The final Diablo 4 Developer Update Live Stream before launch took place today, Wednesday, May 10, at 2 p.m. ET on YouTube and Twitch. The focus of the stream was to discuss everything Seasons in Diablo 4. The team highlighted a few important things about seasons, including when Season One will begin and what type of content players can expect out of each Diablo 4 season.
As a reminder, the Diablo 4 Server Slam weekend event begins on May 12. The beta client will begin auto-updating soon for all users. Players will start fresh from level 1, so all progress from the previous beta experiences is wiped. Server Slam has a lower level cap (20), and the Legendary item drop rates are lowered to more accurately reflect the actual drop rates come launch.
Pre-launch rewards, including the Wolf Pack cosmetic, are still available during the Server Slam weekend. There’s also a new reward available, the Claw of Ashava, a Mount Trophy that can be obtained from downing Ashava at Level 20 on any character. Ashava spawns starting on May 13 at noon ET and every three hours thereafter, with the final spawn being on May 14 at noon ET.
When Does Diablo 4 Season 1 Begin?
Diablo 4 Season One will arrive shortly after the Diablo 4 launch, around mid-to-late July.
Diablo 4 Seasonal Content
Here’s a recap of everything related to Diablo 4 Seasons that was discussed during the live stream:
- Seasonal Length
- Gameplay mechanics
- Progression
- Battle Pass
- Customization
Season Length in Diablo 4
Diablo 4’s seasons will last approximately three months, which means there will be about four seasons per year (one per quarter). Each season will introduce a new seasonal theme, quest line, gameplay mechanics, and progression.
Seasonal gameplay mechanics
Each season aims to introduce new features and gameplay mechanics that allow players to grow in power. These mechanics may retire after each season or potentially make a comeback down the line, or even make their way into the game permanently.
Seasonal progression
There are two main seasonal progression systems in Diablo 4: Season Journey and Battle Pass. The Season Journey, separated into chapters, allows players to complete several objectives tied to the seasonal theme and mechanics. There are a variety of objectives, and not all of them need to be completed to progress. Completing objectives rewards loot, crafting materials, legendary aspects, Favor, and more. Favor is a type of experience that helps you progress through the different tiers in the Battle Pass.
Like previous Diablo games, players will need to create new seasonal characters with each new season. However, players will not need to play through the campaign every season. After completing the campaign on any character, no matter the difficulty, every character created after that can skip the campaign. Each newly created character that opts to skip the campaign will start in Kyovashad.
After obtaining the first mount, which is done by working through the main story quest line, players can mount up on any of their characters from that point forward, meaning the mount skill is unlocked account-wide.
Additionally, the stat boosts from visiting each Altar of Lilith will also be permanent. However, players can choose to revisit the Altars in each new season to obtain the Renown. It’s worth noting that plenty of Renown can also be obtained elsewhere, so players are by no means required to go to all the Altar locations every season.
Battle Pass
The Battle Pass is broken into free ($0), premium ($10), and accelerated ($25) tiers, with each track offering unique rewards. Players progress through the Battle Pass by earning Favor, which is obtained through completing the Season Journey and passively by playing any seasonal character.
There are 27 tiers in the free track of the Battle Pass and 63 in the premium track. Each track offers a variety of rewards, from full armor sets to seasonal mounts, RP clothes, and other fun rewards like emotes and unique headstones.
Players will also earn Smoldering Ashes, a currency used to unlock Seasonal Blessings. Seasonal Blessings can include experience boosts, more gold drops, etc. You can get these buffs to help accelerate your progress through the season. Blessings also have a level requirement, so you can’t simply purchase tiers to out-level everyone.
Customization
The in-game shop in Diablo 4 will feature an array of cosmetic armor for each class. Cosmetics obtained through the shop can be mixed and matched with in-game armor, creating combinations of possible looks for each class. Cosmetics offer no benefit to players in terms of power and stats.
Leaderboards
Leaderboards will not be included in Season 1 and, potentially, Season 2 in Diablo 4. Rod Fergusson says during the live stream that the team understands the importance of leaderboards, and it’s something they are working toward, but players should not expect them early on in the game.
Diablo 4 Early Access for Deluxe and Ultimate Edition owners begins on June 2. The official launch date for Diablo 4 is June 6, 2023.
