Season 4 of Diablo 4 is set to bring massive changes to the game, dubbed as “Loot Reborn” by Blizzard. These changes are aimed at making the loot chase and investment in the system more gratifying for players. The update includes removing unused affixes, making it easier to understand what affixes do, reduced total affixes on gear, and making Legendary and Unique items tradeable across players. Additionally, level 95+ enemies will only drop capped 925 gear, and Forgotten Souls can be found from more sources.
The Codex of Power is getting a new storage system that allows players to upgrade a stored aspect up to 16 times to reach maximum potential. Players can also salvage a max rolled aspect to permanently upgrade that aspect within the codex to max. Max aspects can then be applied to any piece of gear going forward. The Codex also features a search, filter, and favorite aspect function for convenience.
A new crafting system called Tempering allows players to add new affixes to gear using manuals dropped from most content in the game. Ancestral items can have two Tempered affixes from different categories. Manuals in seasonal content will be lost at the end, while manuals in the eternal realm will be kept permanently. Greater affixes, the most powerful affixes in the game, can only drop on Legendary or Unique items and can also be Enchanted into items.
Masterworking is a new system that allows players to upgrade their affixes by 12 ranks with every four ranks upgrading one affix massively. Players can reset and start the process over again if they want to change their upgrades. The Pit is a new endgame activity where players can find Masterworking materials and Stygian Stones to summon level 200 Uber Bosses. Helltide Reborn introduces a new system where players generate Threat in Helltides as they slay monsters and open Tortured Gifts.
When players reach the third Threat level, they become “Hell-Marked” and have to fight a giant Agent of Hell to receive loot. The new ritual in Helltides involves finding and depositing Baneful Hearts, killing enemies, and fighting a Blood Maiden for a “great reward” upon death. Helltides are now available in World Tier 1 and 2 for players to warm up, featuring easier gameplay and no roaming bosses. A new elixir called Profane Mindcage increases the level of Helltide Monsters by 10 and boosts Cinder drop rates, which are guaranteed to drop when killing monsters, available only for the current season.