We’re barely two weeks into Season 15 of Diablo 4, and it feels like we’ve only scratched the surface of its secrets.
Season of Hell’s Legacy has been winning players over, with many calling it the best season the game has ever had. It serves as a grand homage to the entire Diablo franchise, taking players back to familiar battlegrounds and reuniting them with old friends and foes.
The sheer number of references is impressive. Even longtime Diablo veterans are likely to find something they never expected to see again.
The starting point for these trips down memory lane is a new type of dungeon called Nightmares. Players can enter them through portals scattered across the open world, particularly during Helltides, or open them using special dungeon keys called Chronicles.
Whichever way you enter, Nightmares take you to familiar locations from the franchise’s history. Fans of the original Diablo can encounter enemies such as Gharbad the Weak and Archbishop Lazarus, or venture into the Halls of the Blind, where invisible monsters lie in ambush, just as they did in the original game.
Those of us who spent years playing Diablo 2 during its heyday can revisit Pindleskin, the Countess, and Rakanishu. Diablo 3 also gets some attention, with encounters such as the Scouring of Caldeum culminating in a fight against Belial.
The attention to detail deserves special mention. Even Hellfire, Diablo 1’s lesser-known expansion, receives several nods through locations such as Lester’s Farm and the Cornerstone. These are references that even some longtime fans might miss, yet Blizzard still took the time to include them.
As someone who has loved and played every Diablo game to date, including Hellfire, that makes me very happy.
Nightmares are only part of the picture. Players also revisit familiar locations through the Capstone Dungeons, which have been completely reworked for Season 15. In place of the usual dungeons, players now venture through locations such as the Den of Evil and Caldeum as they progress, with the later challenges leading to showdowns against the Prime Evils.
The faithful recreation of Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo is the centerpiece of Season 15. Blizzard has brought back their environments and familiar fight mechanics alongside the bosses themselves. Setting foot on Arreat Summit or entering the Worldstone Chamber brought back memories of countless hours spent doing Baal runs in Diablo 2.
True to Diablo 2, reaching Baal means defeating the Ancients and surviving five waves of his minions. The journey to Mephisto takes you through Travincal and involves collecting Khalim’s body parts.
The Diablo encounter is my personal favorite. It takes you through an abridged version of the original game’s descent beneath Tristram, from the Cathedral and Catacombs to the Caves and, finally, Hell.
Along the way, we encounter the fallen heroes of the original game. Defeating Blood Raven frees Moreina from her torment, while bringing down the Summoner releases Jazreth. Eventually, we meet Aidan, the canonical hero of Diablo 1.
At the end of that descent, Diablo appears in his original form from nearly thirty years ago, with a fight that draws on mechanics from all three previous games.
It’s not just the visual art that evokes strong memories in Season 15. Returning zones feature music from their original appearances, while the recreated Diablo 1 areas include familiar lore books, complete with their original narration. These touches make revisiting the locations even more memorable.
Once your character reaches Torment 10, the Prime Evils offer a new challenge as Pinnacle bosses, with an additional 30 Monster Power. These encounters are major sources of endgame loot, frequently dropping Mythic items and offering a reliable way to hunt for the newly introduced runes and Uniques.
They can also drop a Hellfire Torch. Yes, the legendary charm from Diablo 2 is back. And while you can obtain one from the Prime Evils, there is another way to target farm it.
The road to Uber Tristram takes some work. One of the season’s early discoveries revealed that combining all three Prime Evil splinters in the Horadric Cube produces Wirt’s Lucky Coins. Players must then read ten of Deckard Cain’s diaries before returning to him. Cain opens a portal to a faithful recreation of Tristram, where you can speak to the townsfolk and even complete quests for them.
Interacting with the fountain in the town square opens another mysterious portal. On the other side lies Uber Tristram, where all three Prime Evils await you at once. Defeat them, and you’re rewarded with an explosion of loot, including a guaranteed Torch.
Another secret concerns one of Diablo 2’s most coveted items: Annihilus, which returns as a Mythic Seal. Datamining has revealed the item, but the exact method of obtaining it remains a mystery.
Players suspect that the Lucky Coin, part of one of Diablo 4’s longest-running hidden questlines, could hold the key to finding it.
And the secrets don’t end there. Whimsyshire, Diablo 3’s infamous land of ponies and walking flowers, has also been recreated. Its colorful inhabitants are every bit as deadly as the monsters elsewhere in Sanctuary. You can open a portal by consuming Liquid Rainbow, with one provided during the Season Journey.
What else? How about a Cow Level? The franchise’s longest-running joke finally made its way into Diablo 4 with Lord of Hatred. You can even visit the Bovine Sanctuary, an area populated by cow NPCs. We’ve covered how to find it in our dedicated article.
Together, these discoveries give players plenty of reasons to explore, experiment, and share what they find. Recognizing an old enemy is fun, but stumbling across something you didn’t even know was in the game makes the experience even better.
The work that went into these recreations has not gone unnoticed. Season 15 has attracted Diablo 4’s highest seasonal peak in concurrent Steam players, even surpassing the seasons that launched alongside Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred.
It has to be mentioned however that Diablo 4 was free to play on Steam during the opening week of the season. Steam figures also represent only part of the game’s audience, excluding those playing through Battle.net and consoles. Even with those factors in mind, the turnout is encouraging. The numbers add to the enthusiasm surrounding a season packed with memorable encounters and discoveries.
For me, the biggest success of Season 15 is how often it makes me want to stop and appreciate something. Sometimes it’s a familiar piece of music, or an obscure Hellfire reference. I love the mystery of a secret that sends the community searching for answers together. The feeling that there’s still more to find, keeps me coming back.
