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Diablo 4 fans are counting down to the release of a brand new season of content within the popular dungeon-crawler. Titled Loot Reborn, Diablo 4 Season 4 has a May 14 release date on PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The new season will launch alongside a big new update at 6pm BST UK time. After one or two disappointing releases, Blizzard is hoping to get the game back on track, delivering a season where the focus is on improving itemisation for all players, regardless of whether you own the Battle Pass or not. The aim is to give players a better idea about which items are actually upgrades. Blizzard will do this by making it simpler to see how the new items will improve standard abilities like movement speed, max life and core skills. Likewise, items are said to be more powerful, which should give players more incentive to keep hunting down loot. The flipside is that fewer items will drop from defeated monsters, which as Blizzard puts it, means “more time obliterating and less time sorting through the many items that drop”.
Elsewhere, the game’s new Tempering system allows players to “shape the qualities of your equipment” and add potent affixes to items.
Season 4 also introduces the Iron Wolves, who are described as a band of mercenaries with a high code of honour.
As part of the Season 4 storyline, players will need to discover why members of the mercenary group have been dying in mysterious circumstances.
In order to pursue the storyline, players will need to work with Soudeh in Khejistan. Completing missions will reward players with the Tempering Manuals needed to unlock the full potential of your items.
Needless to say, completing missions and levelling up will also unlock items and rewards from the Season 4 Battle Pass.
Notable items include the Awoken Demigod Armour Set, including the Awoken Demigod Plating Mount Armour, Purified Demigod Thoroughbred Mount, and Divine Banner Mount Trophy.
There are a grand total of 90 tiers to unlock throughout the season, although 28 of these rewards are available within the free tier.
Needless to say, the new season also launches alongside a big update. You can see the Diablo 4 Season 4 update patch notes below…
Diablo 4 Season 4 patch notes…
Feature Updates
• There is no longer a chance for Masterworking to fail.
• The Masterwork animation has been removed for non-milestone Ranks (1-3, 5-7, etc).
• The Tempering Result screen now shows the result affix, its roll, and the affix range.
• Various UI improvements for the Tempering and Masterworking experiences.
• Added multiple tiers of Masterworking Material caches that transmute far more materials than were previously available.
• A visual indication has been added to the imprint UI which indicates which Legendary affixes are currently equipped.
• You can now search the term ‘equip’ or ‘equipped’ within the Codex of Power to list currently equipped affixes.
• We’ve added an inventory icon to indicate items that have at least one Greater Affix.
– When items with Greater Affixes drop in-game, they will also have the same icon to indicate they possess a Greater Affix.
Helltide and The Pit
• The Party member that spends the Runeshards to open the Pit gets 100% of the Masterworking materials, the rest of the party receives half the amount.
• Artillery and Blast Wave shrines no longer spawn in the Pit.
• Hellborne spawn chance in Helltide zones has been increased.
• Baneful Heart drop rate has been adjusted to be more consistent.
• Overall loot quality from the Blood Maiden has been improved.
– Loot quality has also been improved for players that contribute materials to summon the Blood Maiden, as a contribution bonus reward.
• Doomsayer variants, which used to drop a Chest of Doomsaying on defeat, will now drop the contents of a Doomsaying Chest on death with no additional Cinders cost.
Balance Adjustments
• Many Tempering affixes that were either over-performing or under-performing have been adjusted to meet intended power levels.
• The Tempering Affix for Maximum Size increase for various skills and effects, such as Dust Devils or Bone Spirit, is now capped at 100%.
Itemisation Updates
• Extracting an aspect now upgrades it in the Codex of Power. All Aspects now exist in the Codex of Power.
• Various item affixes have been updated and the overall pool of affixes has been condensed. Additionally, Greater Affixes have been introduced.
– Appearing only on Ancestral Legendary and Unique items, these are more powerful (1.5x) versions of normal affixes.
– Each item affix has a chance to be a Greater Affix in World Tier IV.
• New Tempering and Masterworking Systems allow deeper customisation of items and access to new affixes.
• Legendary items dropped from enemy level 95+ are always 925 item power.
• Unique Items can now drop earlier in the game:
– World Tier III Unique Items now drop as non-Sacred in World Tier I and II.
– World Tier IV Unique Items now drop as Sacred in World Tier III.
– Uber Unique Items can start dropping from monster level 55, drops at 925 item power.
• The Minimum levels required to equip Sacred and Ancestral items has been reduced.
– Sacred: 35
– Ancestral: 55