This new zone is going to be exclusive only to Adventure Mode. As a result, Kanai’s Cube can only be unlocked via Adventure Mode. That isn’t the point of this post though.
The point is that this decision, where this new zone is only being designed with Adventure Mode in mind, is leading to a disconnect between the campaign. This would make a lot of sense if the plan is to eventually depreciate Story Mode (the campaign) completely, and to integrate the objectives normally in that mode into Adventure Mode (sort of like how it was in Diablo II).
This likely isn’t going to happen though because it is a time consuming process in not just adding back that content into the adventure mode zones, but to make that design work appropriately once those highly scripted objectives have been completed. They took great pains to extract those story line elements to make all of these zones work without those distractions in adventure mode, that I don’t see them taking the time to work out an actual design to integrate everything (plus Adventure Mode is the upsell over the vanilla version of the game which has only the original linear story line).
The new Ruins of Sescheron zone (part of Act III) obviously has some new quest objectives in order to find and unlock the cube. The fact this new zone is not being integrated somehow as an accessible side area in the campaign in Act III isn’t a technical issue. It’s more of one that requires additional production work in scripting this objective into the original story line of the campaign. And since this is a free patch with limited time and resources, something like that isn’t high on the priority list.
But the side effect this has is it increases the disconnect between that campaign story line and adventure mode. Not that this is anything new since the same applies to bounties and rifts. The biggest difference though is that the campaign has been used to unlock and level artisans. Kanai’s Cube is considered in that same vein but is unlike the Blacksmith, Jeweler, and Mystic with its quest objectives only available in this adventure mode specific zone.
Is the cube interface and powers also only available in adventure mode once unlocked (such that the campaign mode content can be played with those extra powers)? Or is the cube system completely Adventure Mode only? I’m presuming right now that once unlocked, the cube interface will be available in a town hub regardless of game mode.
