Diablo IV: Season of the Malignant Arrives in Late July, Renown and More Carries Over

Diablo IV is the first full-on live service entry in the beloved action-RPG series, and as such, Blizzard has revealed what exactly we can expect from the game’s first post-launch season. As Blizzard already teased, Diablo IV: Season of the Malignant will see a new corruption spreading across the land, but there are some big rewards for those who seek out and defeat these corrupted monsters and demons.

Basically, once you jump into the Season of the Malignant content with a new character, you’ll occasionally run across an elite monster that’s been affected by the Malignance. Defeat them twice, and you’ll gain access to a Malignant Heart, which can be slotted into your gear like a gem. These hearts will be even more powerful than gems, allowing you to make “stupid new broken builds,” according to Blizzard themselves. You can check out a quick teaser trailer for Diablo IV: Season of the Malignant, below.

During the latest Diablo Developer Update, Blizzard also clarified exactly how seasons will work, and whether any of your progress will carry over to them. You won’t be able to start on the Season 1 content until you’ve finished the main game, and you’ll have to roll a new character, but some things like Renown, Altars of Lilith, and cleared fog of war will carry over. Just log in with the character you’ve made the most progress with, and your Renown/altars/fog of war will carry over, account-wide, for any new seasonal characters you start. That means you’ll be able to get a nice start on things, with up to 5 skill points and 5 extra potion charges right off the bat. Here’s a bit more about what you can expect from Season of the Malignant…

• New Questline – “Sanctuary has been corrupted, overtaken with an infectious turmoil creating abominations that roam freely. But who is to blame for this new wave of corruption? Partner with Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light, to discover the source and stop the spread of the Malignant at all costs.”
• New Power – “Defeat these powerful, corrupted enemies to harness their Malignant Hearts. With over 30 new Malignant Powers to wield, the might of the Malignance is yours for the taking.”
• New Boss Battle – “Scour the Malignant Tunnels to search for the catalyst of corruption. Make your stand against Varshan the Consumed and uncover the secrets of the Malignant.”
• New Gear – “With 6 new Unique items to discover and 7 new Legendary aspects to earn along the Season Journey, there are more powerful options to harness for every class.”

As for how seasons will progress, there will be a story and main “Seasonal Journey,” that you can progress by completing a variety of quests. Of course, there will also be a battle pass, which comes in both free and paid variants. The extra gear and items you get in the free version will purely be cosmetic.

Overall, it sounds like Diablo IV: Season of Malignance will be a fairly meaty new experience, and the process of transferring over to the seasonal shouldn’t be too much of a pain. You can check out the full Diablo Developer Update, which also includes info about Diablo Immortal’s new Blood Knight class (which essentially lets you play as a Castlevania character) below.

Diablo IV can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5. Season of the Malignant drops on July 20 (the patch for the season will actually be downloadable on July 18).