Rift Guardians drop more items (including materials and gems) than any other single target in the game, and are the single best source for [[Blood Shards]], dropping at least 20 40 on Normal difficulty and far more increasing 5-10 per difficulty level (80+) up to 100~ on the higher Torment difficulties6). During Their drop values have changed repeatedly; during the Reaper of Souls beta test Guardians dropped like any random Elite, with the main reward for clearing a rift coming in a [[Horadric Cache]], but this drop was moved directly to the Guardian during testing.[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/legendary-plans-caches-rift-bosses-set-change-next-patch]

* [[[Greater Rift Guardians]] were added to the game with Greater Rifts in [[Patch 2.1]]. These are souped-up versions of normal Rift Guardians, and behave spawn just the same, appearing only when a Greater Rift is 100% completed . They are more dangerous than normal Rift Guardians, and acting as the final boss of the Rifttend to attack and summon much more rapidly.

Some Rift Guardians are modified quest bosses, and players will encounter Guardian versions of [[Zoltan Kulle]], [[The Butcher]], [[Ghom]], [[Maghda]], [[Cydaea]], [[Leoric]]] and several others.

* [[Agnidox]] -- Upgraded [[Demonic Hellflyer]]. (Winged demons of Act three.)* Fire-themed, can launch fireballs and create [[Bone WarlockDesecrator]]pools. * * Moderate difficulty.  [[Blighter]]-- Upgraded [[Herald of Pestilence]]. (Ground tickler finger attack. Act Three.)* Poison-themed. Casts poison novas, [[Plagued]] style ground effects can cover almost the entire screen. * * High difficulty.  [[Bloodmaw]]-- Upgraded [[Executioner]]. (Massive Act Five melee brawler.)* Physical attacks with massive sword arms. Can stun. Very dangerous enraged mode with repeated leaping strikes. ** Very high difficulty.  [[Bone Warlock]] -- Upgraded [[Skeleton Summoner]].* Summons skeletons and fires Arcane projectiles. ** Low difficulty.  [[Cold Snap]]-- Upgraded [[Izual]]. (Act Four quest boss.)* Cold-themed. Can cast [[Frozen]] and casts an Ice Nova that freezes everything on the screen. ** Moderate difficulty. (Very very easy for characters with freezing immunity.)  [[Crusader King]]-- Upgraded [[Skeleton King]]. (Act One quest boss.)* Same abilities as Leoric, with smite swinging, minion summoning, and teleport hitting. * * Low difficulty.  [[Ember]]-- Upgraded [[Morlu Caster]]. (Act 4 meteor dropping mages.)* Fire themed, drops meteors, shoots fireballs, and can teleport. ** Moderate difficulty.  [[Erethon]]-- Upgraded [[Corrupted Angel]]. (Act Four winged dashing strikes.)* Charging attacks and always has [[Missile Dampening]] modifier. ** Moderate difficulty.  [[Eskandiel]]-- Upgraded [[Corpse Raiser]]. (Act Five angel summoners. Turn to bats when they die.)* Arcane-themed. Casts [[Arcane Enchanted]], uses [[Vortex]], summons various skeletal minions. * * High difficulty.  [[Infernal Maiden]]-- Upgraded [[Fire Maiden]]. (Act Five huge scythe angels.)* Fire-themed, but also deals high physical damage. Flame attacks, whirling melee strikes. ** Very high difficulty.  [[Lord of Bells]]-- Upgraded [[Infernal Bovine]]. * Easter Egg only found in special Cow Rifts. [[Electrified]], gains [[Illusionist]] when enraged. ** High difficulty.  [[Man Carver]]-- Upgraded [[The Butcher]]. (Act One Act Boss.)* Charging attack, [[Waller]], can hook and pull targets in. ** Moderate difficulty.  [[Orlash]] -- Upgraded [[Terror Demon]]. (Act 4 Diablo-looking invisible slashers.)* Melee slashing attack. Vanishes periodically during fight. Does not summon minions as his type can normally. ** Low difficulty.  [[Perdition]]-- Upgraded [[Rakanoth]]. (Act Four quest boss.)* Charging slashing attack is dangerous. Ranged projectiles. Does not summon pets as normal Rakanoth does.** Low difficulty.  [[Perendi]]-- Upgraded [[Mallet Lord]]. (Act Four, four-legged melee bashers.)* Slow moving but huge damage potential. [[Teleport]] and [[Vortex]] can make avoiding his huge smash attack tricky. * * High difficulty.  [[Raiziel]]-- Upgraded [[Exarch]]. (Act Five angel mages.)* Lightning-themed. Casts overhead lightning orbs that can deal huge damage. ** High difficulty.  [[Rime]]-- Upgraded [[Xah'Rith the Keywarden]] (Act 3). * Cold-themed, icy meteor-type attacks do major [[StonesingerDoT]]stacking, teleporter. * * High difficulty.  [[Sand Shaper]]-- Upgraded [[Zoltan Kulle]]. (Act 2 quest boss.)* Tornado attacks, slow time bubbles, shoots projectiles. No golem guardians as has normal Zoltan Kulle.** Low difficulty.  [[Satrix]]-- Upgraded [[Deceiver]]. (Act 2 Serpent Mage.)* Caster style combat, including tornadoes. Regularly spawns large crowds of very weak trash mob minions.* * Moderate difficulty.  [[Stonesinger]] -- Upgraded [[Sand Dweller]]. (Act two burrowing rock golem.)* Rock golem brawler, very slow movement speed. Can create duplicates when enraged, but their casting time is very slow (bugged?)** Very low difficulty.  [[Tethrys]]-- Upgraded [[Succubus]]. * Flys around quickly, fires fast moving projectiles. Dangerous special attack where she creates missiles at a distance, then pulls them in with homing potential. Also ground DoT circles. ** High difficulty.  [[The Binder]]-- Upgraded [[Cydaea]]. (Act Three spider queen act boss.)* Projectile poison attacks, web ground coverage is slowing. ** Very low difficulty.  [[The Choker]]-- Upgraded [[Barbed Lurker]]. (Tentacled levitating Act Five caster.)* Poison missile attacks. Retreating movement can be annoying to melee fighters.** Low difficulty.  [[Voracity]]-- Upgraded [[Ghom]]. (Act Three quest boss.)* Huge and slow, but damaging poison clouds fill the screen and persist after his death. Can be dangerous in close quarters.** Low difficulty, though melee characters without high poison resistance will find him dangerous.  

A selection of images of Rift Guardians. See many more screenshots, plus videos and more, on the individual Rift Guardian articles.

A list of available loot runs bosses, from Reaper of Souls datamining in late 2013. As with the other datamined strings, these were not final and subject to change many of them changed before release.