Rifted

**Rifted**, or **Rift Mode**, is an additional gameplay toggle alongside Hardcore. It can be enabled on any map on Campaign or Survival (with or without Hardcore Mode). It is designed to be a faster way to progress through DDA in exchange for a greater challenge to players beyond the standard difficulty levels.

## Rifted Enemies

In Rift Mode, the total number of enemies is halved (reduced to 50%), but they turn into stronger cosmic dark purple "rifted" versions. These foes have higher health (2x), deal more damage (2x) and possess new mechanics:

* Rifted Goblins are larger, potentially absorbing hits for other enemies.
* Dark Elf Archers shoot homing missiles that chase down their targets. They also have increased attack range.
* Dark Elf Mages have an increased healing radius and summon Skeletons that EXPLODE on death.
* Dark Elf Warriors are a **stealthy** threat. They are **invisible** to non-Fusion towers. Their attacks drain ability mana from heroes on hit. Rifted Warriors won't spawn on Easy-Insane.
* Kobolds have an increased explosion radius, requiring wall-type defenses to be placed further back from Eternia Crystals and fragile towers.
* Orcs have 30% damage reduction.
* Ogres are an **enormous** threat. Their snot balls ensnare, drastically slowing heroes hit for a duration. The first snot ball is not a snot ball though; it is a Rifted Kobold. All of their attacks inflict over **twelve times (12x) damage** to towers, compared to a non-rifted Ogre. *Why did we make them so strong?!*
* Wyverns fly faster and are more resilient to the Ensnare Aura and other slows.
* Spiders do not shoot webs but are more agile. Melee attacks web heroes and defenses on hit with an added damage over time effect.
* "Sharken enrage when their charge is interrupted, increasing their damage and movement speed while becoming IMMUNE to crowd control effects" (from Poison Trap, Shock Beam, Ensnare and Enrage Aura, etc).
* Djinn apply an Onyx buff to enemies, a much stronger gold buff. This makes the enemy immune to negative status effects, including enrage and all stun and slow effects. The Djinn themselves take less time to destroy towers, with an increased range and decreased cooldown to do so.
* Goblin Copters are truly a terror from above, dropping Rifted Ogres, have an increased missile and crashing explosion radius.
* The Siren is already a Rifted enemy. *Surprise!*

## Rifted Rewards

Rifted has an increased loot quality floor, meaning that the chances of getting better gear is increased while playing rifted maps. Unlike Hardcore, this mode does not increase the maximum loot quality. *Higher risk, higher reward!*

### Fusion Weapons

**Synthesized**, or **Fused Weapons** inflict fusion damage, a new purple element. Rifted enemies take double damage from all fusion sources. **Nothing** is immune to this element. Fused versions of the Massacre boss weapons can be earned by defeating the respective boss, on their respective map, at the end of Campaign *or* Survival.

### Fusion Armor

Fusion armor comes with a secondary armor stat that further reduces damage taken from specifically rifted enemies; this cannot be upgraded. *Rift Armor* is factored into damage calculation **after** regular *Armor*. Stats of 75% Armor with 20% Rift Armor lead to a net **80%** damage reduction against rifted attacks, **not** 95%.

Equipping a full set of fused armor gives a 30% set bonus as opposed to 40%, but it also empowers one of the hero's defenses with the fusion element, depending on the armor type. For example: a fusion guard set fuses the hero's second defense (Poison Trap for Huntress, Electric Aura for Monk, etc). Equipping an Arcanist helmet will also attune the hero's first defense, regardless of the set the other three armor pieces belong to. The builder must stay in the player's Hero Deck during combat in order to for the specified defense(s) to rake the benefits.

Fused Ancient, Guard, Militia, Miner and Primitive armor pieces can all drop anywhere from any enemy or chest in Rift Mode, but individually have one or more favored maps where they are more common. The Arcanist helmet is a guaranteed drop from boss victory chests on The Keep.

### Rifted Exclusive Accessories

*By completing Rifted maps, you have the chance to obtain new masks and accessories! They drop with difficulty equivalent stats and are a cool way to show off your prowess and luck to other Defenders!*

Boss masks may only drop on their respective boss map (Alchemical Labs, Throne Room, Summit, etc.)

## Fusion Defenses

While the builder is in the player's Hero Deck with a fusion armor set equipped, their defense corresponding to the armor type they are wearing becomes fused. All defenses have their elemental affinity converted to fusion (even if they didn't have one before).

* Damage-dealing defenses inflict fusion damage which is doubled against rifted enemies. Blockade-type defenses that deal damage receive both the fusion damage upgrade and the rift armor upgrade mentioned below.
* Blockade-type defensesreceive 30% Rift Armor, reducing damage taken from rifted enemies.
	+ Spiked Blockade
	+ Bouncer Blockade
	+ Slice N Dice Blockade
	+ Elemental Blockade
	+ Blocking Field
	+ Roots of Purity
	+ Holy Bulwark
* Status-inflicting defenses make affected rifted enemies take 10% more damage from all sources. This effect can stack.
	+ Poison Trap
	+ Darkness Trap
	+ Ensnare Aura
	+ Strength Drain Aura
	+ Enrage Aura\* <*need to confirm*>
* A Fused Healing Aura adds 30% Rift Armor to all heroes inside it.
* A Fused Enrage Aura has a 5% higher chance to enrage rifted enemies (70% max).
* A Fused Overclock Beam adds 50% Rift Armor to buffed towers, on top of the generic armor bonus, for a total of 80% damage reduction max from rifted enemies.

## Notes

For the Rogue's devices and abilities that occupy his five defense slots:

* Fused Ancient/Guard/Militia armor will convert the element of his Arcing/Noxious/Infernal Device to fusion respectively.
* (Unconfirmed) Fused Miner/Primitive armor will enhance Umbral Form and Carnage respectively.

## Trivia

*\*Note: Calculations may be off.*

* Assuming all four synthesized armor pieces have 5% Rift Armor, the most a rifted enemy's attack damage can be lowered to against any hero percent-wise is **1.5%**.
	+ If the Squire reaches 95% base Armor by activating Bloodboil, the damage drops to **0.3%**.

* For defenses, the least amount of damage a rifted enemy can deal is **1.6%** to a fused wall and **4%** otherwise.

## History

?: All enemies and chests on all maps can now drop fusion armor of any piece and set, excluding Arcanist.

?: Every single enemy is now rifted on Nightmare difficulty and above.

?: Dark Elf Warriors are no longer rifted on Easy-Insane difficulty.

?: Reduced the Fused Healing Aura's Rift Armor bonus from 50% --> 30%.

Episode 1 - Lycan's Keep: Added Arcanist helmet.

1.2: Introduced.