The endgame shifts arriving with Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred expansion rank among the most anticipated topics for players. War Plan system will influence endgame activities much like Atlas tree does, though Diablo IV‘s endgame loop isn't nearly as sprawling or bloated as Path of Exile‘s, so War Plan functions remain relatively straightforward.

Even so, there are still elements worth a close look - chief among them a brand-new endgame skill tree built around Lair Boss encounters. This system doesn't just reshape boss-drop incentives; by introducing Nemesis challenges, it essentially adds super-charged multi-boss showdowns to the game. Let's break down exactly what it changes for endgame boss fights.

Enhanced Drop Branch

The leftmost branch of the skill tree focuses on raising the baseline potency and loot efficiency of Lair Bosses. Investing in these nodes early delivers exceptional value.

Lair of Runes

This node grants Lair Bosses +1 Monster Power and a higher chance of dropping specific runes.

As the very first node on the left, Lair of Runes gives you a solid return with almost no friction. Monster Power is a new system introduced in the expansion, scaling up enemy health, damage, experience, and reward quality proportionally. Paired with this node, it's likely each tier of boss will feature its own curated high-drop-rate Rune pool, functioning similarly to how Unique item assignments currently work.

Lair of Plenty

This node grants Lair Bosses +1 Monster Power. Defeating the boss also grants an additional Horde Chest.

Lord of Hatred standardizes boss summoning materials across the board, replacing them with generic Lair Boss Keys used to unlock endgame caches. This node means multiple chests will appear after a kill. You'll still need the corresponding keys to open them, but it dramatically improves boss-farming efficiency - same time invested, twice the haul.

Green Nodes

Sprinkled throughout the tree, green nodes weave Lair Bosses into other endgame activities. The official preview only revealed a portion of them; if you're hungry for more details, the developer livestream scheduled for April 23rd at 11 a.m. Pacific Time will likely offer a much deeper dive into War Plan system.

Varshan's Vengeance

During Chaos Waves in Infernal Hordes, Varshan and his minions will spawn. Defeating them allows the endgame Spoils of Greater Equipment chest to drop Unique items normally exclusive to Varshan's own loot table.

Blood of Bartuc

Fell Council in Infernal Hordes gains +1 Monster Power. Upon defeat, loot may include exclusive Unique gear tied to Bartuc.

If you're tired of running the same boss chamber on repeat, investing in the green branch turns Varshan, Bartuc, and others into surprise cameos inside Nightmare Dungeons or Helltides. As long as your build can handle the extra heat, it's nothing but upside.

The Central Path

The straight, vertical line running down the heart of Lair Boss War Plan tree is the one that deserves the most attention. Through a chain of escalating nodes, it constructs a continuous gauntlet system akin to Uber-boss progression.

Two By Two

After opening a Horde Chest, there's a small chance a portal to a Nemesis Lair Boss encounter will appear. Inside, you'll face two Initiate Lair Bosses simultaneously. Defeating both yields substantial bonus rewards.

Greater Nemesis

After clearing a Nemesis-tier challenge, there's a chance for a portal to Greater Nemesis Lair Bosses to open. Here you'll confront Greater Lair Bosses.

Greater Lair Bosses likely refers to Duriel- and Andariel-caliber tier. That means players will have to juggle the complex mechanics of both bosses at once, driving the fight's difficulty through the roof.

Ultimate Nemesis

After vanquishing every boss in Greater Nemesis tier, a Call of Evil altar materializes. Consume 5 Betrayer's Husks to open a portal to Ultimate Nemesis Lair Bosses. Inside, all enemies are buffed with a staggering +5 Monster Power.

Defeating the boss encounter here directly yields loot equivalent to 10 Horde Chests, with no additional boss keys required.

The node text doesn't explicitly name the final boss, but the material Betrayer's Husk strongly hints at a connection to Baal or an entity of similar stature. The entire sequence, however, is gated behind layers of RNG - first triggering the low-chance Two By Two portal, then Greater Nemesis portal, and finally cashing in materials for the guaranteed Ultimate Nemesis run. Pull it off, and you'll be showered with a screen full of high-value loot.

Uncharted Nodes

Beyond the ones clearly showcased, several other nodes exist whose effects we know but whose placement remains a mystery. These are just as relevant for Diablo 4 items acquisition.

Golden Hoard

All gear dropped from Horde Chests is converted into gold, with the exception of Unique and Mythic Unique items. This suggests Lair Bosses in the expansion may cough up more lower-rarity equipment, giving players who just want raw gold an efficient conversion path.

Exotic Armory

Exotic Armory causes Horde Chests to drop one additional Unique item, though it may be for any class.

The class is random, but since it increases the absolute number of Uniques dropping, this node is a no-brainer for practically every player. Combine it with the 10x Horde Chest reward from Ultimate Nemesis, and a single ultimate clear could yield 10 extra cross-class Uniques - an absolutely staggering return.

For players chasing both the ultimate challenge and the ultimate haul, mastering War Plan tree's synergies will be central to the expansion's endgame loop. Keep in mind, however, that this is a feature exclusive to Lord of Hatred expansion. Players who own only the base game or Vessel of Hatred will not have access to it.

The launch window for ARC Raiders Expedition 3 is about to open. What makes this operation particularly special is not only the introduction of a new reset but also the fact that the development team has implemented several fundamental changes based on it.

The objective of these changes is to ensure that Expedition system remains a valuable feature, allowing you to derive greater enjoyment and a stronger sense of accomplishment from the gameplay experience.

However, one specific issue regarding Expedition mechanics has long remained unresolved: is there any possibility that players might be allowed to retain a portion of their Blueprints after a reset concludes?

As one of the most critical resources in the game, most blueprints are relatively difficult to acquire. Yet, no matter how many rare Blueprints you manage to accumulate during the early stages, everything is wiped clean with a single click once Expedition comes to an end!

In this discussion, drawing upon some recent rumors and speculation, we will explore the feasibility and likelihood of allowing players to retain their blueprints after an Expedition concludes.

Blueprint acquisition and usage

Most gear in ARC Raiders can be acquired through various methods, including trading with vendors, scavenging, and crafting at the workshop. The latter method, crafting, often requires the consumption of ARC Raiders blueprints, particularly for high-tier items.

Each act of crafting consumes one blueprint. Furthermore, every item or weapon, even after undergoing repairs, possesses limited durability and must be replaced frequently; consequently, you are compelled to stockpile Blueprints for your most commonly used weapons.

Blueprints themselves can only be obtained by venturing out on Raids. However, you can significantly boost your chances of finding blueprints by looting high-value rooms or containers, participating in major map events, and eliminating high-tier ARC units.

The combination of low drop rates and high consumption rates makes Blueprints an extremely sought-after resource in ARC Raiders, which explains why players are so reluctant to lose them whenever an Expedition concludes.

What are expeditions?

In extraction-based shooters like ARC Raiders, periodic resets are essential to ensure that players have opportunities for progression and fresh experiences; expedition system was designed specifically to serve this purpose.

More specifically, each expedition is divided into two phases: a preparation phase and a window phase. The former requires you to collect and submit specific materials in stages to unlock eligibility for participation, while the latter requires you to complete designated objectives to earn permanent rewards.

The closing of the window phase signifies the conclusion of the current expedition cycle. With the exception of permanent rewards, such as skill points, everything else you possess is wiped clean, including your blueprints.

The profound impact of expeditions on blueprints

As the primary factor determining your ability to contend with enemies, the wiping of your blueprints at the end of an expedition, even if you have experienced it multiple times, can still feel like a bitter pill to swallow.

In fact, the impact extends beyond just blueprints: while all your workshops are retained after an Expedition concludes, they are reset back to Level 1. Since crafting many items requires higher workshop levels, this presents a significant hurdle.

This means that even if you are lucky enough to acquire a desirable blueprint right at the start, you may not be able to craft it immediately; instead, you must first gather materials to upgrade your workshops.

Some argue that this is an indispensable part of the complete reset experience, but the majority of players feel that upgrading workshops offers no meaningful gameplay value and that doing so repeatedly is merely a waste of time.

Pros & cons of retaining blueprints

If future updates were to allow you to retain your blueprints after an Expedition, you could undoubtedly focus immediately on gathering other materials, allowing you to craft your preferred weapons and jump straight into combat as soon as your workshops were upgraded.

However, while this would grant you a distinct combat advantage, it would also create an imbalance, as not all players possess the means to acquire and retain high-tier blueprints by the end of a given season.

Consequently, this could easily lead to scenarios in the early stages of a new Expedition where players wielding top-tier weaponry prey upon unarmed casual players or newcomers, an outcome that neither the players nor the developers would wish to see.

The awkward reality, however, is that for disadvantaged players, under the current game mechanics, if you do not have ample time to dedicate to continuous farming, you are effectively already at a disadvantage.

Blueprint acquisition relies heavily on RNG; this means you must maintain a consistent play schedule, loot resources efficiently, and have a healthy dose of luck on your side just to build up a substantial blueprint collection.

Therefore, although the developers' original intent behind the reset system was to foster a fair competitive environment it feels more like a punishment for those players who simply cannot spare the time to invest heavily in the game.

It is precisely for this reason that the resets triggered by Expeditions exacerbate the sense of frustration felt by casual players. Thus, regardless of whether blueprint resets are eventually abolished or not, Expedition system itself remains plagued by an inherent internal contradiction.

Will blueprint retention is possible in the future?

Although not all players wish to see the blueprint wipe removed, a vocal segment of the community has persistently pressed ARC Raiders development team on this issue; recently, the game director offered a preliminary response regarding the matter.

His stance can be summarized simply: retaining blueprints after an expedition concludes is not an option that has been entirely ruled out, but implementing such a change would require time.

Typically, a game's developers strive to address their players' most fervent requests. However, the issue of blueprint resets has remained without a definitive resolution precisely because the underlying technical and design challenges are particularly thorny.

To explain in greater depth: modifying this specific mechanism would inevitably have far-reaching repercussions across every facet of the game's overall system. It presents significant difficulties and demands a considerable investment of time.

As we noted when discussing the pros and cons, whether considering the blueprints themselves or the potential removal of the reset mechanic, several factors must be carefully weighed, including progression continuity, player experience, and the unique value of RNG-based rewards.

In short, while the possibility of retaining blueprints after an expedition is not out of the question for the future, achieving this involves a lengthy development process and requires identifying the most appropriate solution.

Plausible mechanistic hypotheses

Although the developers have not yet announced any concrete plans, based on the game's current state, we have formulated several hypotheses on how to avoid a complete blueprint reset without compromising the game's overall experience or balance.

For instance, instead of directly altering the blueprints themselves, the focus could shift to modifying the workshop reset mechanism. If a player successfully completes the objectives within the departure window, their rewards could include the retention of a selection of high-tier workshops for the start of the subsequent expedition.

This approach would allow players to craft items more rapidly right from the start, even if they begin without any blueprints, rather than being forced to repeat the entire workshop upgrade process from scratch.

Alternatively, Expedition rewards could incorporate a tiered system for retaining specific blueprints, items of moderate rarity that are designated for use exclusively during the preparation phase of the next expedition.

This would ensure that players of varying skill levels have an opportunity to acquire these blueprints, while simultaneously preventing the long-term, permanent retention of items from leading to future issues regarding blueprint devaluation or redundancy.

Of course, the suggestions outlined above are merely speculative concepts based on the game's current mechanics; ultimately, the final decision rests with ARC Raiders development team.

Fortunately, despite any existing shortcomings, recent updates to Expedition system demonstrate that ARC Raiders team remains steadfast in its commitment to listening to and satisfying its player base. We're confident that a suitable solution to the blueprint reset issue will be found in the future!