Diablo III: Altar of Rites guide

Season 28 of Diablo III includes a new, potent level of progression to the game — the Altar of Rites. The Altar contains 26 seals and three legendary potion powers, each of which grants characters significant buffs to their power level. Each seal and potion effect has its own power associated with it, and each seal requires specific items to be sacrificed. Hovering over each seal shows its impact and what must be offered to unlock the next seal. Here’s our guide on the Diablo III Altar of Rites for Season 28.

Diablo III: Altar of Rites guide

Altar of Rites location

The Altar of Rites in Diablo III is a physical object you must interact with to receive its power. It’s located in Act 1’s hub town, New Tristram. Follow the path leading southwest from the Waypoint, and you’ll find the Altar of Rites.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Altar of Rites powers

According to the official patch notes, the Altar of Rites has 26 seals, three legendary potion powers, and a final capstone power at the end. Most importantly, characters can start interacting with it at level one, and the buffs granted last for all characters throughout the season. Here are some of the most impactful powers The Altar of Rites offers:

• Massacre timer duration and experience bonus are doubled
• Pools of Reflection last the entire Season and persist after death
• Remove level requirement from all items
• Double Death’s Breath drops
• Critical hits grant Resource
• Double Bounty Caches
• Automatically pick up rift progress orbs
• Immunity to crowd-control
• Can pass through enemies
• Pets can pick up Death’s Breath
• Your pets can pick up and salvage common, magic, and rare items
• Increases your chance to dodge by 15%
• Doubles the chance of a legendary item from Kadala

Screenshot by PC Invasion

The three legendary potion powers also provide massive boosts to character power. The red one on the left lets you create one of three circles on the ground when you drink your potion. Depending on the circle, your damage, cooldown reduction, and resource cost reduction will increase. The blue power in the middle debuffs all enemies within 25 yards to do 25% less damage when you drink your potion. The yellow power on the right grants you a random shrine or pylon effect when you drink a potion. The capstone at the bottom of the tree doubles Primal item drops, but doesn’t duplicate them If a Primal drops, the capstone makes a second random Primal item drop.

Altar of Rites sacrifices guide

To gain these extraordinary powers, some powerful items must be sacrificed to the Altar of Rites. Of course, all previous seals must be unlocked before another seal further down can be accessed. If you want to open a specific seal, you must unlock the seals above it. You’ll be able to keep unlocking seals as long as you have the necessary materials.

Additionally, the cost of unlocking each seal increases based on the number you have unlocked. For example, you have two choices after the first seal. The cost to unlock seal #3 will remain the same regardless of which seal you choose as #2. The cost of unlocking these seals increases exponentially, and you’ll have to give up some powerful items. The first seal costs 10 Reusable Parts, while seal number five needs 20 Forgotten Souls and 10 of each Act’s Bounty material (Khanduran Rune, Corrupted Angel Flesh, etc.)

Screenshot by PC Invasion

To go even further beyond, expect in significant increase in materials needed. Seal number 10 requires a flawless royal ruby, 20 Death’s Breaths, and a Ring of Royal Grandeur. Seal number 15 needs an unopened challenge rift cache, so we’re getting pretty hefty in price by now. Seal 20 requires an Ancient Puzzle Ring, as well as 50 of each Act’s Bounty material.

Finally, the last seal in the Altar of Rites requires 1,600 blood shards to unlock. The legendary potion powers also need sacrifices to unlock. The first one unlocked will cost 55 Primordial Ashes, the second will cost 110, and the third will cost 165.

You can play around with the Altar of Rites ahead of Season 28’s full release on the Diablo III Public Test Realm (PTR).

Related: Diablo III: What does Whisper of Atonement do?