With the latest Diablo 4 expansion, Lord of Hatred, behind us, and BlizzCon 2026 on the horizon, I find myself wondering what's next for the game.

Diablo 4 was the first Diablo installment to actually receive two story expansions, with the base game, Vessel of Hatred, and Lord of Hatred telling what is now dubbed the Age of Hatred saga.

And what a saga it was; many new characters were introduced to the fray and subsequently killed off... and returning characters came back... and were also killed off... come to think of it... the Age of Hatred was pretty much a bloodbath for most of the characters involved wasn't it?

With that in mind, I'm taking a look back through the records and combing through the deaths of those who tried to hold the line, as well as those who tried to destroy it.

The following feature, “Diablo IV - Those We've Lost," was provided by the Diablo 4 team and is reproduced here with permission.

The first Fallen, aka base game Diablo 4 casualties

Vhenard

No sooner did we meet Neyrelle's mother, Vhenard, than we were having to bring her life to a swift end.

Vhenard was a passionate explorer and seeker of knowledge, convinced by Lilith to embrace demonic knowledge and to assist her in crossing the Black Lake to reach the Necropolis of the Firstborn.

This demonic knowledge corrupted her mind, leading her to try and kill her own daughter. The Wanderer (us) had no choice but to bring her down.

In the end, Neyrelle performed a ritual to briefly raise her mother from the dead. Time enough for Vhenard to help open the way to pursue Lilith, and to bid her daughter, her “Magpie”, a regretful goodbye.

Vigo

Vigo was the less-than-pious watch commander of the Knights Penitent, sworn to serve the Cathedral of Light. Charged with guarding the condemned mines in the southern Fractured Peaks, preventing all from reaching the ancient ruins within.

Foolishly accepting a bribe from Vhenard and her companion (Lilith) resulted in his downfall and allowed them to enter the mines. This mistake cost both Vhenard and his fellow knights their lives.

Consumed by the weight of that mistake, Vigo submitted himself to the Reverend Mother Prava to serve out a brutal penance. Locked inside a painful suit of armor known as the "Father's Grace". Ouch. Clad in this armor, he caught up with the Wanderer within the Necropolis of the Firstborn, giving his life to cut a path through corruption.

Rathma

The first and most ancient of the Firstborn, son of Lilith and Inarius. Keeper of the sacred Balance between Light and Dark. Foundation of the Priests of Rathma (more commonly known as necromancers).

He had long ago rejected both Lilith and Inarius in favor of serving humanity as he saw fit. His methods and motives have ever been shrouded in mystery.

In a revelation of prophecy, he predicted that “the way to Hell would be torn asunder” and “a spear of light would pierce Hatred’s heart.” For this reason, Inarius sought him out and demanded the Hell Key, a dangerous artifact hidden in Rathma’s possession.

When Rathma refused, Inarius, his own father, struck him down, finally killing the Firstborn.

Donan

Donan was once a Horadrim and a colleague of Lorath Nahr until the two had a falling out. He remained ever a protector of humanity.

In his youth, he fought alongside the druids of Scosglen to defeat the demon Astaroth and in the aftermath helped them rebuild. Then Lilith arrived. She not only brought back Astaroth to burn Scosglen a second time, she resurrected the demon using Donan’s own son. Yorin.

He was lost in his grief until the Wanderer called on him again, this time with his old “friend” Lorath Nahr, to continue the fight against Lilith. Reluctantly he joined the cause but soon rose to the challenge, following his allies into the depths of Hell itself where he took a mortal wound.

Because of him, his allies were able to entrap Mephisto in the soulstone, thwarting Lilith’s ambitions and buying humanity precious time before the Prime Evil’s return.

Yorin

A young knight and only child of Donan and Braega. Eager to prove himself to his father, he set out with the Wanderer in pursuit of Lilith across Scosglen, using both his connections with the Knights Penitent stationed there as well as his deep understanding of local druid belief.

His efforts helped the Wanderer to confront the druid Airidah and force her to confess what aid she had given Lilith.

But in the end, Lilith seized Yorin and thrust a soulstone into his skull, permitting the demon Astaroth to possess him, body and soul.

The Wanderer was able to defeat Astaroth, but when the demon’s essence left Yorin, the boy was already dead. His father Donan carried him from the battlefield and laid him to rest.

Meshif

Once a renowned traveler and unflappable man of adventure. He was born in the city of Kurast but his home was the open sea. In his youth, he met a group of heroes and became entangled in the fight against the Prime Evil Mephisto, taking him from the deserts of Lut Gholain back to save his beloved Kurast.

He somehow survived this and every adventure since, but after several decades, his glory days were suddenly behind him. A new mission found him in the middle of nowhere Kehjistan, smoking away his twilight years in a den of bandits. The Wanderer needed a guide through the desert to infiltrate the palace of an evil mage. Smelling adventure, Meshif was thrilled to oblige.

Meshif guided his new friends across the desert and into the palace, but before he could escape with them, he was cut down. A bittersweet yet fitting death for such a man.

Elias

Once a brilliant mage and rising star of the Horadrim, apprenticed to Lorath Nahr.

Elias learned of Rathma’s prophecy and the foretold return of the Prime Evils. He became obsessed with finding a solution, and his ideas grew increasingly more radical. Too radical for Lorath to condone. The two of them argued endlessly until finally, Elias left Lorath and the Horadrim behind.

For him, all signs pointed to Lilith, the only being in all eternity (he believed) with the power and the will to save Sanctuary.

On his own, Elias did everything in his power to bring Lilith back from the Void, including promising his own head to the Tree of Whispers.He succeeded in summoning Lilith, and by her side he sought to make humanity suffer, forcing them to grow stronger for the fight against the Prime Evils.

But time and again Lorath and his allies frustrated his efforts. He confronted them one final time in the Black Tomb of Sankekur. In the end, he was defeated. His undying head taken in payment by the Tree of Whispers to hang for all eternity.

Inarius

The angelic father of humankind. Once the counterpart of the demon Lilith, their mother.

He and Lilith had sought to escape the Eternal Conflict between the Heavens and Hells by creating their own hidden world. Sanctuary. There, on the Skovos Isles, they gave birth to humanity, starting with their son Rathma. These days of peace would not last.

Inarius became fearful of his children’s power and eventually conspired against them, leading to a bloody conflict with Lilith. In the end, he banished her to the Void and attempted to sink the Skovos Isles to drown his children, only to stop at the last moment.

He resolved instead to diminish humanity’s power over time and hoped that was best, but for the sin of creating his children, the Heavens would not forgive him. Thousands of years and torments later, Inarius’ fellow Angels still forbade his return to the Heavens.

But, he believed, if he could fulfill the words of his son Rathma’s prophecy, lead humanity against the Hells, and drive his “spear of light into Hatred’s heart” the Heavens would finally forgive him.

It was not to be. He led his faithful forces into Hell itself in pursuit of Lilith, and there she defeated him. Running him through with his own spear before tearing his wings from his back.

Though his legacy is one of selfish hubris, humanity will always owe its existence to him and his original dream of freedom from the Eternal Conflict.

Lilith

Daughter of Hatred, Creator of Sanctuary, and Mother of All Humankind. Together, she and the angel Inarius created the hidden world of Sanctuary as an escape from the Eternal Conflict, and there, they gave birth to humanity.

Since then, she has remained absolutely devoted to her children, willing to commit terrible atrocities in the name of their survival. She was banished to the Void for such an act, but after thousands of years in that darkness, one of her children brought her back. Elias.

With him at her side, she unleashed terrible suffering upon Sanctuary. Not to torture or kill, but to make her children strong enough to face the Burning Hells. For herself, she sought to consume her father, Mephisto, and claim his power, enough to repel any threat to her children.

And yet the strongest among her children fought back. They would not allow her to turn Sanctuary into a living Hell. They pursued her into the Realm of Hatred and imprisoned her father in a soulstone before she could consume him.

Against all odds, they defeated her in the Cathedral of Hatred, but she issued a final warning as she turned to dust. “Without me, you would have no victory.” (And spoiler, she was right).

Vessel of Hatred (and more death)

Urivar

A Knight Penitent of the Cathedral of Light and alleged survivor of their ill-fated March on Hell. His scarred face and armor attest to his claims.

Whether a true believer or a cynical opportunist, Urivar seized the hearts and minds of the fractured Knights Penitent, filling them with renewed, violent purpose. To hunt the Horadrim they believed responsible for the death of the Father, Inarius.

With Lorath in the wind, Urivar and his Burned Knights set their sights on Neyrelle and pursued her all the way to the jungles of Nahantu, where through her, the demon Mephisto had begun to poison the land.

But the Wanderer would not allow Urivar to harm Neyrelle. In a final confrontation, they cut him down and ended his mad crusade.

Maka

A proud spiritborn and member of the Council of Kurast in Nahantu. In effort to help Neyrelle resist the corruption of Mephisto, Maka set out with the Wanderer and Eru, her former mentor, to find a solution in the spirit realm.

She was strong, brave, and true in her care for Neyrelle, but the evil within the young woman lashed out and took her life. Maka was mourned by Nahantu but most of all by Eru, her lifelong friend.

Akarat

A benevolent student of the Light whose teachings gave rise to the Zakarum faith. They would name him their holy prophet.

Born on Xiansai to an Umbaru mother and Xian father, Akarat and his family were forced to flee their home when fallen demons attacked. He spent his early life disillusioned by conflict until he beheld a vision of Light, compelling him to teach a revelation, that every human holds the Light within them.

Ultimately, Akarat returned to his mother’s homeland of Nahantu to battle the spreading corruption there, teaching his faith to all who would listen. Then he disappeared into the jungles. Some said he fell in battle against great evil, and while his body was entombed, his spirit continued to serve humanity. The faithful have searched for his tomb ever since.

Then, with the help of the spiritborn Eru and guided by the Spirit of Akarat himself, it was found by Neyrelle and the Wanderer. They hoped that Akarat’s body and spirit could safely secure a soulstone — one with Mephisto, Lord of Hatred trapped inside. Indeed, it seemed like it could until they were betrayed and attacked.

The Spirit of Akarat fought fiercely to defend them. In the end, he sacrificed himself to defeat Mephisto’s harbinger, removing the Spirit of Akarat from the world forever...Until Mephisto stole his body to walk Sanctuary in his image.

The final toll: Lord of Hatred

Neyrelle

A brilliant, young explorer and seeker of knowledge whose fateful encounter with Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred, set her on a path to become a true Horadrim. At her mother’s side, Neyrelle came to the Fractured Peaks in search of the Horadrim, but soon, Lilith tempted her mother with the promise of demonic power.

The Wanderer helped Neyrelle find her mother, but by then, she was beyond saving. Rather than despair, Neyrelle stayed with the Wanderer and pursued Lilith, proving her worth as a scholar and protector of Sanctuary. It cost her greatly, including her own left hand.

She followed the Wanderer and her new Horadrim friends into the depths of the Burning Hells, and there, she was asked to make an impossible decision: Imprison Lilith and allow her father Mephisto to return? Or imprison Mephisto to delay his return and deny Lilith her prize?

She chose the latter. And she tried with all she had to find a way to keep Mephisto imprisoned, but his corruption proved too much to bear. Even after Neyrelle was rid of the soulstone, she remained haunted by his presence.

She never stopped searching for a way to stop Mephisto. To break the cycle of Hatred for good. But just as she found it and sent word to her friends, Mephisto found her. And at last, took her life.

She died as a true Horadrim, wearing the talisman given to her by Lorath.

Queen Adreona

High Queen of the Amazons, matriarch and protector of the Skovos Isles.

Adreona did not inherit her position. She joined the Amazons in her youth, serving as one spearmaiden among thousands in the Amazon Legion. Through martial prowess, strategic mind, and a little luck, she rose through the ranks until at last, she was selected by the Council of Veterans to endure the Passage and become Queen of the Amazons.

For decades, her rule kept Skovos safe from the chaos of the continents, making a paradise of the isles. But she did not do it alone. Her faithful companion and adviser, Captain Tharra of the Amazons, stood ever at her side. And once, she accepted help from abroad.

A Horadrim named Lorath Nahr came to Skovos in search of lost members of his order. Together, they learned what happened to them, averted disaster, and forged a close bond. But it could not last.

Years later, when the fires of Hatred had consumed the mainland, another outsider arrived on Adreona’s shores. The holy prophet Akarat. Along with scores of pilgrims, Akarat promised her he would save her people from the Age of Hatred.

But in reality, he was Hatred Incarnate. Mephisto—disguised in the body of Akarat. Mephisto tricked and coerced Adreona into believing his lies, slowly turning her against her own people and tragically, against the one man she had almost loved.

Convinced Lorath had become her enemy, Adreona killed him in cold blood. An act which sealed her fate, giving Lorath’s allies no choice but to strike her down on the cliffs of Mount Hefaetrus.

Lorath Nahr

The last Horadrim of the modern age, tenacious defender of humankind, and a dear friend.

Lorath was born the son of a blacksmith in the city of Westmarch. He grew up with stories of the brave Horadrim and had ever dreamed to become one.

He joined their order just before the Reapers descended upon Sanctuary. Alongside the archangel Tyrael and a small band of heroes, he fought and triumphed over them, helping to stop the Reaping of Malthael.

Lorath doggedly served the Order for the rest of his life, and in his twilight years, he fought to deliver Sanctuary from the Age of Hatred. First against Lilith and then her father, Mephisto.

To accomplish this, he suffered the loss of friends, endured persecution, bargained his head to the Tree of Whispers, and ventured into Hell itself without guarantee of victory or gratitude. He considered it simply his duty.

When Mephisto came to the Skovos Isles in the guise of Akarat, Lorath alone spoke truth to the people. And when he was brought low by Mephisto’s trickery, he persevered, both supporting victory in Athulua and finding the weapon that would stop Mephisto for good. But he would not see it come to pass. He was cut down by Queen Adreona, a woman he had loved, and his head was taken to the Tree of Whispers.

His soul would have languished there forever, but his allies would not permit it. Setting fire to the Tree they laid Lorath Nahr, the last Horadrim, to rest. His duty done.

Mephisto

One of the Three Prime Evils. Lord of Hatred and father of Lilith. Since the dawn of the Heavens and Hells, Mephisto has been a snake in the garden of creation, ever conspiring, manipulating, and corrupting all he touches.

He has long sought to possess and control humanity to wield as his own; if for no other reason than to prove his daughter Lilith, their creator and mother, that her beloved children are nothing. Mere pawns to be wielded in the Eternal Conflict.

Mephisto has suffered defeats throughout eternity, but his demon soul was always reborn in Hell. Each time, giving only a short respite before his return.

Engaging in his old ways, Mephisto had disguised himself as the prophet Akarat and sought to corrupt all of humankind, starting with Skovos.

But with the help of his daughter Lilith and the weapon she had made from her own body, a single human got the better of him. Mephisto was stabbed through the heart with this weapon and banished screaming into the Void between realms.
Not dead, not alive, and unable to return to Hell. There he will remain.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred was a resounding success for Blizzard, even with a lack of season-specific activities for Season 13, so with that in mind, Season 14 has a lot to live up to. Will Diablo 4 be able to keep its hooks in us for its first real season after the release of the expansion? Will the drastic changes to Mythic Uniques make or break the gameplay loop?

Well Season 14, dubbed the Season of Death Awakening arrives on June 30 so we'll find out for ourselves soon. Here's what we know about Season 14 so far, including some changes that have been made from the PTR.

Mythic Uniques 3.0: The revamp that everyone is is skeptical about

The most significant change coming to the game is the overhaul of Mythic Uniques. Instead of being a strict rarity, "Mythic" is now a modifiable quality that can be applied to any Unique item.

You can convert any Unique into a Mythic Unique using the Horadric Cube or the Jeweler.

Based on player feedback from the PTR, crafting is now deterministic; for instance, if you put in a pair of Unique boots, you are guaranteed to receive a pair of Mythic Unique boots back. These items will have their Unique powers increased by 30%, and any affixes added through Enchanting, Transfiguration, or Tempering will now always roll as maximum values.

While you can only equip one crafted Mythic Unique at a time, there is no limit on those acquired through natural drops. Additionally, Blizzard has decided that all Uniques will retain two guaranteed affixes to preserve item identity.

There's been much ado about this change and how it will impact the meta, but I for one am keeping schtum until I've actually tried it out, and I'm cautiously optimistic that it will actually create some wild build diversity.

New Seasonal Content: Pandemonium & The Risen

Sanctuary is being ripped apart by Pandemonium Ruptures, which spawn across the overworld and Helltides. By killing guardians, you keep these rifts open longer to earn greater rewards. Yes, this is Realmwalker 2.0, the season that didn't go down so well when Vessel of Hatred launched, but it's been tweaked enough that I'm willing to give it another chance.

Defeating a Realmwalker grants access to a Deathtoll Chamber, a specialized mini-dungeon that serves as the best source for Superior Lair Keys, which are required to open the new seasonal Lair Boss’s hoard.

We're also getting a new monster family (aww) called The Risen; you must destroy Orbs dropped by these enemies to prevent the Exarch from executing a powerful attack.

Tower, Leaderboards, and Solo Self Found

It's happening, it's finally happening! The Tower and Leaderboards are graduating from Beta status this season, and a new Solo Self Found (SSF) mode is being introduced.

SSF is a permanent character state for the season where you cannot trade or join parties, but you gain access to exclusive SSF-only leaderboard categories to prove your skill.

Players will earn weekly rewards based on their performance in the Tower, and those who rank high will receive cosmetic Halos and prestige titles. At the start of the next season, players will be granted an Emblem based on their highest rank achieved during this season. Time to show off.

Quality of Life and rewards

Party play is being streamlined with synced War Plan boards, allowing a party to coordinate their activities more effectively. Additionally, the Obol cap has been increased to 25,000 (no more running back and forth to town), and the Gold cap is now 999,999,999,999. Gold, gold, glorious gooold!

Fans can also look forward to another Diablo 4 x Overwatch collaboration starting June 30. This time, it's Diablo players that can earn the cool skins. We can earn the Kiriko Fox Pet and other themed cosmetics by collecting currency from Elite and Champion monsters.

The new season also offers a refreshed rewards track, including up to 12 Skill Points, 42 Paragon points, and 7 Resplendent Sparks.

When you can pre-download Season 14

If you want to be ready the moment the season starts, the 3.1.0 patch will be available for pre-download on June 25 at 10:00 a.m. PDT for Battle.net, Xbox, and PlayStation.

For more details on class balance and specific affix changes, you can check out the full 3.1.0 patch notes. Which class are you planning to take into the Tower first, and how do you feel about the new, Mythic crafting system?

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The Royal Festival Hall in London was recently transformed into a musical gateway to the burning pits of Hell, and no I'm not talking about a recreation of the London Underground.

As I sat in the audience for the Diablo 30th Anniversary Symphony on 06/06/(202)6, surrounded by hundreds of fellow fans, it felt like a somewhat full-circle moment for me. After all, it was my rambling spam texts I would send to friends about the current state of Diablo 3 that got me into writing about games in the first place. This franchise has changed my life in many ways, and the concert was something of a pilgrimage through three decades of iconic, haunting, and deeply atmospheric music that has defined the Diablo franchise from its humble 1996 beginnings right up to Diablo 4.

Watching a full live orchestra play the Diablo music that permeates every game session was like an out-of-body experience. I found myself in awe of how the choir's human voices, booming over the strings, functioned as instruments in their own right, really carrying the weight of the game’s gothic horror.

The instantly recognizable 12-string guitar melody from the Tristram theme was the highlight of the night. As those familiar, melancholy notes rang out, I could hear a collective intake of breath from the other fans sitting around me. It was a shared connection to a piece of music that has been the background of many a session over the years. It was heard a few times throughout the performance, as it's woven deep into the soul of Diablo 4’s soundtrack, linking all of the franchises, yet distinctly recognizable as a Diablo 2 sound.

Ahead of the performance, I had the privilege of sitting down with two of the architects behind these sounds: Charlotte Pyle, Principal Audio Producer, and Derek Duke, Music Director at Blizzard Entertainment.

Getting the right people for the job

For those who live and breathe these games, it is easy to assume that the people making the music have been lifelong gamers in the traditional sense, but the paths to Blizzard are as diverse as the scores themselves.

Charlotte Pyle joined the studio nine years ago, coming from the film industry. "I was contacted when I was working in the film industry about a production role for cinematic sound," Pyle explained. "I did a whole gauntlet of interviews, and they called me to say they were interested in me joining, but wanted me to actually be the music producer lead".

Derek Duke, on the other hand, is a cornerstone of the Blizzard legacy. "I started at Blizzard as a contractor, writing music, and then I got an opportunity to come on board full time," Duke shared. Having been with the studio for roughly 25 years, his tenure spans the evolution of Blizzard's entire musical identity

Blizzard's "darkest" franchise

We touched upon the distinction between Blizzard's franchises, and the creative process behind Diablo's unique and ominous sound.

"Diablo is our 'M for Mature' game. It’s our darker, gothic franchise," Duke explained. "It’s heavier, it’s even more immersive; it has that sense of dread. World of Warcraft is definitely a bit brighter, a bit more neoclassical."

I’ve always felt that Mephisto's theme in Diablo 4 gives a sense of creeping death comparable to having Jaws nipping at your heels. When I asked if they looked to horror/thriller cinema for inspiration, Duke noted that their influences come from all over, explaining that they listen to a wide array of music and film rather than limiting themselves to one genre.

How collaboration has evolved

As technology has advanced, so too has the way Blizzard creates its soundtracks. The team works with musicians and singers from all over the globe. In fact, it was explained that this evening would be the first time many performers had performed in the same room, despite their sounds being woven together for years as we step around Sanctuary.

"Technology has evolved a lot, but it’s only just allowed us to move a little bit faster and work more efficiently," Duke noted. "Especially with things like Diablo 4, it’s made collaboration amazingly better. We’re working with vocalists and instrumentalists all over the world — from electric violinists in Canada to percussionists in LA. It’s amazing".

This collaborative spirit extends into the game’s development cycle itself. I asked how early the guys got involved with the writers when it came to making a piece of music for a specific cutscene or side quest.

"We’re constantly in contact with the game team — that’s one of the benefits of the central music team being so embedded with every single game," Pyle said. "The minute we start hearing about something, we’re getting on a call, getting concept art, and looking at narrative storylines as early as possible".

Duke gave an example. "Neyrelle's theme would have been created when we started on that cinematic with Neyrelle in it, so we would have decided that Neyrelle needed a theme for her, because she was being used in the storyline, so we started working on a theme for her that could be used in multiple cinematics as well throughout the story,"

Translating the digital to the live stage

The challenge of taking music meant for a PC headset and moving it to a grand concert hall was one of the most exciting topics we touched on. For the symphony, the team didn't just play back digital files; they leaned into the human element of the soundtrack.

"The arrangements were created specifically for the symphony," Duke explained. "We have four of the soloists that we used on Diablo 4 flying in to perform live. There won't be any stopping or starting or second takes; it’ll be captured in one go"

A legacy of sound

One of the most impressive things about Diablo 4 is how its soundtrack manages to feel entirely new while sneaking in those "twangs" of nostalgia, those specific notes we talked about that instantly transport you back to Diablo 2.

"We’re always conscious of the past and keeping that legacy," Duke said of their approach to the latest entry. "We always want to evolve the sounds of the franchises, but keep that past present in the future. It’s great that you picked up on that".

I left that evening with a sense that the team behind Diablo 4's sound has a deeper focus on history than you might think, aided in no small part by a group of Blizzard veterans. It can't be easy to keep the franchise's legacy alive while still fostering a unique identity for Diablo 4, but they've pulled it off. This was felt more than ever when experiencing the Infernal Symphony itself. The shift in pace from the classic Diablo 2 tracks to the melancholic despair of Kyovashad’s theme made it clear they have been able to go bigger and bolder with Diablo 4. Yet, even amidst that grand orchestral scale, I am incredibly glad that there is still room for that classic 12-string guitar.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred is a real return to form for Blizzard. Even though I'm normally done and dusted a couple of weeks into a new season, I'm still playing nearly a month later and don't feel like putting it down anytime soon. The player retention this season has been incredible if Steam numbers are to go by, though it's obviously not an exact science since the majority of the player base is on Battle.net and Xbox.

There is still one thing that everyone continues to argue about, though, and it's the Diablo 4 shop. Now, I'm not against the cash shop at all; in fact, admitting that I use it now and again is a more controversial stance in the community than being flat-out against it. But I do see why many people have an issue with it. It has always felt a bit "ick" and quintessentially not Diablo, that store-bought cosmetics, with their flashy packaged VFX, look infinitely cooler than anything that can be found out in the wild.

With the release of Lord of Hatred, however, I think Blizzard has finally struck a balance, and it's all down to the secrets and mad goose chases they've thrown at the player base. Suddenly, I'm not wearing anything I purchased in the shop. I've replaced it all with items that tell every other player in the game that I've actually played it and put in a hell of a lot of hours to earn them.

The Myth, the Legend, the Cow Level

For the longest time for Diablo 4 fans, the Cow Level was just a whisper and a bunch of weirdly data-mined items. But with this expansion, it finally became a reality.

However, there are two routes to get there. The first being the most rewarding, and requiring a convoluted set of steps to achieve. The second being getting another player who HAS done the convoluted steps to "Moo" at you in-game.

Now, the easy route may sound appealing, and it will give you access to the level and its udderly useless Mythic Unique Cow King's Crown. But only by going through the laborious route do you unlock the ability to "Moo" via the emote wheel and earn the exclusive "Moo Moo" player title.

When I stand in town or at a World Boss and Moo at passing players, they know exactly the trials I went through to obtain the privilege.

Small confession: I only actually went through about 30% of the process myself. I got some help from players on a dedicated Cow Level Discord for the first few steps, but it encouraged a level of community participation the likes of which I haven't seen in the game since launch.

Shadows of the Pit: Choron the Lost

There's another deep endgame grind tied to a secret boss encounter in The Pit. If you pay close attention to the environment and follow a trail of cryptic slabs across different tiers, you can force a secret boss to spawn: Choron. Defeating him unlocks the titles "Choron's" and "The Lost." Naturally, I'm now running around the game with "Choron's Moo" equipped as a double humble brag.

This one is relatively straightforward to explain: you need to head into The Pit starting at tier levels 1, 6, 11, 16, and keep going up every 5 levels. On the first floor of each instance, your character will mutter, "Curse this place, I'm being followed," which indicates there is a lore slab nearby to read.

Keep clicking these all the way up to tier 96. You'll know you've finished the sequence once your player stops chuntering that annoying phrase. When Choron actually shows up as the Pit Boss is entirely random; for me, it took about three Pit runs after completing the slabs.

Surviving the Echoing Hatred

But my absolute favorite piece of earned loot right now comes from the Echoing Hatred event. Just getting the damn thing to trigger is an RNG nightmare, as the required item drop is incredibly rare. I am currently Paragon 228 and I've only managed to get one of these events to drop for myself. Thankfully, I was able to unlock the goodies through group play with a friend who got the drop.

If you manage to find one, you're thrown into a scaling horde event that pushes your character to the absolute limit. Starting at Normal and ascending through the Torment levels, you need to survive long enough and handle the shrines correctly to walk away with a gorgeous new portal skin and a tiny, hilarious "crab with a knife" pet.

Seeing that little blade-wielding crab scuttling alongside me brings me more joy than any premium shop bundle ever could.

How to Unlock theHowling Mouth of Madness Portal

In the Echoing Hatred event, activate the Shrines in the following order and during these specific tier levels:

• Tiers 1-9: Immunity Shrine
• Tiers 10-14: Artillery Shrine
• Tiers 15-19: Lethal Shrine
• Tiers 20-24: Channeling Shrine

The Crab with a Knife Pet

Securing your knife-wielding crustacean companion is a pure test of survival. You must endure the scaling difficulty all the way up to Tier 60.

That being said, it requires absolutely no specific shrine trickery. Because of this, you can either push deep to hit Tier 60 on the exact same run you trigger the portal, or comfortably split it into a separate attempt purely focused on your build's defensive capabilities.

The return of the true ARPG flex

All of these quirky secrets and convoluted questlines are exactly what Diablo 4 needed to bring back the fun factor. I've been having so much fun tracking these items down, and it really harkens back to my Diablo 3 days when we didn't have a cash shop to look cool. We just had to spend ungodly hours hunting down Rainbow Goblins and endlessly farming Whimsyshire for the tiny chance of catching some Cosmic Wings.

The thrill of the chase is what it's all about. Having these deep ingame pursuits actually makes the cash shop feel a lot less offensive, because nothing I can buy in there will ever give me as much joy as that tiny, violent crab. Shop skins just prove you have disposable income; a Moo emote proves you have dedication.

That being said, there's always more that could be done. I still think it couldn't kill Blizzard to drop a couple of full, high-quality character skins into the reward pool for completing these monumental hidden quests. The small bits and pieces we can earn from the free Reliquary just don't compare. Even so, this season has been a monumental leapquake in the right direction, and the proof is right there in the player retention.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Building upon legacy franchises can be advantageous, but also incredibly difficult.

Industry staples like DOOM, Halo, Call of Duty, and many dozens more all run into the same problems at times. How do you stay true to the essence of the things that made the franchises successful in the first place, while building something new for today's times?

I feel like Diablo 4 has gone through some of those struggles across its development, although with its "Lord of Hatred" expansion released a few weeks ago, a newfound confidence and focus has emerged from Blizzard — and the payload is immense.

I've sunk hundreds of hours into Diablo 4, seen some of its worst seasons, and also indulged in some of its best. The story remained solid throughout the base game and into Vessel of Hatred as well. The core gameplay loop has always been fun, but Blizzard has struggled to figure out how to make its endgame more varied and rewarding.

In Lord of Hatred, Blizzard finally has the foundation of a formula that should carry the game to new heights. The art direction is still absolutely immaculate, too. But what will stick with me beyond everything else is the story. Lord of Hatred's story delivery proves that Blizzard can still deliver big in this department when the time comes — all expansions combined, and while not perfect, Diablo 4, for me, now sits among Blizzard's best ever games.

Diablo IV 'Lord of Hatred' review: Visuals, art, and music

If there's one area where Blizzard has consistently delivered industry-leading excellence, it's in the art department. Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred continues that trend with bells on.

Set in the isles of Skovos, Blizzard gives players a reprieve from the depths of hell and the dark swamps of Hawezar with a landscape that looks refreshingly Mediterranean. White alabaster towns and coastal villages plucked straight from the Greek coast to magma-blasted climbs of Philios — the heartlands of the Amazons show up amazingly well in Lord of Hatred.

Where Lord of Hatred delivers above all else is arguably in its Hollywood-busting pre-rendered cinematics. Blizzard has long been known for its uncanny leadership in this area, but Lord of Hatred takes some of these scenes to dizzying new heights. The sheer scale and soul-drowning threat of Mephisto emerges with utterly unnerving confidence in these sequences. If there are awards for this sort of thing, Blizzard should win all of them.

The music and sound treatment help elevate these scenes beyond the pale, too. There's a reason fans clamor for Blizzard's art team to break out into Netflix territory. The sequences here are too good to describe in words and screenshots alone, so I scarcely dare even try. I'd argue it's worth experiencing Lord of Hatred for the cinematics alone.

There's a lot of quite clever, more subtle (and sometimes less subtle) art history nods throughout Diablo 4 as well, that art students might appreciate. The religious overtones of Diablo's world have been ever-present, but they are amplified in Lord of Hatred owing to the plot threads therein. From references to the stunning frescoes of the Cistine Chapel to obscure esotericism, Éliphas Zahed, seems to get referenced at times, giving Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred a timeless quality that indulges and celebrates its inspirations.

Indeed, the falsely prophetic nature of Akarat possessed by Mephisto is a story that echoes throughout history and, some might argue, carries some uncanny relevance in today's times.

Diablo IV 'Lord of Hatred' review: Story (no spoilers)

One of the things that has often bugged me about modern AAA games is the under-investment in quality story writing.

As AAA developers increasingly prioritize endgame systems, microtransactions, and endless gameplay loops (and Diablo is by no means an exception here), delivering high-quality, memorable campaigns seems to have increasingly taken a back seat. I can say without a doubt that is not the case with Diablo 4.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred follows directly after Vessel of Hatred, which told a decent story in its own right, but it was unashamedly designed to set up the big payload, which is what we have here. There's no other way to describe the most bombastic and memorable moments in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. With Diablo 4, Blizzard absolutely delivered in a way we haven't seen in years.

It's hard to go over exactly what makes Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred so special without straying into spoiler territory, so I won't. But it pulls no punches whatsoever and leans heavily into the bleakness of life in Sanctuary, much like the previous entries. The difference here is the impact on characters we've been following since the game launched back in 2023. The player character, "The Wanderer," is on a warpath to finally catch up with Mephisto.

All who remain "alive" in this hunt have a big role to play, for better or worse, with twists and turns, absolutely grisly scenes, and tentpole performances that are wholly deserving of major mainstream awards.

Ralph Ineson is absolutely fantastic as Lorath and will be remembered as one of the franchise's greatest heroes and characters. Steve Blum as Mephisto is utterly unnerving, and his delivery of Mephisto's demonic proclamations is truly mesmerizing.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred very cleanly wraps up the saga of Hatred. Blizzard resisted temptations to stray into "stay tuned for next time!!" setting up future expansions or games ... and left us with a conclusion that is as painfully evocative as it is satisfying. Lord of Hatred is absolute magic, and even if you're not a typical ARPG fan, you should experience Diablo 4 for the story alone.

Diablo IV 'Lord of Hatred' review: Gameplay and Endgame

I've sunk hundreds of hours into Diablo 4 and its expansions so far, but I've not played as attentively or passionately as I have with Lord of Hatred's present endgame.

Lord of Hatred adds not one, but two new character classes, which seems to follow Blizzard's present mantra of over-delivering upon expectations. The sword-and-board Paladin arrives, wielding holy magic power and magical hammers to smite demons and other miscreants of all stripes. The Warlock turns those same demons into weapons, siphoning their power and subjugating their will to become powerful, unwilling allies.

The Paladin class is as fun to play as it is flashy. What really struck me about the Paladin class was its sound design, ironically, loud bells and chimes as you're slamming huge maces into demons is restlessly cathartic. The Warlock, by comparison, is all about reckless, volatile power. Plumes of shadow magic or violent, screen-spanning explosions devastate enemies, and at the high end, can one-shot some of the game's most difficult bosses. One of its spells is called "Apocalypse" for a reason.

What really struck a chord with me this time around is the endgame. This is the first Diablo season since launch where I've felt compelled to level multiple classes and experiment with multiple builds. The variety is exemplary, and accessing high-end builds is still a challenge, but nowhere near the "painful" feeling of previous seasons.

Diablo 4 revamps all the class trees to make skills a little more relevant than they were previously. Many endgame builds skipped over skill nodes and went straight for passives, pouring as much power as possible into a couple of synergistic spells. Diablo 4 makes all skills a lot more meaningful with more points to play with, although bugs with certain synergies and clear balance issues make some abilities feel a little weak. They end up overlooked as a result, reducing the amount of variety at the super high-end. Until then, though, you can easily clear up to Torment X with a large variety of spells and builds, even weird self-made off-meta stuff like I tend to use.

Indeed, I've had a ton of fun ignoring build guides and exploring my own builds and synergies this season. I've hit walls, though, at times. Sometimes it feels like the game has some serious balance issues, where Unique items that should boost the damage and synergies of certain spells simply don't seem to work.

Blizzard has been working to bug fix as of writing, and there are a decent clip of bugs ... my incredibly rare 3GA Harlequin Crest vanished out of the Horadric Cube on me this morning ... to say I'm devastated about it would be an understatement. But if you're not as stubborn as me, the variety of meta builds for endgame viability is fairly decent.

Speaking of the Cube, one thing I've also enjoyed this season is how much customization exists within the game's gear systems now. You can re-roll affixes on items with the Horadric Cube from previous games, and vastly customize and improve your gear to focus and hone your builds. Again, I've been a bit frustrated in situations where affixes don't seem to make a meaningful difference, but Blizzard does seem to have been addressing bugs with regard to this at a decent rate.

One thing that continues to bug me about Diablo 4 is the way bosses are balanced. Blizzard invests a lot in creating unique bosses with unique mechanics, arenas, and oftentimes, music. The bosses die in literal seconds, though, even world bosses, which makes no sense to me. Bosses should be memorable tent pole moments, rather than trivial loot pinatas. It should never be the case that a regular elite in a dungeon in the same tier is more powerful than the dungeon's literal boss. Conversely, the Uber Bosses in the same tier where you're one-shotting most other bosses are often so over-tuned that unless you're rolling a meta build that can one-hit kill them to avoid their barely-visible mechanics, you're probably going to have a bad time. Blizzard could do some serious fine-tuning here. A more rewarding curve that makes them feel less trivial while boosting the rewards should be the goal. One-shotting Torment XI world bosses is so miserably anticlimactic. Why bother designing the boss in the first place?

At least you can customize aspects of your endgame experience to that end now, though. The new War Plan system allows you to "level up" endgame activities. For example, you can boost the strength of bosses in exchange for extra chests. It's a bit of a grind to level them up, to say the least, but it's a fun and rewarding addition to the decent variety of endgame systems presently on offer.

War Plans also allow you to tailor what activities you do through endgame, giving you additional rewards and more "structure" as the variety of options continues to pile up.

Between Undercity, Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, Infernal Hordes, heavily customizable gear, a vast variety of endgame builds, skills, spells, and options — Diablo 4's endgame is more rewarding than ever.

It's by no means flawless. There are certainly bugs and balance issues. I think it's strange that Strongholds play no real role in endgame. I mentioned my frustration with the way bosses are either over-tuned or under-tuned. And I'd like to see a greater emphasis on permanent seasonal rewards that even come close to the game's wallet-bustingly expensive microtransactions ... but they don't detract from the overall quality of the package.

Diablo 4's endgame is not perfect, but the overall gameplay loop is better than ever.

Diablo IV 'Lord of Hatred' review: Conclusion

Diablo 4 has been a clear and painstaking labor of love. Building upon expectations spanning decades is one of the game industry's most difficult and complicated tasks. Threading the needle of appealing to both old and potential new players, while staying true to the essence of Diablo, and finding relevance in today's diluted attention pool is incredibly tough. But Blizzard pulled it off here in a big way.

Like I said, Diablo 4 isn't perfect. It has a lot of small issues, but nothing that detracts from the whole in a big way. Diablo 4's story, especially, is something that will stick with me for a long, long time.

Honestly, I'm left wondering "what's next" more than ever for Diablo 4, which I now count among some of my favorite games of all time.

I feel like there's still so much untapped potential and room for improvement in Diablo 4 even now, and I'm eager to find out if it can reach even more impressive heights in the months and years to come. Indeed, this isn't a game I "want to stop playing" right now, and as picky as I am in 2026, that's no easy feat.

I believe history will be kind to Diablo 4, and even though I'm sure some corners of the internet would call it controversial, but if I put down my nostalgia glasses for a moment — I believe with my whole baneful heart that now with Lord of Hatred, Diablo 4 represents one of Blizzard's best ever games.

After months upon months of teasing and trolling from Blizzard, and an epic hunt via the Cow Level Discord, the Diablo 4 Cow Level has finally been found. For real this time, and it drops a pretty bonkers Mythic Unique for completion, the Cow King's Crown with an item level 666 and special attributes that change depending on day of the week.

Without further amoo, let's jump into it.

How to get to the Diablo 4 Cow Level

The method to get to the Cow Level in Diablo 4 is a lot more of a breadcrumb trail to follow than it has been in previous games, so to save you some time, I'd like to direct your attention to the brilliantly helpful guide from community member LoatheBurger, linked above.

The short version is that, remember that sin we burned in the fire at the very beginning of the campaign in Kyovoshad? Well, the quest starts with going back there and burning your sins, and then going on a wild chase to collect Neyrelle's Arm, Stam Pot, and a Rusted Bardiche to combine in the Horadric Cube. These items all have their own individual quest lines to complete to acquire them.

Once you've combined these to get the Torn Page relic, you'll sail an Outcasts boat from the Eastern shore to the last area, where you find Cows sat suspiciously in a darkened room. Oh, and you can only then get through to the Cow Portal by killing these cows on a Tuesday.

The activation is tied to real-world timing. The portal officially unlocked at 4:00 p.m. PT on Monday, marking the Tuesday reset across various global regions. If you are having trouble, ensure you are following the sequence on or after this weekly reset window.

That really WAS the short version. Seriously, watch the video.

You'll be grateful to know that after following all the steps to reach the Cow Level the first time, you can repeat it much easier and bring people with you.

The Cow King's Crown Mythic Unique

Once you've entered the Cow Level and slaughtered the inhabitants, you'll be rewarded with this Mythic Unique, the Cow King's Crown which has some silly buffs depending on the day of the week.

• Monday - +1 Damage to Two-Legged Enemies
• Tuesday - 10% Decreased chance to be unlucky against yay-Distant enemies. A yay-distant enemie is between 3-18 hooves equal distant when placed parallel to the equator on this afternoon
• Wednesday - Chance to reduce enemy Cooldown (No)
• Thursday - After picking up a Legendary item, gain 3% more damage to Bullnerable Stunned non-Elites between the hours of 3AM and 4AM for 2.5 seconds
• Friday - +10.26% Moobility damage while mooving
• Saturday - 1.3 % chance to ignore Crowd Control if you have already been Crowd Controlled for over 10 weeks in Helltide
• Sunday - +51 Life on Death (+Maybe)

As you can probably gather, it's udderly useless. But it's pretty damn funny and you will have the bragging rights of showing off that you went to the ends of the earth just to slay some demon cows for it.

The best loot in Diablo has always been the stuff that takes real, in game effort, not the skins that you find in the shop, so obtaining this is exactly what I'm going to be doing this evening!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

I've been looking forward to Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred but with cautious skepticism, and I'm glad to report that this expansion absolutely slaps, and I've never been so happy to be wrong.

Specifically, one of my major concerns was that in Season 11 at least, the game was in a great place, and I felt like the list of changes coming with Lord of Hatred would lead to overhaul fatigue. Because my god, how many system overhauls have we gone through since base game launch?

Then, leading up to the eve of the launch, I felt the marketing was bordering on spoilery and revealing too much too soon about the campaign itself. Stripping away the joy of discovery, if you will.

I'm so happy to say I was incorrect on both of these points. The overhauls have finally completed the game, and despite the trailers, the best surprises lie in wait in the story campaign, completely untouched by the marketing machine. And I'm sure there are some surprises yet to come. This is Diablo 4 in its final, most flourishing form, and I'd like to think it has silenced the "D4 Bad" memes once and for all, at least for those who will stay awhile and listen.

This is how you do fan service

I can only imagine that at some point during development, someone in the room finally slammed their hands on the table and said, “For the love of god, let’s just give the people what they want.”

I can't say much more than that without spoiling the integral moments, but there are certain ups and downs as the story develops that really felt like Blizzard had been listening to its community. That's not to say the story is perfect, but I completed it feeling completely satisfied, unlike at the end of Vessel of Hatred. Where I didn’t even realize the ending was the ending.

That said, Vessel of Hatred still works beautifully as a bridge between the base game and this DLC. If you’re playing everything back‑to‑back without the long wait between releases, the narrative thread is far clearer, and the overall experience bears more weight.

What surprised me most is how confidently the story leans into themes of family and complicated relationships. You don’t expect that level of emotional nuance in a demon‑blasting ARPG, yet Blizzard committed to it, and it pays off beautifully. The campaign was far more impactful than I expected.

Skovos is breathtaking and intriguing to explore, I don't want to leave

We've waited a long time to visit the Skovos region, and it was worth the wait. A complete 180 from the swamp fatigue of Nahantu, you can gallop around on your mount from lava scarred lands to Ancient Greek-inspired coastal vistas. The towns feel alive. I wanted to eavesdrop on every NPC conversation, and there really are some of the funniest conversations going on that many players will just zoom on by.

The whole region feels alive, and surprisingly less downtrodden than other regions, considering it's also just as demon-infested as the mainland. Temis, as a new city hub, is also my new 'favorite' city, and I refuse to teleport anywhere else. The Mercenaries have moved in here; you can access both The Pit and the Undercity, and with the newly added War Plans and Horadric Cube, why would you visit anywhere else? Ok I sound like their tourist board now...

Cerrigar, it was good while it lasted, but I will never darken your doorstep again!

The Horadric Cube and Talisman system breathe new life into the loot grind

With Lord of Hatred comes a whole suite of new loot‑driven systems to play with, the two headline additions being the Horadric Cube and Talisman Set Charms.

I’m still digging into all the nitty gritty of the Cube and what it can do, but even at a surface level it’s already wildly powerful. I’ve used it to turn a piece of absolute trash gear into a Unique dagger that carried my build straight into Torment 4.

It essentially lets you smash together junk into something better rather than just salvaging everything, while also giving you new ways to tweak and add affixes outside of the existing Tempering and Masterworking systems.

Talismans, meanwhile, offer a fresh loot chase that feels exciting without becoming exhausting. Chasing a juicy set bonus is fun on its own, but the real win is that duplicates can be converted in the Cube into another piece from the same set. It keeps the hunt moving without the usual frustrations of useless drops.

Together, these systems complement each other and feel as if they were designed in tandem rather than by completely different teams. All of this, coupled with the removal of other busy work like potions and incense, means that despite the new additions, everything actually feels more simplified.

War Plans are just awesome

It was genuinely hard, based on the Developer Streams alone, to picture how War Plans would actually function once you hit the endgame. Now that I’m there, though, I love them. I especially love the sheer speed they bring to the loop.

The devs clearly took “town is lava” to heart when designing this mode. You can bounce from activity to activity with a single click, earning rewards while also progressing each activity’s own mini skill tree, letting you tailor the experience to your playstyle.

While it works brilliantly when you’re playing solo, it does need some refinement in group play. Right now, your party members can help you complete your War Plans and earn some rewards, but they can’t actually see which ones you’ve selected. That means communication becomes essential and frankly I don't always want to get on voice chat. Ideally, I’d love to see the whole group pulled around the map together, but I can imagine how tricky that is to balance.

Even so, in its current form it’s fun, fast, rewarding, and absolutely workable. I’m excited to see how Blizzard iterates on it, because the foundation is already strong, it just needs a few tweaks to feel good in groups.

Fresh meta, fresh skill trees.

The skill tree feels a lot more intuitive now, and revamps have been made across all classes, opening up build diversity massively. Two players can be running a Sorcerer and be running builds that make them feel like two completely different classes. My whole group is playing Warlock (predictably), but we are using vastly different playstyles.

And speaking oft Warlock, while you'd expect this and Paladin to be topping the meta, that's not actually the case. Sure, they are incredibly powerful, but the current meta boasts a mix of the new guys AND Sorcerers, Necros, and Barbarians at the top of the Maxroll tier list right now. That's bound to move around a lot, but it's great to see that other classes haven't been left behind in pay-to-win dust.

So what's next for Diablo 4?

Diablo 4 is quite simply the biggest and best expansion the franchise has seen since Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction. Yet, no matter how good the game becomes, there is a subset of the player base that will never come back, forever tethered to the "D4 BAD" narrative. It’s unfortunate, because they’re missing out, but it's also understandable. There are so many great games to play that many don't want to have to return to old territory, regardless of the new wallpaper.

So, where does Blizzard go from here? Will they double down on this rock-solid foundation with another expansion, or will they take the lessons learned here and pivot toward a much more marketable Diablo 5? Whatever the answer, I'm looking forward to seeing what on earth they have in store for us at Blizzcon this year.

P.S. Can someone PLEASE figure out where the Cow Level is?

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred has just launched, marking the second major expansion for our favorite demon-slaying aRPG. If you’re a former Wanderer looking to jump back in but skipped the pre-order bonuses (perhaps because you’re cursed with the "affliction of employment" and were waiting for the weekend), you’re in luck.

The expansion is already 22% off at Loaded (the artist formerly known as CDKeys), where you can grab it for £27.99 for Xbox down from the standard £35.99.

Is Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred worth buying?

You might think asking Windows Central’s resident Diablo superfan for an opinion wouldn't yield the most objective response; however, even I have taken a break recently. I appreciate that the seasonal format and constant resets can be fatiguing. In fact, the burnout was real enough that I haven't actually participated in the last couple of seasons.

Despite that break, I am completely confident that this is easily worth the £27.99 — whether you are a hardcore seasonal veteran or a casual player just here for the story.

Many of us fall in between those two ends of the spectrum, and I think most Diablo fans will be happy! But hey, don't just listen to me. Check out the reviews so far.

The game has undergone such a massive overhaul that it feels like a completely different experience now.

RELATED: Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred latest Developer Update and Patch 3.0 details

The new expansion marks the biggest rework of systems that Diablo 4 has ever implemented, and it really feels like Blizzard has had all hands on deck to get Lord of Hatred to represent the best Diablo 4 can be. And I really mean all hands on deck, they even dragged Korn kicking and screaming out of retirement to write a song and create a music video specifically for this expansion, pretty neat right?

I’m still working my way toward the endgame to formulate my final thoughts, but the game already has its hooks in me again. Between the ridiculously fun new Warlock class, the new talisman system, and how alive the region of Skovos feels, there is a lot to love. I’m honestly surprised to see Loaded offering this discount already, given the expansion only dropped at midnight for us in the UK.

If you fell off after a few seasons or only ever played the original campaign, this bundle is the perfect excuse to return. £27.99 for Vessel and Lord of Hatred is one hell of deal (sorry I had to put a pun somewhere)

FAQ

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Diablo 4 just had its final developer stream before the launch of its second expansion, Lord of Hatred, on April 28. There's a lot of information to get through from the global launch times, patch notes, and a hella cool Overwatch collaboration, so without further ado, here's what you missed!

When does the Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred DLC launch in my country?

Surprise Americans! You actually get Lord of Hatred early on April 27, 2026. Rollout starts from 4:00 PDT and the developers showed a map (above) of the worldwide simultaneous launch times.

It will be 12 a.m. for me in the United Kingdom, but I'm not bitter at all, honest.

Pre-download of Lord of Hatred, and patch 3.0.0 starts from April 23 at 4:00 p.m. PDT on PC and consoles. Note that you’ll be able to pre-download the 3.0.0 patch regardless of whether you purchased the expansion.

Yes they are really adding fishing, it wasn't a joke

If you want a break from smashing demons' brains, you can take solace in one of Sanctuary's fishing spots. There are multiple varieties of fish, and you can trade with other players to complete your collection.

This is unlocked early with a 'Shark's Quest' storyline given to you upon arriving in Skovos. You can fish anywhere that fish reside, enjoy the relaxation, unless something is hiding in the water to ruin your day...

Season of Reckoning starts with the expansion

With the new expansion, comes a new season, the Season of Reckoning. When you go into the new content you may want to start a Seasonal character so you can jump into the seasonal chapters after you are done with the new campaign material.

There are no specific storylines or gameplay activities for the season as the focus is on Lord of Hatred campaign and the sweeping changes that is bringing to both Eternal and Seasonal realms such as the Skill Tree updates, new progression and difficulties. However two new season ranks have been added for you to complete for rewards.

You can now earn:

• Up to 12 Skill Points
• Up to 42 Paragon points
• Up to 14 Resplendent Sparks
• Loathroot pet
• Hateful Heraldry Mount Trophy
• New emblems
• New titles
• Special title laurels (icons that appear next to your chosen title to celebrate your prowess)
• Crafting and Masterworking materials, currency, boss keys, and more
• Caches containing gear and all kinds of useful materials, including runes, sigils, seals, and charms

Level cap has increased to 70 (again) and more difficulty levels

Beginning with the new season, whether you own the expansion or not, the new level cap for Diablo 4 characters is now 70. Torment levels run from 4 to 12 awarding bigger gold and experience bonuses and improved drop rates on gear and mats.

Diablo 4 Patch 3.0.0

The patch notes are now available for your perusal in full over on Blizzard's site, but here's the top-line info I thought the most tasty:

Massive gem overhaul reworks

These will now provide multiplicative damage bonuses based on specific elements rather than situational conditions (like Vulnerable or Critical Strike damage).

• Amethyst: Now grants Shadow Damage.
• Diamond: Now grants All Damage (replacing Ultimate Damage).
• Emerald: Now grants Poison Damage.
• Ruby: Now grants Fire and Holy Damage.
• Sapphire: Now grants Cold Damage.
• Topaz: Now grants Lightning Damage.
• Skull: Now grants Physical Damage (replacing Life on Kill).

BEHOLD we finally get a map overlay!

No longer will we get lost in the deep dark corners of a dungeon, as Diablo 4 finally gives us the option of choosing between the minimap or a map overlay to help us navigate.

Set up the level of zoom and opacity in Options > Gameplay, as well as customize your map overlay color.

For quick access, go to Options > Controls to set up keyboard shortcuts to toggle between Map Overlay and Minimap and adjust your zoom and opacity on the fly.

Inventory improvements

Items in the inventory can now also be stacked to a max of 1,000.

Content and endgame updates

• The Artificer’s Tower: The Tower activity has been renamed to The Artificer’s Tower, and loot rewards have been improved across the board to make it more rewarding for endgame progression.
• Monster Affix Visuals: Highly requested clarity changes have arrived. Shielded monsters are now more visually distinct, and the immunity they grant to other monsters is easier to strip. Reprisal (damage reflect) is now a lobbed projectile, giving players a better chance to dodge it.

Loot and economy changes

• Obducite Fix: A bug that prevented Obducite from dropping from certain enemies in Nightmare Dungeons has been fixed, smoothing out the Masterworking grind.
• Unique Focuses: You can now finally acquire Unique Focuses from the Purveyor of Curiosities (Gambling).
• Vendor Level Requirements: Items at vendors now correctly have level requirements, preventing players from cheesing high-power gear onto low-level characters.

Expansion pre-download

• This patch officially contains the pre-download data for the Lord of Hatred expansion and the Season of Reckoning, meaning the files for the new Spiritborn class and the Nahantu region are being staged in your game client.

Overwatch X Diablo, the Hatred's Reckoning event runs from April 28 to May 18

Blizzard fans, we are eating GOOD, as Overwatch is also celebrating the launch of Lord of Hatred with a huge collection of cosmetics inspired by Diablo 4 dropping into the game as part of the Hatred's Reckoning event.

There's 5 new legendary skins as well as 4 returning from a previous collab.

• Ramattra x Mephisto: Recasts the tank as the Lord of Hatred.
• Brigitte x Paladin: A holy, armored look for the support hero.
• Freja x Rogue: (Note: Freja is a new hero for 2026) A shadow-stalking, precise look.
• Lifeweaver x Warlock: Blends creation with dark corruption.
• Mauga x Druid: Harnesses the ferocity of the wilds.

The returning fan favorites from the previous Trials of Sanctuary event are Moira x Lilith, Pharah x Inarius, Reinhardt x Imperius, and Sombra x Gilded Hunter.

The original event challenges return, allowing players to earn doom-forged rewards they might have missed the first time around. A "Crab with a Knife" weapon charm can be earned during the event, and there are a bunch of Twitch Drops to look out for from April 14 to May 10. Players can earn a Wolf Pup Weapon Charm (1 hour watched) and a Sword Weapon Charm (2 hours watched) by viewing participating Overwatch streams.

Hatred’s Downfall Community Challenge

Aaaaaand finally, back to Diablo 4, there will be a huge community event for fans to celebrate the launch of Lord of Hatred. Starting with the release of the expansion, if the Diablo IV community can rally together to collectively earn 266,600,000 global Paragon Points the Crown of Hatred will be rewarded to all players. This is combined between Eternal and Seasonal realms.

We also have a music video to look forward to for the Korn song 'Reward the Scars' that dropped today inspired by the game. Not only did Mephisto drag Jon David out of retirement to record a song, the video drops on April 27, 2026 at 10 a.m. PDT on the YouTube Premiere page.

See you guys in Sanctuary on April 28th for Lord of Hatred! (In the UK anyway...27th for you Americans!)

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

I know I know, I told you all I was on a total media blackout for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. I muted the keywords and dodged the updates, but the marketing just took an unexpected turn that I simply cannot ignore. Mephisto himself seems to have dragged Korn out of retirement to drop a brand new track, "Reward the Scars," inspired directly by the expansion. Yes, really.

A fitting tribute and the first new song in four years for Korn

If you can cast your mind back to the launch of Diablo 4, the base game, we had the collaboration "Lilith" with Halsey and Suga. While I get that Blizzard wanted to reach a wider, more commercial audience with the partnership, it definitely felt a lot more corporate despite Halsey declaring herself a fan. It really split opinion, as polished as the track was (and I still have it on rotation), it didn't really scream desperate struggle against the Prime Evils.

Seeing Blizzard pivot back to metal feels like a homecoming. Diablo is a franchise built on gothic dread, grime, and aggression (from and against demons)!. Korn and their sound feel infinitely more appropriate for the tone of Lord of Hatred, and match the aesthetic perfectly.

It also dovetails perfectly with the new Warlock class arriving with the expansion, which the devs describe as the "metal" class. This couldn't be more on theme.

As announced on today's Diablo 4 Developer update by Biran "Head" Welch, Korn's guitarist, (filmed from... his car), the song will also get an accompanying music video on April 27, 2026, at 10 a.m. PDT, which you can catch on the YouTube Premiere page.

This will be timed perfectly with the launch of Lord of Hatred which actually comes a little earlier to the US to rollout across the world at the same time.

Where have Korn been?

Reward the Scars is a significant moment for the band, as it's their first new music since 2022, ending a four-year sabbatical since the band released Requiem (hey guys, have you considered a Resident Evil collab next?)

According to Kerrang this is also the first studio recording since the official departure of founding bassist Fieldy, who stepped away due to touring complications and personal choices regarding the covid vaccine.

Not Jon Davis' first rodeo with Blizzard

While on the face of it this might look like a standard marketing deal, Jonathan Davis actually has quite a long history with Blizzard.

In a classic interview with Ultimate Guitar, Davis revealed he used to run his own World of Warcraft guild called "Children of the Corn" on the Stonemaul server. He played an Undead Warrior tank. He famously noted that he preferred playing a tank because he felt like one in real life, constantly "taking all the s***" emotionally and physically while on the road. Although I'd like to be a mage 'cause I'd like to be able to cast spells and do cool shit like that too."

Fun fact: he also had something to say about the creative exploits of our very own Jez Corden when he judged a song competition at Blizzcon 2005. He thought Jez's World of Warcraft tribute was "meh."

Knowing that the lead singer of the band providing the soundtrack has spent hundreds of hours tanking raids in WoW does give this collaboration a level of gamer cred you just can’t manufacture. Now, what I really want to know is what Davis' main is in Diablo 4.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

I, like many Diablo 4 players, have been incredibly excited for Diablo 4's second expansion, Lord of Hatred, ever since it was first revealed at The Game Awards. As the April 28 launch date draws ever nearer, I've had to really distance myself from any coverage. Which is kind of the opposite of what every other publication is doing right now, but it's for my own sanity.

While I'm normally all for Blizzard's crazy marketing campaigns, remembering the KFC collaborations and cathedral paintings, I'm not happy with the amount of story reveals going on in the weeks leading up to this launch.

I'll preface this very first world problems rant with the disclaimer that I'm well aware I'm being majorly oversensitive here. I could, of course, just log off, but I really wish there were less information out there about the expansion right now. It's a bit like those movie trailers that go on for too long and give away the entire second act. Save some of the magic for the actual experience!

The information disconnect

Mechanics, new gameplay features, and the like are fair game, of course. But specifically, story spoilers are something I’m desperately trying to avoid. If you've been expecting a constant stream of Diablo analysis from me this month, my silence is simply a defensive maneuver.

This personal, self-imposed media blackout has put me in a strange position compared to the rest of the community. While I’m over here covering my ears and eyes to avoid hearing a single word about Mephisto’s itinerary, a large portion of the player base on Reddit is currently up in arms for the exact opposite reason. They feel they aren't getting enough of the right kind of information.

The recent exclusive coverage (notably through IGN and I'm not knocking them, they are simply the messenger and doing a good job) has become a major point of contention. While I’m worried about seeing too many cinematics, the hardcore community is frustrated that the endgame deep dives they were promised haven't come to fruition. They are starving for the meaty bits: horadric cube recipes, more on war plans, and these new torment levels, etc. It’s an unusual turn of events. Blizzard is simultaneously showing too much of what makes the world feel alive (the story) and not enough of what makes the game feel playable (the systems).

What may satiate this is the announcement of a new Developer Update stream on April 23, I'm sure that will provide some more mechanical details the playbase crave.

I will add that I think the previous interviews and developer chats on War Plans and new class skills were completely sufficient, and I don't really want a much deeper dive than that, personally. I'd rather have as much be saved until the launch as possible, but I'm merely sharing some community sentiment here.

It's hard to pull off a true surprise, but Blizzard have proved they can do it

My final straw, and real motivator for writing this piece, is something I saw on Twitter/X this week that pushed me to even mute the word Diablo from my feed entirely. There was a specific reveal, not that I will discuss here, but it's a returning character. One that I think, while hinted at previously, had it been actually saved for the expansion launch, would have been a real mindblowing moment in-game. Blizzard has been incredibly good recently at reclaiming the element of surprise, so not to appear to be doing so with Lord of Hatred right now is really perplexing.

The 30th Anniversary Diablo celebrations were a masterclass in shadowdropping and delighting an audience. Launching a new class and content for Diablo 2: Resurrected was something nobody saw coming. The April Fools event where a giant chicken World Boss, dubbed Chi'Khan was dropped into the game, was also complete genius and so unexpected I didn't believe it was real. Thankfully I realised it was very real before the event ended.

Recently, World of Warcraft has had its own jaw-dropping moment with a secret boss phase that rocked the e-sports community. To pull these things off in an era of data mining is truly impressive stuff. Let's keep that train going until Blizzcon.

The unexpected could still be to come

Regardless of what we've seen (or have been trying not to see in my case) so far, I do hope that thre is something completely unexpected waiting for us in the backdrop of the Skovos Isles or in the depths of some dungeon. Perhaps we'll finally get the elusive cow level? What cow level you ask? There is no cow level.

As we count down the final days, I'll be dodging cinematics and lore breakdowns like Neo dodging bullets, and I'll see you guys on the other side of the inevitable server queues on April 28. If you're going to be playing, let me know in the comments if you're playing Warlock, Paladin or taking one of the older classes through the new campaign.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The cat is officially out of the bag. After Fanta-inspired Halo bottles had already been spotted around the world, Xbox Wire has now officially unveiled the partnership, featuring rewards for the following games:

• Halo: Campaign Evolved
• World of Warcraft
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• Diablo 4
• Forza Horizon 6

There are also prizes up for grabs, so let’s go over everything included in this partnership, what can be won, and what can be redeemed for each game.

What’s included in the Xbox x Fanta collaboration

Forgive me for prioritizing Halo here, it is my favorite franchise, so I’ll start there. First off, we have a redeemable skin for Halo: Campaign Evolved, giving Master Chief’s Mark V armor a Fanta-inspired color scheme.

Next up is World of Warcraft, which features “Fantastical Goblin Waveshredder Mount and more WoW rewards.” Then there’s Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops 7, which will include a Fanta-inspired calling card alongside double XP tokens.

For Diablo 4, players can redeem a “Citron Whirl Town Portal,” while Forza Horizon 6 players can get a “1966 Toyota Sports 800 Fanta Edition.”

We're playing co-op with Fanta! Get your hands on the most delicious rewards starting April 6 💥

— @xbox.com (@xbox.com.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T16:21:21.234Z

That’s not all, either. Xbox Wire also outlines a broader partnership, including an immersive Diablo 4 experience in Los Angeles from May 22 to May 25, 2026, in the AMC at The Grove.

Those attending will have the chance to win tickets to BlizzCon, an Xbox Series S, Xbox wireless controllers, an Xbox Ally, and downloadable game codes.

The promotion starts April 6, 2026, where fans can scan QR codes provided on Fanta bottles and cans to unlock rewards for games.

Rewards for certain games are only redeemable once the game has released.

What do you think of Xbox's partnership with Fanta?

It’s great to see Xbox dip its toes into marketing for a change. That said, I do hope this isn’t all it has planned for its 25th anniversary, and that we see something a bit more tangible.

Give me a crashed UNSC Pelican in Times Square or something that really grabs attention.

At least, that’s my hope. But over to you, is this a step in the right direction, or does Xbox need to ramp things up even more?

Let me know in the comments and be sure to take part in the poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

While the Diablo community has been blasting through Diablo 2: Resurrected with the new Warlock class, let's not forget this new character is also coming to Diablo 4 with the Lord of Hatred expansion arriving on April 28.

Today, we find out more about what's in store for Diablo 4 in a developer stream. During my time at Blizzard's campus earlier this year, we had the chance to sit down and go all hands on with the Diablo 4 Warlock, and chat with developers Bjorn Mikkleson and Stephen Trill about the new class and the team's philosophy behind it.

The duality of Heaven and Hell

So, where did the idea to introduce a Warlock to the Diablo series first come from? Was it always a frontrunner when considering new additions for the expansion? The team explained that the Warlock was born from a desire to explore the "Hell" side of the Eternal Conflict alongside the Paladin which is also a new class being added (however those who have pre-ordered already have access to this class.)

"For us, the warlock kind of came from this idea that we really wanted to go back to, kind of the roots of Diablo, this total conflict right between Heaven and Hell,”

“And we knew we wanted to do the Paladin, and we thought it'd be a perfect opportunity, and really cool for us to create a class that's based on this help component, right? And that's kind of where it came from, and why we decided to release them together like this, just because in a lot of ways, like, from the gameplay perspective, they mirror each other, right? One's more of a caster, one is more martial, kind of a warrior Knight. And so we looked at this as a really cool opportunity to explore that duality of the two different realms.”

The team framed the Warlock and Paladin as narrative and mechanical foils: one leans into Hell, the other into Heaven, and together they let the expansion explore the Eternal Conflict from both sides.

A master of four disciplines

Since the Spiritborn and the Paladin, Blizzard has continued the pattern of giving new classes distinct lanes to specialize into. The Warlock follows that template with core playstyles including the Legion, Vanguard, Mastermind, and Ritualist.

“It is a sort of 'summoner first' class. It is kind of similar to Necro, but really looking to hit the key summoner type play styles that we haven't gotten to explore as much unlike other classes. And so it is very much focused on giving players that opportunity to try bringing in different demons and different kinds of entities, and using them, controlling them in different ways. And sort of like being a class that's a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more active, a little bit more brutal with their summons, for lack of a better word, so it is really focused on that. There's a couple of different play styles that we kind of tried out, being a more direct controller, versus sort of being in the fray with your summons.”

The developers emphasised that the Warlock is all demons, all the time. Every shard and fragment ties back to how you summon, command, or siphon power from demons.

More on the Ritualist and Legion playstyles...

Two shards stood out in the hands‑on and the interview because they show how different the Warlock can feel. With Ritualist, there was more of a place-and-consume rhythm to the gameplay. Sigils and rituals would siphon power back to the Warlock rather than relying on disposable bodies. Alternatively, Legion had a summon-and-recycle loop that encouraged mass spawns and frequent demon kills.

“Hey, this is the demon summoning class," Stephen Trin noted. "Most people, I'm going to go, Hey, you came here for the demons. Let me give you the demons. But if you're just really vibing with, like, the fire and brimstone or the shadows, like, I still want to give you an option for making a build that's more centered around that and still sort of can involve demons. You can still use them to kind of power you up or something. But it's less about using them for damage and sort of giving that outlet for people to still express themselves and play the way they want to"

One of the most striking mechanical reveals was that Warlocks treat demons as disposable tools, and that killing your own summons can count toward on‑kill effects.

“You are hurting demons, with demons that you hurt. It’s just like one big demon sadness party.”

That choice both reinforces the class fantasy and opens new design space: weapon affixes and rituals that trigger on kill now have a second, reliable source of kills for certain builds (notably Legion), while other shards interact with the system less frequently.

Turning the fantasy to 11

Ultimates are explicitly designed to be the mechanical peaks of each shard’s fantasy.

“When we get to the Ultimates, it's basically like, take the sort of fantasies, the play styles, the things that we're working with, and just kind of asking ourselves, like, what happens if we turn this up to 11 out of 10?”

"It's like, Hey, I'm normally summoning a demon. What if I just summon the biggest, craziest demon I can think of? Right? Like, that's the ultimate. Hey, I'm making these sigils and rituals and things, what if I just blow up the entire world with the apocalypse? Right? Like, that's ultimately, the thought process we go through for, for the Ultimates."

Ultimately... see what they did there?

Uniques will further push build identity. The team teased new items that transform movement, change projectile behavior, or otherwise rework how a skill plays, giving players new ways to experiment.

Visual clarity and feel were recurring concerns. The team iterated on an abyssal palette, chains and smoke, and spent time making recast and micro‑control mechanics feel responsive.

“We went through a couple different iterations of trying to get the colors right and like the smoke. The chains and the smoke are a huge component of the thematic aesthetic.”

New systems — killing your own pets, recast‑style abilities, and direct demon micro‑control — required more work to ensure they were both readable and rewarding in combat.

What the team is watching when Lord of Hatred launches

As with any new class, the meta is likely to get shaken up considerably as the new Warlock rolls out to millions of players, who will find interactions and bugs a-kimbo. Here's what Bjorn and Stephen told us they'll be monitoring:

• Resource management - how sustaining Wrath and Dominance actually feels in longer fights
• Fragment scaling - whether fragment choices remain meaningful into endgame
• Pet AI reliability - whether summoned demons behave predictably when precise control is required

How all these systems work at scale will determine whether the Warlock gets adopted as a long-term main or a short-lived novelty. I, for one, had a great time testing out the new class behind the scenes, and I can't wait to see how it handles true endgame content. Am I about to become a Warlock main?

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Today Blizzard pulled back the veil on what’s next for Diablo 4, and the Warlock is the second new class arriving with Lord of Hatred on April 28. We've been enjoying the Warlock in Diablo 2: Resurrected, but today is the first time we've heard more about how it will play in Diablo 4.

The developer deep dive clarified how the class plays, how you build it, and what to expect from the expansion Lord of Hatred, as well as more details on the Season of Slaughter, which starts on March 11.

“Warlock stands as a fresh fantasy for Diablo 4, its identity is rooted in rebellion and a heavy metal attitude. The Warlock’s chaos is barely held in check, constantly transforming the battlefield.”

🔥RELATED: Diablo 4 interview all about the Warlock!

Core gameplay and class identity

The Warlock is a Willpower based caster that uses two resources: Wrath for direct destructive spells and Dominance to summon and sustain demons. That dual resource design means you will be balancing immediate damage with pet management and positioning.

• Two resources - Wrath fuels your spells; Dominance powers your demons (the split looks similar to Diablo 3's Demon Hunter)
• Pet control - You can summon deons, control where they go and decide how long they stick around
• Combo potential - Abilities are built to interact, letting you chain affects and create battlefirled reactions

The Warlock is a class that blends spectacle with tactical choices, expect moment that feel cinematic while still rewarding deliberate play.

Soul shards and fragments

At the heart of the Warlock is the Soul Shard system. Pick one of four primary shars to lock in a core playstlye, then choos from three fragment options to specialize further. Each shard binds a unique demon and changes how the class feels from the ground up.

• Legion - Spawn multiple demon bodies to overwhelm and chain attacks.
• Vanguard - A mobile frontline demon that pressures enemies through movement.
• Mastermind - A control-oriented shadow demon that manipulates enemy placement.
• Ritualist - Sacrifice demons to siphon power for bursts of damage

The shard plus fragment structure should make it easy to create distinct Warlock archetypes without needing a spreadsheet to get started.

Variants and signature demons

Many Warlock abilities have variants that alter how they behave, giving you options between mayhem and precise control.

• Rampage — Summon a rampaging brute that tears through enemies.
• Sigil of summons — Perform rituals to call additional horrors.
• Fiend of Abaddon — Summon a massive demon with a two handed hellforged greatsword.

"Season of Slaughter will be a short and punchy season"

Season of Slaughter launches March 11 and introduces the ability to transform into The Butcher, new Slaughterhouses activity, Killstreaks for rapid kill rewards, and a DOOM collaboration with themed cosmetics.

Earn the Shield Saw skin, the Slayer's Flail, the Head of the Cyberdemon back trophy, and more.

Free trial for the Paladin starting March 11

Blizzard also announced a Paladin free trial from March 11 to March 18 that lets players try the base game and the Paladin up to level 25 without pre-purchase.

If you do decide to pre-purchase Lord of Hatred, you'll get the following in-game bonus rewards to use for the new season.

Lord of Hatred will add roughly double the monsters compared to the previous expansion, including sea monsters, chimeric abominations, and returning favorites like the Rat King.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

As we sit in the afterglow of Diablo’s 30th Anniversary Spotlight, the excitement in the community is palpable. With the Warlock making a surprise debut in Diablo 2 Resurrected, it's actually stolen much of the spotlight from Diablo 4, and lest we forget, Diablo 4 is about to get its own huge overhaul with Lord of Hatred launching on April 28.

During my visit to the Blizzard campus, we got the chance to sit down with Systems Designer Aislyn Hall and Design Director Colin Finer, who talked us through the meat of the upcoming update, so here's more on War Plans, the redesign of that skill tree and just a little more on how the two new classes symbolize more synergy between all of the heroes. Here's everything I learned during our chat (well SOME of it, there will be a part 2!)

The architecture of War Plans and endgame progression

War Plans functions as a "funnel system" designed to solve the aimlessness of the current endgame by providing a structured, roguelike progression path. Players will generate War Plan Boards that randomize various activity nodes, such as Infernal Hordes or Nightmare Dungeons, alongside randomized bonus rewards. This system is built for speed and "seamlessness."

Once you select a node, you are teleported directly to the activity, and notably, no keys are required to enter. While the boards provide a specific path, players aren't locked in; if a board doesn't suit your current build or mood, you can reroll the entire thing to start a fresh path.

"The thing we think we're missing right now is that there's a really clear loop chase, like, people will play their character to get stronger, but there's no reason or no compelling sort of progression past that. So we're looking to add that in the form of what we're calling meta progression in these activity trees. Where you're given a reason beyond just getting more powerful, you're actually making your activities more powerful and increasing risk and reward."

As you complete activities via War Plans, you earn experience that allows you to permanently modify and "spec out" these activities. This creates a meta-progression loop where you aren't just making your character stronger, but making the world itself more dangerous and rewarding. For example, a highly progressed Helltide board might cause Hell Worms to spawn Chaos Rifts, which in turn spawn multiple Hellborn.

These modifications can introduce badass enemies that drop high-tier materials like Obducite or Profane Mind Cages in activities where they didn't previously appear.

War Plans is designed to be "entirely additive," meaning the traditional method of using keys to farm specific activities still exists if you want to focus on one area. However, the system heavily incentivizes variety through a "playlist" feel that rewards you for moving between different types of content. For social players, the system features cross-progression. If you join a friend's War Plan and help them complete a Nightmare Dungeon node, you receive experience toward your own Nightmare Dungeon activity board, allowing for "cross-pollination" of progress even if your individual boards don't perfectly align.

Thematically, War Plans represents the "cleanup phase" after the campaign, where you are actively pushing back the forces of hell from Sanctuary. The developers are moving away from a single "beat this and you're done" boss encounter in favor of multiple victory points. Each War Plan board has a finite amount of progression to "cash in on," intended to give players a sense of completion so they can leave satisfied rather than feeling aimless.

The Warlock and The Paladin (no that's not a parable)

The new expansion brings two new classes, one of which you can be playing right now if you have preordered Lord of Hatred. The Paladin is already making waves in Season 11, but what specifically were the team thinking when adding these two classes and was there any particular thought that went into the two bouncing off eachother, in a Yin and Yang type manner?

Without diving too much into the specifics of the Warlock (as the Diablo 4 Warlock will have their own class specific deep dive in March), Finer and Hall talked us through how the introduction of these specific classes highlight a fundamental shift away from class specific boundaries to encourage party synergy. The developers describe the relationship between these two classes as a thematic dichotomy of "heaven and hell," noting that while the Warlock is "a lot more selfish" in its playstyle, the Paladin is "a lot more giving". This distinction is central to the Paladin’s identity as the first class intentionally designed with the potential for a "fully supportive" role, incorporating iconic auras and mechanics like tanking and taunting that were previously less defined.

A major component of this interplay is the introduction of uniques and mechanics that amplify damage for the entire party rather than just the individual player. For example, the Paladin can utilize a unique item that causes "purified" enemies to take increased damage from all sources, allowing the Paladin to be highly effective in a group without needing to deal high personal damage. This "Z DPS" (zero DPS) viability is being expanded across all classes, but the Paladin serves as the primary example of this shift. "We've actually seen much more of an appetite with the Paladin [to play as a party]."

To facilitate this cross-class cooperation, the team is retooling how keywords and status effects work. In the past, effects like "Chill" often only boosted the damage of the player who applied the effect; however, in Lord of Hatred, these are being changed so that chilled enemies take increased damage from all sources. This means a Warlock can directly "cash in" on the crowd control and debuffs provided by a Paladin, creating "combinatorics across party play" where players are incentivized to set their friends up for massive damage rather than just competing for kills.

The Skill tree overhaul and character customization

The skill tree and paragon boards center on a philosophy of shifting passive power away from active skills to create a more streamlined and impactful levelling experience for the player in Lord of Hatred.

The developers have intentionally "cut out the passives" from the skill tree. Previously, players felt forced to spec into passives first before choosing skills, whereas the new goal is to have players focus on six highly customized, strong skills on their bar without the bloat of 2% fire damage nodes. The first half of a player's journey is spent customizing specific skills, for example, changing a Fireball to explode in larger sizes or consume the Overpower mechanic. Stuff that feels more impactful. Overall, the first 20 levels or so will take a little longer, but the back half will be much faster with more skills at your disposal. "That actually also alleviates the concern about having too many big decisions to make too quickly."

The level cap is also increasing from 60 to 70. While the total time to reach max level remains the same, the experience is now more front-loaded. It is slower at early levels to make decisions feel weightier, but will move much faster in the back half.

In addition to these changes, because the level cap is rising, the skill cap has increased. Though the exact number of points per skill node (possibly up to 12 or 15) is still being finalized.

When asked for clarification on whether the Paragon boards themselves were undergoing major changes, the developers told us that no major systematic changes are happening here, but they are moving content around. The team views Paragon as the "proper place" for passive growth, not the skill tree. Much of the numerical power previously found in skill tree passives is being moved to the paragon board.

The devs described the game's system like something of an onion, in that complexity is peeled back gradually. They want the game to be "easy to learn, almost impossible to master," ensuring the players are overwhelmed by every system in the first 10 minutes.

Lord of Hatred arrives April 28, and you can find out more on the Warlock March 5 in a Developer update

Between the front-loaded leveling experience and the "onion" approach to system complexity, it’s clear Blizzard is trying to make the journey to level 70 feel substantial without being a slog.

On March 5, the team will have more to share when we take a closer look at the Warlock class in a Developer Update livestream, along with more on what’s next for Diablo 4.

This was all just one part of a much longer conversation about Diablo 4's rejig. Stay tuned for part 2 (which includes FISHING).

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Diablo recently concluded its 30th-anniversary Spotlight stream. It revealed a new Warlock class for Diablo 2: Resurrected, Diablo: Immortal, and Diablo 4, and shadow-dropped Diablo 2: Resurrected onto Xbox Game Pass and Steam.

The Warlock Class is already available for play in Diablo 2's recently released DLC expansion, Diablo 2: Reign of the Warlock.

The DLC expansion also offers a bonus Kervek the Putrid pet and a Forbidden Tethers back trophy for owners of Diablo 4, and a Horadric Cube decor item for World of Warcraft players for purchasing Diablo 2's DLC.

However, players of Diablo 4 are reporting that the pet and back trophy are not appearing in their wardrobe in any copies of the game, whether it's on PC via Battle.net and Steam or consoles like Xbox, even though they purchased the Diablo 2 expansion on the same Battle.net account they use for all their games.

World of Warcraft players are reporting they're able to get the Horadric Cube decor item, though, so it seems this issue is limited only to Diablo 4.

Blizzard Entertainment is aware of this issue, however, and has had their community manager state on its official forums, and I quote, "Just sharing that we’re investigating this issue. Thank you all for your reports, looking to have this resolved as soon as possible."

In the meantime, while Blizzard Entertainment is working to fix this, it's recommended that you confirm that you are using the correct Battle.net account when trying to register for these bonus items and restart Battle.net and Diablo 4.

It's likely possible that the rewards are being delayed in-game due to the massive influx of people logging into Diablo 4 to get these rewards, and they'll arrive for players later.

Stay tuned for more updates as Blizzard Entertainment seeks to resolve this issue and as we keep an eye out for news on Diablo 4's take on the Warlock class, which will be revealed in a gameplay deep dive on March 5, 2026.

What do you think of the new Warlock Class for the Diablo franchise? Do you think it will be your new main class going forward in Diablo 2, Diablo Immortal, and Diablo 4?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, let us know in the comments below.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

30 years ago, Diablo players descended into Tristram Cathedral for the first time to face the Lord of Terror. The game has come a long way in 3 decades, and we’ve been waiting with bated breath to see what’s next for the franchise during Blizzard’s anniversary celebrations.

During the official Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight, Blizzard delivered the news fans have been waiting for: a brand-new class, The Warlock, is officially joining the ranks of Diablo 4, Diablo Immortal, and, in a reveal nobody saw coming, Diablo 2: Resurrected.

The Warlock is now officially confirmed as the "heavy metal" new class coming to Diablo 4’s second expansion, Lord of Hatred, launching April 28, 2026.

But the real jaw dropper is that Reign of the Warlock shadowdrops TODAY for Diablo 2: Resurrected players. This marks the first time in 25 years that the game gets a new playable hero. Adding more to the surprise, Diablo 2: Resurrected also launches on Steam today for the first time. SIDE NOTE: The base game is available on Xbox Game Pass Premium from today.

The Reign of the Warlock: A new era for Diablo 2: Resurrected

The Warlock is described as a “demon-summoning class” of high discipline and knowledge, who has honed his skills in the shadows for years studying secrets mortals shouldn’t know. Oh, and he’s voiced by none other than Rahul Kohli (Midnight Mass, Haunting of Bly Manor).

Diablo 2: Resurrected's new DLC costs $24.99 and is available now. Here’s a brief overview of the Warlock mechanics, you’ll be able to:

• Summon: Call forth from 3 demons, Goatman, the Tainted, or the Defiler.
• Bind: Tether yourself to a single demon to inherit its unique passive abilities. (Only one demon at a time)
• Devour: Consume your minions to absorb their lifeforce, gaining temporary power buffs and traits based on the demon sacrificed.

More huge updates for Diablo 2: Resurrected

Blizzard isn’t stopping at a new class. Diablo 2 Resurrected has had a huge makeover with the drop of ‘Reign of the Warlock’. Here’s what you can look forward to if you jump in today:

Enhanced Terror Zones: Players can now use tradeable consumables to manually choose which acts are terrorized, meaning the zone will become more difficult and, in tandem, offer better rewards.

The Colossal Ancients: In Hell difficulty, players can hunt "Heralds of Terror" to collect five mystical statues. Combining these in the Horadric Cube unlocks a punishing new endgame boss battle against the Colossal Ancients.

Built-in Loot Filters: No mods required! Players can now create, share, or download community-preset loot filters directly in-game.

Stackable Stash: For the first time in Diablo 2 history, items in the stash can be stacked, with dedicated tabs now available for materials, gems, and runes.

The Chronicle: One for the completionists, you’ll now be able track every item you have ever collected and where you found it. This includes runewords and sets (and the devs told me will count items found by your party too)

Another interesting addition will be the Heralds of Terror. These demons will appear at random in Hell difficulty, stalking the player and getting progressively more difficult to defeat (if you encountered the Nemesis Demons on Diablo 3 console edition, it sounds similar to this).

RELATED: Diablo 2: Resurrected Developer Interview

Diablo 4: The Lord of Hatred and the Skovos Isles

Looking ahead to April 28, Diablo 4 fans will travel to the Mediterranean-inspired Skovos Isles in the Lord of Hatred expansion. This expansion also introduces its own "heavy metal" version of the Warlock, defined by chains and hellfire. (You'll see what I mean by heavy metal when you see this guy's spell names).

If you play the class across all three games (2, Immortal and 4) you should feel a considerable difference and evolution in the Warlock.

More details about the Diablo 4 Warlock will be revealed in a developer update on March 5 at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET, and will join the Paladin as the second playable class introduced in the expansion.

While we wait for more information on how the Warlock will fare in Diablo 4, here’s everything we know the Lord of Hatred expansion will bring so far:

• War Plans: A revolutionary endgame system where players create a "playlist" of activities (like Helltides and Nightmare Dungeons) to progress toward custom skill trees.
• The return of charms and sets: The new Talisman system brings back Charms and Set bonuses. While Charms can be of any rarity, Set Charms have the greatest potential, offering Set Bonuses for equipping multiple of the same set.
• System overhauls: Every class will receive a completely expanded skill tree with over 40 reworked choices and over 80 additional options. Lord of Hatred owners will also get over 20 additional skill choices.
• Horadric Cube: Our fave box from Diablo 2 is back, and will let you combine materials and forge new items.
• Loot filters for Diablo 4, too! Hallelujah.
• FISHING: In a franchise first, players can now engage in Fishing between demon-slaying sessions.

Diablo Immortal also gets the Warlock and some familiar territory

In a trifecta of content, Diablo Immortal is also getting the Warlock in Summer 2026. The Immortal version of the class is able to open Hell portals, summon demonic weapons, and command the demons themselves.

Her secret weapon, the Soulgorger, will devour other demons to absorb their traits. While physical weapons held will be a demon skill, and a sacrificial blade. There'll be a Warlock origin quest for Immortal players later this year to explore the new character's backstory.

Additionally, we return to Lut Gholein in a tribute to Diablo 2: Resurrected to reclaim the city from an old enemy, Andariel.

The Diablo Immortal team has shown a comprehensive roadmap of everything you can expect from Summer 2026 onwards in the mobile title.

The Road to BlizzCon

The 30th Anniversary is a year-long event. While Diablo 2: Resurrected takes centre stage today, Diablo 4 will get its next expansion, and later, Diablo Immortal will receive its own version of the Warlock.

We’ve already had a bunch of announcements this month for Blizzard's other flagship franchises like Overwatch, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft, which leaves me wondering, what on earth do they have up their sleeves for BlizzCon 2026?

I also had the pleasure of sitting down with Blizzard President Johanna Faries during my time at the campus. You can read the full interview, all about Blizzard's big year, here.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

So, you’re jumping into Diablo 4’s second expansion Lord of Hatred on 28 April 2026, but you can barely remember how we even ended up here.

Maybe you last played during Vessel of Hatred? Maybe you’ve been bouncing in and out for all of the seasons (we are currently on Season 11!), min-maxing your build and realizing you have absolutely no idea what the actual story is supposed to be at this point. Either way, I got you.

The Diablo 4 team have kindly provided me with the official story recap below, which walks through the key events of Diablo 4 and Vessel of Hatred, and sets the stage for the final confrontation with Mephisto in Lord of Hatred.

I didn't write this myself, as you will see from my own less eloquent full Diablo lore guide that hasn't been updated since the launch of Diablo 4. I’m doing it Soon™. I promise. I would still recommend my own summary if you don't want the events of Diablo 4 spoiled (stop reading NOW!) as it's still a good source if you want more information from the "beginning of time" through to the end of Diablo 3.

For now though, this feature titled 'The Wanderer's Burden — A journey through Hatred' is the most accurate and clean way to get fully caught up before Lord of Hatred launches... straight from Blizzard themselves.

One quick thing to keep in mind as you read: This recap very deliberately frames Diablo 4’s story around Mephisto’s long game. A lot of moments that originally felt like side arcs (Neyrelle’s journey, Akarat’s legacy, even Lilith’s role in the story) read very differently once you view them through the lens of what Mephisto has been setting in motion the entire time, and should be great prep before we go kick his demon butt in Lord of Hatred.

Enjoy!

A Sanctuary from Eternal Conflict

The following feature, “The Wanderer’s Burden – A Journey Through Hatred”, was written and provided by the Diablo 4 team and is reproduced here with permission.

Sanctuary. A world forged in defiance, born from a desire to escape the Eternal Conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells. Through centuries stretching into millennia, humanity has struggled against the encroaching darkness. The Prime Evils – Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto – and at times even their quarrelsome Lesser brethren, constantly sought to corrupt and conquer Sanctuary.

Each time, heroes rose, following in the footsteps of the original Horadric Order, a secret group sworn to protect humanity. The events of Diablo I and 2 saw the escape of the Prime Evils from the Soulstones, their subsequent re-imprisonment, and the corruption of the Worldstone itself. Ultimately, Diablo 3 witnessed the aftermath of the Prime Evil’s capture, during which time the Lesser Evils, Belial and Azmodan, would make a bid for Sanctuary. This event would pave the way for the corruption of the former Archangel Malthael into the embodiment of Death.

And so, fifty years have passed since the Reaping and the defeat of Malthael. Fifty years of fragile peace, of rebuilding, of forgetting. Yet, deep in the Burning Hells, Mephisto never forgot and has slowly nurtured his ancient, burning hatred, weaving threads of discord and corruption across Sanctuary.

The Beginning of the Age of Hatred

These events set the stage for Diablo 4, whereupon a new evil began to stir from the very progenitor of Sanctuary. The whispers of Lilith, daughter of Mephisto, began to spread, summoning a new wave of cultists and devotees.

Previously banished to the Void by her lover, the Angel Inarius, after her intervention in proxy his war with the Prime Evils, Lilith's return was orchestrated by a macabre ritual that tore her from her prison. Upon her return, she brought a promise: to protect humanity from the Eternal Conflict that threatened to consume Sanctuary, but only by claiming the world as her own, to forge it into a weapon for her to conquer the Burning Hells.

Yet, another ancient had established himself in Sanctuary. Inarius, the renegade angel who helped create Sanctuary, returned from his millennia of torment in the Hells.
Driven by their son, Rathma’s, prophecy and a desperate desire to be absolved by the High Heavens and reclaim his place among them, he believed the only path to redemption lay in destroying Lilith. His crusade drove him to murder Rathma (the first Necromancer) for refusing to give up the key to seal the Gates of Hell.

It is amidst this conflict that you, the Wanderer – a hero marked by the blood of Lilith in his veins – are chosen to decide the fate of Sanctuary, aided by the Horadric wisdom of Lorath Nahr and Neyrelle, an enthusiastic scholar of the order. The Wanderer’s journey takes you throughout the world, leading to an ultimate confrontation with Lilith in the Cathedral of Hatred, deep within the Burning Hells. Through a brutal and arduous battle, Lilith was defeated, and her essence seemingly reduced to dust.

The Vessel of Hatred

The victory over Lilith was short-lived, for a greater evil loomed over Sanctuary. The resulting conflict between Lilith and Inarius had left the world exposed to the growing power of Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, whose essence had been trapped in a Soulstone by Neyrelle. With Lilith defeated, the young scholar embarked on a perilous journey to the jungles of Nahantu in search of the lost tomb of the ascetic Akarat, hoping to find a way to contain the Prime Evil once and for all.

Throughout the thick, untamed wilderness of Nahantu, isolation became Neyrelle’s sole companion, as Mephisto’s Soulstone tormented her every step, seeking to break her with horrific visions of the future of Sanctuary. Despite her heroic resilience against Mephisto’s influence, Neyrelle inevitably began to teeter on the edge of madness, with her ability to distinguish her visions from reality diminishing, as manifested in the monstrous Hollows. Her one tether to sanity lay in recollections of past loved ones and great feats, such as her mother and the defeats of the other Prime Evils by humanity’s heroes.

It is at this time that the Wanderer joined forces with Eru – a native Spiritborn – in pursuing Neyrelle, attempting to save her from Mephisto’s corruption. Despite her constant evasion, the pair eventually caught up with Neyrelle, and together they searched for the Burial Chamber of Akarat’s lost tomb, where the ascetic’s mortal body lay. With the Wanderer’s help, the group discovered the tomb and placed the Soulstone upon Akarat’s body, severing the link between Neyrelle and Mephisto.

However, all was not as it seemed. Following a brief moment of respite, Eru revealed he had betrayed the Wanderer and made a bargain with Mephisto, triggering him to open a dark rift to the Prime Evil’s domain. In that moment, the ever-present lion-spirit of Akarat suddenly leapt to the defence of Neyrelle and the Wanderer, having sensed something had gone horrifically wrong. Mephisto’s maniacal laugh filled the room as Eru seized Akarat’s body and the Soulstone, uttering to the Prime Evil, “I’ve done my part… See that you do yours”, before jumping into the rift, as the Lord of Hatred’s wolf avatar entered from the rift.

A great battle ensued as the Wanderer looked to defend Neyrelle as she tried to awaken the spirit of Akarat, succeeding in keeping Mephisto’s wrath at bay. Despite all hope lost, the spirit of Akarat awakened one final time and used his last ounce of energy to defeat Mephisto’s avatar. After the fight, the Wanderer and Neyrelle returned to Nahantu in search of Eru, where they eventually found him wounded.

Despite Neyrelle’s pleas, Eru refused to reveal the location of the Soulstone or Akarat’s body, explaining that he had made a deal with Mephisto to spare all that he loves when he inevitably returns. In a final act of defiance, Eru attempted to strike down Neyrelle again, only to fail and be left to face the consequences of his decisions. Accompanied by the Wanderer, the pair started their search of Sanctuary for traces of Mephisto’s whereabouts before he could return to full strength.

The story continues at the Temple City of Travincal in Kurast, where laid the body of Akarat, surrounded by the black corruption of Mephisto. Mephisto mocked Akarat, ridiculing him about how he was betrayed by one of his followers, before slowly enveloping the body with his corruption, using the Soulstone that now lay embedded in Akarat’s chest. Akarat emerges from the corruption, his body now serving as a new vessel for Mephisto to return.

And the story continues... in Lord of Hatred

And that’s where we are left off before Lord of Hatred begins.

Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred launches on 28 April 2026, and if you’ve already pre-ordered, you can jump in right now with the newly-available Paladin class. There is also a second, as-yet unrevealed class that will arrive alongside the expansion at launch, so stay tuned to find out what that is.

Perhaps we will find out this month, given the upcoming Diablo showcase on 11 February, don't miss it!

Diablo 4 Season 11 has been the most fun I've ever had in a Diablo season, but I was pretty much done with the seasonal journey for the moment after storming the content with my OP Paladin.

Well, it looks like Diablo 4 is back on the menu boys, because we'll be jumping back in on Monday for the opening of the Tower.

Yep, Diablo 4's new leaderboard challenge is arriving as a Beta with Patch 2.5.2 on January 12, and I can't wait to see how my Paladin measures up against all my friends in Sanctuary (who are also playing Paladin because frankly who is playing any other class right now?!)

Everything you need to know about the Tower

The Tower and Leaderboards is very much a beta, so I'm sure we will have plenty of bugs to report as Blizzard lets us put it to the test.

The Tower is a timed dungeon of multiple floors, complete as many of these floors as possible within 10 minutes to earn your leaderboard rank. Each run will feature randomized tile sets, new enemy tactics and powerful temporary buffs from spawned Pylons. The more monsters you kill, and Orbs you collect, the higher your score.

When enough progress has been made, a boss will spawn, and you'll need to kill them before the 10 minutes is up.

The leaderboards will be split into categories covering Class, party size, Hardcore and Normal play as well as being filterable down to what platform is being played on (PC or console).

When will Leaderboards open and close?

Leaderboards will run in rounds of two-weeks from launch day until the end of the Season of Divine Intervention, so for example:

• Round 1: January 12, 11:00 a.m. PST—January 26, 11:00 a.m. PST
• Round 2: January 26, 11:00 a.m. PST—February 9, 11:00 a.m. PST

When the leaderboards close at the end of the season, they will be unavailable until the start of the next.

The start of an interesting year for Diablo 4

Season 11 has been fantastic so far, and I'm sure the Tower is going to give it yet another lease of life. This year as a whole is an exciting time for Diablo 4 as we inch closer to the launch of the Lord of Hatred expansion on April 28.

I'm both excited and nervous, though, with the expansion about to completely shake up the game again when it's in such a place of equilibrium.

There's also the question of what on earth is happening in February, with Blizzard's anniversary looming and the tease of something Diablo related being revealed in February. We already know about a second class coming in the expansion, so what is it? I'm seated to find out, but the Tower is just the start of an action packed year.

Diablo 4 Season 11 is in the strongest state the game has ever been — I know, guys, we’ve been here before, but this is genuinely the best version of the game Blizzard has given us to date — but, instead of being satisfied with the status quo, I find myself nervous about what’s coming in 2026. Will the upcoming expansion upset the balance again?

Season 11 has brought back a massive wave of players and, more importantly, is actually keeping them there. With the addition of the Paladin and a newfound variety in endgame activities (new bosses, the upcoming Tower, to name a few), Diablo 4 has seemingly found its footing.

After over two years of reworks and course corrections, and an identity crisis over whether it wanted to be Diablo 2 or Diablo 3, the game has landed in a place where it feels like it has its own identity. Systems reinforce one another, progression feels satisfying, and loot is actually exciting again. I’m not just saying this because I had two Mythics drop for me as early as Torment 2 this season, honest. Blizzard is finally conveying what kind of ARPG Diablo 4 wants to be.

Naturally, this makes me wary of the looming Lord of Hatred expansion, set for April 28, 2026. With another massive shake-up on the horizon, could we go from “D4 is good” back to — well, you know.

Everything I’ve loved about Season 11

The Paladin is the obvious headline, and it’s fun as hell because it is overtuned as hell. The "Castle" paragon node scaling off armor is clearly out of whack and will likely be nerfed to oblivion in future patches, but it’s making the class the undisputed top of the current meta.

Regardless, this isn't a Spiritborn-at-launch situation where bugs shattered the game and made it positively unfun for other classes. The Paladin’s power feels more intentional rather than accidental. A few numerical tweaks could bring it in line without gutting its identity entirely next season.

Beyond the obvious power fantasy, the Paladin has brought back the lapsed players. Those who mentally wrote the game off months ago. It finally delivers the sword-and-board archetype fans have begged for since the beginning. Between its strong visual identity and flexible buildcraft (there are many viable builds), it doesn't force you into a single playstyle. I’ve found myself really enjoying the class despite initial expectations.

I didn’t care for the Paladin in Diablo 2, and I can count on one hand how many times I picked up Crusader in Diablo 3, but I love the Diablo 4 Paladin. Spiritborn felt like a fun novelty I wouldn’t likely return to. But right now, I’m making Hammer Tornados my personality, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon.

Zooming out, the Paladin is just one piece of a much more satisfying puzzle. Crafting is finally fun. ‘Sanctification’ turned what could have been another forgettable seasonal gimmick into a compelling endgame thrill loop that I hope becomes a permanent fixture. Now that RNG has been removed from Tempering (along with the frustration), a perfect Sanctification is the new ultimate goal.

The journey of an item from its drop to tweaking its stats, tempering, socketing, and such before that final Sanctification stamp makes crafting our items more interactive. Any frustration I’ve felt during the process has been directed at my own stupidity. Sanctifying something before I’d finished tinkering with it. "I haven’t put a socket on my shield yet… I forgot to temper this… d’oh!"

But I love the finality of it. You aren’t just incrementally upgrading stats anymore. Sanctification is rolling for a miracle that might warrant a screenshot. Seeing people roll Shakos onto Shakos (even if it's only the 0.01%) adds a level of "what if" excitement that the game needed. I may never see that luck myself, but I love knowing it’s possible.

Similarly, Divine Gifts has fixed a long-standing issue: funneling players into a single correct activity. Instead of slamming the same dungeon endlessly, you’re rewarded for engaging with everything in the game. Pits, lair bosses, Helltides, and Undercity runs all feel meaningful.

Even when the loot you want doesn't drop, you’re still progressing your Divine Gifts. Though my one criticism is that they progress insanely slowly, I guess that keeps us playing longer. Blizzard even snuck in a secret Uber-style mega fight without telling us. Giving the community something to discover on their own.

The secret Uber fight is reminiscent of the hunt for the Cow Level and is exactly what the game needed. There was no dev blog explaining it into the ground; players had to stumble onto rare materials and piece together the ritual themselves. I’m currently sitting on one of the four materials needed, and that chase is what keeps me playing.

It’s genuinely aspirational content that doesn’t feel like a slog. It proves that Diablo works best when it realizes that not everything needs to be accessible to everyone immediately.

Vessel of Hatred played it a little too safe

This brings us back to my concern regarding expansions. Vessel of Hatred played it a little too safe. It barely moved the needle, really. Runes and Mercenaries are fine, but they don't reshape the endgame. You can engage with them, or as I often do until a Season Journey chapter forces my hand — forget they even exist.

In hindsight, that restraint was likely intentional. Narratively, Blizzard wanted to drag out Mephisto’s arc, which led to a lackluster finale in Vessel, but should lead to a much more impactful confrontation in Lord of Hatred this coming April. Historically, Diablo expansions like Lord of Destruction or Reaper of Souls have radically redefined the game.

We didn't get that wild shake-up with Vessel of Hatred because Blizzard was still busy rebuilding trust and stabilizing core systems. Lord of Hatred, however, isn't shaping up to be so conservative. And when the game is finally this good, a wild shake-up is pretty damn frightening! Lord of Hatred will change everything, for better or worse.

Based on what we already know, Lord of Hatred isn’t just tacking on a new map and calling it a day. We’re looking at a total reconstruction of the skill trees for all classes and major overhauls to the endgame. We’re getting War Plans, Echoing Hatred gauntlets, and finally loot filters (YAY!).

The Horadric Cube is returning as a core crafting pillar, the level cap is rising again, and we’re getting a second new class. Even the underlying philosophy behind progression appears to be shifting. That’s exciting for sure, but I’m not counting my chickens just yet.

Diablo 4 finally feels cohesive right now. Systems complement each other rather than compete for our attention. Seasonal mechanics enhance the base game instead of distracting from it — so much so that we want to keep Sanctifying forever (Blizz, if you’re reading this, please please please keep Sanctification).

The loot chase is compelling without being an exhausting chore, and progression finally respects the player's time (unless you are trying to reach paragon 300, which I've given up on for now). When a game finally reaches this kind of equilibrium, sweeping changes become a massive gamble.

Lord of Hatred could elevate Diablo 4 even further, and I sincerely hope it does, but it could also shatter the current loop. There’s a real risk of introducing too many overlapping systems that lead to choice paralysis or overcorrecting too far toward complexity.

Where exactly will the Horadric Cube fit into the current meta? How will the new set bonuses affect the current gear chase? I’m worried because Season 11 has finally nailed these clean, satisfying gameplay loops, and it’s anyone’s guess how all these new moving parts will fit together.

Excited? Absolutely — Confident? Not quite.

None of this is to say I’m dreading Lord of Hatred. I’m just more cautiously optimistic compared to the complete hype train I was on prior to Vessel of Hatred’s launch.

Diablo 4 has earned some real goodwill back with Season 11, and I don’t want to see that go to waste in 2026. I am loving most of all that Blizzard is trusting the community to discover content organically without spoon-feeding us every secret in a patch note.

I want them to take this momentum and run with it. But Lord of Hatred has a massive mountain to climb. It will be judged against Season 11, the best version of the game we’ve ever had. We are past the point of needing to tear Diablo 4 down just to rebuild it again. We’ve had Loot Reborn, then Crafting Reborn.

Whatever comes next needs to expand on this without being a total wrecking ball. If Blizzard gets this right, Lord of Hatred could cement Diablo 4’s identity for years, serving as its Reaper of Souls style renaissance.

What about you? How are you finding Season 11 so far? Are you a lapsed player who came back for the Paladin, or have you been grinding since launch? And looking ahead to April, are you hyped for the Skill Tree reworks and the return of the Cube, or are you worried the game is going to get too complex?

Drop a comment below. I’d love to hear if I'm the only one feeling this nervous excitement.

During The Game Awards 2025, Blizzard Entertainment dropped a reveal trailer for Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, the next big DLC expansion of Diablo IV that will bring back the classic Paladin class (which has been missing in action since Diablo 2), a new mystery Class, gameplay balance changes, the return of the Horadric Cube, the culmination of the "Age of Hatred Saga", and more.

To celebrate the occasion, Blizzard has announced a line-up of Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred merchandise at its Blizzard Gear Store, including apparel, accessories, and figures of the expansion's central villain, Mephisto.

As a bonus, buying these collectibles in the Blizzard Gear Store will net you a weapon code for the Diablo Death's Head Cudgel to use in Diablo IV.

Here is a selection of the new collectibles Blizzard is offering for Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred.

Prepare to face the Lord of Hatred, Mephisto

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is the 2nd major expansion of Diablo IV, following the Vessel of Hatred Expansion (which is included with all editions of Lord of Hatred). It is set in a new region called Skovos, and it will take players on a dark journey to save Sanctuary from one of Diablo's most iconic villains, Mephisto.

The Expansion will feature two character classes, a wealthof new enemies and bosses to slay, overhauled endgame content, a dramatic storyline, an increased level cap, fishing, and much more.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is set to release on April 28, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and Battle.net. Do note that you will need to buy the base game of Diablo IV first in order to play the Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred Expansion.

Pre-purchasing Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred will net players early access to the Paladin Class, which is available right now with Diablo IV's 11th Season, which went live yesterday, December 11, 2025, at 8:30 p.m. PT.

Standard, Deluxe, or Ultimate Editions of Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred are available to purchase, with varying levels of cosmetic DLC content in each edition.

As an added bonus, purchasing any version of Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred will net you bonus decor items you can use for World of Warcraft's Player Housing feature.

At tonight's Game Awards, Blizzard has officially, finally, at long last... unveiled the Paladin. However, there is a catch: the Paladin is currently exclusive to players who pre-purchase the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion, which launches on April 28, 2026.

The newest playable class is coming to Diablo 4 with Season 11. The cannily named "Season of Divine Intervention" and is for players who secure early access.

In what might be the worst-kept secret of Diablo's history, after months of data-mining hints and speculation reaching a boiling point, I can't say I'm surprised that the holy warrior is finally here. I do think Blizzard used this as a somewhat red herring though, as there is SO much more to this announcement than I originally anticipated. There is not only a second class coming, but the Horadric Cube returns as well as Lilith (OMG MOM?!)

The Lord of Hatred rises once more

Blizzard has finally lifted the veil on the next chapter of Diablo 4, The Lord of Hatred — it's second Mephisto-themed expansion due on 28 April 2026. This will be the climactic finale to what they are dubbing the "Age of Hatred Saga," pitting players in a final stand against Mephisto while exploring the ancient lands of Skovos (the ancestral birthplace of the first civilization and the former home of Lilith and Inarius).

The expansion will also bring sweeping gameplay updates, including reworked skill trees, enhanced crafting with the return of the Horadric Cube, new loot filters, and overhauled endgame systems like War Plans and the punishing Echoing Hatred gauntlet The level cap will be increased and we're even getting, wait for it, a LOOT FILTER! (Crowd goes wild).

There is also a teased second class, which arrives seperate to the Paladin when Lord of Hatred releases. We don't know anything about this class yet, but I'm assuming it will be something entirely new for the Diablo universe as was Spiritborn.

The expansion, believe it or not, is also adding fishing. Yes, players seeking a calmer journey throughout Sanctuary can now fish in the putrid waters. Perhaps this part of the press release was the early April Fools? I hope not...

Paladin arrival is a long time coming

Few classes in Diablo history carry as much nostalgic weight as the Paladin. For long-time players who felt let down by the lack of a sword-and-shield class at launch (and then disappointed again when Vessel of Hatred introduced the Spiritborn instead), this reveal is going to feel like a cold drink of water.

Season 11, Divine Intervention, kicks off at 8:30 pm PST / 11:30 pm EST, an unusually late start time that immediately raised eyebrows. No season has ever launched this late, and the timing all but confirmed that something big was tied to The Game Awards. It was simply too suspicious to ignore.

And of course, the clues have been piling up for months. Leaks and datamines have pointed toward a holy warrior for a while now: references to light-themed armor sets, a flail cosmetic sneaking into official imagery, and even the infamous “2.5x Paladin” build name that surfaced ahead of Gamescom. A sword-and-board holy class was practically a foregone conclusion.

The Paladin story so far...

The Paladin was one of the playable classes in Diablo 2. Serving on the front line as warriors of the Zakarum Church. Over the centuries, a bunch of Paladin orders have risen and fallen. Some went on to form the Templars.

Many of these traditions were tightly tied to the teachings of Akarat, the prophet who shaped the Zakarum faith. With Vessel of Hatred bringing Akarat into the Diablo 4 storyline, plenty of fans expected Blizzard to use that moment to reintroduce Paladins to the franchise.

That said, the Paladin had already been sidelined once before. In Diablo 3, the classic Paladin orders were considered long dead, leaving only the loosely related Templars behind (including the follower you could recruit).

However, Blizzard somewhat satisfied the Paladin itch by introducing the Crusader as a playable class. A separate and still functioning order within Zakarum lore, with enough tanky armor to distinguish them from the dexterity-based aura-wielding Monk.

This begs the question, what is the lore reason for Paladin's return in Diablo 4? You'll have to play to find out! Playstyle-wise, though, we have some more info.

Everything we know about the Paladin in Diablo 4

The Paladin in Diablo 4 plays exactly how you’d expect a holy knight to feel. Heavy, decisive, and fatal when met up-close. This is a true sword-and-shield brawler, built to stand in the thick of a fight while dishing out big, glowing hits. Classic skills like Auras, Blessed Hammer, Blessed Shield, Condemn, Zeal, and Heaven’s Fury all return, but with smoother animations and a modern Diablo 4 polish.

The class also brings back Holy damage, which helps it carve out a very clear identity from the other classes. A lot of the Paladin’s kit revolves around empowering yourself and your allies, controlling space with divine effects, and unloading bursts of righteous damage that feel weighty and deliberate. If you’re the kind of player who wants to jump straight into the thick of the fight with blind faith, this is very much your class.

Oath system

This is a set of sacred paths that reflect the codes of chivalry and faith-driven identity Paladins swear to uphold. Each Oath rewards players for leaning fully into a distinct playstyle, deepening both fantasy and buildcraft. Choose to focus on one of these four Oaths:

• Juggernaut focuses on the Paladin’s shield, turning defense into offensive movement with Shield Bash as the primary skill. The ultimate move, Fortress, is a defensive-focused skill that briefly makes the player exceptionally difficult to kill.
• Zealot is a frenzied melee powered by an updated Zeal skill. Where Juggernaut is the “board,” this is the “sword.” With Zenith as the ultimate, this Oath unleashes a devastating celestial strike that cleaves the battlefield with a massive holy blade.
• Judicator brings holy judgment and wrath, using the holy conjurations of Blessed Shield, Hammer, Consecration, and Heaven’s Fury, raining divine punishment upon all that is wicked.
• Disciple is the ultimate angelic transformation, fully embracing divinity in its purest form. Unleash the lance with Spears of the Heavens onto enemies and take flight with your angel wings in the Arbiter Form.

How can I play Paladin in Diablo 4?

The Paladin is currently exclusive to players who pre-purchase the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion. Once you secure the expansion, you can start a brand-new character in Season 11.

What are the different editions of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred?

Lord of Hatred includes the full Vessel of Hatred expansion, which players can access instantly via pre-purchase. So if you don't already have this DLC, you are getting both.

Players who pre-purchase will gain early access to the Paladin class, one extra Stash Tab, two more Character Slots, and three World of Warcraft décor items (required to own World of Warcraft Midnight and a subscription to redeem these).

Lord of Hatred is available in three editions:

• The Standard Edition of Lord of Hatred includes Diablo IV’s first expansion, Vessel of Hatred.
• The Deluxe Edition includes everything from the Standard Edition, as well as the Mini Chimera Pet Skorch, the Skartaran Basilisk Mount Bundle, the High Heavens guard Cosmetic Bundle, a Premium Battle Pass Bundle, and more when the expansion launches.
• The Ultimate Edition includes everything from the Standard and Deluxe Editions, as well as the Umbral Knights Armor Bundle (6 class sets), 3,000 Platinum, the Steed of the Shining Realm Bundle, Tymn, Echo of the Spire Back Trophy, the Ascent of the Just Town Portal Skin, and more when the expansion launches.

Diablo just held a developer livestream ahead of Season 11 and announced that the start date is mere days away. The Season of Divine Intervention goes live on December 11 at 8:30 p.m. PST, a strangely late start time that fans are already calling suspicious.

I’ve already covered the majority of the changes coming in my previous post on what many are dubbing Blizzard’s “Loot 3.0 update,” and tonight’s update was mainly to summarize what’s changed since the Player Test Realm in October. But to quickly recap everything you need to know...

All changes coming to Diablo 4 Season 11 in less than 30 seconds

• Tempering is now fixed and not at the mercy of RNG - You pick the affix you want, and there are infinite rerolls.
• Masterworking has been reworked - items now level up via Quality numbers 1-25 which buffs all affixes. Max this out for a big "Capstone" upgrade to one affix.
• Monsters are smarter now - Better AI, new affixes, tighter elite packs and more danger in general everywhere.
• Defense is different - New Toughness stat has been added, and Armor/Resists become ratings, potions heal you instantly and Fortify is now extra life that self-heals you.
• Renown is gone - Has been replaced by Season Rank with each tier gated by a Capstone Dungeon (yes they are back). Rewards come through this track.
• Lesser Evils will invade everything:
  - Azmodan is a new World Boss and also summonable.
  - Duriel is found in the Helltide and replaces the Blood Maiden.
  - Belial will be in The Pit.
  - Andariel owns the Undercity and can spawn as final boss.
• Divine Gifts system adds seasonal power with both Corrupted vs Purified slots for bonuses.
• The final upgrade to chase is Sanctification. This adds big legendary effects, Greater Affixes and bonus Quality from 5-25.

So that's Season 11, but what about 2026?

The Tower and Leaderboards coming early 2026

The Tower is an update that won't be ready for the Season start, instead dropping in Patch 2.5.2 which will be in "early 2026".

The Tower is going to be Diablo 4's new endgame gauntlet. Something that finally gives Diablo 4 a repeatable and measurable skill check. Each floor will ramp up in enemy density and monster affix pressure in a way that is designed to actually test your build.

Leaderboards will also be added with the Tower, split between Hardcore and Normal play and then broken down by class, and whether players are solo or in group play. You will even be able to filter results by Clan (finally, a use for Clans?)

Fans have already noticed something suspicious about the start time of this season.

For the uninitiated, Diablo 4 seasons tend to all start much earlier in the day, at least for our American players. For example, last season kicked off at 10:00 a.m. PT. Season 11 is kicking off much later, at 8:30 p.m.

Many keen-eyed viewers have pointed out on Reddit that this is timed for just after The Game Awards. It could just be a coincidence, but speculation is already rife that this is a shadow drop of some kind.

Perhaps the Paladin will finally be added; the season is called "Divine Intervention" after all. There's also this odd graphic with a weapon no other class in the game currently uses...

Is this a new weapon model (flail) from r/diablo4

Or it could simply be that we are getting some freebies during The Game Awards. I refuse to get my hopes up again... (I'm lying, my hopes are sky high right now.)

While we wait to see, you can check out the full patch notes for 2.5.0 on Blizzard's blog.

It’s a big day for Diablo fans, whether you’ve been a steadfast player through every season up to the current one (10) or took a break along the way. I fall into the latter camp myself — I haven’t played since Season 7 after some burnout set in, largely due to the game’s new Reliquary battle pass system. Today, however, Diablo 4 is holding its regular Campfire Chat, a developer stream centered on the next season’s PTR, but this one carries extra weight. It’s focused on something Blizzard has been teasing for months now: a massive systems overhaul dubbed by many as Loot 3.0.

Rather than broadcasting the changes on Blizzard's own channels, the Diablo team chose to deliver the news via an interview with Rhykker, arguably the biggest personality and streamer in the Diablo community.

While Season 10 has actually been well-received among the player base, many are calling this next update something of a “judgment day” for Diablo 4. It promises sweeping gameplay changes that the community has been requesting since the game’s launch. The big question is — will it be enough to bring back prodigal players like me, and others who’ve drifted away, into the fray once more? The update introduces permanent changes to core systems like itemization, monster combat, and progression, and, more importantly, brings back leaderboards! Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Public Test Realm (PTR) for Season 11.

The return of the Lesser Evils

Sanctuary is to be invaded by the Lesser Evils; we've already got Andariel, Duriel, and Belial back in the game, but Diablo 3 fans will be overjoyed to see the return of Azmodan (let's hope they include all his cringy voicelines too).

Azmodan will be the first new World Boss added to the game since launch. Each of the lesser evils now invades a different game activity in their quest to "take over Sanctuary".

• Duriel infects Helltide with new maggot-themed horrors and summonable Pangs of Duriel.
• Belial twists The Pit, creating illusions and clone enemies, and can replace the final boss entirely.
• Andariel haunts the Kurast Undercity, spawning shades, cursed beacons, and deadly afflictions.
• Azmodan appears as a roaming World Boss which is a permanent addition to the game, but he will also have a seperate seasonal activity in Hawezar.

Defeating these foes grants Corrupted Essences, used to unlock new celestial rewards tied to each demon.

The developers also specified in the interview that Duriel specifically will be replacing the Blood Maiden in the Helltide.

Earn Divine Gifts from the High Heavens in Season 11

To balance the demonic chaos, the archangel Hadriel, who fans will recognise from Diablo 2, bestows Divine Gifts. This is a new layer of boons that enhance loot and gameplay and are given in return for killing the Lesser Evils.

Each Gift can be “Purified” or “Corrupted,” offering a choice between risk and reward. Purified Gifts make the game easier and double rewards. Corrupted Gifts make encounters harder but still yield bonuses.

This mode has been inspired by the profane mindcages from previous seasons that allowed players to tinker with the difficulty and pace.

As you slay each Lesser Evil, you’ll earn unique Essences that unlock themed Gifts —like faster potion refills from Duriel or extra gold from Belial’s domain.

At this point, Rhykker pressed the team on their thoughts on adding "new powers" to Diablo 4, something that's been criticized as a repeated theme of past seasons. The developers were quick to ascertain that while the interface of this system is similar to prior seasons, the approach here is different. "We're trying to get away from the stuff we have done in the past....it's not seasonal powers it's seasonal gifts." "People want to see more variety in seasons."

Complete overhaul for Tempering and Masterworking (the real Loot 3.0 update)

Tempering and Masterworking were added to the game in Season 4 in the last big loot shake up for Diablo 4, and this is the biggest change we have seen to those crafting processes.

They have been reworked following community feedback, and you'll be glad to know you'll no longer be able to completely brick a perfect item from Tempering. Hurrah! Here's all the changing coming to Tempering and Masterworking:

• Tempering now lets you choose the exact affix from a recipe. No more relying on RNJesus.
• Each item can only have one tempered affix, but you can restore Tempering Charges indefinitely.
• Masterworking no longer buffs affixes directly. Instead, it improves a new stat, 'Quality', which will directly impact item damage, armor, or resistances.
• Once maxed at Quality 20, you can add a Capstone bonus, converting one normal affix into a Greater Affix.
• Non-unique items now roll four base affixes instead of three.

The best news of this section was that Masterworking no longer has to be completely reset if you don't get the max roll you want, on the stat you want. This system promises far more control over your perfect build, without endless random rolls.

There will still be a cost associated with these rolls, and the team is working on what this will be.

Sanctification, Angelic power for your gear

A new endgame crafting mechanic lets you Sanctify your favorite item at the Heavenly Anvil, infusing it with angelic power.

Sanctification can:

• Add a bonus Legendary power
• Upgrade an affix into a Greater Affix
• Make an item completely indestructible

But there’s a catch. Once Sanctified, the item can’t be modified again. It’s your item's final, perfect form.

There will be a consumable required to Sanctify your items, called Heavenly Sigils, drops will come from various game activities.

Monster Combat "evolved"

Enemy behavior is getting smarter, so expect monsters encounters to be more dynamic in-game.

• Monsters will now coordinate attacks and adapt mid-fight.
• Over 20 new elite affixes have been added.
• Champion enemies now spawn as packs, and elites can bring empowered minions.

Expect fights to feel more dangerous and unpredictable across all of Sanctuary. The developers described this change as "adding a meaningful spike in difficulty" to the game with improved AI.

Defense, Healing, and Renown reworked

Blizzard is rethinking how survival works with a new Toughness stat, which summarizes your total reduction from Armor and Resistances. You should be able to look at this number and get a better "general idea of how tanky you are."

Armor and Resistance no longer have a cap, but as the number goes up there will be diminishing returns.

Other key changes:

• Armor now mitigates all damage types, not just physical.
• Potions now instantly heal 35% of your HP (and slowly recharge every 30 seconds).
• Fortify becomes a healing-over-time buffer rather than a static damage reduction.
• Renown in Seasonal play is being replaced by a Season Rank system — complete Capstones and objectives to earn skill points, cosmetics, and more.

The Tower & Leaderboards (Beta)

A new timed dungeon, The Tower, is being added to test your mastery of Diablo 4. This is where you go to test how far you have come from zero to hero.

• Complete as many floors as possible within 10 minutes to earn leaderboard rankings.
• Each run features randomized layouts, new enemy tactics, and powerful temporary buffs from Pylons.
• Global Leaderboards return for the first time in Diablo 4 with categories by class, party size, and mode (Hardcore/Normal).

All players across platforms will be represented on the leaderboard but you can filter down to PC/console and even just to see where your friends come up in the rankings. The system is in Beta for PTR but will expand across future seasons.

Return of Capstone Dungeons

Capstone dungeons used to be where you headed when you were ready to try for the next world difficulty in Diablo 4, these were removed and replaced by fighting levels in The Pit to unlock new difficulties.

With Season 11, we see the return of the Capstone Dungeons, some of which will rotate depending on each seasonal activity.

This is also linked to a change in how Seasons are progressed. You will need to complete Capstone Dungeons as part of Seasonal ranks. They are not bound to your character level or difficulty so you can walk in at level 1, or level 30 depending on how brave you are feeling!

In short...

PTR 2.5.0 is the biggest shake-up Diablo 4 has seen since the Loot 2.0 update in Season 4. With a total loot overhaul, smarter combat, new endgame systems, and the long-awaited Leaderboards. That's not all either, as in the Q and A at the end of the steam Blizzard teased more changes to come beyond the next season. "We're cooking a lot of really exciting stuff. There are things that we are aware of and that we are working very hard on that we're going to showcase soon."

Whether you’ve been grinding since launch or haven’t logged in since Season 7 like me, this update could finally be the one that makes Diablo 4 feel complete.

When is Diablo 4 Season 11 PTR and how do I play?

Diablo 4 PTR for patch 2.5.0 and Season 11 runs from will be available from October 21, 10:30 a.m. PDT to October 28, 11 a.m. PDT.

You'll need to own Diablo 4 or have Xbox Game Pass and be using a PC to access the Diablo 4 PTR. It's not currently available for console users.

1. Open the Battle.net launcher.
2. Navigate to Diablo 4.
3. In the bottom left corner, select the dropdown and you'll find Public Test Realm.
4. Click Install.
5. Click Play and select a test server.
6. Create a test character (create a Seasonal one for anything related to the Seasonal themes)
7. Skip Campaign if you started anew.

If you are an Xbox Game Pass player on PC, you can access the PTR through the Xbox app and follow the same steps above, all from December 3 - 10.

Over the past couple of weeks, Blizzard Entertainment has been hosting a Spooktacular Savings event at Battle.net, slashing the prices of several highly rated games with discounts ranging from nearly to over 50%.

These discounted games include DOOM: The Dark Ages ($46.89), Diablo IV ($24.49), and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 ($34.99), and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 ($38.49) until the end of October 15, 2025.

Why these games are worth buying and playing

All these games on offer on Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.net platform have something for everyone, whether they're into first-person shooters, RPGs, or sports titles.

Let's start off with DOOM: The Dark Ages, the latest entry in the DOOM series. This dark fantasy shooter is a beautiful and bombastic action game that offers dozens of hours' worth of brutal demon slaying goodness.

The art direction is sublime, the story is gloriously over-the-top fun, the combat system is brutal and challenging, and gameplay keeps refreshing itself with sections where you ride giant mechs the size of buildings and cyborg-dragons into battle.

If that last part doesn't sell you on this game, I don't know what will.

Next, we have Diablo IV, one of the most critically acclaimed titles in Blizzard's recent history. This is a dark fantasy action-RPG absolutely oozing with gothic atmosphere, endless hours of dungeon crawling content and enemies to slay, and an in-depth, addicting combat system.

It's also constantly being updated with new content every few months so you never run out of gameplay to indulge in, some of which include crazy crossovers with Starcraft 2 and even Berserk.

Let's turn our attention to something more light-hearted with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, a two-pack remake compilation of the 3rd and 4th entries in the Tony Hawk series.

These games reimagine these classic sports titles with improved graphics and controls, cross-platform multiplayer mode, expanded Create-A-Skater and Create-A-Park modes, and 40 playable skaters to play as including Tony Hawk, Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and even the Doom Slayer from Doom.

Lastly, we have Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the latest entry in Call of Duty's Black Ops sub-series.

This is regarded as one of the best games in the series for its epic, action-packed single-player campaign, improvements to movement and accessibility, and its content-rich Multiplayer and Zombies modes in Black Ops history.

If any of these games take your fancy, they're all available for various discounts during Battle.net's Spooktacular Savings event at the following prices until the end of October 15, 2025:

• DOOM: The Dark Ages ($46.89)
• Diablo IV ($24.49)
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 ($34.99)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 ($38.49)

On a side note, there's other items on offer during this event including paid cosmetics for World of Warcraft, discounts for older Call of Duty titles, and much more.

FAQ

At long last, StarCraft is back!

...Well, kind of.

Blizzard Entertainment's (and Xbox's, also, after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard) classic beloved sci-fi real-time-strategy (RTS) franchise has made a big splash in Diablo 4, the developer's 2023 dark fantasy action RPG. It's come in the form of several themed crossover cosmetics, including eight skin bundles, three weapon skins, and three profile banners available from the in-game shop.

The primary unlocks on offer include The Queen of Blades bundle for the Spiritborn class, The Heaven's Devil set for Druid, The Overqueen of the Swarm Necromancer skin, The Dark Prelate skin for Rogue, The High Templar cosmetic for Sorcerer, The Rebel Marshal skin for Barbarian, a Foe to Friend pet bundle, and the Zergling Rush mount (in reference to the famous early-game StarCraft strategy of the same name).

Additionally, there are also three free weapon skins — what appears to be a wand, a polearm, and a crossbow — as well as three profile emblems said to be an "instant unlock in Shop," with one of each coming out on September 26 (today), 27, and 28, respectively.

All of these cosmetics were shown off in a new trailer you can watch via the embed below, or with this link.

Assuming the aforementioned skin bundles are priced like previous cosmetic releases have been, they will each cost 2,800 Platinum — Diablo 4's premium currency. This translates to a price of $25 for each individual purchase. The game's Shop costs have proven controversial since it launched two and a half years ago, but despite this, they haven't changed much; I don't expect them to, as a result.

Note that these skins will only be available in the Shop for a limited time; the fine print at the end of the above trailer confirms that they'll be going away once the recently started Diablo 4 Season 10 (AKA, the Season of Infernal Chaos) ends, which is expected to happen in December. It also states, however, that the "items may be available in the Store at a later date," suggesting they could come back.

Another thing to know is that you'll need to own Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion in order to purchase the Spiritborn cosmetic bundle, as the Spiritborn class itself requires owning that DLC.

Overall, all of these skins are certainly cool to see if you're a fan of Blizzard's RTS franchise, but for many, they're undeniably bittersweet since StarCraft itself hasn't had a full new game since 2010's StarCraft 2. The series' last piece of original content came with that game's Nova Covert Ops mission pack nearly 10 years ago in 2016, only followed by a remaster of the original StarCraft in 2017.

Multiple spinoff titles for the franchise have been cancelled over the years for various reasons, though Blizzard is reportedly once again working on a shooter set in the series' universe. Whether or not it ever develops and actually gets a release, however, remains to be seen.

• DEAL: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1-month memberships are $11.59 at CDKeys, giving you access to Microsoft's service for an amazing discount

Diablo 4 itself has gone through plenty of peaks and valleys over the course of its life cycle, though at the moment, it seems to be in a good spot. Fans have been quick to point out that its player base has climbed higher than it's been in quite a long time after the launch of Season 10, with many praising it for its depth of gameplay content.

Personally, I haven't jumped into the ARPG in a very long time, and with both Helldivers 2 and FFXIV eating up most of my time (Battlefield 6 and ARC Raiders are coming in hot, soon, as well), StarCraft skins and one good season aren't enough to pull me back. With that said, I'm glad the game and its fanbase is enjoying a high period right now.

The game is available across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (Steam, Battle.net), PS5, and PS4 for an MSRP of $49.99. On Xbox and PC, it's playable through Xbox Game Pass, and has a free-to-play period until October 2 on Steam as well. At the moment, though, it's on sale across most of its platforms, with Steam offering the best price at $22.49.

More workers under Microsoft's gaming division are unionizing, with the Diablo team at Blizzard Entertainment being the latest to join the growing effort.

Over 450 developers at Blizzard who work on games like Diablo 4 are unionizing with the Communication Workers of America (CWA), the organization shared on Thursday.

"With every subsequent round of mass layoffs, I've witnessed the dread in my coworkers grow stronger because it feels like no amount of hard work is enough to protect us," said Kelly Yeo, Team 3 game producer on Diablo and organizing committee member.

“I am overjoyed that we have formed a union—this is just the first step for us joining a movement spreading across an industry that is tired of living in fear. We are ready to begin fighting for real change alongside our Diablo colleagues.”

This news comes a few weeks after Microsoft held another round of layoffs, cutting workers at Xbox teams like ZeniMax, King, and many others, which also resulted in multiple games being canceled.

Other members of the unionizing Diablo team make it abundantly clear that the numerous cuts at Microsoft are a driving force behind the push for organizing.

“I grew up playing Diablo, and I feel lucky that I get to work at Blizzard on a game that’s very special to me and the gaming community,” says Skye Hoefling, Team 3 senior software engineer II on Diablo and organizing committee member.

“But passion can’t protect us from job instability. Our union allows us to focus on making magical experiences for our players instead of worrying about the unstable job industry.”

Layoffs have a chilling effect, making it harder and harder for the remaining team members to focus as they worry if they'll be next to be cut.

“The day after the third round of mass layoffs, I walked into the office, and when I tried to open the door to the cafeteria, my badge was denied. For a moment, I wondered if getting breakfast was how I'd find out I was part of that round," says Ryan Littleton, Team 3 game designer on Diablo and organizing committee member.

"While luckily it was just a technical issue, none of us should have to live with that constant worry that we might be let go at the drop of a hat. A union allows us to organize across the industry to make great games and protect the developers who create them from the constant pressures of layoffs, passion tax, and crunch."

Unions at Microsoft gaming subsidiaries continue to grow

Microsoft first implemented a neutrality policy towards unions in 2022, when the company was courting regulators in its bid to acquire Activision Blizzard King, which it finalized in October 2023.

Since then, the agreement has been put to the test, with numerous teams and studios underneath the broader Microsoft Gaming umbrella organizing and forming unions with the CWA.

This list includes but is not limited to Activision QA, ZeniMax Media QA workers, Bethesda Game Studios, ZeniMax Online Studios, Raven Software QA, and various teams at Blizzard Entertainment.

Blizzard, in particular, has seen a massive amount of worker movement over the last year, with the World of Warcraft team, the Overwatch 2 team, and the Story and Franchise Development team all unionizing before now.

The next step for many of these teams is to ratify a contract. So far, the ZeniMax QA workers and the Raven Software QA team have ratified contracts with Microsoft.

Personally, I'm pretty happy to continue to see this worker-led effort under Microsoft. Banding together is the best chance employees have for helping to make the gaming industry a better place.

Something is going on with Diablo 4 behind the scenes, and no I'm not talking about Rod Fergusson stepping away from the helm.

For the past few weeks, Diablo Partners have been making some very obvious, very similar noise on social media. First, it was copy-paste style posts along the lines of, “Had a meeting with Blizzard about Diablo 4 changes, changes sooo good.” Then more recently came the photos, creators flown out to Blizzard HQ to “test something.”

Last time this kind of buzz was happening, it was early testing for the Spiritborn class. Which means it's not a leap to think we're about to get another new class. If you've been anywhere near the Diablo community in the last three years, you’ll know exactly which class people have been begging for: the Paladin.
Since launch, the player base has been begging and pleading for the return of Sanctuary’s armored holy warrior, and those pleas haven't gone ignored.

Fergusson himself has said multiple times that a more classic archetype would be coming. "We know people are excited about Paladins."

Well it looks like the cat is out of the bag, or should I say the Paladin out of the err... patch notes. Thanks to a leak reported on by Wowhead it seems the wait may be over.

Is Paladin finally coming to Diablo 4?

The source for this not so covert leak, was Blizzard’s own internal content delivery network, which briefly displayed a build of Diablo IV labeled “2.5x Paladin.” Oh dear.

The significance of this apart from the obvious, is that Gamescom is next week and Blizzard is expected to have something playable there. To make that happen, they had to push the build to external machines.

Either someone forgot to rename it… or Blizzard is having a bit of fun trolling us. I wouldn't be surprised at either possibility.

If it is a deliberate misdirection, it would be a particularly cruel one, considering the Paladin’s status as the single most requested post-launch class.

News from the Sanctuary Sitdown

The 'Sanctuary Sitdown', previously known as Campfire Chats just took place too and Blizzard just dropped the full Season 10 reveal. The content reveal and Q&A landed alongside the patch notes.

Powers are dead. Long live 'perks'. Yep, Seasonal Powers are getting a major shake up. They're now called Perks and it's not just like when they changed the name of Uber Uniques to Mythic Uniques, they're designed to be genuinally build defining.

In the sitdown, Blizzard devs compared past seasonal powers to “icing on the cake”. Nice, but essentially superficial. "A fun, temporary bonus layered on top of skills, gear, and paragon. But each season, that “icing” gets scraped off and replaced."

Chaos Perks, launching with Season 10, aim to change the filling of the cake. "The connective tissue between your skills, gear, and class mechanics"

They’re meant to force you to rethink your skill loadout, your gear choices, and even your core playstyle. Hopefully it should be a refreshing change from the standard borrowed power themes that have been criticized from previous seasons.

How Chaos Perks will work

You will have four perk slots in total: one unique, one magic, one rare and one legendary.

Each class gets 16 perks, including 4 class specific ones.

For example:

• Unstable Power: Basic skills always crit and overpower, but have a 3s cooldown.
• Bronn Over Brains: Massive boosts to life, healing, and overpower damage, but -25% max resistances and armor DR capped at 60%.
• Barbarian: All shouts are permanently active (with buffs), but reduce max Fury.
• Necromancer: Core skills become ultimates (no cost, long cooldown), and ultimates become core skills (cost essence, no cooldown).
• Sorcerer: 99% reduced max life, but damage hits mana before health (Mana Shield).

There'll also a be a new armor type, Chaos Armor, to shake up the itemization. Many uniques can now drop in a different armor slot (helmet, chest, gloves, legs, boots). For example the Spear of Lycander could drop as a pair of boots.

These new pieces always roll max stats plus an extra 20% boost, and let you equip combos that were impossible before (e.g., two “helmet” uniques by moving one to another slot).

Other changes coming in Season 10 include a significant overhaul of Infernal Hordes which I'm personally happy to see as it's one of my favorite activities in the game but was definitely getting a little stale. We'll even get 'Chaos Monsters' added to the enemy pool!

How to play the Diablo 2.4.0 Public Test Realm (PTR)

The 2.4.0 Public Test Realm (PTR) for Diablo 4 will be available from August 19 to August 26 and lets you test Season 11's Chaos theme for a whole week.

1. Open the Battle.net launcher.
2. Navigate to Diablo 4.
3. In the bottom left corner, select the dropdown and you'll find Public Test Realm.
4. Click Install.
5. Click Play and select a test server.
6. Create a character (create a Seasonal one for anything related to the Seasonal themes)
7. Skip Campaign if you started anew.

If you are an Xbox Game Pass player on PC, you can access the PTR through the Xbox app and follow the same steps above.

There's a shake-up at Blizzard Entertainment, as Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson is departing the storied game developer.

Fergusson confirmed his departure on Friday via Bluesky, though he did not say where he was going next.

"After five years driving the Diablo franchise with four big launches, it’s time to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what’s next," Fergusson says. "I’m proud of what we’ve built and excited for what’s ahead for Diablo, and for me."

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer was quick to respond to Fergusson with well-wishes.

"You brought strength, hellfire, and vision to one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. Playing Diablo IV with you was a blast—thanks for everything you gave to the game and the community," Spencer says.

Notably, this is actually the third time that Fergusson has left Microsoft. The experienced producer led Xbox Game Studios' The Coalition for five years, overseeing multiple games like Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Gears of War 4, and Gears 5 before leaving for Blizzard Entertainment in February 2020.

Prior to this, Fergusson worked at Irrational Games on BioShock Infinite, as well as working at Epic Games on the original Gears of War trilogy. Before that, he worked as a producer at Microsoft.

What is next for Diablo 4?

I'm curious to see where Fergusson ends up. Over the course of his career, he's build a reputation of being something of a fixer, meaning he has excelled at coming in for troubled projects such as Take-Two's BioShock Infinite and helping the teams figure out what needed to happen in order for the game to launch.

We'll have to wait and see where he goes, but whatever studio or publisher has scooped him up will be benefitting from serious experience.

As for the Diablo franchise, Diablo 4 first launched back in June 2023, with the game growing and evolving across numerous seasons and content updates since then.

In 2024, Blizzard launched the Vessel of Hatred expansion, which continued the main story with a new jungle-themed region and a new character class, the Spiritborn.

Looking ahead, a second expansion for Diablo 4 is planned, and was previously confirmed to be slated for time in 2026. Little else is known, though this new expansion will almost assuredly add another class into the mix. Time will tell if the community's cries for the Paladin will finally be answered.

More immediately, updates this this year will bring another IP crossover. Like Berserk, it's expect to be something dark that fits the world and atmosphere of Diablo 4.

In our review of Vessel of Hatred, editor Jez Corden and freelance writer Jennifer Young joined forces to note that "It's undeniable that the team has built a powerful stage upon which to further flesh out the Mephisto arc, I just hope that the team will continue to listen to feedback. So far, they've done a decent job on that front."

Diablo 4 is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (via Steam and Battle.net), PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. It's also included in Xbox Game Pass.

We're now officially into Amazon Prime Day, and retailers are already offering special discounts for the most sought-after video games on the market. One such deal is Walmart's anti-Amazon Prime Day deal for Diablo 4.

Diablo 4 is Blizzard Entertainment's hack-and-slash action RPG and is considered one of the best games the company has ever produced in recent years. This dark fantasy normally runs for a high MSRP of $69.99, but you can currently get it at a much more affordable price tag of $25.50 at Walmart.

What's so good about Diablo 4?

Diablo 4 is the latest entry in Blizzard Entertainment's long-running Diablo franchise and is considered by many critics to be not just one of the best games in the whole franchise, but also one of the best Xbox games in this generation of gaming.

Our very own Jez Corden even gave Diablo 4 a perfect 5/5 review, stating that this game is Blizzard Entertainment's 'magnum opus' and its most pivotal game since World of Warcraft.

What made Diablo 4 so critically acclaimed by many? For starters, it has an excellent story with high-quality voice acting and writing as it tells the tale of heroes struggling to save Sanctuary and its people from the machinations of Lillith, the demonic, manipulative daughter of Mephisto.

It is packed with epic, cinematic set-pieces, moments of abject horror to convey Diablo's dark setting, call-backs to long-established Diablo lore for long-time fans, and thought-provoking character development and themes.

The game's story is enhanced by Diablo 4's jaw-dropping visuals, which include exquisitely detailed character designs, immersive sound design, and a nightmarish art style that manages to be both bleak and grotesque.

Of course, story and presentation mean nothing without solid gameplay to back them, and Diablo 4 has it in spades.

Diablo 4 has a gigantic world to explore with boundless gear to collect and power up your character with. It features six character classes that can be customized in endless ways to dish out pain amongst your enemies, and it has a well-paced difficulty curve that's welcoming to newcomers before tossing them into the deep end against insanely challenging bosses.

Not to mention, Diablo 4 is constantly getting updated with DLC expansions like Vessel of Hatred, and post-release updates providing new gear, dungeons, Seasons, and even collaborations with other franchises like Berserk.

However, Diablo 4 does have some caveats that may put off potential players. Diablo 4 can only be played with a constant online internet connection, so if you prefer playing games offline, then this game may not be for you.

Also, Diablo 4 is an ARPG with a classic isometric perspective like its predecessors. It helps players keep track of all enemies on screen as well as get a glimpse at the dangerous traps ahead.

That being said, if you prefer playing RPGs with a much more personal perspective, like a first-person or third-person camera, Diablo 4 may not be your cup of tea.

However, I do recommend you give it a try first. Who knows. You might discover that you like playing from a bird's-eye view.

Diablo 4 normally sells for a high MSRP of $69.99 at most retailers. However, the Xbox Cross-Gen Edition of Diablo 4 is on a massive 65% off anti-Amazon Prime Day discount at Walmart, bringing it down to a gloriously more affordable cost of $25.50.

With this Edition, you will own both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of Diablo 4's base game (the DLC expansions are sold separately at online platforms like Xbox Store and Battle.net).

Now, granted, Diablo 4 is also available on Xbox Game Pass for those who subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. However, if you wanted to own a physical copy so you can keep playing Diablo 4 after the game eventually leaves Xbox Game Pass, this is the perfect time to grab it.

$25.50 is the cheapest price Diablo 4 has ever been, and you'd have to be brainwashed by Lilith's magic to miss out on this tremendous discount deal.

Diablo 4 Season 8 only started just over three weeks ago, yet it's a short season, and today Blizzard went live with a remarkably early season Campfire stream (which really should change to Developer stream now they've taken the Campfire from the game menu but I digress).

With Season 8 still fresh in players’ minds, and Season 9 'Sins of the Horadrim' on the horizon, Diablo 4 developers sat down to introduce the new season theme, huge changes to Nightmare dungeons, a huge nerf to a dominating damage type, and more in today's Campfire.

Here's everything you need to know.

The State of Diablo 4 so far

Levelling was slowed down for Season 8 quite considerably in the PTR, but the team pulled back on this thanks to some feedback, ready for launch. This highlighted other issues however, that there isn't enough activity variety for players while levelling up.

Apparition Incursions, for example, which are part of the Season 8 theme, feel like a mandatory event for players and nobody wants to feel like they have to do a certain activity to progress.

The team is looking at levelling variety going forward, as well as endgame activities and player fatigue in fighting Lair Bosses. The intention is for the game to encourage you do a variety of events rather than hyper-focusing on one in particular.

Season 9 will be tested with PTR 2.3.0

Season 9's theme will be 'Sins of the Horadrim' which we already knew from the Diablo 4 roadmap, but today is the first time we got a peek at what that means exactly. The Public Test Realm (PTR) will be testing the new game mechanics and not the story content.

Season 9 focuses on improvements to dungeons and will add:

Nightmare dungeon updates

Horadric Strongrooms

This is a potent micro dungeon for which the entrance is hidden somewhere within the Nightmare dungeon. As an activity it effectly replaces the previously removed 'Gauntlet' as somewhere players can put their builds to the test.

You will collect Horadric 'attunement' from slaying enemies, and this attunement improves the chest earned by defeating the mini-boss. There will be different gizmos around the Strongroom to interact with and maximize your attunement (so far it sounds much more similar to the Kurast Undercity mechanics to me).

Escalating Nightmares

This is a progression that allows you to fight through series of three nightmare dungeons in succession, new affixes being added with each dungeon. This will increase both difficulty and reward efficiency. The challenge culminates with a boss fight and requires an 'Escalating Nightmare Sigil' to unlock. These will drop in Strongrooms from Torment 1 and above.

Astaroth returns!

Asteroth, a pivotal boss we fight in the main Diablo 4 campaign, will be returning for the Season theme. Prepare for a rematch, but it won't be exactly the same fight with many new twists and mechanics added.

This doesn't mean he will be added to the Boss Ladder immediately, the team are finding ways to integrate bosses in different ways going forward.

I'm personally really happy about this as Asteroth was a personal favorite fight from the main campaign and I've been waiting for the opportunity to squash him again. It's been too long!

Horadric Spells

In previous seasons, Diablo 4 has been criticised for relying heavily on the gimmick of borrowed powers. Unfortunately, it does seem they are sticking with the theme for Season 9 with Horadric Spells, but it does have a few unique twists in that you 'build' spells yourself, so the possibilities are endless (though if we are being honest, 3 days in the community will find the meta).

That being said the more the team told us about these spells, the more I got excited for the idea and the sheer level of customization here.

Starting with a Spell Catalyst, you'll need to level up your spell's power and reduce its cooldown. The catalyst gives the spell its form and function.

The bar on the UI mimics the action bar interface, and these spells can be bound using this to your base actions (for example, binding your catalyst to the Dash skill if you are a Rogue).

The example shown by the developers was a Rogue with Celestial Surge, a new Horadric Power, bound to their smoke bomb, which culminated in a barrage of stars on the enemies. It looks pretty neat.

The combinations are down to the player and what feels natural, so the catalyst can be bound to your skills however you like and will perform in different ways depending on if bound to melee or range.

Infusion will allow you to change the elemental damage, with Arcana adding other small, subtle effects. You'll be able to add 3 Arcana to your custom spells. All of the spells available will be revealed and tested during the PTR.

Q&A note: Later during the stream the developers said that they are currently considering allowing players to change visual settings from other players, this will be implemented on the Horadric powers.

Powers also displayed a rank up to 5. Getting your spells to rank 5 will allow you to deactivate some enemy affixes. Depending on the interactions of course, so for example Fire spells would deactivate Chilling Winds (so great to use against the Beast in the Ice). This should provide more player customization and control over gameplay.

Horadric Jewels

Playing in Strongrooms will net you Tomes with which to craft Horadric Jewels, these can be socketed into gear to power your Horadric Spells even further.

I can imagine that the combination of spells, arcana and catalysts are going to cause pure chaos with balancing in the game, so I look forward to seeing how these perform on the PTR.

Class Balance

The team believes class balanc,e broadly speaking, is in a pretty good place with a lot of build diversity (although don't talk to our Editor Jez Corden about trying to complete Torment 4 with a Minion Necromancer build).

Class balance is always an ongoing process, though with each seasonal change. Season 9 should include yet more improvements to class balance in general.

In the PTR we can expect for all classes:

• Nerfs to Overpower as it's currently dominating the builds, expect this to be nerfed around 80%.
• Basic Skills will see their damage increased, typically by 2 to 3 times.
• Overall balancing changes will be applied to additive damage.
• The cap for Maximum Resistance will be raised to 75%.
• Key Passives will undergo adjustments, averaging a 75% boost to damage output.

Then here are the changes coming for each individual class:

Barbarian

• The Earthquake Skill will be redesigned with a new mechanic.
• A new Unique item will enable players to add a Cleave effect to the Bash ability.

Druid

• Cataclysm and its modifiers will be toned down to encourage diversity in build choices.
• Aspects related to Grizzly Rage and Poison mechanics will be revamped to improve their appeal.

Necromancer

• Soul Rift will no longer grant a Barrier.
• Blood Wave-related Unique items will be weakened.
• The new Unique item, The Hand of Naz, will allow summoning additional empowered Skeletal Arch-Mages.

Rogue

• Unique items tied to Death Trap will see reductions in power.
• The Infiltrators and Bursting Venoms Legendary Aspects will be enhanced.
• To encourage ranged Rogue playstyles, the Eaglehorn Bow will receive a significant boost.
• A new Unique item will let Rogues use Health as a resource once Energy is depleted.

Sorcerer

• Lightning Spear will be adjusted for better balance.
• Burning Skills will receive a 25% damage boost across the board.
• A new Unique item will summon a 3-headed Hydra, with each additional head above three increasing both size and damage.

Spiritborn

• The Deflection Aspect will now provide multiplicative damage to Razor Wings.
• The Hunter Ultimate reset will undergo a redesign.
• A new Unique item will allow Spiritborn characters to transform Thorns damage into Poison damage.

Updates to Seasonal activity variety

All Elites and Bosses in the game from Season 9 going forward will reward the player with Seasonal Reputation. So players can earn progress wherever they play in the game without feeling like they have to hyper focus on the seasonal specific activity.

New Nightmare Sigil Affixes

New affixes, available in varying rarities, will be introduced to Nightmare Dungeons, offering exciting bonuses to empower players as they delve into these challenging dungeons.

To ensure fairness and build diversity, negative affixes will no longer target specific elements or playstyles,.

Additionally, players will now have the ability to teleport directly to another Nightmare Dungeon from within their current one. These dungeon changes apply for both Eternal and Seasonal Realms.

Other changes coming to Diablo 4 in Season 9

• Improved loot rewards for lower World Tiers.
• An increased drop rate for Legendary Runes.
• Enhanced rewards for several Whisper Caches.
• A general boost in Legendary Rune drop frequency.
• The Tribute of Harmony now grants additional Rune drops.
• All Undercity Tributes will guarantee a Rune drop.
• Whisper Caches will provide more resources overall.
• Reduced costs for Jewelry Caches.
• Infernal Hordes will now drop more Gems.
• Mouse and keyboard support for console will be added, but this won't be testable in the PTR (as it's a PC only server)

The new Reliquary has been controversial, but change is coming

During the Q&A portion of the stream, a viewer asked the team if there are changes coming to the Reliquary to provide more value for paying players.

The Reliquary replaced the Battle Pass in Season 8 and has been met with negative feedback from the community as it seems to offer less content than the previous Battle Pass.

"We do have some changes coming to get some more content into Reliquaries." It's not clear if this will be in Season 9 or further into the future, but they are looking to inject more content into this.

A Diablo die-hards thoughts

Season 8 marks the first time I haven’t jumped into a new Diablo 4 season on day one. It’s not because Blizzard has done anything wrong, but rather because the past few weeks have been packed with major releases, and I’ve been completely absorbed by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

I finally gave Season 8 a try this week, and while it’s fine overall, I’ve found the Accursion events, the centerpiece of this season’s theme, a bit of a slog. Thankfully, I’ve heard they aren’t necessary later in the Season Journey, so I’m pushing through to reach the new Lair Boss fights I’m excited about, especially facing Belial in his massive new form.

That said, after seeing today’s developer livestream and the incredible customization potential of the Horadric theme in Season 9, I’m seriously tempted to hold off and fully commit when it launches. (Though let’s be honest — I won’t be able to resist until I’ve unlocked Iris the cat.)

You can read the full Patch notes from Blizzard here.

How to play Diablo 4 Season 9 PTR

The PTR for Patch 2.3.0 will run from May 27. 2025 to June, 3. 2025 on Battle.net so as usual you do need to be playing on PC to test this out.

1. Open the Battle.net launcher.
2. Navigate to Diablo 4.
3. In the bottom left corner, select the dropdown and you'll find Public Test Realm.
4. Click Install.
5. Click Play and select a test server.
6. Create a test character (create a Seasonal one for anything related to the Seasonal themes)
7. Skip Campaign

If you are an Xbox Game Pass player on PC, you can access the PTR through the Xbox app and follow the same steps above.

Diablo 4 is almost exactly two years old, having launched on June 5, 2023. The sequel to one of the industry's most beloved and most nostalgic genre-defining games was long, long awaited, and the base game remains an incredibly fun adventure through the gothic Sanctuary.

However, the game's post-launch live service has been an incredibly mixed bag. Every season, it feels almost as though Diablo 4 takes one step forward, then one step backward, as its seasonal experiments either fall flat or produce unfavorable interactions with the game's other design layers.

The latest season, "Belial's Return," offered some entertaining exposition and a variety of new boss activities, but the main new open world activity is perhaps its most boring yet — and the season journey forces you to engage with it a lot.

As much as I love Blizzard and Diablo, increasingly it seems like Blizzard doesn't understand its own game, nor what makes it fun (or unfun). The game's open world, always-online, dynamic multiplayer systems seem to fight against the systems Blizzard often tries to implement in these seasonal events, and the rewards for participating are as minimalistic as they come.

Belial's incursions are an absolute chore, but it's not entirely their fault

Diablo seasons revolve around something called "the Journey", which typically only offers leveling resources until its final tiers. It's essentially rewards for going through the entire endgame, giving you tasks to kill certain bosses or collect certain amounts of resources as you play.

This season, much of the journey is interwoven with the new Belial storyline, in which the famed Lord of Lies of Diablo lore rears his ugly head to cause a few minor problems, before we punch him back down into Hell again.

In the mini storyline for this season, there is some fleeting intrigue and clever moments, but I can't help but feel like Belial deserved a larger role than to feature in some recolored Legion event and vanishingly brief boss battle.

Gauging difficulty is tough in Diablo because, obviously, you can adjust the difficulty on the fly using the Torment tiers. Belial in Torment 1 was absolutely far too easy, and Belial in Torment 2 would one-hit-kill me with any attack I failed to avoid even with capped armor. Either way, in both, I felt like he didn't have enough hit points and died too quickly, but that might simply be a symptom of using a glass canon style build.

Either way, I found the boss to be anti-climactic, which is not really something I would expect they'd want Belial to be.

Once you've completed the mini quest, you're essentially left to grind these Belial Apparition Incursions, which layer copy-and-pasted assets on top of each other.

First of all, these are simply Legion events (which were already lame), with a mildly Belial-esque flavor. Secondly, the bosses that spawn mid-way through are "apparitions" from Belial, but in reality are just green versions of mini bosses we've all already slayed a billion times.

Much like Legion events, these Incursions just feel like an arbitrary chore, where your main source of engagement is interacting with the UI to pick up loot rather than combat. They take place in the open world, where anywhere up to a dozen players will descend and incessantly spam area of effect abilities, turning your display into a disco.

In essence, there's no need for you to participate here either. A mini Belial spawns at the end of these events, and he dies before he can even finish his dialogue line.

You're given resources to co-opt some of the game's boss powers and take them into yourself to do activities like the incursions. It's a nifty idea, but the borrowed power systems are getting a bit stale every season.

It doesn't help that the road to getting these powers is paved with boredom. The fact that in these incursions everything dies in mere seconds just makes it feel like an arbitrary chore, with pretty graphics.

It wouldn't be an issue if you could just ignore them, but the season journey is tied to grinding out the resources from them. And the rewards for completing the season journey simply aren't good enough to incentivize all but the most die-hard players — and even they seem pretty unhappy with Diablo's direction so far.

Perhaps Diablo 4's business model just doesn't lend itself well to what players want and need

Diablo 4, being a photorealistic game, means that creating art assets is expensive. All of the most compelling rewards that you'll retain on your account season over season are purchased almost entirely for real money from the game's store. As a result, the incentives to actually play the game are sorely lacking.

There are no new armor styles (often called transmogs) from killing bosses or playing the game, generally speaking, and the Reliquary system offers a single armor set with a neutral appearance designed to fit every class. I'm not sure what new armor there is to get in Dark Citadel because literally nobody runs it.

I've played in several (but not all) Diablo 4 seasons so far, and I can't remember a single time the battle passes excited me. The base game armor sets are still the best-looking, which is a huge problem for a game that relies on loot as its primary reward system.

For me, the best and only item worth chasing from Belial's Return was a pet cat with cool eyes on it — but the journey to get there forces you to grind miserably through those grim incursions, which simply aren't fun from any angle as explained above.

The power fantasy is lost completely in the open world when everyone else around you is so overpowered that every boss evaporates in less than a second. As such, Diablo 4 tends to work better in small party play at most. Every time Blizzard opts for open-world activities in Diablo 4, it just shines a spotlight on the fact that the game's always-online, always-connected dynamic multiplayer was a tragic mistake.

The fact that player abilities lose animation quality when there are multiple on-screen just feels like a testament to the fact that the game wasn't really designed to be played with more than four people at a time. Although your stash is supposed to save loot you've missed, this season I've noticed that loot evaporates completely when there are too many players in your phase, and too much loot left lying on the ground. I'm not sure if this is a new bug, but if I've missed any mythics this way, I'd be pretty livid.

Sometimes I worry Blizzard just doesn't care too much for feedback around Diablo 4. Like I mentioned, I couldn't find a group for the Dark Citadel raid because nobody runs it anymore, and Blizzard refuses to make it solo-able despite the amount of strong feedback. Nobody runs it because the effort-to-reward ratio is minimal to non-existent. All of these things feel like a bit of an indictment of how Diablo 4 is being handled overall.

It is still fun to smash Tormented lair bosses, complete Infernal Hordes, and commit to other indoor activities with friends — where the headache-inducing spam of open world player abilities can't chase you.

The underlying game is still strong. It's just endlessly frustrating that Blizzard chooses to focus on the wrong things for some of its seasons. The lack of permanent account-wide rewards and progression, the monotony of forced open-world zergfests, abandoned dusty features, and the absence of truly new activities betray Diablo 4's infinite potential.

And this article only covers a few frustrations across what is honestly a litany of issues, from class balance to meta-progression and the price of microtransactions. Each could have its own separate analysis.

But, really, I'm worried — is Diablo 4 being run on a shoestring budget? Is all the focus going into next year's big expansion? I'm not sure. But what I do know is, unless something big changes about the endgame philosophy, I'm done for now.

Blizzard always pushes out the boat for its bizarre Diablo promotions. In the run-up to the launch of Diablo 4, we had KFC collaborations, a painted cathedral ceiling, and suspicious meat milkshakes, with the launch of Vessel of Hatred being celebrated by the gifting of poisonous flowers to your worst enemies.

Not content with letting Mother's Day go by without some dedication to the Mother of Sanctuary, this next event, named "Mothers Judgement" [sic], celebrates all the gaming Moms being driven to Hell and back by their demon spawn, with the gift of candles.

Mother's Judgement from Lilith

To celebrate Mother’s Day, Diablo has teamed up with Cantrip Candles to bring the essence of Sanctuary straight to your senses with Mother's Judgement.

This limited-time collaboration pays homage to Lilith, the Mother of Sanctuary herself, with candles that evoke either her ominous blood petals or her even more... wrathful side.

Basically, you’ll either get a lovely rose-scented candle or one that smells as putrid as my teenage boy's bedroom.

• Mother's Blessing: A heavenly blend of rose, ash and floral notes.
• Mother's Wrath: A triple threat (triune if you will) of wet trash, pungency and putridity.

The twist to the promo is that it's a kind of candle roulette, as you don't know which you'll receive. Your candle fragrance will be determined by Lilith herself (or rather, one of her demon-loving Blizzard representatives).

Diablo fans will have a chance to claim one of 666 limited-edition candles by opting into the promotion starting May 8, 2025.

Once you’ve signed up, fate (not how much you've spent on the Diablo 4 battle pass) will decide whether you receive a blessing or a curse.

Deliveries will roll out through the following week, bringing a bit of Sanctuary right to your doorstep. Who doesn't want the smell of goatmen-riddled countryside in their home?

If you’re not among the lucky 666 to receive a candle, there’s still something for you: a digital Mother’s Judgement card, so you can feel like a part of the festivities.

For your chance to get one of these candles, whether it be the delicious or the diabolical for your Mother, head over to the website Blizzard has set up for the promotion at MothersJudgement.com

Diablo 4 Season 8 is here, and reactions have been a bit mixed. Players seem to be enjoying the new lair bosses, but the new reliquary battle pass, approach to seasonal rewards, and overall structure of seasons seem to be under intense scrutiny.

Diablo 4 has also seen increased competition from competing ARPGs like Last Epoch and Path of Exile 2, leaving Blizzard with strategic decisions to make over whether to emulate what's popular in other games, or try out a different direction.

Before Season 8 dropped, I caught up with Blizzard's Deric Nunez and Colin Finer to learn about how Diablo 4's seasonal model has evolved, and the philosophies that will take Blizzard towards Diablo 4's next big expansion.

On Season 8, lair bosses, and the seasonal model

Season 8's big bad is Belial, returning from Diablo 3. The Lord of Lies was a major enemy in the previous title, and is a protégé of Diablo 4's primary evil, Mephisto. His return marks an escalation of the calamity Mephisto is unleashing, after re-emerging into Sanctuary during the events of Vessel of Hatred.

"So, we see this as the continuation of the Age of Hatred, that accelerated at the end of the events of Vessel of Hatred," Lead Seasons Designer Deric Nunez explains, "Mephisto is walking Sanctuary in human form. He created the perfect distraction for Belial, who has been waiting in the shadows."

Belial emerges as part of open world activities, but also as a major new lair boss as part of a revamped boss ladder. I asked Blizzard how the approach to lair bosses has evolved since their introduction in the base game.

"We see Season 8 as an opportunity to put focus and refine the foundation of major end game features," says Nunez. "The Lair Boss system is getting a pretty massive overhaul, not just the new bosses like Belial, the Harbinger of Hatred, or Urivar, but the general quality of life improvements to the feature as a whole. We wanted to set it up to sit more confidently in the wider pantheon of other end game activities, owing to the pivot on materials. We want to boost the frequency that players are engaging with bosses."

Some players have complained that Diablo 4's season journey and boss battles are too easy, while others have complained that obtaining rewards like the seasonal pet have become too grindy. I asked how Blizzard maintains a balance between difficulty and accessibility, given that games like Path of Exile 2 have begun exploring boosting difficulty to excite players.

"We're trying to return to the heart of the Diablo experience, where you level up to fight this big bad, and get all the rewards, to then fight bigger bads. When we first introduced lair bosses, there was a journey to climb up the ladder fighting harder and harder bosses," says Colin Finer, Lead Systems Designer. "In a lot of ways, we feel we've lost that by Season 7. Players have gotten stronger, there's been some power creep, and economic creep on the boss materials side. Season 8 aims to bring the lair bosses back into focus. By eliminating the economic costs, we can raise the difficulty a bit, you can test yourself whenever you want."

"Hopefully we can take it back to that feeling you got from Season 2, where maybe you can get a cheeky kill early in your Torment difficulty journey. We're okay with people being able to one shot bosses eventually, as long as the journey to get there is satisfying. We think of Diablo as a power fantasy game, that's why we have the ultimate form of power fantasies in Season 8 — taking powers directly from bosses, and becoming 'the boss,' right? You can ascend to becoming a God. What we don't like is that, if you're entering a boss battle like Duriel at the start of Torment, and you slap him easily, and you get his loot practically for free — that's what we don't want."

Colin Finer and Deric Nunez acknowledge the challenge of balancing risk and reward, and finding that specific sweet spot. The team also wants to explore ways to make obsolete gear useful, either via resources or additional stat rolls.

"Ultimately, we want Diablo to feel like it's a rewarding experience. We want everyone to hop in and feel rewarded. If everything dies in one second, then it doesn't feel like you've earned the reward. We also don't want it to be so difficult that it feels like a slog. It's a difficult line for us to walk to hit that sweet spot where it's just challenging enough to feel like the rewards are sweet, but not so challenging where the rewards become an afterthought."

"We want to streamline the experience in Diablo 4 to make it clearer when items are upgrades. We don't want you to have to spend tons of mental energy sifting through loot to try and figure out what is or isn't good for you. So, we do phase out certain rarities, because we think it's part of the progression journey. You become so powerful that certain loot just becomes beneath you, right?"

"One thing we do miss the mark on is, what happens to those rarities when they do get phased out? In the future, we do want items that, once they become useless to you, they automatically turn into salvage that you can then pour into more powerful loot, or potentially more pulls on stat rolls."

On meta progression, seasonal rewards, and the future

One thing many Diablo content creators are calling for is better rewards for Diablo 4, either via account-wide season-over-season meta progression, or via things like the Battle Pass. The new reliquary system was designed to give players more control over what rewards they pursue, but others have noted that it seems to have fewer items than the previous linear battle pass track. I asked the team how their philosophy is evolving with regard to the game's battle pass model, as well as get hints about the future of more permanent progression systems.

"We are open to the idea of having more meta progression to give more meaning to playing a season," Finer explains. "We made a change in Vessel of Hatred to allow all Paragon levels, for example, to carry over into Eternal. You could argue that's a sort of meta progression tracker, right?

"On the seasonal model, I do think it's actually helpful to casual players who haven't played in a while, because it lets everyone start fresh. You don't need to remember anything about your previous character, sift through gear, and so on."

One thing that concerns me about Diablo 4's direction is the volume of rewards-as-microtransactions, rather than obtained via play. Blizzard focused on making the higher ranks of Torment more tough, and put some of the most compelling rewards up in there, until fan feedback led them to change tac. The team emphasized that player feedback shapes their decisions, although there are limits.

"We have added a lot of great stuff to the season journeys. Last season we had our first flying pet, Dorian, as part of the season journey. We think it's cool to have aspirational rewards in the game, like Dorian, and this season's is Iris the cat. The aspirational stuff is tricky — we know it's important to have things to aspire to, but we also want it to be a rewarding experience, regardless of how hard you play. It's tricky to balance. Some feel that there's a disservice if it's not hard enough, but it then makes it inaccessible for a lot of players. We look to fan feedback to find out where sentiment is landing on things like that. We're happy to revisit things, like moving Iris from Chapter VII of the season journey to Chapter VI."

As a World of Warcraft player, I had to ask about Vessel of Hatred's new raid layer, and whether it could see improvements, with a reminder about Diablo 4's enigmatic roadmap.

"We're happy that we tried something new for Vessel of Hatred, we haven't seen it before in the mainline series. We're still parsing player feedback to help validate our investments in raids and other types of content. In our roadmap, we have nightmare dungeon improvements, infernal horde improvements — focusing on the core systems players love and enjoy."

I tried to tease some hints about a Paladin class or new features coming to the expansion for Diablo 4 next year, but the Blizzard team were proving tough to crack on that one. Although, they acknowledged how much potential still exists in Diablo 4, especially as competition from other ARPGs gradually ramps up.

"I do agree that Diablo 4 still has a lot of untapped potential. I think Season 8 is jammed with cool stuff, with new lair bosses, new move sets for lair bosses, and quality of life improvements. We're very excited for the next expansion in 2026. I think players are going to love it. I do agree that there's so much more we can offer players. There's more to come."

A huge thanks to Colin Finer and Deric Nunez for fielding our questions — I'll see you guys in Sanctuary!

Diablo 4 Season 8, Belial's Return just kicked off a couple of hours ago, and Diablo fans are already raging. Though they may have pretty good reason for it in this regard.

Right now we're seeing reports of the new Battle Pass system, Reliquaries, causing an error which deducts the players Platinum from the balance but doesn't reward you with the pass. So buyer beware, do not grab it until a fix arrives!

Do not buy the reliquary! Massive bug! from r/diablo4

Diablo 4 Reliquary is bugged

Blizzard has updated the official Diablo 4 forums to say that they are investigating the issue.

"Hey folks thanks a ton for sharing. We’re investigating this issue with Reliquaries not showing/functioning properly at this time. Apologies for the inconvenience, we’ll keep you all informed asap on any updates."

One user on Reddit says they bought the Deluxe Battle Pass and nothing unlocked for them despite the game telling them the pass is active, all Reliquaries remain locked. Others have reported having 1000 Platinum deducted from their balance but no cosmetics unlocking on the pass.

Others are reporting other hiccups with previously purchased cosmetics from previous passes are missing in their character wardrobes.

Can't redeem pass from a previous season on the Reliquary in Diablo 4?

The transition from the traditional Battle Pass system to the new Reliquaries in Diablo 4 has introduced another complication. Previously, players who purchased a Battle Pass, such as those with the Ultimate version of Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, could choose to delay redeeming it for a future season. For instance, if someone opted not to redeem their Battle Pass in Season 6, it would remain on their account, ready to be activated in a later season.

However, with the introduction of the Reliquaries system, many players are now reporting that they can no longer redeem their unused Battle Passes from previous seasons. This change has understandably caused some outrage.

Here’s hoping Blizzard fixes this issue quickly, as it may just be another hiccup in the madness that comes with a new season launch.

We’ll continue monitoring the situation for updates.

It's that time again, a new Diablo 4 season is about to begin and today's campfire went through everything learned from the Public Test Realm (PTR) and what to expect from Season 8.

Starting on April 29, 2025, Season 8 of Diablo 4 introduces a new storyline and gameplay mechanics centered around Belial, the Lord of Lies. Players will face unique challenges and unlock powerful 'boss abilities' in this seasonal update. Lets dive in.

Belial’s Return and the Seasonal questline

Belial’s comeback brings a new storyline for seasonal players, with help from two new allies: Sayeena, a former Vizjerei mage, and Jarius, a knight from the Cathedral of Light.

To begin the Lord of Lies questline, visit the Stranger in Kyovashad’s city center near the Waypoint. You’ll need to have completed Diablo 4’s base campaign and created a new character on the Seasonal Realm.

Boss Powers will be the Seasonal theme

This new mechanic allows players to absorb special abilities from defeated bosses, including World and Lair Bosses.

Each Boss Power has a Main effect and additional Modifiers, letting players experiment with different builds. Players can equip one Main Power and up to three Modifiers.

Apparition Incursions will pit you against Belial's manifestations

These are world events tied to Belial’s presence, where players battle his manifestations. Completing these incursions offers valuable loot and opportunities to gain new Boss Powers.

Any character playing on any Difficulty Level can participate in this event. The event occurs in a different part of Sanctuary every few minutes, so keep an eye on your map for its current location.

Everything you need to know about the Lair Boss rework

Season 8 introduces a reworked approach to Endgame Bosses, replacing the previous boss ladder system with Lair Bosses, now divided into three tiers based on difficulty and rewards:

Initiate Lair Bosses - cost 12 keys to summon

• Beast in the Ice
• Grigoire
• Lord Zir
• Varshan
• Urivar (Vessel of Hatred required).

Greater Lair Bosses - cost 3 keys to summon

• Andariel
• Duriel
• Harbinger of Hatred (Vessel of Hatred required).

Exalted Lair Bosses - cost 2 keys to summon

• Belial, Lord of Lies

All Lair Bosses are available starting at Torment Difficulty 1. Bosses no longer require summoning materials. Instead, they drop a Hoard chest upon defeat, which each player in a party must unlock individually using Lair Boss Keys.

There are guaranteed unique drops for first-time kills, and higher difficulties and larger parties increase the chance and quantity of unique rewards. This should help dramatically with bloat in the stash from previous boss farming.

More Boss Keys drop from activities like Helltide Chests, Nightmare Dungeons, and World Bosses. Lairs now have unique map icons and a direct teleport feature.

Supreme Belial is the ultimate challenge, requiring specific items like the Betrayer’s Husk to unlock. Defeating him yields rare rewards, including Ancestral Uniques.

The devs stated that the idea of all of this is that "the bosses will be more rewarding" and even more so after the feedback received since the PTR for Season 8.

Season Journey and Battle Pass simplified

Smoldering Ashes will now be earned directly through the Season Journey, rather than through the Battle Pass. These are what you use to power up your Seasonal Blessings such as XP boosts, increased reputation towards seasonal rewards etc.

The process should be simpler than in previous seasons.

Reliquaries, the new Battle Pass system

Season 8 introduces new Legendary Aspects, Unique Items, and cosmetics. A Battle Pass titled 'Reliquaries' provides additional rewards, while the in-game shop expands with more customization options.

In the shots above you can see that the Reliquaries are broken up into categories. Belials Return, Weapons, Beasts and Armor.

Belial’s Return is a non-premium Battle Pass Reliquary, which means it doesn't require Platinum to access, and you can even unlock a little platinum within it. The other 3 Reliquaries can be purchased with Platinum individually for 200/500/800 respectively, or as part of the whole Battle Pass bundle for 1000 platinum.

To unlock rewards, you'll need to earn favor, which can generally be done by simply playing the game, as you did for previous Battle Passes. You can hold up to 99 favor tokens and will need to spend these before earning more, however, they do roll over to future season battle passes if you do not spend them (up to the 99 limit).

This is all in addition to the Diablo x Berserk collaboration coming to the game on May 6, this will appear in the Event Reliquaries tab.

The Diablo 4 Roadmap

The Diablo 4 roadmap that was revealed weeks ago was met with a mixed response. The devs did want to emphasize that this roadmap is intentionally vague and will have other things added to it over the next 12 months.

"It's a starting point to be fleshed out." So we should expect more to come than what's been slated.

Additional updates

Summarized points from the question and answer portion of the developer chat below:

• Conduit Shrines removed.
• Obol Gambler buffed.
• Leveling Glyphs made easier.
• Lair Boss Keys remain tradeable.
• Balance changes to roll out faster.
• The levelling will not be as slow as it was in PTR.
• Mythic Unique drop rates increase as players progress through the difficulty levels.

How to start Season 8

Seasonal characters are required to participate in much of the new content, so ensure your campaign is complete and jump into the Seasonal Realm on April 29. Will you be playing?

On April 17, 2025, Blizzard announced a shocking surprise that Diablo 4 will be hosting a limited-time collaboration event with 'Berserk', a long-running dark fantasy manga franchise that's considered one of the greatest manga of all time.

Today, Blizzard has released more details on this crossover event, including its launch date, how long it will last, and what kind of rewards and gameplay players can expect to see from it.

Here are all the details for Diablo 4's 'Berserk' collaboration.

First off is that the Diablo 4 'Berserk' collaboration will begin on May 6, 2025, and it will last until the end of Season 8. While this event is active, Elite enemies will have a chance to drop a special currency called 'Behelits', which can be exchanged for Berserk-themed cosmetic items.

These cosmetics include:

• Hawks Destiny Back Trophy.
• Skull Knight’s Heraldry Mount Armor.
• Brand of Sacrifice Marking.

Once you have collected all these cosmetics in the Reliquary, you will earn an extra cosmetic item called the Od of the Berserker Emblem.

Next up is that Diablo 4's in-game Shop will be offering Berserk-themed cosmetic skins, a Pet bundle, and a Mount bundle:

• The Berserker Armor set for the Barbarian.
• The Skull Knight Armor set for the Necromancer.
• 'The Struggler' and The Hawk of Light Armor sets for the Rogue.
• The Chimimoryo Schnoz Pet Bundle which includes a Mask Rakshas Mount Trophy, and Chimimoryo’s Resemblance.
• The Warhorse of the Hawk Bundle which includes a Fantasia Mount, a Fantasia’s Bridle, a Reborn Band of the Hawk Mount Trophy, and a God Hand’s Gift Mount Trophy.

These items will only be available for purchase from the in-game Shop from May 6, 2025, until the end of Season 8.

Lastly, for Diablo 4's Berserk crossover, players can earn a Skull Behelit Mount Trophy via Twitch Drops by supporting streamers.

Diablo 4 isn't the only Diablo game getting on this crossover as Diablo Immortal will also have its own 'Berserk' collaboration event, which will start on May 1, 2025, and end on May 30, 2025.

Diablo Immortal's crossover event titled 'Diablo Immortal: Struggler’s Path' will feature a special boss with Nosferatu Zodd from Berserk and a special, harder version that can be unlocked by using the Crimson Behelit Gem.

This event will also include a horde-mode event called 'Survivor's Bane' which includes the infamous 'Eclipse' event from Berserk and new loot to collect like Crimson Behelit Gem, the Broken Band’s Armament, Berserk-themed weapon skins, and Golem Familiars.

There will also be free cosmetics, crests, and class-specific weapons available as login rewards.

As a non-Diablo 4 player, this collab with my favorite of all time is making it tempting for me to finally start playing

Unlike my colleague and Diablo expert, Jennifer Young, I don't really play Diablo 4 (I'm currently more invested in World of Warcraft at the time of this writing), but I am more than familiar with Berserk as it's one of my favorite manga/anime series ever.

For those who don't know, 'Berserk' is a dark fantasy manga series created in 1989 by the late great Kentaro Miura that would go on to have multiple anime TV shows, movies, and videogame adaptations.

The story follows the tragic life of Guts, a wandering warrior fighting to survive in a cruel world filled with war and demons on a quest to seek vengeance against his former best friend turned bitter enemy, Griffith.

Berserk is a tragic and brutal tale with themes of revenge, finding purpose in life, camaraderie, betrayal, dreams, and sacrifice, to name a few. It also features some of the most compelling characters and violent action scenes I've ever read in a manga.

Not to mention, the Berserk manga has some of the detailed and gorgeous artwork I've seen in any medium.

Berserk has captured the hearts of fans for nearly 4 decades and inspired countless manga, anime, and videogames, most notably FromSoftware titles like Demon Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring.

Diablo 4 having a crossover with Berserk is such a natural fit as both franchises feature similar dark settings with godlike demons and devils as the main antagonists.

So, seeing Berserk being faithfully celebrated in Diablo 4 makes me happy as a long-time fan, and hopeful it will attract new audiences to check out this amazing franchise for themselves. Though be forewarned, Berserk is not for the faint of heart, as it makes Game of Thrones look like a kids' show by comparison.

However, will this crossover with my favorite manga finally get me to play Diablo 4 (I was more invested in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak at the time)? Especially since Blizzard has announced that Diablo 4 will have a 10-year-long roadmap of content heading its way?

Well, I've recently had a falling out with Monster Hunter Wilds and completed the Undermine Raid in World of Warcraft. With plenty of time on my hands, perhaps the time has come to delve into Sanctuary and see why my colleague, Jez Corden, gave Diablo 4 a 5/5 star review.

Diablo 4 recently published a road map, letting us in on the fact there are two IP collabs coming up in 2025. Today Blizzard revealed that the first collaboration will be with none other than Berserk, the extremely dark Japanese manga series by by Kentaro Miura.

The short teaser doesn't tell us much, but I can say I'm relieved that the IP is somewhat in line with the dark themes of Diablo, ever since Blizzard let Lilith into Call of Duty I've been cautious about what they think a well tailored collaboration looks like, but thankfully, we aren't getting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Diablo (yet).

The Berserk collab will be a crossover event with Diablo 4 and Diablo Immortal

The trailer above has been posted and teased by both the Diablo 4 and Diablo Immortal social feeds, so we can assume this crossover will be happening in both games. They have simply teased "Trace the path of the Black Swordsman" and "You have been branded" with little else to go on on what this will contain.

The trailer itself shows a character fighting demons in the Berserker armor, so all I can ask now is, how am I going to financially recover from this? Is this going to be a collaboration similar to the World of Warcraft skins?

There's no official word yet on when the Berserk collaboration will land in Diablo 4, but the previously published Diablo 4 roadmap teased the first of these IP drops for April to July, which would coincide with the start of Season 8 Belial's Return, which starts Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

I'm not overly familiar with the Berserk series myself but I do know its impact on many games such as the Dark Souls series, which is another franchise I absolutely love, so perhaps this is the closest to Diablo x Dark Souls I will get!

Watch this space for more news!

In an interview with Gamefile, Rod Fergusson, General Manager of the Diablo franchise, gave fans an exciting glimpse into the future of the series. While Blizzard recently unveiled a short-term roadmap for Diablo 4, Fergusson revealed that the team has been thinking far beyond that—with a detailed plan stretching over the next decade.

“We're here for the long haul. We've been doing long-range planning recently. And I've created a roadmap—a 10-year roadmap…it was actually a 12-year [roadmap]—I can see this, this, this and this and all these different things that we can do, [which] is really inspiring. And it's really exciting. We’re focused on what players want…I can’t tell you much more than that.”

Rod Fergusson's reply should make Diablo fans happy

This long-term vision was shared during DICE, where Fergusson participated in a creative exchange initiated by journalist Stephen Totilo. Totilo’s idea involved having one games industry figure pose a question for the next, which led Marc Merril of Riot Games to ask Fergusson:

“How are you thinking about the next big inflection point and installment for Diablo? Because that’s a storied franchise that has legs.”

Fergusson’s response should reassure fans about Blizzard’s commitment to the franchise. With a 10-year roadmap, it’s clear that Diablo’s future is being carefully plotted out, though of course many things are subject to change.

A change in pace for expansions

At the same event, Fergusson also disclosed that the next major expansion for Diablo 4 is slated for 2026, breaking from the expected yearly release cycle.

Fans were recently presented with a Diablo 4 2025 roadmap that outlined seasonal content, two new IP collaborations, and a possible teaser for a new class arriving in 2026. While some appreciated the broader look at Blizzard’s plans, others criticized the roadmap’s vague details and what looks like a repetition of seasonal mechanics like borrowed powers and reputation boards.

Slower storytelling in Sanctuary

Alluding to a 10-year long game doesn't suprise me at all, and I'm glad Blizzard will be taking a little longer to let the next expansion cook. The decision to take a slower approach with expansions may ultimately benefit the franchise.

Lest we forget, this will be the first Diablo game that actually receives a second expansion as further plans for Diablo 3 were canceled before Reaper of Souls even hit the shelves.

Many fans, including myself, were left underwhelmed by the direction of the story in the Vessel of Hatred expansion, despite its introduction of the Spiritborn class and new content. The narrative’s focus on Mephisto, who is a fascinating and complex villain, has still left many wanting for closure that never came. Also we will be heading into a third year of Diablo 4 without an appearance by the titular Prime Evil himself.

While Blizzard seems to be deliberately extending Mephisto’s arc across multiple expansions, this could pave the way for a more cohesive and impactful story in the long term. Hopefully, future expansions will bring more satisfying resolutions as well as interesting new directions for the lore in Sanctuary.

Blizzard’s ambitions of a decade of Diablo content give me hope, and it’s clear the team is prioritizing both player feedback and long-term planning. While some may grow impatient with the slower rollout of expansions and updates, this deliberate approach could result in a better game overall, and I for one hope we look back fondly of these years arguing over what color the Helltides are each season.

Recently, Blizzard unveiled its Diablo 4 roadmap, and responses have been a bit mixed.

Diablo 4 is a wildly successful ARPG sequel to the legendary franchise that created the genre. At launch, it was an incredibly promising platform upon which to build something special, but arguably, a lot of that early promise has petered out.

I myself have stopped playing Diablo 4, because the seasonal content model didn't really grab me. Every season feels practically the same, and it's difficult for me not to compare it to the absolute deluge of content I get playing World of Warcraft season over season. Even WoW's upcoming "mini" mid-season patch feels beefier than what Diablo 4 has been offering in some of its seasons — and part of the problem is that Diablo, for some reason, hasn't learned from World of Warcraft's previous mistakes.

World of Warcraft underwent a historic decline over the past few seasons, but has begun turning things around based on recent API data. One of the things I attribute to this turn around is the change of the Warcraft team's philosophy towards borrowed power.

"Borrowed power" refers to progression systems that are removed or reset the following season. For example, in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, we had a powerful necklace that we could power up over time, and would ultimately lose at the end of the expansion. In Shadowlands, we had Covenants with the factions of the afterlife, and we'd lose their powers once we left.

It was incredibly irritating and began feeling utterly formulaic, when you knew that by the end of the expansion, all that progression was going to ultimately be meaningless. That's always been true of games like this at the end of the day — but borrowed power mechanics put that reality firmly up front and center.

Recently, Diablo 4 content creator Rhykker landed an interview with Diablo 4's game director Brent Gibson, which went into further detail about Blizzard's recently revealed Diablo 4 roadmap.

The roadmap is very similar to World of Warcraft's roadmap layout, which is a very admirable attempt at greater transparency on Blizzard's part. It's incredibly useful too for them, hopefully, as a feedback gathering tool. And if you look at the comments on Rhykker's video and across the Diablo 4 subreddit, people are lining up to give feedback.

A lot of the discourse revolves around those pesky borrowed power mechanics, which we've seen Blizzard leverage ad nauseum in Diablo 4 since it launched.

One of the reasons Blizzard killed borrowed power in World of Warcraft wasn't just because it felt bad to lose all of that progression at the end of the expansion, but because at some point they realized "couldn't the development time be used on things that add permanent upgrades to the game?" And to be fair, the Diablo 4 team has spent development hours improving existing systems, but it's all too often backwards-facing.

It is a bit different season over season versus expansion over expansion, but the formulaic nature of Diablo 4's approach has fans creating memes around how the seasonal model basically just shifting previous mechanics across with a new color theme. New, permanent additions to the game, such as the revamped boss ladder with Belial, don't seem to hit the game at the cadence players would potentially like.

Comment from r/diablo4

Rhykker argues that Diablo 4 would be better off with a "meta-progression" layer, by which players would unlock actual content like bosses and new dungeons as they progress their power. I couldn't agree more on that point. World of Warcraft's new boss Delves accentuate that to some degree, giving players who have progressed their gear score a major challenge and permanent reward to unlock for that particular season.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if Blizzard's Diablo spent a little longer making seasons bigger and more meaningful than rushing together temporary systems that will be lost and forgotten forever when the seasons end. And yes, some "borrowed power" features do make their way into the game permanently as affixes and the like, but it's not quite as inspiring as all-new systems and dungeons that now typically only come with full expansions.

There's simply a lot in Diablo 4's design that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The only permanent rewards are transmog (gear styles), and all the best ones come from paid store DLC and tired battle passes, and rarely from actually completing dungeons or downing bosses. Features like World Bosses and strongholds are underwhelming or forgotten entirely in endgame play. Unlike games like World of Warcraft, Elden Ring, Monster Hunter, or even Diablo 2, Diablo 4 bosses rarely feel like epic climactic battles as they should, but instead simply reflect annoying road bumps with minimalistic rewards.

I accept how tough it can be hard for developers to thread the needle on games like this. The entire player base is comprised of communities that want different things ultimately. Path of Exile 2 is seeing some contention with its attempts to create a slower, more difficult ARPG experience over the Diablo 3-style hyper-power fantasy with millions of exploding numbers. I also realize that World of Warcraft has a monthly subscription model that funds its ongoing development, likely giving that team a far bigger budget with which to play.

But, in my humble view, I don't think the resources the Diablo 4 team has are being used as effectively as they could be, from a design philosophy stand point.

Developer Blizzard Entertainment shared a Diablo 4 roadmap on Tuesday, giving some insights into what players can expect from the action-RPG this year and heading into 2026.

As outlined via Xbox Wire, new permanent additions to the game in 2025 will include new lair bosses, keyboard and mouse support on consoles, new Nightmare Dungeon activities, and more.

That's in addition to various seasonal activities, which will bring new quests to complete and pets to earn. The developer is also celebrating the upcoming two-year anniversary of Diablo 4 in June, while two new "IP collabs" are on the way.

We don't have many details right now, but the press release indicates these collabs are both meant to suit the dark themes and art of Diablo. You can check out the full Diablo 4 2025 roadmap below:

While the final segment showing what's coming in 2026 reiterates that another expansion is on the way, the text at the bottom is partially covered by flames. To myself and fellow contributor Jennifer Young, that sure looks like "New Class."

Of course, it would really be shocking if the next expansion didn't include an additional class, as 2024's Vessel of Hatred brought the Spiritborn class to the roster. Will this be the widely-requested Paladin that the playerbase desperately hopes to see, or does Blizzard have something else in mind? Only time will tell.

I'm also extremely curious to see what crossovers are on the way. Will these be with other Xbox first-party franchises, or are there external partners at play here?

Diablo 4 was originally meant to get another expansion later this year, but franchise boss Rod Fergusson explained that it was pushed back as Blizzard had been adjusting its live service plans in order to better react to player feedback.

In our review of Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, executive editor Jez Corden was joined by Jennifer Young in writing that "It's undeniable that the team has built a powerful stage upon which to further flesh out the Mephisto arc, I just hope that the team will continue to listen to feedback. So far, they've done a decent job on that front."

Diablo 4 is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (via Steam and Battle.net), PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. It's also included in Xbox Game Pass.

Diablo 4 March of the Goblins is currently underway with an all new set of critters to chase down for loot, and we already know that Season 8 has been delayed until April 29, but what else did we learn from today's Developer stream?

Well not only is Season 8 an ode to Bosses in Diablo 4, we're getting 3 new ones including an "old friend" from Diablo 3. Season 8 will let us wield powers of even the World Bosses and finally get our own back on Lilith with her own ground spike attack.

Here's when the Public Test Realm for Season 8 starts, and everything else we know about Season 8, the season where WE become the boss (literally).

New friends (well foes) as we get new Bosses to fight in Season 8

We've not had any new bosses since Andariel was added to the boss ladder in Season 4, but as we already reported, we're getting Mephisto's 'Harbinger of Hatred' as a new member of the Boss Ladder.

The biggest surprise is the reveal of the 'old friend' teased by Rod Fergusson recently. Belial from Diablo 3 is back!

He will be both a pinnacle boss, and there will be a chance for a form of him to ambush you after fighting other bosses. Fighting the ambush version of Belial will be the only way to access his Supreme form.

Belial appeared as 'The Lord of Lies' and a main fight in Diablo 3, revealed during the story as being in disguise as an ally, you fight his giant form on a huge platform as he tries to take you out in a swarm of stink breath.

It's a huge fight with a huge boss, and I'm excited to see it back.

We'll also get to face off with Urivar again from Vessel of Hatred, though he will only be available to those who own the DLC.

Summoning materials are being scrapped and bosses will essentially be 'free' to summon. However, players will need to create 'Lair keys.'

Materials have been taking up too much space in the bag and this is a great solution. Stygian stones will now be used to craft the next boss's lair key.

Supreme Belial?

It wasn't really clear from the stream what 'Supreme Belial' is, but I'm sure it's terrifying.

Quality of life changes to the Boss Ladder include easier to see boss lair icons, and clear descriptions of which boss is in each lair.

Not only will the lairs be easier to spot, we can now teleport to them immediately. No more going to the nearest fast travel point, yay!

Each boss has also been reworked and may have new mechanics so the fights should feel fresh in Season 8.

Season 8 is an ode to Bosses, and Belial's influence will be all across Sanctuary

Season 8 introduces Apparition Incursions, an exciting, fast-paced boss rush mode.

In this event, you'll face 10 randomized bosses back-to-back, pushing your skills and builds to the limit.

It ends with a thrilling showdown with Belial himself.

I am become (wandering) death

In Season 8, we will quite literally 'become the Boss' and be able to wield the powers of all the Bosses in the game, from Lilith to Wandering Death.

There are 24 Boss Powers to collect. Each Boss Power has 2 effects—a Main and Modifier—that can be activated depending on the Power Slot you equip it to. You can have up to 1 Main and 3 Modifier Powers active at a time.

In the stream, we saw 'Lilith's Hatred' where we can throw down her infamous one-shot kill ground spikes, Duriel's Burrow and Wandering Death's Chest Beam.

Unfortunately, the beam travels around the battlefield and doesn't actually burst from my character's bosom, but I'll be giving the developers feedback on this disappointment.

Examples of Boss powers we can get in Diablo 4

Taken from the Patch 2.2.0 notes, we can see some of the amazing powers we'll be able to wreak havoc with:

• Duriel's Burrow - When you Evade, you now burrow underground, immobilizing surrounding enemies for 5 seconds and dealing 200% on your entry and exit. You deal 200% damage every 0.25 seconds while burrowed. Evade's Cooldown is increased by 4 seconds, and Cooldown Reduction on Evade is 50% as effective.
• Belial's Eye Beams - After you drink a healing potion, gain 75% Damage Reduction for 2 seconds and summon eye beams that Corrupt enemies for 1,750% damage over 3.5 seconds. Then, your Healing Potion becomes disabled for 5 seconds. You may drink your Healing Potion at full health.
• Grigoire's Lightning Square - After you cast a Core Skill, lightning tiles outward for 1.2 seconds dealing 300% Lightning damage per strike.
• Lord Zir's Blood Pool - After you damage an enemy, spawn a pool of blood that deals 400% Bleeding damage per second over 4 seconds. You can have up to 3 active pools.

"Progression in Season 7 has been too fast"

Season 6 time to level from 0-60 was 15-17 hours on average, in Season 7 this was halved to 9 hours on average which is not the intention, but a side effect of the seasonal powers and activities.

The developers do want the process from item 1-25 to be slower and closer to the time it took in Season 6, and also not have normal and rare gear to completely lose meaning.

Players were getting a Legendary every 3-4 minutes within an hour of playing the new season, which makes items no longer 'feel' legendary. Adjustments will be made to reduce the drop rates on these early on.

Adjustments will also be made to Rare and Magic items overall so they are more beneficial in the early game.

• Magic items can have up to 2 affixes
• Rare items can have up to 3
• Legendary is still the best quality at max level

Torment progression was also too fast

The overall progression speed and number of players reaching Torment 4 has more than doubled from Season 6.

The intention is that Torment 4 is top-level content for the top 10% of players, but on average, it's only taking 15 hours from level 60 to hit it, and 50% of players are doing so.

We're adjusting:

• Torment 1 now starts at Pit Tier 10
• Torment (and Pit scaling) is increasing by 20%
• Torment 4 will be equivalent to Season 7 Pit Tier 76

Mid season updates and balance patches

No longer planning on doing mid-season balance updates, the developers want to put more effort into getting it right from day 1 of the season.

Mid-season updates can be frustrating for people who have invested heavily into gear by the time they arrive.

We can still expect reactions to egregious things that pop up early in the season, an example of which was the Eagle-Evade Spiritborn build from Season 6, and the current overtuned Necromancer Bloodwave build in Season 7.

Class changes and balancing

The team discussed further changes for each class, inclluding changes to Ultimate scaling for all classes.

Lucky Hit control effects will be toned down and new terms to describe Damage over Time for different additional damage types.

As usual, each class will receive a new Unique weapon and new Aspect, and you can check out the full list of changes and additions in the Patch notes that followed the stream.

You can read the full Patch 2.2.0 notes here.

When can I play Diablo 4 Season 8?

Season 8 is currently set to start on April 29, however the Public Test Realm (PTR) to test all of these proposed changes starts on 11 March, and runs to 18 March.

The team also shared we will be getting a roadmap before the start of Season 8.

This is something the players have been requesting since World of Warcraft and Diablo Immortal players have one.

How can I play the Diablo 4 Season 8 PTR?

You'll need to own Diablo 4 or have Xbox Game Pass and be using a PC to access the Diablo 4 PTR. It's not currently available for console users.

1. Open the Battle.net launcher.
2. Navigate to Diablo 4.
3. In the bottom left corner, select the dropdown and you'll find Public Test Realm.
4. Click Install.
5. Click Play and select a test server.
6. Create a test character (create a Seasonal one for anything related to the Seasonal themes)
7. Skip Campaign if you started anew.

If you are an Xbox Game Pass player on PC, you can access the PTR through the Xbox app and follow the same steps above, all from March 11 to March 18.

This is the first time I've been genuinely excited for a March of the Goblins event in Diablo 4. Not because there's anything wrong with them per se, but they usually come a little later in the season—when I’ve already gathered most of the gear I want. Treasure goblins have also always felt a little lackluster in Diablo 4. However, the March of the Goblins event begins on March 4 and brings some major changes that have me genuinely hyped. Many of Diablo 3's treasure goblin variants are making their return, and they aren’t just here for the event—they’re here to stay. I for one am glad to see more Diablo 3 features returning and I think we could stand to see a few more.

When does March of the Goblins start?

• March 4, 10 a.m. PST, to March 11, 10 a.m. PDT
• March 4, 1 p.m. ET to March 11, 1 p.m. ET
• March 4, 6 p.m. GMT to March 11, 5 p.m. GMT

March of the Goblins, bigger and better but pleasingly familiar for Diablo 3 fans

Starting March 4, Diablo 4 players will notice an increased rate of Treasure Goblin sightings across Sanctuary. These goblins will include six brand-new variants, each with unique loot.

• Odious Ector: Drops crafting materials, including rare Obducite in torment difficulties.
• Gilded Baron: Drops massive piles of gold.
• Glittering Prym: A gem hoarder that drops Runes, Gem Fragments, Undercity Tributes and Scattered Prisms in Torment.
• Curious Murl: Grants a bounty of Murmuring Obols, stored neatly in collectible bags so no worry for players who are at capacity.
• Gelatinous Syrus: A Goblin that splits into more goblins when attacked and gifts players with Legendary items, Gold, and Boss summoning materials.
• Fancy Old Fedric: A brand new goblin exclusive to Diablo 4, so rare you may never see him! This mythic rarity Goblin drops a guaranteed Mythic Unique and a Resplendent Spark (for crafting your own Mythic Unique)

Many of these new goblins are modern-day counterparts to some of our favorite Treasure Goblins from Diablo 3. For instance, Diablo 3’s Gem Hoarder is now Diablo 4’s Glittering Prym and Gilded Baron is err, Gilded Baron.

My personal favorite goblin from Diablo 3, the Gelatinous Sire, returns as 'Gelatinous Syrus,' However, Diablo 4 goes a step further with adding a new mythical goblin which while I'll probably never spot one, I'm psyched to know is in the game.

I've a guide to the best way to farm treasure goblins here if you want to increase your chances of finding our new pals.

As someone who has spent countless hours farming Goblins in Diablo 3 for their unique drops (including secret levels), I can't help but more excited than usual for this particular event.

With the return of the Armory in Season 7, and now these new goblin variants, I can't help but think Blizzard seems less shy to lean into the best of its history to fill some content gaps players have felt in Diablo 4, but it also raises a question for me. Why stop at Goblins?

Diablo 3 wasn’t bad—and the more Diablo 4 embraces this the better

The Diablo franchise has a complicated history. Originally planned to have MMO features these ideas were scrapped and later implemented into in what we have as Diablo 4 now.

When Diablo 3 launched, it faced criticism for its real money auction house and 'colorfulness' and split the fandom into Diablo 2 diehards, and those who embraced Diablo 3, but it has always been somewhat cool to whale on Diablo 3 as being bad.

Though it did transform post-Reaper of Souls into a title offering regular seasonal content updates and a more rewarding loot system, it was perhaps too heavy-handed in its progression system and use of ' green item sets,' which kind of killed off any loot chase outside of these items.

Many things about Diablo 3 were great, though, and it's good to see that Blizzard has not forgotten this and is slowly adding fun features back in, such as the new goblins.

When Diablo 4 launched, it was clear with the slow levelling and darker themes it was angling for the Diablo 2 audience, but Blizzard have since said they've realized that the modern audience doesn't really appreciate that grind.

Adding the armory and new loot goblins are easy quick wins to bulk out the content in Diablo 4, but it could do so even more by addressing other quality of life additions we had previously that the audience would appreciate now.

We're not getting a loot filter but could there be another solution we've already had?

In a recent Q&A, the developers addressed the community’s ongoing frustration with the lack of a loot filter. This isn’t something I thought Diablo 4 particularly needed—until Season 7, the Season of Witchcraft. The sheer volume of loot drops in Headhunt areas has made me rethink my stance.

A loot filter would allow players to customize the drops they see, focusing on gear that matches their builds or progression needs. However, Blizzard has stopped short of committing to this solution, explaining that they want all loot to feel meaningful, from the lowly white drops to Legendaries.

While I agree that lower-level loot is still necessary for salvaging into crafting materials, Blizzard could address this issue in another way: bringing back the salvaging pets from Diablo 3.

In Season 28, Diablo 3 introduced the Altar of Rites, unlocking an amazing quality of life feature—pets that automatically salvaged common, magic, and rare items. This let players focus on meaningful loot without constantly returning to town to manage their inventory.

In Diablo 4, pets already serve as cosmetic companions, and I've just earning the lovely Dorian the Raven. I say they already pick up crafting materials for us, why not salvage the items we don't need too and give us the solution we crave for the loot clutter issue?

With the casual announcement of an expansion not expected until 2026, Blizzard could keep us happy with other Diablo 3 themed additions. Lest we forget goblins also opened the gates to Whimsyshire levels and even the Cow level.

Adding these in with a Diablo 4 twist would be a great way to keep players hooked while we wait for that new expansion.

Season 8 delayed by 2 weeks

General Manager of Diablo 4, Rod Fergusson, announced last week that Season 8 will be delayed. Previously scheduled for April 15, it’s now set to begin on April 29. We’ll also hear more about the Public Test Realm (PTR) for this season in a Campfire Chat on March 7.

The most intriguing part of this announcement was the tease of an "old friend" returning, sparking plenty of speculation within the community.

Before anyone gets too excited, I highly doubt it’s Diablo himself, who hasn’t yet appeared in Diablo 4. Blizzard will almost certainly save that reveal for an expansion. But who else could it be?

Fans are already theorizing that Zoltun Kulle might make a return, though his voice was already featured in Season 3. Could it be Deckard Cain, somehow arisen from his grave of butterflies? Or perhaps Tyrael, whose whereabouts remain unknown since the end of Diablo 3?

Delays to seasons are always welcome if they lead to a better experience overall. Whatever Blizzard has planned, I can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeve.

At the DICE video game networking conference, Rod Fergusson, General Manager of Diablo 4, announced that the game's next expansion, set to follow Vessel of Hatred, will launch in 2026.

This news, not yet shared through Blizzard's official channels, was revealed by journalist Jason Schreier on BlueSky, where he is attending the event.

It's official —Diablo 4's second expansion launching in 2026

This announcement may come as a surprise to many Diablo 4 fans, who have speculated whether the rumored multiple expansions would follow an annual release schedule. Following the launch of Diablo 4 in June 2024, the first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, was unveiled at BlizzCon 2023 and released in October 2024.

However, Vessel of Hatred left some players wanting more. Its story campaign, while centered on the Lord of Hatred, Mephisto, felt rather short, with many, including us in our Vessel of Hatred review, noting that it ended abruptly just as it seemed to gain momentum. Fans hoping for another expansion in 2025 to continue the story may be disappointed by the news of a 2026 release.

The extended wait also raises concerns for those eager to see new classes introduced, particularly a sword-and-shield archetype like the Paladin. If Blizzard continues to tie new classes exclusively to story expansions—as they did with the Spiritborn class—players may be waiting even longer for their desired additions.

2026 could be good news

While my initial reaction to this news was one of dismay—I'm eager to see the story continue—the decision to push the next expansion to 2026 might ultimately be a good thing. Previous communications from Blizzard seemed to hint at big annual content updates, but Vessel of Hatred faced criticism upon release, with many fans expecting more for its $40 base price.

Personally, I felt the price was justified by the addition of a whole new map region and the introduction of the Spiritborn class. However, the shorter story campaign left some players wanting more with its unresolved story. Blizzard have bigger plans for Mephisto though, and may introduce his controversial fight as a Tortured Boss. This extended timeline for the next expansion suggests Blizzard may be aiming to deliver something more substantial, potentially addressing fan expectations and delivering a better experience overall, that could satiate the community's appetite making it worth the wait. I remain optimistic!

The team over at Videogamer has been chatting to the man behind the original Diablo and Diablo 2. While we await the release of the full interview, the team has shared a few intriguing excerpts, including Brevik’s critique of the fast-paced, instant-gratification style that dominates today’s ARPGs and MMOs, stating, "you've cheapened the whole experience."

In another preview from the interview, Brevik delved into his original vision for Diablo 3 during its early planning stages, before his departure from Blizzard. Interestingly, some of his concepts share parallels with elements of Diablo 4 today, particularly its MMO-inspired features. However, Brevik explained that his approach would have taken a different direction.

“It ends up being different; I would have made different decisions than they made,” Brevik told Videogamer. “Like, I think a lot comes down to the way that they did, they do itemization or the way that they do their characters and things like that were kind of different directions than I think that I was focused on."

I wanted more of… I think that one of the things that is most important about a particular MMO are the social aspects. And I think that focusing more on the social aspects of the MMO are things that from a game design perspective, encouraging social interactions is something that I think that I would have really leaned into.”

Early concepts of Diablo 3 have morphed into Diablo 4

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Diablo 3’s ambitious plans that never came to fruition. In Jason Schreier’s Play Nice: The Rise and Fall of Blizzard, which includes insights from David Brevik, it’s revealed that Diablo 3 was initially envisioned as an MMORPG heavily inspired by Ultima Online. The game was designed to feature large-scale multiplayer towns where hundreds of players could interact, congregating in central hubs before venturing into separate instances.

These early ideas bear a striking resemblance to what we now see in Diablo 4. However, at the time, Blizzard North struggled to realize this ambitious vision, particularly as Blizzard’s resources were increasingly funneled into the booming success of World of Warcraft. This led to Diablo 3 being significantly scaled back from its original concept.

"It wasn't just an MMO"

“It was gonna be an ARPG with the same perspective and all of those kind of things, but just an MMO in terms of people in the world, and you’re running around the world and you see other people kind of thing, and you could group up and you were on a Shard and there were dungeons and things like that. It was much more like a cross between sort of like a World of Warcraft, but Diablo mix or whatever.” Brevik shares in the interview. He also goes on to discuss the Battle.net experience and incorporating that into a more immersive experience.

Asked if he would make that game today he responded "no."

Where is David Brevik now and where can I hear the interview?

Brevik parted ways with Blizzard following its acquisition by Vivendi and the subsequent closure of Blizzard North. Today, he runs his own publishing company, Skystone Games, which focuses on supporting and publishing indie developers.

The VideoGamer podcast can be found on Spotify, and the episode is now live here.

Original creator of the Diablo franchise, David Brevik was interviewed recently for the VideoGamer podcast, and while the episode isn't live yet the guys over at VideoGamer have published some of the best bits which are sure to get some tongues wagging in the ARPG community. As the battle between Diablo and Path of Exile rages on amongst fans, Brevik bemoaned the faster-paced nature of current-day ARPGs, and I can't help wondering if his comments were more focused on Diablo 4 than anything else. The latest season has certainly had the dial turned up to 11 for loot rain, but I did enjoy Season 7 a lot. Do modern gamers really want the slower methodical paced gameplay the Brevik is harking back to in this interview? We'll get into that shortly, first here's his comments.

David Brevik, the original creator of the Diablo franchise, recently shared his thoughts in an interview for the VideoGamer podcast. While the full episode isn’t live yet, the VideoGamer team has teased some highlights that are already stirring up conversation in the ARPG community. As fans continue to debate the merits of Diablo 4 versus Path of Exile 2, Brevik lamented the faster-paced gameplay seen in today’s ARPGs and MMOs. Though I stress he didn’t name any titles specifically, it’s hard not to wonder if his criticism was aimed directly at Diablo 4, especially with its latest loot-heavy season, Season of Witchcraft.

Season 7 certainly ramped things up, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. But it does raise a question: do modern gamers really crave the slower, methodical gameplay Brevik is reminiscing about?

Brevik on the current pacing of ARPGs and MMOs

“I think that a RPGs in general have started to lean into this: kill swaths of enemies all over the place extremely quickly,” Brevik said in the interview. “Your build is killing all sorts of stuff so you could get more drops, you can level up, so you can like, and the screen is littered with stuff you don’t care about.” Although he acknowledges Diablo 2 wasn’t perfect, Brevik elaborated on why he finds modern gameplay less engaging: "I just don’t find killing screen-fulls of things instantly and mowing stuff down and walking around the level and killing everything, very enticing. I just don’t feel like that is a cool experience. I find it kind of silly.”

While the full interview hasn’t been released, these snippets are already fueling online debates and I'd bet there are multiple Youtube videos incoming considering Brevik's status in the gaming community. Although Brevik doesn’t mention Diablo 4 or Path of Exile 2 by name here, the implications are clear—and fans on both sides are taking note.

What do the Diablo 4 audience actually want?

Let me share a little secret: it’s impossible to please Diablo players. When Diablo 4 launched in June 2023, it was praised for its story and campaign—arguably the best in the franchise. But its endgame? Not so much. Players criticized its pacing and lack of meaningful endgame. Ironically, while Diablo 2 fans have spent years farming Baal without reaching max level, the same grind is considered intolerable in a modern Diablo game.

In our interview with the developers last year, Rod Fergusson addressed this disconnect:

"When you launch something, you're always doing it with a set of assumptions. We had the assumption that D4 was meant to be more D2-like. And so one of the assumptions was that people were going to be okay with the long grind for the Unique or an Uber Unique in particular, because in Diablo II, it can go years. You can go three years before you find the Uber you're looking for. And in fact, like there's a name called the Holy Grail, which is getting one of everything, which literally takes years. And so we were like, okay, this is what people love about the progression of D2, that idea of that very long chase. And so we launched that way with D4 and we found out very quickly that if you don't give me my Uber in my season, then I'm upset."

Translation: Blizzard tried the slow-burn approach of Diablo 2 but faced immediate backlash. The result now is Increased mob density and a legendary loot rain closer to Diablo 3—a shift I personally enjoy. But this faster pace comes at a cost, with updates feeling increasingly buggy, something Blizzard has openly acknowledged.

You can't please everyone

Not everyone agrees with me on Diablo 4’s current pace, and that’s fine. For those craving a more methodical and grueling challenge, Path of Exile 2 might be the better fit. However, even PoE 2 is navigating its own teething issues, albeit under the protection of Early Access. Personally, I blame Elon Musk.

Ultimately, the debate boils down to catering to two distinct audiences: casual players like myself and hardcore fans looking for a punishing grind. From a business perspective, Blizzard’s focus on the more profitable casual audience makes sense, even if it frustrates Diablo 2 purists.

Where can I listen to the David Brevik interview?

The VideoGamer podcast can be found on Spotify, and I'll update this page when the episode goes live. You can read more about David Brevik's experience at Blizzard and some other interesting facts about Diablo in Jason Schreier's Play Nice.

UPDATE: The podcast is now live here.

Diablo 4 Season 7 just kicked off, and it's the first season following the successful launch of its main competitor Path of Exile 2. To entice players to give the game a try, Blizzard is offering a free trial via Battle.net, available until January 28.

There's a couple of caveats though.The trial is exclusive to PC players, and you can only level your character up to level 25, which won't take long to reach. Despite these restrictions, the free trial provides a great opportunity to experience Blizzard's flagship ARPG. Plus, any progress made during the trial will carry over if you decide to purchase the full game.

Play the new Spiritborn class

During the free trial, you can play any class, including the new Spiritborn class up to level 25. The Spiritborn class debuted with the Vessel of Hatred expansion, which also adds the new map area of Nahantu and a new chapter to the campaign story.

Blizzard has also slashed 40% off the price of the expansion bundle making it more affordable than ever to dive into both Diablo 4 and Vessel of Hatred. The bundle is now available for $41.99, down from its regular price of $69.99, exclusively on Battle.net.

Welcome Back pack is staying

Blizzard is making it easier for returning players to jump back into Diablo 4 with the Welcome Back pack, introduced last season and now a permanent addition for Eternal Realm players. If you haven’t played since launch, this pack helps you catch up on the many changes the game has undergone. If you want a brief recap I went over this in last season's Diablo 4 leveling guide.

The Welcome Back boost instantly raises an Eternal Realm character to level 50, providing a significant head start given that the new level cap is now 60, not 100. Along with the level boost, you’ll receive Legendary items and pre-set Class skills to help you dive right into the action. Additionally, your character will have all Altars of Lilith unlocked by default.

You'll also receive::

• 1 million gold
• 1000 Obols (currency to spend at the Purveyor of Curiosities)
• 1 Scroll of Amnesia (an item that allows a free respec)
• Craftiing materials

To boost your character, head to Kyovashad and interact with the Fated Reliquary inside to unlock. If you already have a level 50 Eternal character, you’ll still receive the Legendary items and option for the builds geared towards your class. If you also own the Vessel of Hatred expansion, you’ll be able to harness this powerful boost for two characters on the Eternal Realm.

The Diablo 4 free trial period runs until January 28 at 10am PST.

Path of Exile 2 Early Access has been a resounding success, peaking at 578k concurrent players and still retaining an impressive 225k over a month since launch. As a Diablo fan, I’ve often wondered how Path of Exile 2’s arrival would impact my favorite ARPG. With Season 7 of Diablo 4 on the horizon, how the competition will work between the two games is becoming increasingly clear, clearer than ever since last night's Diablo 4 developer stream.

While Path of Exile 2 is leaning into its more complex and hardcore appeal, Diablo 4 is doubling down on its efforts to cater to a casual audience. Season 7 introduces several changes aimed at helping casual players reach endgame more efficiently—a smart move for Blizzard, and here’s why.

The Diablo 4 audience is more casual than you think

I consider myself a casual Diablo 4 player. I’m not a streamer or a high-level content creator. I don’t push top-tier Pit levels, nor do I max out multiple characters every season. But I do play consistently, completing my Season Journey within two weeks on average, usually pocketing some Mythic Uniques along the way.

For most Diablo 4 players, this isn’t the norm. Many log in for just an hour or two after work, taking one to two months to finish their Season Journey—and that’s perfectly fine. From the messages I receive, it’s clear a lot of players aren’t following optimized build guides or min-maxing their gear to handle Torment 4. Instead, they’re enjoying the game at their own pace, and Diablo 4 is designed to support both them and players like me.

In last night's Season 7 developer chat, it was clearer than ever that Blizzard is drilling down its efforts to cater to this casual audience, with a few key changes:

• Early chapters of the Season Journey have been reworked to help casual players hit endgame faster.
• Seasonal Paragon points will now carry over to Eternal characters, ensuring that consistent gameplay rewards even the most time-strapped players.
• Archetype Caches have been added, offering build-specific rewards like “Pyromancer Sorceress” gear.
• Feedback from the PTR has led to simplified elements of the Season of Witchcraft mechanics, explicitly aimed at new players.

Throughout the stream, the developers emphasized their desire to make gameplay less overwhelming for those new to the game. This shift in messaging and tone hasn’t gone unnoticed, with community figures like Rhykker discussing these changes in depth.

Diablo 4 has tried different approaches and this is what works

Since its 2022 launch, Diablo 4 has gone through an identity crisis, trying to balance nostalgia for Diablo 2 with the demands of a modern live-service game. A quote from Rod Fergusson in a 2024 interview I did stands out as particularly relevant, and has been dragged up recently in these discussions:

"When you launch something, you're always doing it with a set of assumptions. We had the assumption that D4 was meant to be more D2-like. And so one of the assumptions was that people were going to be okay with the long grind for the Unique or an Uber Unique in particular, because in Diablo II, it can go years. You can go three years before you find the Uber you're looking for. And in fact, like there's a name called the Holy Grail, which is getting one of everything, which literally takes years. And so we were like, okay, this is what people love about the progression of D2, that idea of that very long chase. And so we launched that way with D4 and we found out very quickly that if you don't give me my Uber in my season, then I'm upset. And so we're like, oh, wow, okay. And now it's not like, now we actually have an uber currency, uber unique currency that you can go make the one. If you're not finding it, you can actually go make it for yourself, right? And so, which is very different. It's just a kind of a recognition of how much players have changed in 20 years. You know, what they, that consumptive nature of a live service and that time is money and I don't have much time, so let's go, right? And so that idea of like, oh, you're going to get a unique every six months. So what are you talking about? I need to get all the uniques in six months, you know? And so it's been, so that's that clarity that Brent (Associate Game Director), talks about is just putting in players' hands, getting their actions and adapting."

This quote really encapsulates the key challenge for Blizzard: adapting Diablo’s formula to a new era and new expectations from the franchise. Early criticism of Diablo 4 focused on grind-heavy progression and unique item scarcity, forcing Blizzard to introduce more accessible systems, like crafting currency for Mythic Uniques and earlier access to the Helltides, making leveling easier.

In contrast, Path of Exile 2 is unapologetically complex. Regular nerfs to overpowered builds, while expected during Early Access, don’t deter its audience, even if they must completely rebuild their characters as a result. Meanwhile, Diablo 4’s adjustments—such as the infamous Spiritborn Eagle Evade nerf—often provoke backlash and jokes about Blizzard 'killing fun.'

While in both cases it's necessary to make changes for the long term health of the game, it's just something I've observed about audience attitudes with both games. Diablo 4 is prime for more criticism given the size of the studio and budget, so fair reason, but a difference nonetheless.

Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2 are two very different games, and that's a good thing for players

Blizzard’s shift toward a more casual approach for Diablo 4 is the right move. Trying to emulate Path of Exile 2’s complexity would likely alienate a significant portion of its audience. Instead, Diablo 4 is carving out its niche as a more accessible, 'comfort food' ARPG, perfect for unwinding after a long day of the real-life grind.

Meanwhile, Path of Exile 2 thrives as a haven for hardcore players seeking depth and challenge. Grinding Gear Games even polled their community on whether they should simplify aspects of the game—unsurprisingly, the answer was a resounding “no.” Path of Exile 2 should embrace what sets it apart: a steep learning curve and a commitment to rewarding mastery. My colleague, a self-confessed "Diablo 2 snob has found his home in Path of Exile 2.

Both games will do well by catering to their respective audiences. Path of Exile 2 will continue to shine as the go-to ARPG for those craving complexity, while Diablo 4 provides a polished, approachable alternative. As someone who enjoys both games, but finds myself most comfortable in the less challenging option, I’m thrilled to see them chart their own courses. Afterall, we can't all reach the hardcore heights of Elon Musk.

Earlier this week Blizzard announced the start date of Diablo 4 Season 7: Season of Witchcraft, and today held a livestream with the developers to go through more about what to expect from the new season that starts on January 21.

While the majority of the stream went over the information we got from the blogpost, we did get some further interesting tidbits which I'll summarize here.

Rootholds will be used to hunt Headrotten

Rootholds are micro dungeons that contain a concentrated population of Headrotten and their rewards. They require a Whispering Wood Sigil (kept in same tab as Nightmare Dungeon Sigils) to access. These drop from Whisper Caches & Silent Chests.

Inside the Roothold you'll find Rites and Ceremonies which are interactions to increase the difficulty of the Roothold, and in turn receive more rewards. They work in a similar way to Hell Breeches from Season 5's Hordes theme, but with these you can select multiple effects.

At the end of the Roothold, there will be a boss who will drop the best rewards (and hopefully a head).

Tree of Whispers quality of life improvements

As the Season of Witchcraft centres around the Tree of Whispers, the developers have used this to improve the Tree of Whispers gameplay loop as a whole across both Seasonal and Eternal realms. We can look forward to an updated town, it will have more NPCs and vendors as well as the new armory feature. While you are out on Headhunts, there will be a 'Raven of the Tree' in each Headhunt zone so you can conveniently hand in your Whispers rather than having to fast travel back to the tree.

Ancestral Cache has also been added as a potential drop to the Tree of Whispers, which guarantees at least one Ancestral item.

Improvements to the Season Journey for casual players

• Early Chapters have been reworked to help more casual players get to the endgame.
• Later Chapters, especially Chapter 7, have been reworked to provide more aspirational challenges.
• Earn Dorian the Raven from completing Chapter 7. Dorian is the first avian pet (and I'm still calling him the Diablo Pigeon).

Changes made following PTR 2.1

There has been a bunch of feedback from the PTR which has been implemented on both the Headhunt/Seasonal theme, and across all classes and Uniques. These are detailed in the Patch 2.1.1 notes.

More info on the Armory

Ever completely respecced in Diablo 4 and felt the pang of regret when you hate it, and have to change back? Me too, well now we have an Armory and the developers showed us this in more detail.

With the Armory you can save, load and name your favorite builds. These loadout slots are character bound so if you make a Spiritborn and later a Necromancer, each has their own Armory and slots.

Changing loadouts will not cost gold, and you can access the Armory at every major city in Sanctuary, the Citadel, and the Tree of Whispers.

Paragon earned within the Season will now roll over to your Eternal character

This means every season you will get to keep your paragon progress on your Eternal character, so even if you don't play on that realm you can hit Paragon 300 a little easier (and get the cosmetic reward for doing so.)

Completing your Codex will be easier in Season 7

In Season 6, the loot was changed to be either standard, or Ancestral (which guarantees a Greater Affix). When you salvage an item, the level of it's legendary aspect is saved in your codex, for example. The changes to the loot meant that you could only get the highest roll of a particular affix on Ancestrals, which in itself isn't an issue but they are so rare and these Ancestrals could also roll a lower value.

This meant it would take a lot longer than previous seasons to get the maximum roll in the Codex, so this is changing for Season 7. The rolls will gravitate to the higher ranks. In short, Ancestral items are more likely to drop and will be more likely to roll at the top end of their ranges.

Class quests will no longer need to be repeated

All classes need to complete a class quest to 'unlock their potential', at some point during the levelling process.

For example, Sorcerers unlock Enchantment slot 1 at level 15. From Season 7 onwards, if you have done this quest already, you won't need to redo it to unlock the ability on another character. This is a retroactive change so if you've done it during any previous Season, you're good to go!

If you do decide to do the Class Quest, you'll now get an archetype cache for your character, a themed goody bag. These can be earned from the Season Journey too.

The Archetype cache will scale to player level too, so if you do the Class Quest later it will drop at your current level.

Q&A

During the Q&A portion, we learned:

• The will be a mid-season patch as with other seasons.
• Summons will be able to benefit from Thorns, Burning, and Poison damage.
• The Armory is a new work in progress, so feedback on this is welcomed.

The full and lengthy patch notes for patch 2.1.0 went online straight after the stream and you can read them directly on Blizzard's site. The Developer Livestream is also available to watch in full here.

When does Diablo 4 Season 7 start?

Diablo 4 Season 7: Season of Witchcraft will officially start on January 21 at 10 a.m PST / 1:00 p.m EST.

Diablo 4 news has been pretty light over the holidays, but with a new developer stream coming up Blizzard have announced that Diablo 4 Season 7: Season of Witchcraft will officially start on January 21 at 10 a.m PST / 1:00 p.m EST.

Everything we know so far about Season of Witchcraft

In a blogpost today we've been given a bunch of new information about Season 7, including new patch notes following a mixed response to the Public Test Realm (PTR) of Patch 2.1 in December.

With the new patch and balancing changes, there is a seasonal questline, and an armory for both Eternal and Seasonal players to enjoy switching builds with ease. All of the above will be added with new Uniques and Legendary Aspects, and an all new pet to earn from completing the Seasonal Journey that I'm particularly excited about, let's break it all down!

Season of Witchcraft questline

"Heed the call of the Witches of Hawezar, a Coven that is bound by the deep magic oozing from the swamps they call home. The Coven are the protectors of the Tree of Whispers, who discovered its many captive Heads are missing. The Tree forgets no oaths and forgives no debts, and these Heads have dues to pay till the end of days. However, these missing Heads have been set loose—free to carry out their own hunt—travelling across Sanctuary to seek bodies and reclaim what was once theirs."

We'll be collecting missing heads for the Tree of Whispers and handing in for completely on Coven's Favor, this seasons version of the reputation board.

New Seasonal Powers for every class to wield

The season quest will also gift us with new powers, which can be equipped from the character tab. This should be familiar to those who played Season 2 'Season of Blood'. There are 3 types of powers:

• Eldritch - magic that harnesses destructive energies.
• Psyche - Defensive powers to create visions, focus your attacks, and induce madness in your enemies.
• Growth and Decay - Wield living magic that both heals and harms, boosting Life, Resource. These incantations can create horrific diseases and disruptions.

To learn these powers of Witchcraft, we'll need to complete a Seasonal Reputation board with the Coven, and the best way to complete this will be doing Whisper bounties and defeating the new Headrotten enemies to earn Restless Rot. The final reward is a Resplendant Spark, which you can use towards crafting a Mythic Unique.

The favor earned with the Coven for completing this board can be used to upgrade Altars underneath the Tree of Whispers. This in turn will unlock new Witchcraft Powers. Some nodes are 'Lost' powers which need to be unlocked with a 'Forgotten Altar'. These are found in random dungeons around Sanctuary, so exploration is encouraged.

Witchcraft Powers can be upgraded directly in your inventory using the Restless Rot you’ve earned. Hunting down Headrotten in higher difficulty tiers will reward you with more Restless Rot.

All the 'Witchcraft' Powers and what they do

Here's all the powers you can unlock in Season 7, with strikethroughs as indicated where there have been changes made following the testing in December.

Eldritch Powers

Firebat Servants

• A deadly swarm of Firebats swarm enemies every 3 2  seconds, inflicting 20% 15% total Fire damage over 1 total attack.
• At Higher Ranks: Enemies are Stunned for 3 seconds after being hit 5 times by your Firebat Servants.

Abyssal Resonance

• Every 250 Resource spent, release an explosion dealing 400% 300% Shadow damage. Each explosion triggered within 10 seconds of the last increases the size and damage by 130%. Stacking up to 3 times.
• At Rank 10: The third explosion pulls enemies towards you before detonating.

Wave of Woe

• Release a Wave of Woe when damaging an enemy with your skills. Wave of Woe deals an additional X Shadow damage and echoes this damage to all other nearby enemies of the same type.
• At Rank 5: Damage is increased by 15% each time damage is echoed and is guaranteed to echo at least 5 times. May strike the same target multiple times.

Purging Touch

• Eldritch Effects X increased damage against Headrotten.
• At Rank 10: This damage bonus now extends to all monsters.

Shaken Soul

• Eldritch Effects apply Vulnerable to enemies for X seconds.
• At Rank 10: Damage from Psyche and Growth & Decay Effects will also apply Vulnerable at half the duration.

Hex of Flames

• Lucky Hit: You have up to an X chance to apply Hex of Flames. Hex of Flames deals 40% 10% additional Fire damage each time you deal damage to the target.
• At Rank 7: Hex of Flames explodes dealing damage to all nearby enemies when you land a Critical Strike.

Doom Orb

• An ominous orb of pure Eldritch energy circles you, damaging any enemy it touches for 400% 300% Fire damage. Doom Orb may launch itself at distant enemies before returning.
• At Rank 5: Kills or damage to Bosses empower the orb’s damage by 5%. After 100%, the orb explodes dealing 5,200 damage to nearby enemies before reforming 3 seconds later.

Psyche Powers

Life Link

• Automatically link your life force with up to 3 nearby enemies. X of the damage you take is shared with the linked targets as physical damage. Cannot Life Link to enemy Players.
• At Rank 15: For 10 seconds after using a Defensive, Macabre of Subterfuge Skill, any linked damage will be a guaranteed Critical Strike.

Hex of Shattering

• Damage done by your Witchcraft Effects afflicts enemies with Hex of Shattering causing them to deal X reduced damage for 5 seconds.
• At Rank 8: When any Hex Effect is applied to Headrotten, all damage will be guaranteed Critical Strikes for 5 seconds.

Aura of Misfortune

• Enemies near you have X chance for their attacks to be interrupted. Does not work on bosses.
• At Rank 5: Aura of Misfortune increases your Movement Speed by 5% and Slows enemies by 30%.

Aura of Lament

• When you first strike an enemy, it is afflicted with an Aura of Lament that Slows it and other nearby enemies by 70%. For each enemy inside Aura of Lament, you gain 3 1 Primary Resource each second. If the initial enemy dies, Aura of Lament is passed onto another nearby enemy retaining the duration. Lasts X seconds.
• Only 1 enemy may be afflicted at a time. May only occur every 30 seconds.

Vengeful Spirit

• Every 19 Seconds, a Vengeful Spirit Servant appears for X seconds. While active, all damage taken is instead taken by the spirit. Vengeful Spirit Servant deals 750% 500% damage.
• At Rank 5: When the Vengeful Spirit’s Life is fully depleted, it rushes towards up to 8 enemies dealing 2,000 Shadow damage.

Twilight Warding

• Every X seconds, gain a Barrier for 5 seconds absorbing 100 damage.
• At Rank 12: Twilight Warding reflects enemy projectiles while active.

Growth & Decay Powers

Poison Frog Servant

• Summon a Poison Frog Servant that attacks and Poisons enemies for 150% to 400% damage over 3 seconds. On death, the frog explodes violently dealing X Poison instantly damage to nearby enemies. This explosion will always Critically Strike.
• At Rank 5: Poison Frog attacks will pull enemies towards itself and Taunt enemies for 1 second.

Soul Harvest

• Feed upon the life force of nearby enemies whenever you use a skill with a cooldown, increasing your primary stat by 3% per monster for X seconds.
• At Rank 9: Soul Harvest does not lose duration so long as enemies are nearby.

Hex of Whispers

• Dealing damage to an enemy afflicts them with Hex of Whispers that deals X Shadow damage the next time damage is dealt. Afterwards, Hex of Whispers will jump to another enemy up to a maximum of 6 times. Hex of Whispers may only be applied once every 5 seconds.
• At Rank 7: After bouncing onto 6 enemies, the hex bounces back to you granting 15% 60% Fortify and removing all crowd control and negative status effects.

Decay Augmentation

• Your Witchcraft Effects deal X of the damage dealt over 5 seconds. The damage type is based on your class.
• At Rank 10: When your damage-over-time effects exceed 85% of the target’s total Life, they immediately die.

Grow

• After casting an Ultimate Skill, your Servants, Minions, and Companions are empowered with dark magics. Growing larger in size and dealing X bonus damage. Lasts 15 seconds.
• At Rank 11: Your Servants, Minions and Companions gain 100% Critical Strike Chance while enlarged.

Aura of Siphoning

• Conjure an aura of decay that deals 80% 50% Poison damage to enemies every second.
• At Rank 10: Each time Aura of Siphoning deals damage, you are healed for 1% of Maximum Life.

The Cycle

• Dealing any damage with your skills has a 15% chance to grow a flower from the ground. When an enemy is near, the flower deals X Poison damage to that enemy over 5 seconds. If an ally is near, the flower Heals for 6% Maximum Life. The flower withers away after use. A flower may grow once every 2 5 seconds per enemy.
• At Rank 5: The damage and healing affects all enemies or allies near the flower.

Lost Powers

Breath of the Coven

• Dealing damage or applying a Crowd Control effect with any of your Witchcraft Effects increases your Attack Speed by X for 10 Seconds, stacking once per unique Witchcraft Effect.
• Witchcraft Effects are Eldritch, Psyche, and Growth & Decay.
• At Rank 8: Gain 40% Lucky Hit chance while bonuses from Eldritch, Psyche, Growth & Decay are active at once.

Hex Specialization

• Increase the potency of your Hex Effects by X.
• At Rank 10: Increase the Critical Strike Chance by 10% against enemies afflicted by your Hex Effects.

Aura Specialization

• The size of your Aura Effects are increased by X.
• At Rank 10: Increase the Critical Strike Damage by 50% against enemies inside your Aura Effects.

Piranhado

• When an enemy is afflicted by both a Hex and an Aura Effect, a Piranhado is summoned pulling enemies towards it and dealing X Physical damage over 12 seconds. May occur once every 20 seconds.
• At Rank 5: Piranhado moves itself towards nearby enemies.

Behold, we are getting an Armory at long last

This update will be for both Seasonal and Eternal realms, and is a permanent quality of life change. Yes you can now, finally, save loadouts. So if you want to play different builds with your class at a click rather than a painstaking re-spec, the armory is your friend.

You'll be able to Save, Load and Name your loadouts, and you can have 5 loadouts per charac

At a glance you'll be able to see Equipment, Skills, selected Paragon Nodes and Glyphs that make up your saved build. Note: changing between Loadout slots with differing Paragon loadouts does not cost Gold.

The Armory can be accessed in every major city in Sanctuary.

More rewards from the Tree of Whispers

There will be new Whisper bounties to complete for this season, and also a chance for the Tree to drop an Ancestral Collection as a reward. This cache guarantees at least 1 Ancestral item and considering they are now a rarity, granting at least one great affix, this will be a great way to farm them.

Headrotten enemies and Headhunt zones

"The Heads missing from the Tree of Whispers have become even more ghastly, true abominations. They are desperate to claim new bodies for themselves, to be whole and human again. But without the Tree they are incomplete, fragmented and mad. They spread a terrible rot to anyone they touch."

Headhunt zones are a new overworld activity, which will highlight an area of the Tmap that you can hunt down Headrotten enemies. These will be the best areas to complete Whisper bounties, and you won't need to always return to the Tree of Whispers to hand in a full bounty collection. There will be a 'Raven of the Tree' in each Headhunt zone that will act as your quest receiver.

Completing Whisper bounties within the Headhunt zone will also reveal Exposed Roots, which spawn an Uprooted Cocoon from which appears a new Headrotten Boss. Killing one of these powerful enemies and taking its head will give you rewards when handed in to the Coven.

Occult Gems

Socketable Occult Gems are crafted with materials earned both from the Whisper bounties and returning heads from the Headhunts. Gelena at the Tree of Whispers will craft these for you and they give additional affixes to complement the new Witchcraft powers.

Each Occult Gem provides 160 Armor and 8% Resist All. Craft the following Occult Gems at Gelena:

New Uniques and Legendary aspects for all classes

Barbarian

Mantle of the Mountain’s Fury Unique Chest Armor

Affixes

• Inherent: 100% 50% Hammer of the Ancients damage for 5 seconds after an Earthquake explodes
• 251-444 Armor
• 3-6 Skill Ranks to Hammer of the Ancients
• 2-4 Skill Ranks of Defensive Stance
• 16-22.5% Chance for Earthquake to Deal Double Damage

Power

• Hammer of the Ancients also forms a seismic line that deals its damage and Slows enemies hit by 60-80% for 4 seconds. Earthquakes it passes through explode for their total damage and are consumed.

Of Incendiary Fissures Legendary Aspect

• Your Earthquakes deal 40-60% 35-50% increased damage and their damage is converted into Fire.

Druid

Malefic Crescent Unique Amulet

Affixes

• Inherent: 25% Resistance to All Elements
• 8-11% Willpower
• 155-200% Werewolf Critical Strike Damage
• 8-15% Movement Speed while Shapeshifting into a Werewolf
• 1-2 Ranks of Feral Aptitude

Power

• The value of your Lupine Ferocity's consecutive Critical Strike Damage is increased to 150-200% 100-150%[x] against enemies when consecutively Critical Striking.

Of Wolf’s Rain Legendary Aspect

• Casting Hurricane also spawns a smaller hurricane on your Wolves for 8 seconds. These hurricanes deals 5-15% of Hurricane’s damage for each active Wolf.

Of Electrified Claws Legendary Aspect

• Shapeshifting into a new animal form causes a Lightning Bolt to strike a Nearby enemy dealing Lightning damage. Your Lightning Bolts deal 20-40% increased damage and Stun for 2 seconds.

Necromancer

Indira's Memory Unique Pants

Affixes

• Inherent: Casting Bone Spear Reduces Blood Wave's Cooldown by 2 Seconds
• 16-25% Maximum Life
• 82.5-115% Overpower Damage
• 18.5-30% Damage Reduction While Injured
• 2-3 Ranks of Tides of Blood

Power

• Blood Wave is also a Bone Skill that spawns a Bone Prison at its end point and increases your Blood Skill damage by 40-80% for 8 seconds when cast.
• Bone Spear is also a Blood Skill and will drain 10% Maximum Life each cast after hitting an enemy to consume a surrounding Corpse and launch one new Bone Spear from it.

Kessime's Legacy Unique Pants

Affixes

• Inherent: Casting Blood Wave Fortifies You For 70% of Your Maximum Life
• 187-300% Ultimate Damage
• 9.5-2% Damage Reduction While Fortified
• 16-25% Blood Wave Cooldown Reduction
• 23.5-35% 16-25% Chance for Blood Wave to Deal Double Damage

Power

• Blood Wave now forms a wave on each side of you. Both waves converge at your feet, Pulling In surrounding enemies and exploding for x damage.
• Each time an enemy is hit by a wave, they take 5-10% increased damage from your Blood Waves, up to 150-300% in total.

Of Distilled Anima Legendary Aspect

• While Soulrift is active, you are Unhindered and gain 1% increased Movement Speed per absorbed soul, up to 30-60%. This lasts for 5 seconds after Soulrift ends.

Bone Duster's Legendary Aspect

• Bone Spear is guaranteed to Overpower enemies within Bone Prison and deals 30-50% increased damage to them. Bone Spear is guaranteed to Critically Strike enemies within Bone Prison and deals 20-40% increased damage to them.

Rogue

Assassin’s Stride Unique Boots

Affixes

• Inherent: Casting a Mobility Skill grants +100% Movement Speed for 2 seconds
• 35-50% Shadow Resistance
• 10-2% Mobility Cooldown Reduction
• 2-4 1-2 Skill Ranks to Mobility Skills
• 3-4 2-3 Skill Ranks to Shadow Imbuement

Power

• Mobility Skills are always Shadow Imbued with 40-80% increased potency. Lucky Hit: Damaging an Elite or Boss with a Mobility Skill has up to a 40-80% chance to instantly triggers a free Shadow Imbuement explosion.

Slice and Dice Legendary Aspect

• Twisting Blades' initial hit cleaves. Twisting Blades return 25-45% faster.

Bitter Infection Legendary Aspect

• Enemies infected by Shadow Imbuement take 30-70% 30-50% of its damage every second. Shadow Imbuement deals 30-70%[x] 30-50%[x] increased damage.

Sorcerer

Strike of Stormhorn Unique Focus

Affixes

• Inherent: Chance for Ball Lightning Projectiles to Cast Twice is Now Chance to Cast a Super Ball Lightning
• 67.5-108.5% Critical Strike Damage
• 155-250% Ball Lightning Projectile Speed
• 1-3 1-2 Skill Ranks of Ball Lightning
• 13-17.5% Chance for Ball Lightning Projectiles to Cast Twice

Power

• Ball lightning splashes on contact for 60-100%[x] increased damage and Stunning enemies for 1 second if it reaches its Maximum Range.
• Super Ball Lightnings are larger, deal 125% 100% more damage, have a higher Lucky Hit Chance, and its Stun duration is increased to 3 seconds.

Okun’s Catalyst Unique Focus

Affixes

• Inherent: Ball Lightning Can Be Cast While Moving
• 24-35% Attack Speed for 5 seconds After Casting a Defensive Skill
• 0.5-1.5% Damage Reduction for Each Active Ball Lightning
• 1-3 Skill Ranks of Ball Lightning
• 13-17.5% Chance for Ball Lightning Projectiles to Cast Twice

Power

• Ball Lightning orbits you, creating a static field that damages all enemies within for 140-180% of Ball Lightning’s damage per active ball, and granting Unhindered while the field is active.

Of Mind’s Awakening Legendary Aspect

Casting a Pyromancy Skill Immobilizes enemies hit for 0.5-1 seconds. Casting a Shock Skill grants a burst of 15-30% Movement speed for 1 second. Casting a Frost Skill grants a Barrier for 3-6% Maximum Life. While Enlightened, each Skill grants all benefits.

Spiritborn

Sustained War-Crozier Unique Quarterstaff

Affixes

• Inherent: 45% Block Chance
• 132-188 Dexterity
• 610-1142 Maximum Life
• 21-35% Chance for Potency Skills to Deal Double Damage
• 2-4 Skill Ranks to Focus Skills

Power

• Your Focus Skills benefit from all their Upgrades, and they increase the damage of your Potency Skills by 10-20% for 8 seconds, up to 100-200%.

Endless Talons Legendary Aspect

• Razor Wings hitting an enemy increases your Eagle Skill damage by 1%[x] for 4 seconds, up to 30-50%[x]. Razor Wing Critical Strikes grant 3 stacks.

Other updates of note

• The Welcome Back Booster is staying as a permanent Eternal Realm feature, so players can instantly boost a character to level 50 with a pre-made build.
• The new and improved Whisper quests will stay post-Season.
• Each Class mechanic quest is now account bound, and will not need to be repeated if you start a new character of that class.
•  When a unique item has more Greater Affixes, the minimum roll of the unique power will be increased per Greater Affix. 
• Runes have been updated and will be detailed in patch notes on January 16.
• The Season Journey will reward a Resplendant Spark, as well as a new pet, Dorian the Raven. Or who I prefer to call, the Diablo Pigeon.

• If you get the Premium Battle Pass, you can earn a Grand High Witch Armor Set, Platinum, and more including the Nightwinder Mount and Nightwinder Mount Armor, which unlock at Tier 90.

More info to come on January 16, welcome back Diablo 4!

Since the launch of Vessel of Hatred and some pretty low key holiday events, it's been pretty quiet on the Diablo 4 front. Silence even more deafening as many are currently diving into Path of Exile 2, so I'm really excited to see how Diablo 4 Season 7 fares in the face of its new competitor. We'll hear more about what to expect from Season 7 and the game going forward in the next developer campfire chat, which you can watch on January 16 at 11 a.m PST on Youtube, or catch up later with my coverage here at Windows Central.