Diablo 4 has finally arrived, but while its critically acclaimed story campaign and grindable endgame activities are available to play now, the game's first live service season actually hasn't begun yet. Once it does, though, fans can expect new gameplay offerings, quests, and a reward-filled Battle Pass, with everything tied together by Season 1's unique theme.
While we don't know much about the season's gameplay content yet, we do know quite a bit about its expected release date and Battle Pass. Additionally, we can make an educated guess about its theme based on images that developer Blizzard shared ahead of Diablo 4's launch. Here's everything we know about Season 1 so far.
Diablo 4 Season 1: Start date and time
While Diablo 4 is out now, the game's first live service season isn't slated to arrive until about a month or two after the game's early June launch. Specifically, Blizzard says that Diablo 4 Season 1 will launch in mid-to-late July, so you won't be able to engage with its content until then. The studio has confirmed that Diablo 4 seasons will be "quarterly," so Season 1 (and all future seasons) is expected to last about three months.
Notably, you'll need to finish the Diablo 4 campaign before you can access Season 1, so we recommend playing through it now. That way, you'll be able to jump into everything the season has to offer right when it launches, giving you the maximum amount of time to reap the rewards.
As Season 1's mid-to-late July release gets closer, Blizzard will provide fans with a more concrete and specific launch date and time. Once the developers share that information, we'll be sure to update this article with the details.
Diablo 4 Season 1: Battle Pass rewards
- Diablo 4: Best Sorcerer leveling build
- Diablo 4: Best Rogue leveling build
- Diablo 4: Best Barbarian leveling build
- Diablo 4: List of all Legendary Aspects
- Diablo 4 starter guide
- Diablo 4 class tier list
In addition to new gameplay content to enjoy and a Season Journey with its own objectives and unlocks to earn, Season 1 (and future seasons) will also feature a Battle Pass with a wide variety of rewards. To progress through its tiers and unlock their items, players will need to accrue Favor XP by slaying monsters, completing quests and World Events, and finishing Season Journey challenges.
It's important to stress that while seasonal Battle Passes are a core part of Diablo 4's monetization, Blizzard has promised that gameplay items like Season Boosts (XP boosters) and Smoldering Ashes (a currency that allows you to unlock and upgrade Season Blessing buffs) will be available on the Battle Pass' Free reward track. Additionally, since they have level requirements, folks won't be able to get these unlocks early by buying Battle Pass tiers.
The developers haven't shown fans a finalized version of the Season 1 Battle Pass yet, but based on pre-release images of it, fans can expect the following items to be available from its Free tiers:
- Season Boosts
- Smoldering Ashes
- Cosmetics
- Emotes
- Emblems
- Gold
- Titles
Note that in addition to all of the above, players who purchase the Premium upgrade for the Battle Pass will also be able to earn additional cosmetic items as well as bundles of premium currency that can be spent in Diablo 4's microtransaction Shop.
How much does the Diablo 4 Battle Pass cost?
Diablo 4 Battle Passes have three distinct tiers, with each giving access to different types and amounts of rewards and two requiring real-world money in order to purchase. We've listed each tier and their costs below.
- Free: Free for all players, gives access to Free reward track
- Premium: Costs 1,000 Platinum (£8.39 / $9.88), gives access to Premium reward track
- Accelerated: Costs 2,800 Platinum (£20.99 / $24.99), gives access to Premium reward track, 20 tier skips, and an exclusive cosmetic
If all you care about is gameplay, you'll probably be best off sticking with the Battle Pass' Free tier. If you want lots of extra cosmetics to use for fashion, though, you'll probably want the Premium Battle Pass. The Accelerated tier — essentially just a separately-sold version of the Battle Pass bonus you get from buying the Diablo 4 Ultimate Edition — is quite expensive, but does give you a significant head start on progression and includes a unique cosmetic item.
Diablo 4 Season 1: Theme
Blizzard has confirmed that, much like seasons in previous Diablo games, Season 1 and other Diablo 4 seasons will have a theme. Many of the rewards from the Battle Pass and seasonal activities will embody these themes, with the developers aiming to help players "show off their participation in that season."
While an official theme for Season 1 hasn't been announced yet, many of the cosmetics we've seen in Diablo 4 Battle Pass preview images have a Nordic style (with a demonic Diablo twist, of course). With that in mind, there's a good chance that Season 1's theme will be Norse mythology, although this is ultimately just a guess.
In the coming weeks, Blizzard will reveal Season 1's theme. When it does, we'll update this article with the relevant info.
Diablo 4 is out now and is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4. It's one of the best Xbox games for fans of dungeon crawlers and hack-and-slash combat, and we've been having an absolute blast with it.
