Removed Archnemesis system and "Periodically unleashes ice" from Ascension Trials!

I’m genuinely extremely frustrated right now.

Just got completely screwed by this ridiculous trial setup in my third attempt at the fourth Ascension. I was two rooms from the final boss, on a perfect run, smart routing, making all the right calls. Then out of absolutely nowhere I get insta-deleted by a rare mob with the modifier “Periodically unleashes ice.”

Let me be clear:

The mob wasn’t visible.

It was offscreen.

I had no warning, no red circle, no audio, no prep time, no indicator that there was anything, could not even see it.

I’m dodging, clean, not taking hits, and suddenly, I get machine-gunned by a stream of homing ice missiles from off the screen and I just instantly died. Nothing I could do. Full life, Full ES, Extra boons for all defenses increased even. 100% to 0% instantly from off screen.

Mob warps in and shows up after I’m dead. Just teleports in like “sup?” And only after mousing over him while dead did I even realize what modifier did it.

Now I find out online this is a known BS rare mod that’s been killing fully-geared players out of nowhere for months, and it’s still in the game?

Seriously, what the hell.
This wasn’t a skill issue. It wasn’t a build issue. It wasn’t bad luck.
It was just raw RNG BS from a modifier with no telegraph that violates every rule of fair play. It feels like GM-level griefing.

An hour into the run. One fight away from full ascendancy after leveling up 10+ levels from previous attempts and wiped because of a silent rare with a kill switch.

I'm beyond tilted. This isn’t challenge, it’s a slap in the face and a kick in the nuts. Not even going into how awful the ascendancy system in its self is having to do all the previous ones everyone time you progress.


This needs to be reviewed asap... Extremely frustrating and I play SC. Why would anyone play HC in this game??


Upon further research, I’ve learned that the “Periodically unleashes ice” mod is part of the Archnemesis system, one of the most widely hated mechanics GGG ever introduced. And somehow, it’s still quietly embedded in the game, now stripped of any clear labeling or warning.

This should absolutely not be part of Ascension Trials. It’s bad enough these overtuned, one-shot rare mods are still present in maps but baking them into a gate-locked, mandatory progression system is unacceptable. The Trials are already grueling and punishing enough without hidden kill-switch rares ruining entire runs without warning.

And it’s hard not to feel like there’s some “balancing” logic going on behind the scenes because I was doing well, right near the final boss, and suddenly I get hit with a no-counterplay Archnemesis rare from offscreen. It felt like the game saw me doing well and decided to throw a “make sure he loses” mob into the mix. Whether that’s RNG or design the outcome is the same: player experience shattered.

Ascension should test your build, not your tolerance for developer spite.