blizzards Diablo IV has taken the gaming world by storm in recent months, with millions of console and PC players pitted against the demonic Lilith to save (or at least make life a little better for) the residents of Sanctuary. Whether they’re raising armies of the dead as the Necromancer, crushing enemies as the Druid Werebear, or using one of the game’s other three classes to repel Lilith’s troops, players around the world have all played their part in defeating evil. Now, with the release of Diablo IVWith Season 1 approaching, it’s time to take a closer look at how it will change and what players can expect when they jump back into the game on July 20th.
Called “Season of the Malignant”, the first season from Diablo IV is the start of the game’s ongoing live service updates. Season of the Malignant is themed around a simmering corruption spreading throughout Sanctuary and will tie directly to all new content being added to the game, including all-new powers to be earned through the Malignant Hearts, new unique items and legendary aspects, infected malevolent monsters, a new type of dungeon, and more.
As was the case with the seasons Diablo IIIThis gave Blizzard developers the opportunity to experiment with and expand on the base game of Diablo IV with new mechanics and themes while giving players the opportunity to start over with new characters and experience the content together. “New players can jump into Seasonal Realms and play through the main campaign while learning the basics and then jump right into the Seasonal content and introduced new systems. You’ll also be able to advance portions of the Season Journey and Battle Pass as you play,” said Joe Shely, Game Director at Diablo IV.
“Hardcore players will be able to create characters and experiment with new builds or classes, but with a new twist through any seasonal updates. Seasons offer a whole new way to customize characters and build their power as they take on end-game challenges.”
As with previous Diablo games, the idea around the seasons is to allow players to start the season journey fresh and on equal footing. With this fresh start, players can journey through new content with an established favorite class, try new builds they’ve been curious about, or dig into the seasonal mechanics for a whole new experience.
But what exactly are these above mechanics? In Season of the Malignant, players are introduced to a new threat through a questline that ties into the events of the main campaign. A new character named Cormund will accompany you on a journey to solve the mysteries of a new malevolent corruption spreading across Sanctuary.
At the beginning of the story you will see the evil corrupting the monsters and the land with grotesque masses and tentacles. It also manifests in a new type of dungeon called Malevolent Tunnels, which are areas of the world completely overrun with malevolence and teeming with vicious monsters. You can enter these shorter dungeons to specifically farm Malignant Hearts and take advantage of their new powers.
“The Malevolent is a form of corruption that infects existing monsters in Sanctuary. You’ll find that the monsters have multiple layers of vicious infection, which you can visually identify by the number of disgusting masses and tentacles on them,” Shely said. “If you defeat corrupted elite monsters and attempt to capture their vicious hearts, they will be reborn as fully corrupted, even more powerful monstrosities, and you must defeat them before you can imprison their hearts and use them to enhance your own power.”
These malevolent hearts are a way to give your character even more power with unique traits and abilities that are just as powerful as legendary aspects. There are four different types of evil hearts; Malicious is an offensive power type, Brutal grants defensive power, Sneaky is for utility, and Furious is a general superpower. As you earn necklaces and rings throughout the season, they will contain special sockets into which you can slot specific types of evil hearts. Once socketed, the new powers work in conjunction with your other legendary affixes.
Aside from the excitement of experiencing the new content and mechanics, there are also many reasons for players to embark on a journey through the Season of the Malignant. The season trip in Diablo IV will be constructed similarly to how it worked Diablo III, featuring a multi-chapter objective system where players can earn rewards as they complete the different chapters. You don’t have to complete all objectives to complete a chapter, allowing players to focus on the objectives they most want to pursue. However, if they complete all of the Season Journey objectives, they will be rewarded with a unique title from that Season.
There will also be a variety of rewards from the Season Journey, including existing and new Legendary Aspects. You can also earn something through the Season Journey that we call Favor, which you can use to progress through the Battle Pass, where you can earn even more rewards.
All in all the first Diablo IV The season is shaping up to be a real game changer in more ways than one. From new aspects and powers to new types of dungeons and enemies, there should be something for everyone Diablo IV which they will literally bite into when it hits the market today.
Diablo® IV
BlizzardEntertainment
Diablo® IV is the next-gen action RPG experience with endless evil to slay, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons and legendary loot. Go to the campaign alone or with friends, meet unforgettable characters in beautifully dark locations and a captivating story, or sneak through a extensive final and a common world in which players meet in cities to commemorate themselves, to combat themselves, to fight against world bosses, or to depart in PvP zones to test their skills against other players-no lobbies-with cross-playing. and cross progress on all available platforms. This is just the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards and more on the horizon. Battle.net account required. Internet connection required. Visit Diablo.com for more information. © 2023 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Diablo, Diablo Immortal, World of Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the US and/or other countries. All rights reserved.
