Battle.net offers a first look at changes in the upcoming version 2.1.0 patch for Diablo III, saying they are "almost there" and that the "first major content patch for Reaper of Souls™ is right around the corner and we're preparing a Public Test Region to give you a hands-on look at the upcoming changes." In the meantime, they preview the patch, noting that everything they say is still subject to change. The new features outlined include Seasons and Conquests, Greater/Tiered Rifts and Legendary Gems, Leaderboards, Combat Changes, and Cesspools. The significant combat change mentioned is that each point of Dexterity will now grant one point of armor (accompanied by a One With Everything nerf), and they also say healing will be reworked to de-emphasize globes. There is also word on a Preparation nerf. Here's word on how Greater Rifts will work:

While Greater Rifts are a type of Nephalem Rift, there are some key differences between the two features. In Greater Rifts:

• You'll race against a clock to fill a progress bar by accruing monster kills.
• Most monsters do not drop loot; rewards have been completely shifted to the Rift Guardian.
• This removes conflicting pressure from attaining a better time versus picking up all your loot.
• Monsters grant differing amounts of progress for your progress bar; the tougher the monster, the more they fill up your progress bar.
• You cannot resurrect at your corpse or in town while in a Greater Rift—only at the last checkpoint.
• Note that, currently, if you die in a Greater Rift on a Hardcore character, that death will be permanent.
• You cannot use player banners or the Teleport option if the target player is in a Greater Rift.
• Higher Greater Rifts levels are progressively more difficult.
• This difficulty is separate from the standard difficulty settings (Master, Torment I-VI, etc.)

If you complete a Greater Rift before time expires you'll advance to the next difficulty level. Should your time be exceptionally good, you might even skip a few levels! If time instead expires, you'll have reached the end of your current Greater Rift journey and your best results will be posted to the appropriate Leaderboards.