Diablo 4 has now fully launched for the entire world, giving all players a chance to explore Sanctuary, assemble their best possible character build, and stop the demon, Lilith. As of right now, the only content that fans have to consume is the launch game itself. Of course, going through the campaign of Diablo 4 plus all of the endgame/PvP activities is nothing to scoff at. Still, some fans might be longing for the first season of the game, which will introduce a plethora of additional content.
The details surrounding Season 1 of Diablo 4 are still sparse at the moment. However, the developers at Blizzard have let us in on some key parts of Season 1, including what the battle pass could contain and its release window. We’ll go into all of the pertinent details you need to know about the battle pass and Season 1 of Diablo 4 in the guide below.
Diablo 4 Season 1 release date and content
At the time of writing, the only information we have regarding the release date for Season 1 is “mid-late July.” This comes directly from Blizzard, as the developers stated Season 1 would arrive roughly a month and a half arrive the game’s initial launch on June 6. As June goes on, we should hear more official details on the firm release date for Season 1.
As for the content Season 1 will bring, we have a better idea of what that will entail. Players will get to access new questlines featuring new and returning characters, balance changes for classes and gameplay items, new legendary items, and additional gameplay features, among other things. However, before getting to partake in what Season 1 has to offer, players must finish the campaign of Diablo 4 with at least one character on their account. Blizzard has recommended players do this now so they can hop right into Season 1 whenever it releases.
Season 1 battle bass
In addition to all of that content, the game’s first battle pass will be included with Season 1 as well. Blizzard has stressed that the battle pass is optional to buy and there are several free tiers of content (27 tiers) players will be able to access. If players wish to purchase the battle pass, they will be able to unlock those 27 free tiers as well as 63 paid tiers.
Players can level up their battle pass by simply playing Diablo 4. Slaying demons and monsters, completing dungeons, and partaking in endgame content will all earn you battle pass XP so you can rank up to the next tier. Although players can also use the Season Journey to quickly rank up their battle pass, it should be noted that players will need to start fresh with a new character to access the Season 1 content–a detail that has confused or even upset some players.
Hey Paul, yes to take part in the seasonal questline, mechanics, season journey and battle pass, you will need to create a new seasonal character. Playing campaign with seasonal character (if you so desire or need to finish) will also progress the season journey and battle pass.
— Rod Fergusson (@RodFergusson) June 19, 2023
The Season Journey allows players to complete objectives within Chapters, which in turn rewards you with Favor. This is the currency that is used to rank up your battle pass from tier to tier. The more Favor you earn, the quicker you can reach tier 100. The objectives and Chapters in the Season Journey also reward players with other items as well, such as Murmuring Obols, Legendary Aspects, and more. Each season of Diablo 4 is meant to go on for about three months, in line with many other games’ schedules of releasing four seasons in any given year.
Diablo seasons and what carries over
As we mentioned, you’ll need to play seasonal content with a new character and first have beaten the game at least once with any character–you need not replay the campaign to gain access to seasonal content, thankfully. Furthermore, Blizzard recently revealed that it’s altered some plans regarding which in-game systems would start fresh with a new season.
Previously the team planned on asking players to re-find evert Altar of Lilith, regain their Renown, and basically start completely fresh as a new season arrived. Mercifully, that’s no longer the case. During a dev chat shared publicly, general manager Rod Fergusson said progress related to player Renown levels, uncovering world maps, and Altar of Lilith locations will not reset with each new season. Fast-travel waypoints will still be marked on the map, though players will need to revisit them to activate them once more.
Fergusson added that activites players will need to complete again include things like dungeons, Strongholds, and some side quests, but added that the team is continuing to re-evaluate these reset requirements, meaning future changes could be on the way, too. It’s often the case that teams first trying their hand at new or different live-service elements fidget with those elements a lot in the early life of a game.
Battle pass price
One bit of potential controversy that arises with any battle pass in a live service game is the pricing model developers use. In Diablo 4, players can purchase one of two versions, the Premium or Accelerated track. The Premium version costs 1,000 Platinum ($10) while the Accelerated version costs 2,800 Platinum ($25). If you purchased the Deluxe Edition of Diablo 4, you will unlock the Premium version automatically while Ultimate Edition buyers get the Accelerated version. The Accelerated version differs from the Premium in that players get 20 tier skips right off the bat as well as an exclusive cosmetic item.
Speaking of cosmetics, that is mostly what the Diablo 4 battle pass will be filled with in Season 1. Players will be able to earn gold, emotes, character cosmetics, titles, and more. However, there are also tiers with Season Boosts and Smoldering Ashes as rewards. Season Boosts are basically XP boosters for your character while Smoldering Ashes are used to unlock Season Blessings. The blessings are buffs that give you bonus XP, Gold, or Obols when they are active. You can have more than one Season Blessing active at a time, meaning you will be earning bonus XP, Gold, or Obols at the same time while playing.
The one caveat with Season Blessings is that players need to be at a certain character level to activate them. This basically ensures players can’t “pay-to-win” and purchase tier skips to immediately gain access to gameplay boosts.
More details on Diablo 4 Season 1 shall emerge as the summer rolls on, so stay tuned for updates as we near the game’s inaugural season.
For a lot more on Diablo 4, don’t miss our guides hub.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
