Season 5 of Diablo 4 begins in August, but you can already test it on the PTR now. MeinMMO reveals what you need to do and what content is available to you.
When does Season 5 start?
- Season 5 starts shortly after the end of Season 4 on August 6, 2024, probably around 7 PM German time. You can find all the info about Season 5 of Diablo 4 here.
- However, the PTR for Season 5 will be launched today, June 25. You can test the new content and provide feedback until July 2.
- The servers will probably go online around 7 PM. You can already start the download now, and you should do so because you need to download a whopping 100 GB.
How to test Season 5 on the PTR: To play on the PTR (“Public Test Realm”), you need to own Diablo 4 on PC. The test only works through the Battle.net PC client.
Start the client and navigate to Diablo 4. There you will find a dropdown menu below the “Play” button on the bottom left. Select “Public Test Realm (PTR)” here and install the game in your desired location.
You will need 98.80 GB of free storage space and an additional 1 GB for each additional language you want to install. If you still have the PTR from Season 4 installed, you only need an update. You can find the most important info about the PTR in the Blizzard blog post in English. We have summarized the contents for the test below for you.
Season 5 will be the last season before the expansion. Here you can read all the info about Vessel of Hatred, and you can see the intro in the video:
Diablo 4 Season 5: Content and Changes – What can I test?
The main content of the test and of Season 5 will be the new Roguelite mode “Infernal Compass”. You will find Hell Compasses by defeating endgame bosses, completing Hell Waves, Nightmare Dungeons, and Whispers.
The compasses have up to 8 levels, indicating increasing difficulty. However, you can only use them in advanced gameplay or endgame:
- The weakest compasses (Tier 1) are available from World Tier 3
- You can use Tier 2 from World Tier 4 – from here there are bonus affixes for more crafting materials and increased drop rates
- Once you reach level 100, Tier 3 becomes available, everything above that needs to be enhanced with Abyssal Scrolls that you can find
In the activity itself, you will defeat waves of enemies (“Infernal Hordes”). After each wave, you can choose from up to 3 buffs and curses that strengthen you for the run and make the passage more challenging. You will receive Burning Ether for the battles.
If you defeat a boss at the end of the run, you can use the Ether to open loot chests. The final battle consists of 3 out of 5 different bosses with unique abilities. These “Fallen Priests” get stronger the more health they lose.
In addition to the “Infernal Compass”, there is already a new quest line on the PTR that starts after the base campaign like in every season. Visit Hawezar at World Tier 3. The quest line is closely tied to the compass. Additionally, the season brings:
- new Legendaries, Uniques, and other items
- mythical Uniques
- a change to Uber bosses, allowing you to summon them in a row
- Quality-of-Life improvements, such as at the Beast in Ice dungeon, the duration of Whispers, and the danger of Hell Waves
- improvements to loot and treasure goblins – You will finally get more gold!
- more weapon choices for all classes
For Season 5, all classes will be readjusted, and there will be buffs for everyone – with some nerfs. Here you can find the full patch notes for Season 5 and the PTR.
To test, you can already create or boost a level 100 equipped character so that you don’t have to level up for the new content. The corresponding NPC is located in Zarbinzet. You can provide feedback in the official forum or via a tool in the game.
Blizzard is testing a new feature that will display map markers as HUD for you. While this is not quite the requested map overlay, as you know it from earlier Diablo games, it is a first step in that direction. It’s very possible that a complete overlay will be available with the first expansion if the feedback from the PTR is accordingly. The chances are good: Blizzard is currently making a lot of fans happy, fulfilling even more wishes with Vessel of Hatred
