Blizzard, the developer of Diablo IV, has recently announced that the game’s first season will arrive in mid to late July, after the game’s launch on June 6th. The announcement was made during a livestream event that offered new details about how the game’s seasons and battle pass will work.
Seasons and Battle Pass
According to Blizzard, seasons in Diablo IV will be quarterly, with players completing objectives as part of a Season Journey. Objectives are broken down into chapters, and players will need to complete most, but not all, of the objectives in one chapter before progressing to the next. Completing objectives as part of the Season Journey will contribute towards leveling up the seasonal battle pass, which will feature 27 free reward tiers.
The battle pass will feature both free and premium reward tiers, with the latter costing $10 and featuring 63 tiers of largely cosmetic items. Players will also have the option of purchasing an accelerated premium battle pass with 20 tier skips for roughly $25. All rewards that grant some kind of gameplay benefit will be included in the free battle pass, and Blizzard has emphasized that players will not be able to pay for power in Diablo IV by purchasing tier skips for the battle pass.
The free reward tiers will occasionally include a special currency called Smoldering Ash, which is used to unlock and upgrade seasonal perks (called Season Blessings) that grant various benefits to seasonal characters. Rewards that grant gameplay benefits will not be included in the premium battle pass, and new Legendary powers or unique items introduced as part of each season will stick around as part of the core game.
Seasonal Content and Unlocks
To access seasonal content, players will need to complete Diablo IV’s campaign at least once on any character. From then on, players can skip the campaign and dive straight into the new content on subsequent characters. Blizzard has clarified that unlocked Legendary aspects and entries in the Codex of Power, as well as regional Renown levels and discovered Altars of Lilith, will need to be earned on every character and are not account-wide. However, the stat boosts and other rewards from reaching certain Renown levels for each of the game’s regions will be account-wide. Once players unlock their first mount as part of Diablo IV’s campaign, all subsequent characters will be able to use mounts from the start.
Blizzard also announced that each season in Diablo IV will sport a strong unifying theme that will run through the battle pass and new gameplay features. New seasons will introduce new seasonal storylines that won’t progress the game’s core story, but will explore the world of Sanctuary in other ways. New gameplay mechanics will go away at the end of a season, though Blizzard confirmed that there is a chance seasonal content could return down the line.
Launch and Beta
Diablo IV will launch on June 6th, or June 2nd for those who purchase the Deluxe or Ultimate edition of the game. Players interested in trying out the game before launch will also have one more opportunity to do so from May 12-14 during the game’s free Server Slam beta. Though character progress won’t carry over to the full game, players who reach level 20 and achieve certain milestones will earn permanent rewards when Diablo IV launches.
Overall, Diablo IV’s first season and battle pass promise to deliver exciting new content and challenges for players to enjoy. With each new season featuring a strong unifying theme and offering new rewards and mechanics, it’s clear that Blizzard is committed to keeping the game fresh and engaging for its ever-growing player base.
