Season 12 does not add a completely new endgame activity to Diablo 4. Instead, Blizzard is changing how existing content plays by layering a new system on top of it.
That system is Bloodied Sigils.
Rather than pulling players into another separate mode, Bloodied Sigils apply directly to content that most players already run anyway. Nightmare Dungeons, Infernal Hordes, and Lair Bosses all support them, with the goal of making familiar runs feel more intense without splitting the endgame further.
What Bloodied Sigils Will Change
Every Bloodied Sigil comes with a single modifier: Relentless Butcher.
When active, the Butcher is no longer a random surprise. He actively hunts the player for the entire run. Killing him does not end the threat either. He respawns immediately and keeps chasing.
In rare cases, this can even overlap with the normal Butcher spawn, which means dealing with two at the same time. There is very little downtime, and no safe pacing once the run starts.
The result is constant pressure, no matter which activity you are in.
Why the Rewards Are Important
To balance that risk, Bloodied Sigils guarantee Bloodied Items, another new Season 12 system.
Bloodied Items scale with Killstreaks. The longer you stay alive and keep fighting, the stronger their affixes become. Dying resets that momentum.
Bloodied Sigils are clearly built around this idea. The Relentless Butcher forces nonstop combat, while Bloodied Items reward players who can survive it without slowing down. This also means that playing it safe will not be optimal, but staying aggressive is.
Even though the content itself does not change, the way you approach it does.
Will This Help the Endgame?
Bloodied Sigils feel like Blizzard’s attempt to refresh the endgame without adding more parallel systems. You are still running the same activities, but with very different pacing and decision-making.
The upcoming PTR is going to be a perfect time for testing these new features. Players can then decide if this makes endgame runs more engaging or simply more exhausting. Either way, Bloodied Sigils are one of the more interesting Season 12 additions, especially because they show how Blizzard wants to increase difficulty going forward, not by adding content, but by changing how existing content is played.
For more updates on Season 12 and beyond, check out our Diablo 4 news hub.
