’s performance in the Echoing Nightmare.ĭeveloper’s Note: This is our first Seasonal Theme that introduces a new activity to the game.
The Whisper of Atonement is a Legendary Gem used exclusively for Augmenting Ancient Legendary items.Players receive the following rewards upon completing an Echoing Nightmare: EXP, Legendary Items, Blood Shards, Gems, and a new Legendary Gem, Whisper of Atonement.Players can progress faster by defeating monsters quickly. While within an Echoing Nightmare, the difficulty scales as players progress in the encounter.