On March 20, the developers of Diablo 4 announced in a livestream that the current Season 3 will be extended. This also means that Season 4 will start later. What this is about and when the new season starts, you can find out here on MeinMMO.
The most important points from the stream:
- The item system will be revamped. There will be new crafting mechanics, which will also affect the aspects. Legendary aspects will be stored directly in the Codex of Power when you dismantle items. The variety of affixes will be reduced and adjusted, so that there are not so many anymore.
- There will be new content, a new boss, and the new activity “The Pit,” where you will find new materials called “Stygian Stones” that you can use to summon “Level 200” versions of the bosses.
- The PTR (Public Test Realm) will be coming to the game soon – however, this shifts the start of Season 4 to May 14.
Before all the changes and new content make their final appearance in Season 4, the developers want to make the PTR available. At the same time, they are extending the current season so that the Diablo 4 team can evaluate and incorporate the feedback from players for the season start.
Season 4 starts four weeks later than planned
When does Season 4 start? The end of Season 3 in Diablo 4 was originally noted in the game as April 16. A small change in the banner showed the season transition when you start Diablo 4. If you open Diablo 4 now, the changed date in the banner shows May 14, 2024.
This means that Season 3 will be extended by four weeks – and Season 4 will start four weeks later than originally planned. The reason for this is the PTR, which the developers will soon bring into the game:
We are postponing [the season] by a few weeks to ensure that we apply all feedback from the PTR to Season 4, to ensure that all the new changes we make are correct and work for the community.
So Season 3 will now end on May 14, and of course, Season 4 will begin on May 14.
Community Manager Adam Fletcher in the stream on YouTube
What is the PTR? The PTR is a public test server where players can test upcoming content earlier and provide feedback to the developers. The PTR will run from April 2 to April 9 and will be available to all PC players via Battle.net.
In the future, other platforms could also get a PTR, according to Adam Fletcher. In the coming week, there will be concrete information about the start of the PTR, as well as the patch notes for the update.
What will be added in Season 4? So far, no specific theme for the new season is known. It is clear that the item system will be adjusted and new crafting mechanics will be introduced. The Codex of Power will also be revamped.
There will be new bosses, a new endgame activity, and the option to zoom out further from the game. Additionally, the hell floods will also be available in Season 4 on World Tier 1 and 2.
The developers also want to respond to feedback regarding a skin pack from the shop. In a bundle, players could purchase portals of various colors, but only one specific color could be used per class. The team wants to change this.
Regarding community feedback, the developers of Diablo 4 continuously emphasize that they find it very important and helpful. However, some players complain that Diablo 4 is worse than it could be because the developers want to please everyone.
