Governing and Tuning Stones are the new seasonal items added in Diablo 4 Season 3 that will help you control your robotic minion or Seneshchal companion as you prefer. This will be a ‘pet’ but someone who will assist you in combat either directly or indirectly. Here’s how to make the most of this new mechanic to make your companion as powerful, customized, and suitable to your class/build as possible.
What are Governing and Tuning Stones?
Governing and Tuning Stones are item drops that you can obtain after you complete Vaults, which are the new seasonal dungeons in Season 3. Blizzard’s blog also mentions that you may get these stones “elsewhere in Sanctuary” as well.
Vaults are the main locations to get them – they are treacherous and deadly areas packed with elemental hazards created by Zoltun Kulle and Ayuzhan. In these dungeons, you will find a new monster family – the Constructs.
Nightmare Vaults will unlock at World Tier 3. They will be similar to Nightmare Dungeons, but the difference is that they will have Constructs and Hazards in them as well as the Wardwoven Chests.
Pearls of Warding, Zoltun’s Warding and Wardwoven Chests
When you enter the Vault after converting the required Pearls of Warding, you can be blessed by Zoltun’s Warding which is a special “layered blessing” that gives you access to “riches within the Vaults.”
If you get caught up in the hazards in the Vaults, Zoltun’s Warding will diminish stack by stack. However, if you manage to keep Zoltun’s Warding intact even after you defeat the Vault boss, you will unlock a Wardwoven Chest. This is the type of chest that has a higher chance of giving you Legendary items.
Blizzard writes in the blog, “Using Pearls of Warding can increase the risk by exchanging them for extra stacks of Zoltun’s Warding at the Vault entrance—succeed, and your reward will increase as well.”
Killing Elite Constructs can give you Pearls of Warding which can be used to get higher value rewards from replaying the Vault dungeons.
Both Governing and Tuning Stones will also be part of a random drop from enemies in Vaults and Arcane Tremors, however, their drop rate will be much lower.
There’s also another way – you can craft Governing Stones at the Jeweler, but you need the Shattered Stone resource for it.
How to Get Shattered Stone in Diablo 4 Season 3?
To obtain Shattered Stone, you must defeat enemy Constructs in the Vaults and collect their drops. Make sure to dismantle traps, destroy the Lesser and Elite Constructs and you will get your hands on Shattered Stone.
When you complete a Vault, you will receive 1 Tuning Stone. Players must seek out Wardwoven Chests to get more Tuning Stones.
How to Use Governing and Tuning Stones in Diablo 4 Season 3?
To unlock the power of these Governing and Tuning Stones, you have to level them up. As you collect duplicates or even craft them, you can fuse them to level up the Stones you are holding currently.
What this does is that it increases the potency and ability of attacks. For example, increasing the level of your Tuning Stones can even add more projectiles or improve the damage type they do.
Blizzard has provided a full list of all the Governing and Tuning Stones available for your Seneschal companion and how it will affect its attacks.
Note that your Seneschal can be equipped with 2 Governing stones and 6 Tuning stones; 1 Governing stone for each attack and 3 Tuning Stones to augment the ability. In total, you will find 12 Governing stones and 27 Tuning stones of different rarities, available in the new Vaults, so there’s a lot to edit and modify to make your Seneschal companion more powerful.
All Governing Stones in Season of the Construct
- Autodefense: The Seneschal Construct activates an antimaterial field around itself shooting down enemy projectiles. Can not shoot down Boss or Player projectiles.
- Bushwhack: Quickly ambush dealing damage to each target. May strike the same target multiple times.
- Firefly: Deploy a small construct that lands on the target and explodes 3 times, dealing damage.
- Focus Fire: The Seneschal Construct channels a ray of fire onto targets dealing damage to each over time.
- Gyrate: The Seneschal Construct whirls its legs around quickly dealing damage to all surrounding enemies.
- Impale: Perform a line attack to all enemies in front of the Seneschal Construct dealing damage.
- Lightning Bolt: Launch a bolt of Lightning at the target dealing damage. Arcs to other targets dealing a portion of the original damage.
- Protect: The Seneschal Construct materializes a protective Barrier on the player for a portion of their Maximum Life.
- Reconstruct: The Seneschal Construct channels a reconstruction beam Healing the player for a portion of their Maximum Life over time.
- Slash: Pummel enemies in front of the Seneschal Construct dealing damage.
- Tempest: Electrically charge an enemy causing it to deal damage to themselves and additional enemies each second over time. If the enemy is killed, Tempest spreads to another enemy gaining additional time and bonus damage. These bonuses are also applied if Tempest is reapplied onto the same enemy.
- Flash of Adrenaline: Administers a quick flash of adrenaline into the player, granting bonus damage for a duration.
All Tuning Stones in Season of the Construct
- Voluminous Support: The supported skill’s effect size is increased.
- Swift Support: The supported Skill gains an Attack Speed bonus.
- Breaking Support: Damage from the supported Skill instantly destroys enemy Barrier effects. In addition, there is a chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
- Tactical Support: Decrease the cooldown of the supported Skill.
- Efficiency Support: When the supporting skill deals damage, you gain Critical Strike Chance to the same targets hit.
- Devastation Support: Supported Skill gains a Critical Strike Damage bonus.
- Safeguard Support: When used, the supported Skill grants Damage Reduction to you.
- Frigid Support: A portion of the supported Skill’s damage dealt is applied as Cold damage over time and applies Chill.
- Burning Support: A portion of he supported Skill’s damage is applied as Burning damage over time. Burning enemies take bonus Critical Strike Damage from the Seneschal Construct.
- Electrocution Support: A portion of the supported skill’s damage dealt is applied as Lightning damage over time and has a chance to Stun enemies.
- Bleeding Support: A portion of the supported skill’s damage dealt is applied as Bleeding damage over time. Enemies take bonus Bleeding damage from all sources while moving.
- Poison Support: A portion of the supported skill’s damage dealt is applied as Poison damage over time. This poison has a chance each second to spread all Poison damage to an additional enemy.
- Dusk Support: A portion of the supported Skill’s damage dealt is applied as Shadow damage over time. Afflicted enemies who attack have a chance for their attacks to be interrupted. Does not interrupt Bosses.
- Duration Support: Supported Skills have their durations increased.
- Fortify Support: When the Seneschal Construct uses the supported Skill, you gain Fortify. Skills with slower attack speeds or skills with cooldowns will increase the amount of Fortify granted.
- Resource Support: Player gains an amount of Primary Resource when the supporting Skill first deals damage.
- Initiative Support: The supported Skill will cause the Seneschal Construct to teleport to the target if out of range. Can only occur once every so often seconds.
- Arcing Support: The supported Skill can hit additional enemies.
- Multishot Support: Supported Projectile skills launch additional projectiles.
- Piercing Support: The supported Projectile Skill will pierce multiple enemies.
- Gripping Support: Damage and effects done by the supporting Skill to Distant enemies pulls them towards the Seneschal Construct. Can only occur once every so often per enemy.
- Registered Damage Support: Any damage caused from the supported Skill is registered. The registered damage explodes at effectiveness when the target dies as Fire damage.
- Seeking Support: The supported Projectile Skill will auto-seek enemies for a limited duration.
- Slowing Support: Damage from the supported Skill Slows enemy movement speed for a limited duration. The closer the enemy is to the Seneschal Construct, the greater the Slow amount. Enemies may be slowed up to a maximum amount.
- Mockery Support: Damage done by the supporting Skill Taunts enemies hit for a limited duration of time. This can only occur once every so often per enemy. Does not work on bosses.
Blessings for Season of the Construct
There are three new Blessings for Diablo 4 Season 3:
- Urn of Enduring Grace: Boost to the duration of Shrine effects.
- Urn of Tuning: Chance to receive an additional Tuning Stone from Wardwoven chests.
- Urn of Whispers: Boost the chance to receive a Greater Collection from Whisper rewards.
And there you have it! Diablo 4 Season 3 looks interesting and especially after the success of Season 2, fans have high expectations from this one too. Stick around with our Diablo 4 content to get more latest updates.