Blizzard has pulled back the curtain on what’s coming with Diablo 4’s next season, giving us a peek into the exciting changes on the horizon. While the official debut for Season 7 is set for January 21, they’ve lined up an early start for keen players with the 2.1 Public Test Realm (PTR). This kicks off much sooner, on December 3, and is, as usual, only available to PC players on BattleNet. But for a neat twist this time, the PTR won’t just focus on core gameplay tweaks—it’ll include new seasonal content too!
The upcoming Season 7 is steeped in themes of witchcraft, giving players mystical powers to unleash in battle. It draws parallels to Season 2’s Vampiric abilities, offering unique powers with a seasonal expiry date. Adventurers can discover these powers in the game world, tracking them down in dungeons and tapping into their altars.
A new foe, the Headrotten, will prominently figure in this season. Defeating them earns you Restless Rot, which is crucial for unlocking fresh abilities for your characters. Upgrading these witchcraft powers has been simplified this time around, smoothing out the experience compared to what we saw in Season 2. You’ll have five standard powers plus one unique power to equip.
Occult Gems, offering their own witchcraft perks, are making a comeback. These time-limited gems slot into your jewelry, adding another layer to your gameplay. Building your reputation with the coven ties directly into the Whispers system, establishing the seasonal grind. Headhunt zones, reminiscent of Helltide areas, provide another method for tracking and defeating the Headrotten, doubling as hubs for Whispers.
Blizzard is dedicated to enhancing quality of life in Diablo’s world. They’ve revamped the village surrounding the Tree of Whispers, adding more services and streamlining its navigation. Perhaps the most exciting development is the new Raven of the Tree feature, allowing players to turn in their Whispers without trekking back to the Tree. These new Ravens are available in Headhunt zones, making your adventures more efficient.
A standout gameplay tweak in patch 2.1 is the upgrade to Ultimate skills. Once an Ultimate reaches rank 5, its power or damage scaling will be enhanced. You can amp up these skills even more through strategic choices in your skill tree and Paragon board.
Overall, most game classes are receiving buffs. However, the Spiritborn class won’t see a nerf but rather a correction of issues that made it more potent than intended in Season 6. Once resolved, it should perform more in line with Blizzard’s original design.
Also new this season is the Armory—a handy tool for saving and loading different character loadouts without spending Gold. Each loadout can feature unique Paragon boards, and you’ll find the Armory conveniently located in various spots, including Sanctuary towns and around the Tree of Whispers, training areas, and even the Citadel.
As with any new season, the loot pool expands with fresh Uniques, and some existing ones are being fine-tuned for consistency. Expect new Legendary Aspects as well, with certain ones enhancing the power of your Ultimates.
For a detailed look at what’s coming, check out the livestream embedded within this article. However, you’ll have to wait until November 27 for the full patch notes to drop.
