What you need to know
With Diablo 4's Season 4: Loot Reborn, the Codex of Power will now store the most powerful versions of Aspects that players have discovered.
The Helltide Reborn arrives this season, bringing a new wave of demonic threats to test players on the battlefield.
There's also a new questline focused on the Iron Wolves, with players investigating mysterious murders occurring in the south.
Season 4: Loot Reborn, is set to begin in Diablo 4 on May 14, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET.
The next big season for Blizzard Entertainment's latest hack-and-slash role-playing game is almost here.
Diablo 4's Season 4: Loot Reborn begins later in the month now that it is leaving PTR, and ahead of its arrival, Blizzard Entertainment shared a blog post on Tuesday outlining what players can expect. There's some big changes for how the Codex of Power functions, while the Helltide Reborn, the Pit of Artificers, and more are also on the way.
What's changing in Diablo 4's Season 4: Loot Reborn?
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The Codex of Power is getting some adjustments in Season 4. Players will now be able to find the most powerful version of any Aspect they've discovered stored in the Codex of Power, not taking up precious inventory slots. Different Aspects can also be favorited in order to make upgrading and imprinting your gear much easier. It's worth noting that the Codex of Power on seasonal characters will be reset once Season 4 ends, but any progress made filling out the Codex in the Eternal Realm is permanent.
Itemization is also being tweaked with adjustments to gear quality, as well as the introduction of Tempering and Masterwork systems that allow players to vastly improve their favorite gear in the endgame of Diablo 4. As a general rule, Blizzard indicates players can expect monsters to drop less loot, but that loot should be higher-quality. This is meant to keep players focused on killing enemies over sorting through piles of items.
The Helltide Reborn arrives this season, with some changes that are sticking around past the end of Season 4 across the seasonal realms and the Eternal Realm. Any players slaughtering demons will generate Threat, and any players that hit Threat Level 3 will become Hell-Marked, triggering a pack of deadly foes. If you make it out, you'll face off against a Hellborn, a unique enemy that takes after one of the game's classes. Managing to then defeat the Hellborn rewards you with Baneful Hearts, which can be redeemed through an Accursed Ritual to take on a Blood Maiden. If you then defeat a Blood Maiden, you'll be getting some special rewards.
The Pit of Artificers is another big feature being introduced in Season 4. Players who reach World Tier IV will kick off a new questline that involves earning Runeshards across a number of activities like Helltide and World Bosses. With Runeshards, players can activate the Obelisk in Cerrigar, descending into the Pit of Artificers.
In the Pit, players have 10 minutes to kill as many enemies as possible, with player deaths shaving time off the clock. After killing enough monsters, players get to take on a special boss. Killing this boss before time runs out will net Masterworking materials. Killing the boss with at least 4 minutes left on the clock will unlock the next deeper level of the Pit, allowing you to descend even further on your next try.
Finally, there's a new questline involving the Iron Wolves mercenaries in the south. Players are tasked with investigating mysterious murders plaguing the group. You'll need to talk to Soudeh in Khejistan to kick this storyline off.
Analysis: A great suite of updates
There's a lot here, and while it could definitely be a bit overwhelming for anyone that has fallen off or hasn't started playing at all, everything I'm seeing here seems extremely promising. The Codex of Power changes are a lifesaver for how I play, and it'll feel more rewarding to just keep the best version of an Aspect moving forward.
I'm also really interested in the Pit of Artificers. If everything is balanced right, it should be a really fun undertaking alone or with friends.
While you're waiting on Season 4 to arrive, be sure to read my colleague Jennifer Young's interview with Blizzard's head of the Diablo franchise, Rod Fergusson. The pair discuss microtransactions, the PTR, and even the possibility of a Diablo TV series in the wake of the ongoing Fallout resurgence that's happening right now.
Diablo 4 is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. As an Xbox first-party game, it's also available in Xbox Game Pass.
