Season

For the Diablo Immortal equivalent, see Season (Diablo Immortal).

For the Diablo IV equivalent, see Season (Diablo IV).

"Good luck, nephalem! May the loot gods treat you kindly and your deeds of valor always be remembered."

- Season blurb^(src)

A season's introductory scroll

Seasons are a game mode of Diablo III in which players periodically start and progress fresh characters within a set time period, usually 10 to 20 weeks long. New Seasons are major events associated with new content, rewards, and patches. Competing for Leaderboard rankings and earning rewards from seasons is considered part of the end-game of Diablo III.

Most seasons have themes with special mechanics unique to that Season. Seasons 30 and beyond revisit previous seasonal themes, and always include the Seasonal-only Altar of Rites and Visions of Enmity.

Seasons are the equivalent of Ladders from Diablo II. They were introduced for the PC in Patch 2.1.0 (August 2014), and for the console in Season 10 (March 2017). Seasons align between both platforms.

Overview

Seasonal Hero checkbox

Seasons are only available to freshly created characters who must be leveled all the way from level 1 after the season begins. Seasonal characters have a separate stash, gold and other currencies, artisans, Paragon experience etc., starting fresh and completely clear when the season begins. These are also separate for Softcore and Hardcore Seasonal characters, making a total of four types per account. Seasonal characters take up one of the regular 12 or 15 character slots and will remain in this slot after the end of a Season, simply having their Season status removed.

Season participation benefits include exclusive rewards and unique Legendary Items, which are only available to Seasonal characters. It also awards special banner and transmogrification options.

The goal and key feature of Seasons is the ability to climb Leaderboards by completing achievements, earning Conquests, or running Greater Rifts. Each type of Leaderboard is divided by goal, by class and by solo/group mode rather than a "by account" one. There is a fierce competition within the Leaderboard of the same type, but it has no effect on other boards.

After the season ends, all of the player's progress (Paragon experience, crafting recipes, items, gold, etc.) will be rolled into the main roster, and the season-exclusive items are added to the normal loot tables. In other words, all seasonal characters become normal, and with the start of the next season, new characters must fresh-start all over again, competing for the clear Leaderboards. Each new season adds new rewards.

Season Journey

Main article: Season Journey

The Journey is an interface that was added in Season 4, as a means of tracking player progress. This feature is divided into chapters, which include major milestones that are achievable by most players, and tiers, which are designed for advanced players. Beginning with Season 5, players receive Haedrig's Gift as a reward for completing Chapter IV of the Season Journey.

Conquests

Main article: Conquests

Conquests are special feats within Season, not related to Seasonal Journey (however, chapters 7, 8 and 9 require 1, 2 and 3 conquests to be completed respectively). These are among the hardest of goals to accomplish. They change with every Season. Examples include:

• Kill 16 Bosses in 30 minutes
• Gain 50 million Gold streak without venturing into The Vault
• Complete Torment X Rift in 2 minutes
• Beat a Greater Rift rank 45 without any Set Items
• Complete all five Acts in 1 hour
• Beat a Greater Rift rank 55 with all 24 6+ piece Class Sets
• Complete 8 Set Dungeons with Mastery rating

Either of the Conquests will be credited separately for Hardcore mode.

Rebirth

Season Rebirth option menu

Main article: Rebirth

Season Rebirth is a feature added in Season 5 which takes a non-Seasonal hero, and turns them into a Seasonal hero starting at level 1 with no gear or any other progression. Any gear removed from a hero in this way is automatically mailed to the player in the non-Season, with thirty days to reclaim the items. It is equivalent to putting all the character's gear into the shared stash for other characters to retrieve, then deleting the character and making a new Seasonal one with the same name, class, and gender. Rebirth avoids the hassle of doing this process manually. It is limited to three uses per season.

Game updates

The cyclical nature of Seasons was used by the designers and developers to pace general updates to the game, including with features and balance changes for non-Seasonal play. Seasons provided an opportunity to test new game mechanics and features in a somewhat self-contained way before making them permanent. For a time, it was also common for new items to be exclusive to the Season before becoming generally available after the season ended.

Patches implementing these changes are usually released just before a new season starts - since Seasons began, only Season 1 has received balance or content patches mid-Season. With the cessation of active development on Diablo III after season 29, it is expected that only minor maintenance patches will appear between future seasons, if any.

List of Seasons

Season	Start Date	End Date	Duration
1	29 Aug 2014	03 Feb 2015	22 weeks, 4 days
2	13 Feb 2015	05 Apr 2015	7 weeks, 3 days
3	10 Apr 2015	23 Aug 2015	19 weeks, 2 days
4	28 Aug 2015	30 Dec 2015	17 weeks, 5 days
5	15 Jan 2016	15 Apr 2016	13 weeks
6	29 Apr 2016	22 Jul 2016	12 weeks
7	05 Aug 2016	14 Oct 2016	10 weeks
8	21 Oct 2016	30 Dec 2016	10 weeks
9	06 Jan 2017	17 Mar 2017	10 weeks
10	31 Mar 2017	23 Jun 2017	12 weeks
11	20 Jul 2017	20 Oct 2017	13 weeks
12	09 Nov 2017	11 Feb 2018	13 weeks, 3 days
13	23 Feb 2018	03 Jun 2018	14 weeks, 2 days
14	15 Jun 2018	16 Sep 2018	13 weeks, 2 days
15	21 Sep 2018	06 Jan 2019	15 weeks, 2 days
16	18 Jan 2019	12 May 2019	16 weeks, 2 days
17	17 May 2019	18 Aug 2019	13 weeks, 2 days
18	23 Aug 2019	10 Nov 2019	11 weeks, 2 days
19	22 Nov 2019	01 Mar 2020	14 weeks, 2 days
20	13 Mar 2020	21 Jun 2020	14 weeks, 2 days
21	03 Jul 2020	08 Nov 2020	18 weeks, 2 days
22	20 Nov 2020	28 Mar 2021	18 weeks, 2 days
23	02 Apr 2021	18 July 2021	15 weeks, 2 days
24	23 Jul 2021	05 Dec 2021	19 weeks, 2 days
25	10 Dec 2021	10 Apr 2022	17 weeks, 2 days
26	15 Apr 2022	21 Aug 2022	18 weeks, 2 days
27	26 Aug 2022	19 Feb 2023	25 weeks, 2 days
28	24 Feb 2023	10 Sep 2023	28 weeks, 2 days
29	15 Sep 2023	7 Jan 2024	16 weeks, 2 days
30	12 Jan 2024	TBD	TBD
31	12 Apr 2024	TBD	TBD

Season 1

Season 1 exclusive rewards

Season 1 launched on Friday, August 29th, 2014 at 6 PM, following Patch 2.1.0. It ran until February 3, 2015 at 4 PM. This was the longest season at 157 days 22 hours, until season 27 finally surpassed it.

Limited-time rewards

• Conqueror's Shako & Conqueror's Pauldrons transmogrifications
• Exclusive banner: Shape, Pattern, Accent, Sigil

Items introduced

• Aether Walker (Wand)
• Bottomless Potion of Rejuvenation (Potion)
• Frydehr's Wrath (Crusader Shield)
• Krelm's Buff Bulwark Set:
  • Krelm's Buff Belt (Belt)
  • Krelm's Buff Bracers (Bracers)
• Leonine Bow of Hashir (Bow)
• Remorseless (Mighty Weapon)
• Sacred Harvester (Ceremonial Knife)
• Vengeful Wind (Fist Weapon)
• Follower Items:
  • Vadim's Surge (Enchantress Focus)
  • Slipka's Letter Opener (Scoundrel Token)
  • Hillenbrand's Training Sword (Templar Relic)

Season 2

Season 2 exclusive rewards

Season 2 launched on Friday, February 13, 2015 at 6 PM, a month after Patch 2.1.2. It ran until April 5 at 9 PM. This season is the shortest season to date at 51 days 3 hours.

The season offered new legendaries, conquests, and banner rewards.

Limited-time rewards

• Conqueror's Legguards & Sabatons transmogrifications
• Exclusive banner: Shape, Pattern, Accent, Sigil

Items introduced

• Belt of the Trove (Belt)
• Gungdo Gear (Bracers)
• Halo of Arlyse (Ring)
• Odyssey's End (Bow)
• The Undisputed Champion (Mighty Belt)
• Wormwood (Staff)
• Gems:
  • Esoteric Alteration
  • Gem of Ease
  • Molten Wildebeest's Gizzard

Season 3

Season 3 exclusive rewards

Season 3 launched on Friday, April 10, 2015 at 6 PM, following Patch 2.2. It ran for a total of 134 days 23 hours, ending on August 23 at 5 PM.

Limited-time rewards

• Conqueror's Cuirass & Gauntlets transmogrifications
• Seasonal pennant
• Exclusive portrait frame

Season 3 artwork

Items introduced

• Dead Man's Legacy (Quiver)
• Dread Iron (Mighty Belt)
• Nagelring (Ring)
• Obsidian Ring of the Zodiac (Ring)
• Blessed of Haull (Belt)
• Ranslor's Folly (Bracers)
• Spirit Guards (Bracers)
• The Short Man's Finger (Ring)
• Bottomless Potion of Amplification (Potion)
• Gems:
  • Iceblink
  • Mutilation Guard

Season 4

Season 4 exclusive rewards

Season 4 launched on Friday, August 28, 2015, following Patch 2.3. This is the first season where both the start and end times of the season were at 5 pm,, resulting in an exact number of days of length. All subsequent seasons continued the 5 pm time tradition.

Limited-time rewards

• Exclusive portrait frames
• Frost hound pet
• Repeat chance at Conqueror's Shako & Conqueror's Pauldrons transmogrifications

This season introduced the Season Journey as an additional feature for measuring progression and obtaining rewards, in addition to the Season Achievements of previous seasons.

Season 4 portrait frames

Items introduced

• The Demon's Demise (Hand Crossbow)
• Lion's Claw (Fist Weapon)
• Sacred Harness (Belt)
• Dishonored Legacy (Mighty Weapon)
• Fazula's Improbable Chain (Belt)
• Henri's Perquisition (Mojo)
• Bane of the Stricken (Gem)

Season 5

Season 5 exclusive rewards

Season 5 launched on Friday, January 15, 2016, following Patch 2.4.

Limited-time rewards

• Bonus stash tab #1
• Exclusive portrait frames
• Old Growth (Wickerman) pet
• Repeat chance at Conqueror's Legguards & Sabatons transmogrifications

Season 5 portrait frames

Season 5 was the first season to not have temporarily exclusive legendary items, as the new legendaries in Patch 2.4 were made immediately available to both seasonal and non-seasonal characters. Instead, seasonal players would obtain a guaranteed free set for one class in the form of "Haedrig's Gift," a series of mail packages received upon completion of certain stages of the Season Journey up to the fourth chapter. The set obtained by each class is predetermined, and rotates with each new Season.

New or redesigned legendaries at the time of the patch include: Blade of the Tribes, Heart of Iron, Elusive Ring, Kyoshiro's Blade, Wilken's Reach, The Twisted Sword. The Legacy of Nightmares ring set and some class sets also saw redesigns.

This season notably introduced the first additional stash tab as a limited time reward.

Season 6

Season 6 exclusive rewards

Season 6 launched on Friday, April 29, 2016, following Patch 2.4.1.

Season 6 portrait frame.

Limited-time rewards

• Bonus stash tab #2
• Seasonal pennant
• Exclusive portrait frames
• Repeat chance at Conqueror's Cuirass & Gauntlets transmogrifications

This season and patch premiered with many cosmetic transmogrification items and pets which were not exclusive seasonal rewards, but instead obtained as rare drops in chests, from monsters, and from the new Menagerist goblin.

New legendaries were also released concurrently with the patch, and others given new powers: Frostburn, Magefist, Skull Grasp, Flail of the Ascended, Augustine's Panacea, Bakuli Jungle Wraps, Halo of Karini, Crystal Fist, Fleshrake, Swamp Land Waders. Class sets and legendary gems also saw redesigns.

Season 7

A new season 7 portrait frame.

Season 7 launched on Friday, August 5, 2016, following Patch 2.4.2.

Limited-time rewards

• Bonus stash tab #3
• New pet: Dream of Piers
• Exclusive portrait frames
• Repeat chance at Conqueror's Shako & Conqueror's Pauldrons transmogrifications

Item updates in concurrent patch

• Bottomless Potion of Chaos (potion)
• Khassett's Cord of Righteousness (new belt)
• Trag'Oul Coils (bracers; power changed)
• Girdle of Giants (mighty belt; power added)
• Scarbringer (fist weapon; power added)
• Gazing Demise (mojo; power added)
• Starfire (wand; power added)
• Invigorating Gemstone (gem; redesigned)
• Darklight (flail; redesigned)
• The Demon's Demise (hand crossbow; redesigned)
• Firebird's Finery set (redesigned)

The following changes were made to the season journey:

• Haedrig's Gift is no longer awarded for specific Seasonal achievements; the bags are now rewarded for the completion of Chapters II, III, and IV.
• Achievements requiring timed Nephalem Rift runs have been re-tuned.
• Overall difficulty has been shifted around; easier, more tutorial-based achievements are in Chapters I-IV while more challenging tasks can be found in Slayer and beyond.
• All Rift-related achievements have been updated to include the new Torment XI-XIII difficulties.

Season 8

Season 8 launched on Friday, October 21, 2016, and ended on December 30. It is the first time a season has launched with no patch since the start of a previous season.

While the seasonal conquests rotated as usual, there was no concurrent batch of new legendary items, balance changes, or new game features.

Limited-time rewards

No one dies on your watch.

• Bonus stash tab #4 (10 total if every season was played)
• Anguish's Grasp (Andariel's wings)
• Exclusive portrait frames
• Repeat chance at Conqueror's Legguards & Sabatons transmogrifications

Season 9

Season 9 launched on January 6, 2017, following Patch 2.4.3. It ended on March 17.

Limited-time rewards

• Pandemonium-themed portraits
• Rocky (a cosmetic pet)
• Repeat chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Item updates in concurrent patch

• Red Soul Shard (new legendary gem)
• Talisman of Akkhan (new amulet)
• Saffron Wrap (belt; power added)
• Faithful Memory (two-handed sword; power added)
• Hellcat Waistguard (belt; power added)
• Rabid Strike (fist weapon; power added)
• The Barber (dagger; power added)
• Manald Heal (ring; power added)
• Defender of Westmarch (shield; redesigned)
• Jeram's Bracers (bracer; redesigned)
• Wrath of the Wastes (set; redesigned)
• Roland's Legacy (set; redesigned)
• Embodiment of the Marauder (set; redesigned)
• Inna's Mantra (set; redesigned)
• Spirit of Arachyr (set; redesigned)
• Delsere's Magnum Opus (set; redesigned)

Season 10

Season 10 rewards

Season 10 launched on March 31, 2017, following Patch 2.5.0. It ended on June 23. It was the first Season for the console version of Diablo III. This season was 2 weeks longer than the 3 previous seasons (7, 8 & 9) due to the Necromancer release before Season 11.

Limited-time rewards

• Black Soulstone-themed portraits
• Loremaster pennant, inspired by Book of Cain
• Repeat chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Season 11

Season 11 rewards

Season 11 launches on July 20, 2017, following Patch 2.6.0. It is the first season to feature the Necromancer class, since the arrival of the Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer expansion. There were no new items or balance changes for other classes.

It was noted that personal bests from Season 2 would be removed with Season 11. This 9 Season difference would carry on into Season 12 with Season 3 being removed then.

The season premiere date was moved from Friday to Thursday, in order to hotfix potential issues before the weekend. The Season ended on October 20.

Limited-time rewards

• Emerald Dragon pet
• Treasure Goblin-themed portrait set
• Repeat chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Season 12

Season 12 rewards

Season 12 launched on November 9, 2017, following Patch 2.6.1. It ended on February 11, 2018.

Limited-time rewards

• Fiacla-Géar wings
• Heaven portrait
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Season 13

Season 13 rewards

Season 13 launched on February 23, 2018. It is the second time a season had launched with no patch since the start of a previous season. It ended on June 3, 2018.

Limited-time rewards:

• Blaine's Bear pet
• Imperius-themed portrait
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Season 14

Season 14 launched on June 15, 2018 and ran until September 16. It marks the beginning of themed Seasons, Season 14 being the "Season of Greed." For the duration of Season 14, all Treasure Goblin spawns were doubled. However, this does not affect goblins encountered via Bandit Shrines, Goblin Rift packs, or in the Realm of Greed. Furthermore, duplicate Whimsydale portals created by the Rainbow Goblin entered the same instance of Whimsydale.

Limited-time rewards

• A new series of portraits and frames, themed around Tal Rasha
• Tyrael-themed pennant
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Season 15

Season 15 rewards

Season 15 launched on September 21, 2018 and ran until January 6, 2019. The theme for this season was "Boon of the Horadrim". For the duration of Season 15, all Horadric Caches earned from bounties were doubled. The season was originally scheduled to end on December 16, 2018.

Limited-time rewards

• Belphegor pet
• Eternal Conflict-themed portrait
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Season 16

Season 16 rewards

The season 16 PTR went live on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 and ran for one week. The season launched, following Patch 2.6.4 on January 18, 2019. Originally scheduled to end on March 17, 2019, the season was extended by 8 weeks and ended on May 12, 2019.

The theme for this season was the "Season of Grandeur". For the duration of Season 16, all Seasonal players were granted the legendary power from Ring of Royal Grandeur. This buff did not stack with additional Ring of Royal Grandeur (either equipped or in Kanai's Cube) and unlike previous Seasonal buffs, this buff did not apply to non-Seasonal players.

When completing a Greater Rift level 70 solo for the first time in a Season, a Primal Legendary was guaranteed to drop from the Rift Guardian.

Limited-time rewards

• Call to Adventure (Guardian) portrait frame
• Wings of Lempo
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Season 17

Season 17 rewards

The season 17 PTR went live on Friday, April 5, 2019. It was originally scheduled to run for one week, but ran for almost three weeks. Season 17 officially went live on May 17, 2019. The theme for this season was the "Season of Nightmares" and focused on the Legacy of Nightmares. The season ended on Sunday, August 18, 2019.

This was the first Season where no end date was announced up-front. Moving forward, players will be notified at a minimum of two weeks prior to the end of a Season.

Seasonal buff

• Player's damage dealt is increased by 750% and damage taken is reduced by 4% for every Ancient Item they have equipped while having no Set Bonuses Active.

Quality of life changes

• The Season Journey Journal now displays all chapters, regardless of current progression.

Limited-time rewards

The pet and portrait rewards were previously awarded for completing chapter IV in season 5.

• Greyhollow portrait frame
• Old Growth pet
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items could only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Galactic wings

Season 18

Season 18 rewards

The PTR for Patch 2.6.6 was confirmed on July 9, 2019. The PTR ran for over the course of one week, starting Thursday, July 25. The theme for this season was the "Season of the Triune" which aimed to change moment-to-moment game play right from level one. The season began on August 23, 2019 and concluded on Sunday, November 10, 2019.

Seasonal buffs

• Triune's Will: All abilities have a chance when hitting an enemy to spawn a circle that gives a power. Only one circle per player can be active at a time. An icon appears in the buff bar to indicate the power is active.
  • Triune of Love (Power): Players in the circle receive a 100% damage bonus while active
  • Triune of Determination (Resource Reduction): Players in the circle receive a 50% discount on resources spent while active
  • Triune of Creation (Cooldown Reduction): While standing in an active circle, any skills currently on cooldown come off of cooldown more quickly

Note: The "Triune of Determination" circle was originally indigo in the PTR, but was later changed to assist color-blind players.

Developer Comment

The last couple of Seasonal buffs have been focused primarily on end-game content. We wanted to try something different this Season with a buff that was more beneficial to players regardless of where they might be in their Season Journey. Triune's Will can come into play as early as level 1 and continue to make an impact on your game experience from the beginning to the end of the Season, and we're looking forward to seeing how players leverage this ever-changing boost throughout their adventures!

Limited-time rewards

The portrait frame and banner rewards were previously awarded for completing chapter IV in season 6.

• Blood Shard portrait frame
• Samhain pennant
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Season 19

Season 19 rewards

The PTR for Patch 2.6.7 ran for over the course of one week, starting Thursday, October 17. The theme for this season was the "Season of the Eternal Conflict" which aimed to award players with AOE buffs for keeping their kill-streak alive. The season began on November 22, 2019 and ended on March 1, 2020.

Limited-time rewards

The pet and portrait rewards were previously awarded for completing chapter IV in season 7.

• Eternal Woods (portrait frame)
• Dream of Piers (pet)
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Portrait of Valor (portrait frame)
• Angelic Goblin (pet)

Seasonal buffs

The following buffs are based on the theme of Pandemonium, for bizarre powers that become activated during high kill-streaks.

• For the duration of the Season, all players will have a stacking buff that that persists as long as you have hit or killed a monster within the last 5 seconds
• Each stack gives 0.05% movement speed and 0.1% bonus damage. This bonus caps at 50% movement and 100% damage (1,000 stacks)
• In addition, after reaching a certain number of kills in a row, a power is unleashed, dealing an amount of scaling damage based on player level and difficulty or Greater Rift level:
  • 15 Kills: Five massive energy twisters are unleashed
  • 30 Kills: Dark Geysers form beneath enemies
  • 50 Kills: Exploding Chickens seek and destroy
  • 100 Kills: Corpses rain from the sky
  • 150 Kills: A wide Frost Nova freezes enemies
  • 200 Kills: Treasure chests fall from the sky
  • 300 Kills: A ring of fire engulfs everything
  • 400 Kills: Meteors hail from above
  • 500 Kills: Angels descend upon the battlefield to fight for your cause
  • 1,000 Kills: ??? (A pentagram of fire)
• Powers are tracked at a group level; this means only one power can be active in play at a time, regardless of the number of players in a group

Sets Introduced

• Aegis of Valor (Crusader)
• Patterns of Justice (Monk)

Developer Comment

One of the biggest pieces of feedback from Season 18's buff was that the Triune bonus didn't stick with your character while you adventured. With Season 19, we've altered course as well as upped the ante by experimenting with new mechanics to add an element of both chaos and power to the battlefield. It should feel a bit like Pandemonium, and it may be a consideration whether or not you want to reset your total kill streak for a particular killstreak bonus versus continuously maintain the overall effect (especially as the highest level killstreak rewards will be harder to leverage in situations like Greater Rifts). Killstreaks with higher kill count requirements are more powerful, and we're looking forward to seeing what players think of and do with them!

Season 20

The PTR for Patch 2.6.8 ran for over the course of two weeks, starting Thursday, February 20, 2020. The theme for this season was the "Season of the Forbidden Archives" which enabled players to select up to three Legendary powers from any slot in Kanai's Cube. The season began on March 13, 2020 and ended on June 21, 2020.

Limited-time rewards

• Hell (portrait frame)
• Anguish's Grasp (wings)
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Teganze Warrior (portrait frame)
• Bat (pet)

Seasonal buffs

• For the duration of Season 20, all slots in Kanai's Cube will be able to select Legendary powers from Weapon, Armor, or Jewelry
  • This means players could select three Armor powers, three Weapon powers, three Jewelry powers, or any other combination thereof across all categories
  • Items are not self-additive or multiplicative (meaning, multiples of the same item's power will not stack)

Sets Introduced

• Horde of the Ninety Savages (Barbarian)
• Mundunugu's Regalia (Witch Doctor)
• The Typhon's Veil (Wizard)

Season 21

The PTR for Patch 2.6.9 ran for over the course of two weeks, beginning on May 28, 2020. The original start date of May 21 was pushed back, after unknown issues were discovered. The theme for this season was the "Trials of Tempests" which granted a player's character an occasional channeling of an elemental power that unleashes into the environment for a limited time. The season began on July 3, 2020. and ended on November 8, 2020.

Limited-time rewards

• Pandemonium (portrait frame)
• Rocky (pet)
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Industrial (portrait frame)
• Stupendous Contraption (pet)

Seasonal buffs

Your character will occasionally (every 90 seconds) channel an elemental power which unleashes into the environment for a limited time:

• Meteors rain from the skies around you.
• Breathe lightning.
• A wall of flame engulfs everything.
• Release twisters of pure energy.
• Crush your foes under the weight of rolling snowballs.

Sets Introduced

• Gears of Dreadlands (Demon Hunter)
• Masquerade of Burning Carnival (Necromancer)

Season 22

The PTR for Patch 2.6.10 was originally scheduled to run over the course of two weeks, beginning on Thursday, October 1, 2020, but was extended by a few weeks. The theme for this season was "Shadows of the Past" which spawned a Shadow Clone of a player's class upon activating a Shrine or Pylon. This clone was randomly picked from three pre-defined builds. Additionally, the Kanai's Cube had a fourth slot this season. Additionally, the new class sets finally entered the Haedrig's Gift rotation. The season began on November 20, 2020 and ended on March 28, 2021.

Limited-time rewards

• Soulstone (portrait frame)
• Loremaster (pennant)
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Lost Civilization (portrait frame)
• Book of Cain (pet)

Seasonal buffs

• For the duration of Season 22, a fourth "Universal" slot was added to Kanai's Cube which had all Weapon, Armor, or Jewelry items for the class made available.
  • This meant players could select two Armor powers, two Weapon powers or two Jewelry powers.
  • Items are not self-additive or multiplicative (meaning, multiples of the same item's power will not stack)
• For the duration of the season, all shrines or Pylons would summon an allied Shadow Clone of the same class.
  • Cursed Shrines would not summon a clone, nor would any Well of Blessings.
  • This clone will chosen at random out of 3 predetermined builds with 6 active skills and no passives.
  • The shadow clone's health and power will scale with the stats of the player and will last for up to 1 minute or until the player dies.
  • Multiple shrines activated concurrently within the lifespan of a clone will allow multiple clones to be active.

Season 23

The PTR for Patch 2.7.0 began on Thursday, February 25, 2021. The patch introduced a Follower system revamp which will be made permanently available for Seasonal and Non-Seasonal play. Players are now able to equip Followers with a total of 14 different item slots which include the Follower Relic Item, Helm, Shoulders, Chest, Gloves, Bracers, Belt, 2 Rings, Neck, Pants, Boots, main-hand weapon, and off-hand. A new Follower featured called "Emanate" allows the player to gain the intended effect of certain Legendary Powers and Set Bonuses when equipped on the hired Follower. The season began on April 2, 2021 and ended on July 18, 2021..

Limited-time rewards

• Treasure Goblin (portrait frame)
• Emerald Dragon (pet)
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Chopping Block (portrait frame)
• Lacuni Cub (pet)

Season 24

"As the Nephalem reflect on Sanctuary's history, instruments of power from a bygone era resurface. These ethereal memories will grant those persistent enough to search for them unimaginable power. Legends of the past will manifest once more in the present, and you must decide how to best use these gifts—for ethereal power is fugacious by nature, and will soon return to being no more than a myth."

- Season description^(src)

Season artwork

The PTR for Patch 2.7.1 began on Thursday, June 17, 2021. The seasonal theme made its return with the theme of "Ethereals". Ethereals were a new weapon-type that players were able to acquire and hunt for. There were a total of 21 unique weapons that rolled a powerful set of affixes. These affixes included a random Class Weapon Legendary Power and a random Class Passive Power. The season began on July 23, 2021 and ended on December 5, 2021.

Limited-time rewards

• Heaven (portrait frame)
• Fiacla-Géar wings
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Terror Resurrected (portrait frame)
• Lesser Mummy (pet)

Season 25

"Though the Black Soulstone has been destroyed, lingering fragments of The Lords of Hell once contained therein still persist in Sanctuary. These Soul Shards hold immense power—power that once belonged to the Prime and Lesser Evils. Cunning Nephalem who find and wield these Soul Stones must exercise caution. Power can be alluring, and the road to the Burning Hells is paved with good intentions..."

- Season description^(src)

Season artwork

The PTR for Patch 2.7.2 began on Thursday, November 4, 2021. Season 25 introduced a new type of socketable item called Soul Shards. Nephalem could find 7 unique Soul Shards, based on the Lords of Hell, which give players demonic new powers. One of 3 Prime Evil Soul Shards could be equipped into Helms and one of 4 Lesser Evil Soul Shards could be equipped into Weapons. Each Soul Shard could be upgraded three times using a new seasonal-exclusive consumable, the Hellforge Ember. The season began on December 10, 2021 and ended on April 10, 2022.

Limited-time rewards

• Imperius (portrait frame)
• Blaine's Bear (pet)
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• The Pane of Tristram (portrait frame)
• The Dark Lordling (pet)

Season 26

"The souls of heroes defeated in the eternal struggle against evil call for aid! Astute Nephalem will listen to the petrified screams of the dead, and find themselves attuned to the last agonizing moments of the departed. Will these Nephalem heed the whispers of atonement of fallen heroes and survive their echoing nightmare? Or will they be forever trapped, becoming just another fallen Nephalem? Only time will tell..."

- Season summary^(src)

Season artwork

The two week PTR for Patch 2.7.3 began on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Season 26 introduced Echoing Nightmares. The season began on April 15, 2022 and ended on August 21, 2022.

Limited-time rewards

• Tal Rasha (portrait frame)
• Tyrael's Justice (pennant)
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Rakkis's Remembrance (portrait frame)
• Toothsome Trooper (pet)

Season 27

"Looking to turn the tide of an unremitting war between light and darkness, the Angels of the High Heavens have embedded a token of their righteousness in Sanctuary. Cunning Nephalem seeking an advantage in combat will undergo an angelic trial, crystallizing a symbol of their morality into pure, otherworldly perfection. The specific celestial force imbued within by the divine is unknown—an answer waiting to be sought on the battlefield. Go forth, Nephalem!"

- Season description^(src)

Season 27's theme is "Light's Calling."

The 4 week PTR for Patch 2.7.4 began on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. Season 27 introduces a new type of consumable item called Angelic Crucibles. Once uncovered by Nephalem, these heavenly artifacts can be used to Sanctify any equippable Legendary item. Sanctifying an item reforges it to have perfect Ancient-level stats on all affixes while also preserving the item's Legendary Power. In addition, this process adds one of three new powers unique to each class. The season began on August 26, 2022 and is scheduled to end on February 19, 2023.

Limited-time rewards

• Eternal Conflict (portrait frame)
• Belphegor (pet)
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Laurels of Knowledge (portrait frame)
• Corvus Cadaverous (pet)

Season 28

"Oh, the pursuit of coin makes you do the most foolish things, but mining is profitable. Our search for ancient Nephalem artifacts forces us to enter a mangled mass of corroding foliage and decaying flora. We chipped away at stone after stone until my tool made a hardy thunk into the rock and the foulest stream of gas spewed out. The other miners helped me dig out the biggest artifact I've ever seen—an ominous-looking altar. As we began to investigate this curious find, a faint whisper infiltrated my thoughts. It was not one voice, but a collective. Who they are I'm unsure of, but I can be certain that we must share our discovery with others. We began the long haul back to New Tristram with our prized discovery. A few days passed, many townsfolk came to view the Altar and left. Then, the Nephalem marched into town and requested to see the Altar..."

- New Tristram miner^(src)

Season artwork

The Season 28 PTR began on January 31, 2023. PTR unique buffs include increased experience gains and double Blood Shard drops. The shards can be used to purchase class-specific bags of Legendary Items from Djank Mi'em.

The theme of the season is "Rites of Sanctuary," and introduces the Altar of Rites. The season began on February 24, 2023.

Limited-time rewards

"Our aim with this Season Theme was to enhance the journey players experience each season by tying material goals to meaningful choices. As we look towards Diablo IV's release, we wanted to celebrate its arrival with a feature that emphasizes progression as well as offer some interesting details about Sanctuary. We hope you enjoy the Rites of Sanctuary as much as we do."

- Developer note^(src)

• Call to Adventure portrait frame
• Wings of Lempo
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Primal Hunter (portrait frame)
• Taennin the Tiny (pet)

Season 29

"There it is. Out of thin air it appeared, flashing a welcoming gleam accompanied by a whirring hum...and yet it vanished as quickly as it arrived. This isn’t the first portal you’ve encountered before, Nephalem, but is it innocuous in nature or a ploy by your adversaries? There is only one way to be certain: muster the courage to step into the unknown. Temper both your body and mind to blossom into an unrelenting force."

- Season summary^(src)

The two week PTR for Patch 2.7.6 began on Thursday, August 15, 2023. The season began on September 15, 2023.

The theme and mechanic of the season is "Visions of Enmity", portals to high-density monster areas that appear randomly during non-Rift gameplay. This feature was made a recurring Seasonal mechanic immediately after the season. It also introduced Solo Self Found mode, in which all gameplay is single-player only, preventing use of items found by other players.

Paragon levels were capped at 800 for this season, but caps on Paragon points within a category were removed, resulting in a max of 200 points allocated toward any stat.

"We understand that Paragon was king in terms of character power. With the change this Season, we wanted to shift that power from Main Stat grinding to gameplay knowledge and gear hunting. We chose 800 as our initial starting point and would appreciate your feedback on this cap. There are a few changes within the Paragon system to keep in mind:

• Movement Speed: We changed Movement Speed to 0.125% per point because the old value would have provided players with 100% Movement Speed, which was too much. Players now have the option to place points into this stat, allowing them to surpass 25% Movement Speed from item bonuses.
• Area Damage: Area Damage should perform the same, if not a bit better, and with substantial improvements to performance."

- Season preview^(src)

Limited-time rewards

• Greyhollow (portrait frame)
• Old Growth (pet)
• Repeated chances to earn Conqueror's transmogs and stash tabs
• Haedrig's Gift set
• Galactic Wings

Guardian-only rewards

The following items can only be obtained by completing the entire Season Journey.

• Mad King's Favor (portrait frame)
• Quoth (pet)

Season 30

Season 30 artwork

Season 30 began January 12, 2024. As of Season 30, Diablo III will have no new seasonal themes, but instead remix past themes. Season 30 began this cycle with Season 25's "Lords of Hell" theme and its Soul Shards mechanics.

Season 30 is also the first season to have both the Altar of Rites and Visions of Enmity, made permanent Seasonal features after the previous two seasons.

Seasonal rewards:

• Haedrig's Gift set
• Blood Shard-themed Portrait Frames
• All Hallow's Pennant
• Conqueror's chest and gloves

Season 31

Season 31 artwork

Season 31 will start April 12, 2024. It has the "Season of the Forbidden Archives" theme of Season 20, allowing the three slots in Kanai's Cube to equip additional Legendary powers of any kind, not restricted to their usual Weapon/Armor/Jewelry categories.

Seasonal rewards:

• Haedrig's Gift sets
• Treasure Goblin pet
• Valor portrait frame

Development

The concept for seasons in Diablo III existed as early as the game's pre-release version.

Josh Mosqueira first announced seasons as an implementation of "ladders" in March 2014, to be included in the first major content update (Patch 2.1) following the release of Reaper of Souls.

Seasons were initially not present in the console version of Diablo III. At BlizzCon 2016, Blizzard announced that seasons would be coming to console players. This was implemented when Season 10 launched in March 2017.