Blizzard has laid out an exciting preview of what’s coming in Diablo 4’s upcoming season. Season 7, though unnamed for now, is set to launch on January 21. However, players can get a sneak peek much earlier with the release of Patch 2.1 on the Public Test Realm (PTR).
Starting December 3, PC players on BattleNet can dive into the PTR. Unlike previous patches, this one offers a taste of the new seasonal content, going beyond just the core gameplay changes typically seen with each season rollout.
Season 7 adopts a bewitching theme centered around witchcraft skills and their use in combat. It draws parallels with the Season 2 Vampiric powers, granting characters special abilities that vanish once the season ends. Some of these abilities are hidden in the game world, accessible by finding and activating altars within dungeons.
The season’s marquee foe is the Headrotten. Defeating them nets players Restless Rot, a key ingredient for unlocking novel character powers. These witchcraft abilities are upgradable, with Blizzard streamlining the upgrade process compared to what players experienced in Season 2. You can equip five regular abilities alongside one unique power.
Fans of loot will be pleased to know that distinctive, limited-time gems are making a comeback. Occult Gems, which fit into your jewelry, come with their own unique witchcraft perks.
Building reputation with the coven is linked with Whispers, which outlines your grind for the season. New Headhunt zones, reflective of Helltides, offer another avenue to find and defeat Headrotten, simultaneously serving as Whispers.
On that note, Blizzard has introduced several quality-of-life improvements to the Whispers grind. The town surrounding the Tree of Whispers offers more services and a more intuitive layout. A standout addition is the new Raven of the Tree feature, allowing players to turn in their Whispers without trekking back to the Tree, available in the Headhunt zones.
Gameplay-wise, Patch 2.1 introduces a notable buff to Ultimate skills. Once an Ultimate reaches rank 5, it becomes more robust, with an increase in damage scaling. Players can amplify these skills further by selecting the right abilities in the skill tree and optimizing nodes in the Paragon board.
In a broader sense, various classes are set to receive enhancements. Changes to certain passives account for some of these buffs. Although not exactly a nerf, the Spiritborn will see adjustments as unintended issues that made it overpowered in Season 6 are rectified.
A major new feature is the Armory, which allows for saving and loading multiple character loadouts without spending Gold. These loadouts can include different Paragon boards, and the Armory is accessible at several locations including Sanctuary towns, near the Tree of Whispers, in training zones, and even inside the Citadel.
With the new season, expect an expanded loot pool featuring new Uniques and adjustments to existing ones for consistency. Moreover, some new Legendary Aspects will boost the strength of Ultimates, giving players more to look forward to.
Stay tuned to the embedded livestream link within this story for more details. The patch notes are scheduled for release on November 27.
