Blizzard Entertainment has shared a detailed overview of Plague Season, the inaugural seasonal chapter for Diablo IV, which is slated to start on July 20, 2023. The official briefing, reported by DTF Portal, clarifies how this season integrates with the broader Diablo IV experience and what players can expect when they step back into Sanctuary for new challenges.
According to the update, seasonal content unfolds in a clear sequence after the main campaign reaches its denouement. A fresh wave of Lilith’s corruption begins to spread across the familiar regions of Sanctuary, tainting towns and turning once-normal citizens into hostile entities. Players will work alongside the Cathedral of Light’s priesthood to track down the source of the contagion and put an end to the infection, bringing hope back to the devastated areas and restoring balance to the realm.
One of the season’s defining mechanics introduces the leprosy heart—a rare loot drop awarded after defeating an Elite Plague Beast. Upon activation, this item summons a stronger form of the slain foe within the arena, accompanied by a cadre of lesser, supporting minions. This dynamic creates tense, multi-front battles where strategy and timing become crucial as players manage crowd control, target priority, and the timing of the enhanced enemy’s appearances.
Overcoming these upgraded adversaries yields plague hearts, a class of unique items designed to upgrade gear. Players can apply these plague hearts to enhance armor and weapons, granting meaningful boosts that ripple through both survivability and offensive capability. Across the season, collectors and combat-focused players alike will have opportunities to gather a total of 32 plague hearts, each with potential effects that shape loadouts and playstyles in distinctive ways.
The climactic moment of Plague Season centers on defeating Varshan the Devoured, a formidable boss whose endurance and mechanics test the limits of a group’s coordination and resilience. The encounter will challenge teams to adapt to varied attack phases, exploit vulnerabilities, and maintain synergy under pressure as they push toward the season’s final objective and secure the rewards that accompany victory.
Diablo IV remains a contemporary action RPG released on June 6, 2023, available across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms. The ongoing support through seasons like Plague Season reflects Blizzard’s commitment to expanding the Diablo IV universe with evolving content, new mechanics, and meaningful endgame progression that keeps players returning for fresh experiences in Sanctuary.
In related news, the publisher has previously signaled ongoing plans to expand the Resident Evil franchise, hinting at new adaptations in development. This backdrop underscores Blizzard’s broader strategy of delivering connected, evolving worlds where fans can anticipate continuous storytelling and technical refinements across major franchises.