Diablo 4 hype is ramping up with the game now one month from its 1.0 release. A ‘server slam‘ weekend is hours away and that follows two beta weekends we here at Console Creatures and millions of others participated in. Now, they’ve detailed some of the unanswered questions players have had.
While the developers have been pretty open about their plans for the game, seasons and battle pass details have been sparse until now. Let’s take a look at the latest from hell, shall we?
The Controversial Battle Pass
It’s no news that this type of approach is a proven money maker. One that can be looked at cynically and one that can be seen as a good long-term plan to keep an ongoing game like this alive and the developers paid accordingly. Regardless, Diablo 4 has a battle pass and with it comes loads of cosmetics and links to several currencies the game will have.
You can earn Cosmetics and Smoldering Ashes from the Free Tiers just by slaying demons as you normally would. Smoldering Ashes are a resource that can be spent on Season Blessings, which provide you with a bonus to earning XP, Gold, or Obols depending on which Blessings you spend Ashes on.
Admittedly it sounds a bit confusing at first, but all these systems intertwine to create a layout that will require players to invest time into the game rather than just flat-out pay for tiers and bonuses without thinking twice. The Smoldering Ashes, for example, can be enabled and used throughout a season, but players must also meet specific level requirements to claim them.
But What Will It Cost?
Thankfully, Diablo 4‘s pass prices don’t appear to be anything outrageous or out of the norm:
Overall, there are three versions of the Battle Pass available. The Free Battle Pass, simply called Battle Pass, the Premium Battle Pass, which will cost 1,000 Platinum (equivalent of $9.99 USD), and the Accelerated Battle Pass, which includes all perks of the Premium Battle Pass, 20 Tier Skips, a special Cosmetic, and will cost 2,800 Platinum (equivalent of $24.99 USD).
The Battle Pass is also confirmed to be completely optional.
Hellish Seasons
Seasons are back for another round in Diablo 4, but more specifically, what they’re calling Season Journeys. These are linked to the Battle Pass by giving you XP and bonuses like the ones mentioned above. Many of these are obtained through objectives revealed as the season progresses and your character levels up. When completing these, you receive Favor, the currency used for the Pass.
There are no further details about the season systems, but they’ll likely be iterated upon just before or soon after release. The devs say the first Diablo 4 season will begin in mid or late July and can only be started after the campaign is complete.
Shop ‘Till You Drop (To Hell)
Yes, there is a shop, and yes, there is a premium currency in Diablo 4.
The role of Shop Cosmetics is to provide greater breadth in customization options, allowing you to reinforce the fantasy of choice for your character—none of the Cosmetics sold in the Shop provide anything greater than aesthetic variety.
A welcoming note, to be sure. It’s also detailed that the shop will include some cosmetics unique to particular classes. They also say the shop has been built as a ‘transparent’ experience. To summarize, every item can be equipped and examined on your character before you hit the buy button.
On top of that, some of the rotating shop cosmetics will also be tailored to your playstyle and current outfit. They showed examples as the shop tries to predict (or better sell) your preferred hell-slaying style.
Diablo 4 will release on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation on June 6th, 2023.
