The Battle Pass was already criticized before the release of Diablo 4. A few seasons ago, Blizzard revised the system and now players remember that there were quite a few things better about the old system.
What is the Battle Pass all about?
- With Season 8, Blizzard changed the Battle Pass of Diablo 4, as the system was considered outdated. It was replaced by the new “Reliquary,” where you can choose which rewards you want to unlock.
- Instead of unlocking all rewards linearly, you now unlock categories to get targeted content. There is still a free path, but in a significantly stripped-down form.
- Players calculated the premium path, i.e., the paid one, and came to the conclusion: Ultimately, there’s simply less in it than before.
As early as May 2025, many players expressed dissatisfaction and demanded, for example, on Reddit that the old system be returned. The new Reliquary was said to be little aesthetically pleasing, removes the classic feeling of progress, and overall feels bad. Additionally, it is still criticized today that a large portion of the platinum that one could previously earn back through the Battle Pass has been removed.
Season 7 was thus the last season with the old Battle Pass system. The free path included cosmetics, among other things – and this is exactly what a player is now reminding on Reddit.
“One could build a nice collection of transmogs”
What do players specifically miss? Although the free cosmetics from the Battle Pass were often criticized in the past, today they are exactly what many are missing. Especially in the first seasons, the skins were not well received – many felt they resembled NPC armors. Later it was said that the colorful skins did not fit Diablo 4 and rather resembled Albion Online.
Now, SheWhoHates writes on Reddit that it would have been better to get a new armor set each season than none at all – regardless of whether one liked them or not. Prestigious_Bus1573 agrees and states: “These sets were not perfect. But over time, one built up a beautiful collection of transmogs.”
In Season 7, one last received a free, complete set. The user shows this in a post:
But it’s not just the free armor sets that the community misses. In the comments, players also wish for other rewards and features from the old Battle Pass to return, including:
- Emotes that can be equipped on the emote wheel
- Tombstones displayed upon the death of a character
- Cosmetics without much “fuss”
- Cosmetics that can be unlocked without payment
- the linear scrolling of the Battle Pass
As the only clear advantage of the new Reliquary system, a few fans mention that tokens can be carried over to the next season. However, there is also criticism here: The user steelsmiter points out in a Reddit comment that the maximum is 99 tokens.
The paid skins in the Diablo 4 shop continue to face regular criticism. With Season 11, the Paladin was surprisingly introduced as a new class – complete with its own skins. Although Blizzard also sells expensive cosmetics for him, many fans agree: Especially for the Paladin, the free stuff looks significantly nicer.
