Blizzard has pulled back the curtain on what players can expect in Season 7 of Diablo 4, set to launch on January 21. Even though the season doesn’t have a title yet, anticipation is already mounting with the upcoming 2.1 Public Test Realm (PTR) going live well before the official release.
The PTR will kick off on Tuesday, December 3, but only for PC players via BattleNet, sticking with tradition. This time around, though, the PTR isn’t just about tweaking core gameplay mechanics—it also includes some of the exciting seasonal content that awaits players.
The theme for Season 7 revolves around witchcraft, blending battle magic into the fray in a manner reminiscent of the Season 2 Vampiric powers. Players can gain unique, season-limited powers, some of which are scattered and awaiting discovery in dungeon altars throughout the game world.
The new villain in town this season is the Headrotten. Defeating them yields Restless Rot, an essential resource for unlocking your character’s new magical abilities. Blizzard has listened to player feedback and streamlined the power-upgrading process, making it smoother than what players experienced back in Season 2. You’ll have the option to equip five regular powers and one special power.
Another returning feature are the Occult Gems, which can now be slotted into jewelry. These gems come with their very own witchcraft abilities, adding another layer to character customization.
As for the grind, gaining favor with the coven ties into Whispers, so there’s your challenge for the season. You’ll encounter the Headrotten in Headhunt zones, which are similar to Helltide areas and are part of the Whispers system.
Blizzard has also made some quality-of-life improvements to the Whispers experience. The town around the Tree of Whispers now offers more services, and the area is simpler to navigate. The standout new feature is the Raven of the Tree, which lets players hand in Whispers right there in the Headhunt zones, no return trip to the Tree necessary.
Looking at broader gameplay changes in 2.1, one of the standout adjustments is the boost to Ultimate skills. Once they reach rank 5, their power or damage scaling sees a significant increase. Players can amplify these skills’ effectiveness by locking in strategic choices in the skill tree and the Paragon board.
Several game classes are slated for buffs, especially with some tweaks to passive abilities. The Spiritborn won’t exactly be nerfed, but after some fixes to issues that made it stronger than intended in Season 6, its power level will stabilize.
A significant new feature is the Armory, enabling players to save and switch between multiple character loadouts without any Gold cost. Each loadout can include its own Paragon board, offering a flexible way to strategize. The Armory can be accessed in various places, such as Sanctuary towns, near the Tree of Whispers, in training spots, and even within the Citadel.
As is tradition with new seasons, the loot pool is getting fresh additions with new uniques, and some existing items are being tweaked for consistency. New Legendary Aspects are also on the way, including those that enhance Ultimate skills.
You can check out the livestream via the embedded link in this story for more details. As for the patch notes, those are set to arrive on Wednesday, November 27.
