Season Passes and Updates Roadmap - Diablo 4 Guide - IGN (2024)

Blizzard has revealed Battle Pass pricing and Seasonal Content that will be released over time. Here's a rundown of what you can expect for Diablo 4's Season Passes and Battle Pass updates.

For more information, check out IGN's full coverage on Battle Pass and Seasonal content.

What are Seasons?

Seasons are quarterly releases that will add fresh content to Diablo 4 such as additional gameplay features, questlines (with new and old faces alike), Battle Passes, Legendary Items, class balance changes, quality-of-life improvements, and much more. Seasons will introduce fresh concepts and ideas into the world of Sanctuary, for all wanderers to enjoy while simultaneously iterating upon your baseline experience.

The first season begins in mid to late July, with four seasons planned per year–one per quarter, each set to last for three months. To unlock the first season, you must first complete the Campaign of Diablo 4.

Note: Developers have confirmed that like Diablo 3, players will have to create a new Character specifically for the Season to take part in the event.

What's In the Battle Pass?

With each Season comes a new, optional Battle Pass for you to earn rewards from, containing 27 Free Tiers and 63 Premium Tiers. The free battle pass is available to everyone, adding 27 tiers with rewards like Smoldering Ashes and other cosmetics. Ashes can be redeemed for seasonal blessings (buffs) for experience points, gold, potion extensions, or Obols.

Blizzard noted that paid pass rewards don't include additional Smoldering Ashes, and you'll need to hit certain character milestones before claiming goodies that affect gameplay.

Premium Pass (~$10)

• 63 additional tiers
• Two full cosmetic armor sets for each class
• Weapon and armor cosmetics
• Seasonal mount and mount armor

Accelerated Pass (~$25)

• All perks from the premium pass
• Immediately unlocks 20 tiers
• Wings of the Creator emote

Since seasons only last three months, the accelerated pass is geared toward anyone who starts the season late, retroactively unlocking tiers for a boost. Some perks unlocked through the season, like unique items and powers, join you in Diablo IV's base game after the events wrap up.

In Diablo 4's first Season - The Season of the Malignant, will start on July 20th. In it, players will be able to create new characters to participate in this event, which provides a dangerous new threat in the form of special Malignant Monsters. These are supercharged corrupted versions of enemy types that are incredibly dangerous and powerful.

After completing the Main Story, players will be able to find and defeat these Malignant Monsters, and draw the corruption from them and trap their Malignant Hearts, which can then be inserted into Rings and Amulets to grant your gear even more power than before.

With the help of a new NPC, a former priest by the name of Cormond, players can embark on a mini-adventure spanning 7 Chapters, with rewards gained for completing each chapter as you uncover the mystery of the Malignant Monsters.

• Malignant Monsters can show up in the place of any Elite Monster, and will drop a Malignant Heart when defeated.
• Using a special ritual method on the heart that attracts even more Malignant enemies, you can create a Caged Heart that can be picked up and socketed into your gear.
• There are 32 Caged Hearts come in various types, and provide new legendary effects that can greatly change how your class build can work.
• Gear can now have different colored "infested" sockets, which are associated with types of Caged Hearts: Brutal (Blue), Vicious (Red), and Devious (Purple) - plus a fourth Caged Heart type, the Wrathful Heart, a rare type that can be fitted in any socket.
• New crafting materials broken down from Caged Hearts can be used to create Invokers. These can be used at Malignant Tunnels where Malignant can be found in greater numbers in specific dungeons. The Invokers can be used to draw out specific Caged Heart types.

In addition to the new Malignant features, Season 1 will also feature a host of new boss enemies, legendary items and aspects, and unique items - some of which can also be found in the Eternal Realm for those not playing a character for this specific Season.

Season 1 Blessings

As you progress through the Seasonal aspects and Battle Pass, you can collect Smoldering Ashes at certain reward tiers in the Seasonal Battle Pass. These Smoldering Ashes can be used to create a passive boost across every Character you create in the Seasonal Realm.

You'll be able to choose which buffs you get to help your other characters along to level each one up, including increased experience gaines, better salvaging materials, increased elixir duration, and more.