Diablo 4’s Abbatoir of Zir looks like the game’s answer to Greater Rifts

Diablo 4 players were treated to a surprise announcement regarding new mechanics coming to Season 2. The Abbatoir of Zir is a callback to the hugely popular Greater Rifts from Diablo 3.

Blizzcon 2023 is done and dusted, and Diablo 4 players have more to be excited about than they might realize. Despite an underwhelming Campfire Chat, there were some major reveals for Diablo 4 Season 2 and beyond.

Following some initial leaks, Blizzard revealed the first Diablo 4 Expansion: Vessel of Hatred which looks set to uncover the fate of Mephisto. While this gives players something to look forward to, there’s something just as exciting in Diablo 4’s immediate future.

Initially announced within the Campfire Chat, the incoming Abbatoir of Zir endgame dungeons had a standalone explainer published on the Diablo YouTube channel. Diablo 4’s Digital Marketing Manager Reuben Marquez went over the new event in detail and players were quick to draw comparisons to Diablo 3’s Greater Rifts.

Diablo 4 Abbatoir of Zir: Challenges and rewards

Marquez describes the new Abbatoirs of Zir Pinnacle Dungeons as a “race against the clock” that is meant to be “really challenging” for players. Similar to Nightmare Dungeons, these Abbatoirs are unlocked via Bloodforged Sigils of varying tiers.

Using one of these sigils will begin the event at which point you’ll need your strongest build to stand a chance. “You will not be able to enter one of these until you complete all seven tiers of your Season Journey,” Marquez explains.

The goal is to slay as many enemies as possible in order to summon a boss which you must defeat before the timer runs out. Your reward, aside from heaps of high-tier loot, is an extremely powerful Tears of Blood Paragon Glyph.

The Tears of Blood Glyph initially boosts any Rare nodes nearby by 50% but has an upgrade cap “ten times bigger than normal sigils”. Completing higher-tier Abbatoirs of Zir also boosts the amount of Paragon Glyph experience you earn helping you to max out a board’s effectiveness.

If this sounds like a Greater Rift from Diablo 3, that’s because it pretty much is but players enjoyed those events so much, they don’t seem to care. “This genuinely sounds awesome, even if it is just Greater Rifts,” one user commented on the video.

Abbatoir of Zir events will come to Diablo 4 on December 5, 2023, along with the highly anticipated Patch 1.2.3. More immediately players can look forward to the release of Patch 1.2.2 on November 7, 2023.