In a recent livestream and developer blog, Blizzard has unveiled its plans for the post-launch experience of Diablo 4. The focus of these plans is on seasons, battle passes, and the in-game shop. While these features may seem standard for a live service game, Blizzard has introduced a unique twist by heavily emphasizing the importance of seasonal content, which can only be accessed by creating a fresh seasonal character.

Seasons in Diablo 4 will occur quarterly, with the first season set to begin in “mid to late July,” just a few weeks after the game’s launch on June 22. To participate in a season, players must first complete the game’s campaign with a character. Each season will introduce new questlines separate from the main campaign narrative, along with unique gameplay features that enhance the leveling and development experience of the seasonal character. These exclusive season-specific additions will only be available for three months, after which they will be retired. However, players will have the option to transfer their seasonal character to the Eternal Realm, where it will remain playable. Additionally, each season will bring standard patch content, such as balance adjustments and quality-of-life improvements.

RELATED: Diablo 4 Developers Listen to Feedback and Revamp Dungeons for Improved Gaming Experience

To guide players through each season, Diablo 4 will feature a Season Journey similar to Diablo 3’s achievement system. The Season Journey consists of chapters, each containing a series of objectives that players can complete. Unlike its predecessor, players will no longer be required to fulfill every single objective in a chapter to progress to the next one, allowing for more flexibility based on individual playstyles. Completing objectives will reward players with crafting materials, legendary aspects for the Codex of Power (which enhance character skills), and Favor, the resource used to level up Diablo 4’s battle pass. Battle passes will refresh every three months to coincide with new seasons.

The interconnection between seasons and battle passes is noteworthy. While players can earn Favor through various means, such as completing quests and engaging in combat, receiving it as a reward for completing Season Journey objectives places emphasis on the seasonal playstyle of creating new characters rather than solely focusing on endgame grinding. This integration of seasons and battle passes becomes the optimal long-term post-launch reward structure for Diablo 4.

ALSO READ: Get Ready for Tears of the Kingdom with this Zelda: Breath of the Wild Story Recap Video

Regarding the battle pass itself, there will be three versions available: free, premium, and accelerated. The free battle pass includes 27 tiers and rewards players with cosmetic items and Smoldering Ashes, a resource that can be used for XP and gold boosts, as well as other bonuses for seasonal characters. These boosts have level requirements and are exclusively accessible through the free battle pass.

The premium battle pass consists of an additional 63 tiers, providing unique cosmetics specific to that particular season and platinum currency that can be spent in the in-game shop. The accelerated pass offers the same rewards but allows players to skip ahead 20 tiers and includes a special cosmetic item. The premium and accelerated battle passes will cost the equivalent of $9.99 and $24.99 in platinum currency, respectively.

The in-game shop focuses solely on cosmetic items for character customization. These items align with Diablo 4’s dark fantasy aesthetic and, unlike the cosmetic rewards from the battle pass, often cater to specific character classes, enabling players to further enhance their character’s chosen fantasy. Blizzard showcased examples of armor cosmetics available for purchase, which had a distinct feel compared to legendary armor obtained through gameplay but were not necessarily more or less impressive. The shop’s inventory will rotate consistently, and any purchases made will be accessible for all characters of that class on a player’s account, as well as across different platforms.

While Blizzard’s emphasis on starting new seasonal characters in the game’s post-launch content and battle pass rewards may not be met with.

ALSO READ: Magic: The Gathering Arena Launches on Steam in May

Hogwarts Legacy: Impressive Performance on Last-Gen Consoles