Diablo 4 had a lot to live up to, especially given the issues that plagued Diablo 3 and Diablo Immortal’s…well, everything. But (at least at launch), Diablo 4 proved it was up to the task. The game is fun and addictive, but Blizzard Activision is nothing if not a company that follows current video game trends. That means the company developed Diablo 4 with a live service season system and battle pass in mind.

When Diablo 4 initially launched, the game featured neither seasons nor battle passes. Players could just explore several open locations, participate in group events, and delve into the depths of hell for progressively stronger loot. However, Activision Blizzard promised that seasons and battle passes would eventually launch, and while that day isn’t today, during today’s dev stream, the company told audiences what to expect. 

Diablo 4 Season 1: Release Date and Start Time

Shortly after Diablo 4 launched, Activision Blizzard posted a blog stating the first season and battle pass to launch in mid-to-late July. Well, now we have a more accurate release window.

During today’s livestream, we learned that Diablo 4‘s Season 1 Update (dubbed “Season of the Malignant”), will release on July 20th. There’s currently no word on when the season will end, but Blizzard has confirmed that your Seasonal character will be transferred to the “Eternal” realm when Season 2 begins. While that character will retain much of the progress you’ve made, certain season-specific items will no longer be available at that time.

Furthermore, we now know Diablo 4 Season 1 will launch on July 20 at 10 a.m. PDT, 12 p.m. CT, 1 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. GMT, and all other corresponding global times (at least according to the team’s current plans). The development team also indicated that a sizeable update patch will be released on July 18 ahead of Season 1’s official debut, but we’re still waiting on more information regarding that pre-season update at this time.

How Much Does Diablo 4 Season 1’s Battle Pass Cost?

Like many battle passes, Diablo 4’s pass is divided into two tracks: a free track and a premium track. The free one is…well, free, and will include 27 unlocks. The premium battle pass, meanwhile, will cost 1000 Platinum (which comes out to $10). Alternatively, you can spend 2,800 Platinum (approximately $25) to purchase the accelerated battle pass, which functions similarly to the premium battle pass but automatically unlocks 20 tiers worth of rewards. If you purchased the Diablo 4 Ultimate Edition, that version of the game comes with an accelerated battle pass (but only one of them).

Since battle passes are seasonal, does that mean you will have to purchase a new one each season? At the moment, that appears to be the case. While many games with seasonal battle passes dole out some premium currencies as battle pass rewards, that doesn’t appear to be the case with Diablo 4. If you want Platinum, you’ll have to purchase it from the shop. If there are any changes to that system, they will likely not be introduced until future seasonal updates.

However, please note that you do not have to purchase a battle pass to access the rest of the Season 1 update. For that matter, you don’t have to purchase a battle pass to access the most substantial content on the battle pass. The only things that “free” players will not be able to unlock on the battle pass are the premium cosmetic items. All other unlocks will be available to all players. Even Smoldering Ashes (which unlock gameplay boosts) will be available to free and premium Battle Pass owners. However, because those Smoldering Ash rewards are tied to your Seasonal character’s level, you won’t even be able to unlock them early simply by spending money on the battle pass.

What Else Is Included In the Diablo 4 Season 1 Update?

Each Diablo 4 season is meant to keep the game alive in-between premium expansions, and that is especially true with the upcoming season.

Season of the Malignant takes place after the main Diablo 4 campaign, so you will need to complete that campaign with a character before accessing seasonal realms. However, anyone who does play on those realms will witness a malignant force (pun definitely and defiantly intended) corrupting the creatures of Sanctuary, twisting their hearts and turning them into bigger and more dangerous threats.

Everything in the seasonal realm world (from regular animals to humans and even demons) is afflicted by this malignant force. The season will also revolve around a new character, Kormind, who is trying to cure this plague. Quite fittingly, Season of the Malignant’s main gimmick will revolve around that threat.

All elite monsters in the game have a chance to spawn as a Malignant version of themselves. Those Malignant variations are stronger than usual and also sport some malignant pustules. After (or if) the creature is slain, it will drop a Malignant Heart, which can be socketed into equipment like a gem and used to unlock some potentially broken (in a good way) builds and abilities.

Unlike gems, though, once a Malignant Heart is equipped, you can’t unequip it. You can only replace it with a new/different heart. Plus, Malignant Hearts follow a unique color pattern and can only attach to coinciding colored sockets. Players can ultimately collect over 32 Malignant Heart abilities. Throughout Season of the Malignant, participants can also acquire new Legendary Aspects, new Unique items, and even Malignant gear (which is more powerful than normal). Furthermore, anyone who wants a specific type of Malignant Heart can use Invokers within Malignant Tunnels, which are special areas that spawn Malignant enemies more often than they appear in the wild. If you’re feeling bold, you can even face off against Varshan the Consumed: a new end-game boss that patrols this dangerous new area.

The seasonal pass, the Seasonal Journey is divided into seven chapters, each with their own objectives and rewards. For instance, during the first season, players can earn crafting materials, unique Legendary Aspects, and Favor. The first two are self-explanatory, but Favor is crucial to progressing through the battle pass. The more Favor a player earns, the more tiers they unlock in the Battle Pass.

How Will Diablo 4 Season 1’s Character Resets Work?

For the most part, Diablo 4’s battle pass seems fairly bog standard, but it is subject to a fairly contentious piece of controversy: You can’t use the same character for each season, and you can’t transfer an existing character to a Seasonal Realm. Whenever a new season surfaces, players have to roll a new character and start from scratch.

Why? Well, according to the developers, each new season is designed to iterate on the base experience. You can still keep the main character you rolled for the campaign, but in order to acquire seasonal rewards, including battle passes, you need to start over. Them’s the breaks, but on the bright side, at least this system will give you an excuse to try out different classes and builds.

The good news is that you won’t lose all of your character progress so far. After you have completed the campaign with an existing character, you can “transfer” some of that character’s progress to your Seasonal character. Specifically, here is what you’ll be able to retain:

– Your mount

– All previously discovered Altar of Lilith Rewards

– All previously discovered areas on the map

– All previously earned (level appropriate) Renown rewards

So, if you’ve made quite a bit of progress with an existing character, you’ll actually start the season with a number of advantages. While the Diablo 4 team stated that you will need to manually “migrate” your existing character’s progress to a Seasonal Realm character, they haven’t explained exactly how that system will work.

Just note that you’ll only be able to perform that migration process once per season. As such, be sure to transfer the progress of the character that you’ve already unlocked the most “carry-over” items/information with.

That’s most of what we know about Diablo 4 Season 1 so far, but we’ll be sure to bring you more information as it becomes available!

The post Diablo 4 Season 1 Update: Release Time, Battle Pass Costs, and More appeared first on Den of Geek.