Diablo 4 has been available for a good few months now, but the excitement for its inaugural season and the accompanying rewards is already at boiling point. The first season, dubbed Season of the Malignant, is already out after having launched on July 20, 2023.
For those eager to dive in and start accumulating season rewards swiftly, speculation is mounting on when D4 Season 2 might begin. Below are all the insights we’ve gathered regarding the anticipated start of Diablo 4’s Season of Blood.
Diablo 4 Season 2 Release Date
Blizzard has set its sights on introducing quarterly seasons for Diablo 4, aiming for each to span approximately three months, assuming all goes as scheduled.
While initial predictions placed the launch of Diablo 4 Season 2 in the mid to late October 2023 window, Blizzard has now officially confirmed that the Season of Blood will commence on October 17 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST. This date also marks the anticipated end of Season 1. Season 2’s end date is slated to occur on January 23, 2024, when Season 3 kicks off.
- Diablo 4 Season 2 start date: October 17, 2023
- Diablo 4 Season 2 end date: January 23, 2024
Diablo 4 Season 2 Content
Starting with Season 2 of Diablo 4, players have the option to bypass the Campaign after completing the “Missing Pieces” quest from the Prologue in the Seasonal Realm. This feature enables a quicker start for those eager to progress their seasonal characters.
The Season of Blood ushers in “Blood Money,” a fresh questline accessible in Ked Bardu through a conversation with an NPC named Oren. In this narrative, players will ally with Erys, a new character, to confront a horde of bloodthirsty vampires and their sinister leader.
Erys is a vampire hunter voiced by Gemma Chan, actress known for her roles in movies such as Captain Marvel and TV series like Humans.
Additionally, a series of new Vampiric Powers will be introduced. Players can harness these powers by collecting Potent Blood from defeated foes and using it within the specialized Vampiric Powers tab to unlock random powers or enhance existing ones.
If players engage in the Seasonal Questline and the Blood Harvest Seasonal event during Diablo 4’s Season 2 they will be rewarded with extra Vampiric Powers.
These unlocked powers can be enhanced to reach up to level 3 by investing Potent Blood. Players can equip a maximum of five powers simultaneously, each tethered to a Pact, with the pact number indicating the power’s cost.
Season 2 also debuts Pact Armor. Pieces such as Chest armor, Pants, Gloves, Boots, and Helms confer specific Pact values—Ferocity, Divinity, and Eternity—which are essential for utilizing Vampiric Powers. Strategically, it’s crucial to align the Pacts accrued from our armor with the activation costs of the Vampiric Powers we wish to use.
If our Pact Armor doesn’t naturally align with the requirements of our desired Vampiric Powers, customization is possible through the use of standalone Pacts, which add specific Pact types to our gear, and Cleansing Acids, which remove existing Pacts from items.
These two novel crafting materials can be acquired by defeating Blood Seeker enemies, as well as through participation in the Blood Harvest Season event, the Season Journey, opening Opulent Coffins, and progressing through the new Questline.
The Season of Blood for Diablo 4 introduces 22 new vampiric powers, divided into major and minor categories. These powers are available to all classes.
Moreover, the innovative Vampiric Curse keyword synergizes with these powers, capturing the souls of vanquished foes. These stored souls are then unleashed on adversaries whenever we cast Defensive, Macabre, or Agility skills, augmenting our combat capabilities with a spectral onslaught.
Diablo 4’s endgame is ramping up with the introduction of five additional uber-difficulty bosses in World Tiers 3 and 4, designed to offer players a more strategic approach to obtaining Unique and Uber Unique loot drops. To challenge these formidable adversaries, players must meet specific criteria, adding an extra layer of depth to the exploration of Sanctuary.
Grigoire, Varshan, Beast in Ice, Lord Zir, and Duriel wait in different locations around Sanctuary. Each boss having its own dedicated loot table, containing both class-specific items and gear usable by any playable class.
This marks a first step towards enabling the target farming of certain powerful items that might be pillars of various builds.
At BlizzCon 2023, Blizzard revealed that Diablo 4’s Season 2 would be receiving an influx of new content. On November 7, rings imbued with the favored Malignant Powers from the first season were introduced as rewards for conquering the formidable Varshan.
Come December 5, the 1.2.3 patch will introduce the enchanting preview window, providing more clarity by adding a quick view for the item property modification process. This update will also present the Abbatoir of Zir, a new endgame dungeon challenge.
Following on December 12, the Midwinter Blight holiday event will commence, bringing with it a host of festive quests and activities for players to enjoy.
Diablo 4 Season 2 The Blood Harvest Event
The Blood Harvest event in Diablo 4 offers players the best odds for acquiring Potent Blood and Pact Armor drops, setting the stage for a proper looting fest.
Spanning the regions of the Dry Steppes, Hawezar, and Scosglen, the event calls on players to engage in a variety of activities, including completing Bounties, popping Blood Blisters, participating in World Events, interrupting vampire rituals, and rescuing captives.
These actions accumulate reputation, allowing players to progress through Tiers loaded with diverse rewards, from essential crafting materials to valuable items and Pact consumables.
Additionally, players can collect Blood Lures, which are used to summon Blood Seekers. Defeating these foes yields Seeker Keys, which serve a dual purpose: rescuing prisoners and unlocking Seekers Caches. Opening these caches bestows a bounty of rewards, including coveted Pact Armor, Pact Consumables, and Potent Blood.
Diablo 4 Season 2 Rewards
Diablo 4’s Season of Blood offers a plethora of rewards accessible through its Season Journey and Battle Pass.
The Season Journey is divided into chapters, each with distinct objectives. Completion of these chapters yields a treasure trove of rewards, including new Legendary Aspects, the unique Salmagundi mount, stylish Strips and Points mount armor, and three Scrolls of Amnesia.
Moreover, the Journey bestows additional Favor, which plays a crucial role in advancing through the Battle Pass Tiers.
The Battle Pass itself boasts 90 Tiers of content—27 free and 63 premium—packed with exclusive rewards. These include the majestic Awoken Armor Sets, a new Mount and Mount Armor, Platinum currency, and an assortment of other enticing bonuses.
The coveted Smoldering Ashes also make a comeback in the free Tiers of the Battle Pass. Players can use these to unlock up to five Season Blessings, with three being fresh introductions in Diablo 4’s Season of Blood:
- Urn of Blood: Boost the Hunter’s Acclaim you earn from Blood Harvest activities.
- Urn of Helltides: Boost the chance to receive an extra equipment item from Helltide chests. The extra item will be of Legendary rarity or better.
- Urn of Swift Travel: Boost how quickly your Mount recovers from sprinting.
Diablo IV’s Patch 1.2.0, scheduled for October 17, is poised to roll out a slew of updates in response to player feedback and to enhance the gameplay experience for Season 2.
Significant modifications are being made to damage and resistances. Changes to damage are designed to lessen the reliance on the vulnerable stat in build crafting, while adjustments to overpower aim to elevate its appeal and effectiveness compared to its previous standing.
Furthermore, individual damage types will see a boost in potency, encouraging diverse build compositions without the necessity of combining damage types.
Starting with the Season of Blood, resistances will accumulate in an additive manner, which is anticipated to yield a system that is not only more intuitive but also delivers a more tangible impact.
The upcoming class balance revisions are set to fine-tune Paragon glyphs and abilities, addressing core imbalances, enhancing underperforming skills, and tempering those that exhibit overly dominant performance.
You can learn more about the team’s reasoning by checking out the <a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNDN2Ql_x0E>campfire chat</a> dedicated to patch 1.2.0. That is what we know about Diablo 4’s Season 2, the start and end date of Season of Blood, alongside specifics about how its mechanics work.
In case you missed it, the Season of the Malignant offers a 90-tier Battle Pass with rewards ranging from cosmetics, new titles, gold, Smoldering Ashes, and many more. You’ll want to unlock your map and complete your campaign to enjoy the first season to the fullest.
Original article by Michelle Cornelia with further updates by Bogdan Robert Mateș.
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