Diablo 3 presents in a blog post the update 2.6.10, which will go live on the PTR servers on October 1st. The new season theme, rewards, and Haedrig’s Gifts will also be introduced.
When does it start? The testing phase for Season 22 of Diablo 3 will commence on October 1st. Although there were concerns a few weeks ago that the season might be delayed, everything currently seems to be on schedule.
The PTR test will split into two phases, which will go live one after the other:
- October 1: During this phase, the changes to Legendaries and Set Items will be introduced.
- From October 8: During this phase, players will be able to test the new theme of Season 22 and its content.
Additionally, two buffs will be activated on the PTR servers to assist you in testing. They will increase the drop rate of legendary items and guarantee double the amount of Blood Shards.
The Season Theme of S22
This buff awaits you: The new theme of Season 22 revolves around shadows. When you touch a shrine or a pylon, a shadow clone of your class will appear. This clone will fight alongside you against enemies for one minute, as long as you are not killed during this time.
However, it does not clone your character and build directly. Each time it appears, the shadow clone will be assigned one of three predetermined build variations of your class, which it will then use in combat against the demons.
Here they are:
Witch Doctor
| Build 1 | Build 2 | Build 3 |
| Grasp of the Dead (Locust Swarm) | Wall of Death (Fire Wall) | Mass Confusion (Hallucination) |
| Piranhas (Piranhado) | Fire Bomb (Wildfire) | Spirit Barrage (The Spirit is Willing) |
| Wall of Death (Surrounded by Death) | Hex (Unstable Form) | Wall of Death (Séance) |
| Zombie Dogs (Zombie Bears) | Piranhas (Piranhado) | Piranhas (Piranhado) |
| Corpse Spiders (Medusa Spiders) | Zombie Dogs (Exploding Beast) | Horrify (Countenance of Death) |
| Hex (Curse) | Spirit Barrage (Soul Harvest) | Grasp of the Dead (Binding Grasp) |
Wizard
| Build 1 | Build 2 | Build 3 |
| Arcane Orb (Frost Sphere) | Meteor (Molten Impact) | Arcane Orb (Annihilation) |
| Frost Nova (Bone Chill) | Arcane Orb (Annihilation) | Disintegration (Intensify) |
| Blizzard (Unyielding Storm) | Explosion (Short Fuse) | Wave of Force (Weakening Push) |
| Ice Armor (Frozen Storm) | Black Hole (Blazar) | Slow Time (Exhaustion) |
| Black Hole (Absolute Zero) | Energy Twister (Tempest) | Energy Twister (Furious Storm) |
| Frost Ray (Snow Exclusion) | Disintegration (Convergence) | Meteor (Star Pact) |
Berserker
| Build 1 | Build 2 | Build 3 |
| Seismic Slam (Shattering Ground) | Wrath of the Berserker (Fury of the Marauder) | Overpower (Rampage) |
| Ground Stomp (Frightening Moment) | Threatening Shout (Unsettle) | Threatening Shout (Unsettle) |
| Earthquake (Lava Burst) | Wrath of the Berserker (Madness) | Furious Charge (Battering Ram) |
| Earthquake (Lava Eruption) | Sprint (Quick as the Wind) | Wrath of the Berserker (Madness) |
| Wrath of the Berserker (Madness) | Whirlwind (No Rune) | Strike (Pulverize) |
| Spear of the Ancients (Rock Throw) | Frenzy (Flesh Wound) | Hammer of the Ancients (Thunderclap) |
Monk
| Build 1 | Build 2 | Build 3 |
| Lightning Bolt (Faith in the Light) | Thunder Fists (Thunderclap) | Exploding Hand (The Flesh is Weak) |
| Seven-Sided Strike (Flashing Offensive) | Deadly Reach (Spreading Strikes) | Wave of Light (Explosive Light) |
| Holy Ally (Sanctuary) | Way of the Hundred Fists (Lightning Fast Hands) | Sweeping Wind (Whirling Flame Kick) |
| Revelation (Soothing Mist) | Sweeping Wind (Sweeping Armada Kick) | Revelation (Inner Fire) |
| Breathe of Heaven (Circle of Scorn) | Raging Strike (Hail of Blows) | Tearing Wind (Firestorm) |
| Wave of Light (Wave of Power) | Cyclone Strike (Implosion) | Seven-Sided Strike (Sudden Strike) |
Necromancer
| Build 1 | Build 2 | Build 3 |
| Land of the Dead (Frozen Land) | Land of the Dead (Pest Lands) | Land of the Dead (Frozen Land) |
| Fragility (Instability) | Decay (Atrophy) | Bone Spear (Shatter) |
| Bone Spirit (Possession) | Army of the Dead (Toxic Grip) | Death Nova (Bone Nova) |
| Corpse Explosion (Last Embrace) | Cadaver Lance (Crossfire) | Fragility (An Early Grave) |
| Bone Spear (Blood Spear) | Death Nova (Plague) | Army of the Dead (Death’s Domain) |
| Death Nova (Blood Nova) | Bone Spear (Contaminated Marrow) | Cadaver Lance (Blood Lance) |
Demon Hunter
| Build 1 | Build 2 | Build 3 |
| Death’s Wail (Valley of Death) | Death’s Wail (Valley of Death) | Death’s Wail (Valley of Death) |
| Crow’s Feet (Jagged Spikes) | Raining Vengeance (Shadow Storm) | Raining Vengeance (Flying Attack) |
| Dagger Storm (Assassin’s Knife) | Splinter Arrow (Rocket Splinter) | Splinter Arrow (Maelstrom) |
| Chakram (Twin Chakram) | Multishot (Arsenal) | Multishot (Cold Wind) |
| Vengeance (Flanking Cannons) | Vengeance (Hand Mortar) | Vengeance (Out of the Shadows) |
| Piercing (Crossfire) | Elemental Arrow (Fire Arrow) | Elemental Arrow (Frost Arrow) |
Crusader
| Build 1 | Build 2 | Build 3 |
| Akirat’s Champion (Firestarter) | Akirat’s Champion (Haste) | Akirat’s Champion (Tear Down) |
| Heavenly Execution (Overheated) | Heavenly Execution (Storm of Swords) | Heavenly Execution (Cloudburst) |
| Swing Attack (Flaming Swing) | Judgment (Mass Judgment) | Heavenly Fury (Shared Fury) |
| Consecrate (Shattered Ground) | Consecrate (Flood of Light) | Heavenly Hammer (Revenge) |
| Bombardment (Annihilation) | Blessed Hammer (Limitless) | Iron Skin (Charged) |
| Sentence (Response) | Sentence (Response) | Glorious Shield (Uncertainty) |
Kanais Cube will be improved
What happens with the Cube? In addition to the shadows, you will receive an additional slot for your Kanai’s Cube in Season 22. The new slot will be able to hold the same items as the other three. Its effect will not stack with theirs.
The goal of the new slot is to provide players with more creativity and diversity in builds. It is also the feature of the season that has been received positively in the community so far.
Players in the reddit threads about Season 22 have welcomed this change:
The fourth Cube slot will be the seasonal buff. The Witch Doctor will blow up the Rifts.
reddit user BadGyuLala
The 4th slot for Kanai’s Cube is a great addition. The “Shadow Clone” theme also sounds cool.
reddit user Xixth
In the threads, the possibilities were also drawn out of how to build incredibly broken builds with the fourth slot of the cube, and speculation was made about which classes would benefit the most from it.
Rewards and Haedrig’s Gift
What Season rewards will there be? For players who put in effort during Season 22, there will be gifts again. This time, there will be a frame for the profile picture and a pet. There are no images of the two rewards yet.
What does Haedrig bring? Depending on which class you open the gift with, you will receive one of the following sets:
- Horde of the Ninety Savages
- Aegis of Valor
- Gear of Terror
- Pattern of Justice
- Mask of the Burning Carnival
- Mundunugu’s Ornat
- The Typhon’s Veil
The Stone Gauntlets will now drop for all classes as well.
Starting October 8, it will become clear whether players will like the new theme. The theme of Season 21 was not well received.
