How to Prepare for Season 8 of Diablo 4

Season Start Date and Time

Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One. Can be played cross-platform. Diablo 4 is available on Xbox Gamepass.

Note: Because seasons are usually large patches, an update will most likely be available for pre-download 1–2 days before release.

The Season of Belial’s Return is the eighth season of Diablo 4, and it will introduce a new campaign, as well as new content and challenges for players to enjoy.

The Season will start on April 29th/30th, 2025, and will last for about three months. To participate in the season, you need to create a new character on the Seasonal Realm, which is separate from the Eternal Realm (the non-seasonal part of the game).

Here are some tips and tricks on what to do before and during season start, and what to look out for in general.

Before Season Start

This consists of steps you should ideally complete on either the Eternal Realm or the current Season, before the next season starts, allowing you to directly start the new seasonal content on the Seasonal Realm and/or save time.

• Complete the campaign
  This is required to access seasonal content. Completing the campaign beforehand allows you to directly start seasonal content on the Seasonal Realm (otherwise, you will have to first complete it there). However, you only have to play through the campaign once in order to unlock the skip for all future seasons.
• Unlock your horse
  This is a side quest that you can get from the campaign, and it will give you a fast way to travel around Sanctuary. Having a horse will save you a lot of time when leveling up and exploring the map.
• Uncover the entire map
  This will carry over to your seasonal characters, and it will make your map more functional and useful. You will also get a lot of Renown from discovering new areas and completing events.
• Discover all or as many Altars of Lilith as you can
  These are special statues that offer cool stat bonuses, and they will also carry over to your seasonal characters, so you only have to collect them once. There are 160 Altars in total, and they are scattered all over the map. You can use this guide to find them all.
• Decide which class you want to play by testing classes to find the best one to suit you
  This is a personal preference, but you may want to consider the season theme, the patch notes, and your playstyle when choosing your class. Each class has its own strengths, weaknesses, and skills, so you may want to experiment with different builds and see what you like best.
• One thing to keep in mind is that Softcore and Hardcore gameplay do not overlap in Diablo 4. This means that if you played Hardcore during Diablo 4’s launch phase or current season, and are planning on playing Softcore mode next season, you will have to discover everything (Altars, map discovery, etc.) again.

During Season

• Download or update Diablo 4 on your PC or console
• Create a new character on the Seasonal Realm 
  You can do this by selecting “Seasonal” when creating your character. You will start at Level 1 with no gear or skills, but you will have access to your horse, your map progress, your renown rewards, and your Altars of Lilith bonuses. If you have trouble picking, take a look at our Tier Lists.
• Remember to choose to “Skip the Campaign” (unless you want to play through it again).
• World Difficulty: For your first character, Normal and Hard difficulties will be available during the campaign. Normal offers a slower-paced experience, while Hard allows for slightly faster progression. Once you complete the prologue, Expert difficulty unlocks. If you choose to skip the campaign, you will have immediate access to Penitent difficulty. However, we recommend avoiding Penitent unless you are familiar with the game and seeking a tough challenge from the outset.
• Follow the seasonal campaign
  This is a new questline that will guide you through the seasonal content and reward you with exclusive items and achievements, as well as interesting new lore.
• Level up your character
  The faster you level up, the sooner you can access more challenging endgame content. You only have to complete the campaign once on your account! Afterwards, the fastest way to gain experience is by participating in Helltide or seasonal content due to the large number of monsters and events within these zones.
• Build Rapport with your Mercenaries (Vessel of Hatred content): Level up your mercenaries by using them in battle, and carefully choose skills that complement your playstyle and the content you are aiming to progress through. The right skill choices can make a significant difference in tougher encounters.
• Salvage your unused Legendary items
  Salvaging your unwanted Legendary items will record the Aspect in the Codex of Power and upgrade its rank.
• Complete your Season Journey
  Complete seasonal challenges in season journey chapters to earn XP, Smoldering Ashes, and battle pass rewards.
• Unlock Seasonal Blessings
  These Blessings are small bonuses that enhance various aspects of the gameplay experience, such as increased experience points, gold acquisition, elixir duration, and more. Use your Smoldering Ashes to unlock them.
• Upgrade your Gear
  Use the Tempering and Masterworking systems to upgrade your gear and make it complementary to your build. Run through The Infernal Hordes or Nightmare Dungeons for Masterworking materials to get you to the next level! 
• Have fun!
  This is the most important tip of all. Diablo 4 is a game that offers a lot of variety and replayability, so you can play it however you want. You can explore different regions, try different classes and builds, join clans, or just enjoy the story and atmosphere. The choice is yours!

Good to Know

• Enable Enhanced / Detailed tooltips to see the full range of stats on items
  To do so, go to the options menu and select the “Gameplay” tab. Then, turn on the “Advanced Tooltip Information” option.
• Item Power is a good way to compare certain pieces of gear early on
• Pay attention to your gear’s stats for the best items, depending on your class and build.
• You can trade Legendaries and Uniques with other players as long as they are not modified.
• Remember, you can respec for free until Level 15!
• Items in the Stash can be marked as Junk or Favorite. Make use of this feature, but be aware that marked items cannot be sold or salvaged!
• Don’t forget to take advantage of Waypoints as you level up, since they will be visible from the beginning (assuming you discovered them on the Eternal Realm or previous seasons), and can easily be collected.
• Use Elixirs
  They provide temporary buffs and a XP boost for 30 minutes. Additionally, upgrade your Potions every 5 to 10 levels! You can craft Elixirs at the Alchemist in town or get them from quests.
• Put Gems and Runes in your sockets
  You can also salvage items with Gems to get them back for free or simply put in a new gem to replace the old one (no need to unsocket first). The same goes for Runes. You will need 2 runes to combine them into a Runeword. You can only have 4 Runes in your gear at once.
• Keep an eye out for in-game announcements of upcoming World Boss spawns!