Understanding Diablo 4 Seasons and Expansions: Should You Create a New Character?

Understanding Diablo 4 Seasons and Expansions: Should You Create a New Character?

Season 6 of Diablo 4 is here, and if you’re new to the burgeoning franchise, you might be curious about how things operate, particularly regarding whether you need to create a new character for the season.

After dedicating numerous hours to reaching the endgame and refining your character build in Diablo 4, learning that you’ll have to start anew for seasonal content might be disappointing for some players. This sentiment is entirely understandable, but the system in place isn’t as complex as it seems, having existed since Diablo 2.

However, it’s not all negative; starting a new character in Diablo 4 comes with plenty of benefits. Below, we explain the distinctions between seasons and expansions/DLC in the game, easing the concerns of fans worried about needing a new character to progress in the story.

Lilith in Diablo 4
Blizzard Entertainment

Lilith could still return in Diablo 4.

Do I Need to Start a New Character in Season 6?

Yes, to participate in Season 6, you will need to start a new character in Diablo 4. These are classified as Seasonal Characters, which typically offer more opportunities than regular characters, depending on each season’s unique features.

Once a season concludes, you won’t lose your character; instead, they transition into regular characters in the Eternal Realm, retaining all rewards and upgrades earned during the season. Therefore, if you’re thinking of exploring a different class in Season 6, each new season is the ideal occasion to do so.

If you’ve played through the game at launch with the powerful Sorcerer but are now interested in a more intense combat experience, consider the Barbarian. Alternatively, if you’re intrigued by commanding a horde of undead minions, the Necromancer awaits your mastery. Seasons serve as excellent opportunities to experiment with new classes and dive into exciting challenges, allowing you to reach the endgame quite swiftly.

Remember, if you’ve completed the campaign and want to bypass it again, you can skip this when creating a new character in Season 6, jumping directly into endgame and seasonal content.

Just note, you’ll still need to level up your character to endgame levels (40 to 50) and won’t benefit from campaign rewards, but it can significantly save you time. It’s important to mention that you’ll need to have completed the main campaign at least once to unlock the skip feature.

The Angel Inarius Diablo 4
Blizzard Entertainment

Diablo 4 Season 6 will allow you to skip the campaign — provided you’ve completed it in an earlier playthrough.

Understanding Seasons in Diablo 4

Seasons in Diablo 4 introduce a fun and dynamic way to enhance your character. They generally accompany a new Battle Pass, fresh cosmetic items, gameplay adjustments, and formidable new bosses to defeat.

Each season features its own short, self-contained narrative intricately woven into the Seasonal Journey. These quests amount to new side quests, extended by additional tasks comprising the Seasonal Journey.

These objectives are completely optional, and once a season concludes, some of its various features may be integrated into the main game, return in future seasons, or vanish entirely. This cycle repeats with the onset of each new season. Players seeking to uncover the next chapter of the story in Diablo 4 Season 6 might be disheartened, as that’s not the purpose of seasons — expansions fill that role.

Nevertheless, starting with Season 5, new story missions were incorporated into the Eternal Realm, drawing from that season’s content. Season 6 is poised to follow this pattern, much to the delight of players who prefer not to create a new character and simply want to enjoy new quests; however, those wanting a complete experience of everything Season 6 has to offer will still need to launch a new character.

While stories from Seasons 1 through 4, including the Malignant Hearts, Vampire, Constructs, and Iron Wolves, have yet to be incorporated into the Eternal Realm, there’s hope as the Eternal Realm finally starts to receive some attention.

What Are Expansions in Diablo 4?

Diablo 4 is expected to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, such as Diablo 1, 2, and 3, by offering expansions. These expansions are anticipated to advance the story, unlock new areas to explore, introduce monumental bosses, and feature new or returning character classes. Unlike seasons, expansion packs won’t necessitate starting a new character; players will be able to utilize their existing characters, whether seasonal or not.

The narrative is expected to continue post-Diablo’s defeat, focusing on his brother Baal as the primary villain. The expansion will also likely bring the Assassin and Druid classes—playable throughout all Acts and in the seasonal mode known as Ladders.

Diablo 3’s significant expansion, titled Reaper of Souls, also occurred after Diablo’s defeat, adding a new fifth Act and a new adversary. Subsequent DLCs introduced the Crusader and Necromancer classes, with seasons continuing alongside them.

It is anticipated that Diablo 4 will adopt a similar approach, clarifying for players the distinction between seasons and expansions in the game. These elements are separate but will work harmoniously together. Expect each season following an expansion to incorporate various elements introduced in that expansion.

The forthcoming Diablo 4 expansion is set to be named Vessel of Hatred, featuring Mephisto as the primary antagonist.

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