Blizzard’s Diablo IV Livestream unveils the post-launch experience, including Seasons, Battle Pass, and The Shop, enriching the world of Sanctuary.
In a developer live stream, Blizzard revealed new details about I Diablo IV’s post-launch experience, including the introduction of Seasons, an optional Battle Pass, and The Shop, all designed to provide players with a richer and more immersive experience. Players can get a taste of what to expect once they get past the main story and into the meat of the new game.
Seasons will be quarterly releases that bring additional gameplay features, questlines, Battle Passes, Legendary Items, class balance changes, quality of life improvements, and more. Season 1 will launch in mid-to-late July, requiring players to complete the campaign before diving into the new content.
The Season Journey will guide players through the new content and help them level up their Battle Pass by completing chapters and objectives. Rewards for completing these objectives include crafting materials and Legendary Aspects for the Codex of Power. Players earn Favour, the resource used to level up through the tiers of the Battle Pass, by completing objectives and quests, killing monsters, and participating in events.
Each season features a new Battle Pass with 27 Free Tiers and 63 Premium Tiers. Players can earn Cosmetics and Smoldering Ash from the Free Tiers by playing the game. The Premium Tiers, unlocked by purchasing the Premium Battle Pass, grant access to season-specific cosmetics and Platinum currency. Platinum can be spent in the store for new cosmetics or future Battle Passes.
Three versions of the Battle Pass are available: the Free Battle Pass, the Premium Battle Pass (1,000 Platinum or $9.99 USD), and the Accelerated Battle Pass (2,800 Platinum or $24.99 USD). While similar in concept to what Fortnite offers with its Battle Pass, with a full-priced game, we’ll have to wait until launch to judge how the Battle Passes will help the overall experience.
The shop has been detailed as a way to give players more customization options by offering cosmetics that enhance class-specific fantasies. These cosmetics, which can be purchased with platinum, rotate constantly and can be used on all characters of a particular class on a player’s account. Diablo IV also features a cross-purchase system allowing players to access their platinum and items on any platform they play the game.
With these new features, Diablo IV promises to keep players engaged and offer ongoing variety in the world of Sanctuary. We can all hope the launch of this latest installment will not face the same issues that DIablo III faced when it was first released back on May 15, 2012.