Diablo 3is passing the torch toDiablo 4, as Blizzard Entertainment announces what is likely to be the game’s final season before the sequel officially becomesDiablo’s flagship title. ThoughDiablo 3had a commercially successful launch, manyDiablofans were upset about the game’s initial direction, especially regarding its controversial real money auction house. It wasn’t untilReaper of Soulsreleased thatDiablo 3finally found its footing, and its seasonal format has allowed the game to stay fresh and relevant for several years since.
WithDiablo 4approaching its June 6 release date, many players have found themselves returning toDiablo 3. The current Season 27 is titled Light’s Calling, and arguably its defining feature has been the addition of Angelic Crucibles, allowing players to Sanctify any legendary item of their choice. Sanctifying an item re-rolls its stats to the best possible combination at the highest possible value, as well as adding unique class-based bonuses that have allowed builds such as Fist of the Heavens Crusader to shine even more.
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Though it’s unknown what Season 28 will entail, Blizzard Entertainment made an announcement onDiablo’s official subreddit that the upcoming season will drop on the Public Test Realms at the end of January. Taking into account thatDiablo 4is launching in June, and that Season 27 has launched in August, it’s very likely that Season 28 will be the finalDiablo 3season before the release ofDiablo 4. While it’s unlikely that Blizzard will have something special in mind to mark the occasion, there’s a high likelihood that its theme will be related to the sequel in some way.
If one were to extrapolate Season 28’s Public Test Realm start, and compare it with the previousDiablo 3seasons, then that might firmly place the release of Season 28 in early March. Players should be able to provide feedback to Blizzard Entertainment once it hits the Public Test Realm servers, as Angelic Crucibles had their drop rate doubled by the developers for Season 27’s launch. In addition toDiablo 3, Blizzard will also be commencing the nextDiablo Immortalseason, likely in early April.
Even if Season 27 is steadily on the way out, it’s still a great time to come back toDiablo 3in anticipation of its sequel, especially sinceDiablo 4’s open betaseems to be arriving somewhat later than anticipated. Though not much can be done to fix Diablo 3’s narrative shortcomings, the game has evolved past its initial mistakes to become a worthy entry to the franchise that defined the hack-and-slash genre.
Diablo 3is available on PC, Switch, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
