Players finally got to learn more about the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion for Diablo 4 during the 30th anniversary livestream. One of the biggest things coming in the next expansion is the Talisman, and with it comes the return of set bonuses. That’s right, after years of waiting, set bonuses are finally coming to Diablo 4.
Talismans Bring Set Bonuses Back to Diablo 4
That’s right, Blizzard has confirmed that the Lord of Hatred expansion will return the classic Diablo 2 Charm system, pairing it with the set bonuses of Diablo 3. Overall, blending the two systems together into one powerful fusion.
When you reach the endgame, players will eventually unlock access to a Talisman slot for their character. Currently, at the time of writing, we do not know how easy or difficult it is to unlock the Talisman, if it has any upgrades, or every bonus it provides. However, we know that after equipping it, Charms will start to drop.
Charms work similarly to their own gear slots, or sort of like Runes, with affixes and powers on each Charm. They come in multiple rarities and will provide a variety of bonuses such as stats, buffs, or extra Skill ranks. But the real power comes when you start equipping multiple Charms from the same set.
In the announcement, we saw one example of a Talisman set bonus, via the Marksman Basic Skill build. This set bonus grants its user a buff called “Vengeance,” which grants movement speed and multiplicative damage, which stacks up to 5 times. Equipping more of the same Charm further adds additional effects and buffs, such as an automatic Dark Shroud shadow and extra damage reduction.
The Power of Charms
Originally, it was theorized that set bonuses may return to Diablo 4 through the Talisman system, and thankfully, we were right. But there’s potentially more power that could be implemented through this system. And fans are already beginning to question whether some of these sets will be permanent or rotate out each season.
It’s unlikely for Blizzard to have class sets define each season, much like how Diablo 3 does, so while there’s a lot of potential here, there’s a strong chance it won’t overly define the seasonal meta. On the other hand, these sets could help save some struggling builds; we will just have to wait and see.
