Diablo 4 Season 8: Increased Difficulty, Belial's Return & Revamped Battle Pass

Diablo 4 Season 8: Increased Difficulty, Belial's Return & Revamped Battle Pass
Photo Credits: Blizzard

Diablo 4’s upcoming Season 8 is set to shake things up, not just with new bosses, but by deliberately increasing the game's difficulty. After players quickly mastered the game, Blizzard is aiming to create a more challenging experience, making those coveted loot drops feel truly earned. Lead live game designer Colin Finer, in a recent interview, emphasized that overcoming challenges is crucial for player satisfaction. “If there isn’t enough challenge, then it just feels like you’re getting candy for free and you don’t really feel that satisfaction of overcoming a boss,” he explained.

A Shift in Approach

This marks a significant change in philosophy, responding to player feedback from Season 7, where many felt progression was almost effortless. Finer acknowledged this, stating, "We had heard a bunch of feedback from season 7 that you could just AFK and just get everything for free, and that wasn’t something that we felt was true to Diablo." The approach to balancing during the Public Test Realm (PTR) was intentionally "extreme," described as a "double or half it approach," but the team has since dialed things back based on the feedback received. The goal? A noticeable increase in difficulty compared to Season 7, but not to the point of creating a frustrating grind.

New Content and Features

Belial’s Return

Season 8 centers around the return of Belial, with a new questline introducing Sayeena and Jarius, new NPCs who are investigating the mysterious Apparition Monsters appearing across Sanctuary. The story is about uncovering Belial’s motives, and players will need to work together to unravel his plot.

Boss Powers

A key new mechanic is “Boss Powers,” abilities derived from 24 bosses throughout Sanctuary. Each Power has a Main effect and Modifiers. These can be acquired by defeating bosses throughout the game and can significantly alter builds. Some powers are available at any level, while others require Torment I difficulty or higher.

Here's a small example of the Boss Powers:

  • Avarice's Explosive Ore: Spawns an ore that explodes dealing 700% fire damage.
  • Wandering Death's Chest Beam: Deals Frostbite damage over time.
  • Belial's Crystal Decoy: Spawns a crystal that taunts enemies.

A full list of all 24 Boss Powers and their effects will be available when the game launches.

Apparition Incursion Events

New "Apparition Incursion" events will spawn Belial’s Apparition Monsters in Sanctuary. These events occur frequently, providing opportunities to earn reputation and rewards like Resplendent Sparks and Hoard Keys.

Lair Boss Rework

The endgame boss system has been revamped with a tiered structure: Initiate, Greater, and Exalted Lair Bosses. This clarifies the difficulty and associated rewards. Bosses no longer require boss materials to summon, and drop a "Hoard" containing loot that requires a Lair Boss Key to open. A summary of key requirements are:

  • Initiate: 12 Keys
  • Greater: 3 Keys
  • Exalted: 2 Keys

Berserk Collaboration

A cosmetic collaboration with the manga *Berserk* will be available on May 6th. Barbarians can dress as Guts, while Rogues can choose outfits inspired by Griffith and other characters. A pet based on the infamous “nose creature” meme will also be available.

The New Battle Pass: Reliquaries

Season 8 introduces a redesigned battle pass system called "Reliquaries." This system aims to give players more agency over their rewards. Instead of a single battle pass track, Reliquaries break down rewards into categories like Weapons, Beasts, and Armor. A core, free Seasonal Reliquary will include items like Town Portal cosmetics, mount cosmetics, and Platinum. Premium Reliquaries can be unlocked with Platinum.

Players can earn "Favor Tokens" by slaying monsters and completing quests, which are then used to claim rewards. Each Reliquary features a Bonus Reward unlocked upon claiming all other items. The Reliquaries are designed to be cheaper than previous battle passes, and a bundle offering all Reliquaries is available for the same price as past passes (1,000 Platinum).

The team responded to feedback that the previous battle pass felt out of character for Diablo, offering rewards players didn't necessarily value. Colin Finer explained, "We felt like the battle pass wasn't servicing that. Diablo's all about that agency, playing it your way."

Season Journey & Tejal's Shop

Season Blessings have moved to the Season Journey and will work as before. Tejal's Shop offers new equipment, armor, and mounts, with items refreshed throughout the season.

Balancing Act & Future Outlook

The development team is walking a tightrope, striving to increase difficulty without making the game overly punishing. Finer acknowledged the challenge, saying, "It needs to be just challenging enough to feel rewarding, but not so challenging that it feels like we’re just slowing the game down and making it a slog.” They’ve addressed issues spotted during the PTR, like one-shot mechanics, but maintain that Season 8 will still be more challenging than Season 7.

Season 8: Belial’s Return launches on April 29th. Players can find comprehensive guides from community resources like Maxroll, Icy Veins, Wowhead, PureDiablo, Mobalytics, and D4Builds.