Descent

1 Hour Descent
Race Information
Duration:	1 Hour
Rules:	Hardcore Solo
Specials:	Dead characters go to Void league

Descent is an hour-long race league introduced in Season Three. It also was the signature event for Season Three, meaning there was a separate leaderboard for Descent racers.

The race uses many aspects of roguelike games. Characters enter a dungeon and fight their way down through its levels, meeting increasingly tougher foes on the way to the bottom level where a final boss awaits. Although Descent is a hardcore race, players who die are still eligible to receive race rewards.

Season 5 introduced a sequel to Descent called Descent: Champions.

Differences

Descent is a significant departure from the other race leagues. Here is a rundown of the main differences.

Interaction with other leagues and players

• No partying is possible. A Descent race is purely a solo experience.
• At the end of the race, surviving characters join the dead characters in to a Void league and become unplayable. Items cannot transfer across to Standard or any other league.

Area differences

• There is no town area.
• Descent areas have their own unique names and themes. They are based on existing tilesets and are similar to endgame maps.
• Once a character enters the next area, they can't go back. If you log out during the race, your character will respawn at the beginning of the current area.
• There are no waypoints or any other quick means to travel between areas. You cannot skip any levels, aside from running through and ignoring monsters.
• All areas contain unique bosses similar to their map counterparts, but unlike most maps, bosses may be located near the beginning.

Difficulty and ladder positioning

• Descent doesn't use the same "Normal—Cruel—Merciless" system where areas repeat with increasing difficulty, but instead switches to Cruel and Merciless resistance penalties (-20% and -60% respectively) starting with certain areas.
  • Areas from Phrecia Outskirts to Tomb of Statues are considered Normal, Frozen Abyss to Hall of Heroes are Cruel, and The Desecrated Shrine to The Infernal Shrine are Merciless.
• If a character dies during the race, it can still hold a position on that race's ladder, marked accordingly.
  • If a character dies in a Cruel or Merciless area, it is subject to experience loss, which is applied before the final experience value is put on the ladder.

Gear and drops

• Item drop rates are improved compared to other leagues. The exact differences are unknown.
• There is no stash and no vendors to trade items with. Everything that may be of use must be used or carried in inventory; valuable items that you won't use are only a burden.
• Some equipment and currency are provided via special chests in each area.

Special chests

A provisions chest at the starting location

There are three special types of chests that appear only in Descent: Provisions, Curious, and Alluring. These chests contain useful items such as flasks, skill gems, equipment, and crafting currency. The contents of each chest depend on the character class and the area they're located in: see Descent Chests for a complete list of items.

Provisions

This is a chest that appears at the very start of the game near the character spawn point. It contains two Scroll of WisdomScroll of WisdomStack Size: 40Identifies an itemRight click this item then left click an unidentified item to apply it., a Small Mana FlaskSmall Mana FlaskRecovers 50 Mana over 3.00 Seconds
Consumes 6 of 24 Charges on useRight click to drink. Can only hold charges while in belt. Refills as you kill monsters., two skill gems, and starting weapons.

Curious and Alluring chests

These two chests spawn at a fixed point near the exit of every area. In general, Curious chests contain mostly survivability items and skills while Alluring ones cater to more aggressive and competitive play styles. Players must choose one of the two chests to open in each area; the other chest will vanish along with its contents.

Zones

Order	Zone	Level	Difficulty
1	The Phrecia Outskirts	1	Normal
2	The Heart of Phrecia	3	Normal
3	The Lost Cathedral	5	Normal
4	The Capricious Tomb	7	Normal
5	The Arachnid Tomb	9	Normal
6	The Tomb of Statues	11	Normal
7	The Frozen Abyss	13	Cruel
8	The Simian Cave	15	Cruel
9	The Skeletal Caverns	17	Cruel
10	The Forbidden Ruins	19	Cruel
11	The Vault of the Guardians	21	Cruel
12	The Hall of Heroes	23	Cruel
13	The Desecrated Shrine	26	Merciless
14	The Demonic Shrine	29	Merciless
15	The Infernal Shrine	32	Merciless