Diablo 4 Season 9 PTR Escalating Nightmare Dungeons: How Does This New Feature Work?

As the enlightenment of many players to action role-playing games, Diablo 4 has been going further and further on the road of constantly bringing new game content to players, and it will celebrate its second anniversary this fall. At present, D4 Season 8, which will be released on April 29, may give players a very big surprise first. The theme of this new season is Belial’s Return. As the name suggests, you will face off against Belial, Lord of Lies, a powerful opponent introduced from Diablo 3, and you can find very valuable items from the loot it drops, such as the many Legendary Aspects and Unique Items added in this new season. Although the developers have already released many announcements about this new season, and there have been multiple leaks on many player communities and social platforms, in this guide, we will give you a comprehensive overview of all the new game content that Diablo 4 Season 8: Belial’s Return will bring, and predict how they will change your exploration. New Season Story As with all previous season updates, players will experience an entirely new seasonal story in Diablo 4 Season 8. You must join forces with the two main characters (Seyeena, a retired Vizjerei sorcerer, and Jarius, a self-styled knight of the Cathedral of Light) to unravel the mysteries of the Sanctuary and hunt down Belial. Although each new season of Diablo 4 will launch a new game story, the story in this season is directly related to your main quest in the entire game, because in the official trailer Belial mentioned the information that Mephisto awakened in human form in Sanctuary, which gives players the opportunity to appreciate the evolution of the story while waiting for the next expansion of Diablo 4. In fact, this high correlation between the season plot and the main plot makes most players more willing to accept the long gap between expansions, and they are looking forward to the developers linking some of the side stories in the season plot with the expansion or the next season, which will make players feel that each part is weaving a bigger puzzle for the main plot, thereby deepening their interest in exploring it. Reintroduction And Rework Of Boss As just introduced, in this new season you will have a final confrontation with the reintroduced Belial, Lord of Lies, a monster with armored claws, three horns, and yellow eyes that glow like lamps. In the console version of Diablo 3, the player’s battle with Belial underwent some major changes in the third stage: the camera angle changed from above to directly in front of the boss. Although there is no guarantee whether this change will happen in the encounter between this monster and the player in this Diablo 4, I think this battlefield scene without an isometric perspective may scare all players and allow players to immerse themselves in this ultimate showdown. Note that to start this battle you will need to speak to Stranger next to Waypoint in Kyovashad’s city center to receive a quest log that includes this battle. In addition, you need to have completed all the main campaigns in the game and have a new character in Seasonal Realm. The most important thing to remember is that you need to spend as much Diablo 4 Gold as possible before taking on Belial so that you have a nearly perfect endgame build that will give you a better chance of winning and fewer deaths in this final encounter. In addition to the reintroduction of Belial, the developers have also made some improvements to some existing bosses in the game, for example, boss classifications will change from the previous Endgame and Ladder bosses to Initiate, Greater, and Exalted Lair bosses, which will increase in difficulty and rewards. In addition, the boss summoning materials that have been continued for several seasons will also begin to end. In this season, Lair Boss no longer requires materials such as Duriel Materials or Andariel Materials to summon, making its challenge much easier, but the amount of loot you get, such as D4 Gold after its death will also be reduced accordingly. Not only that, the loot it offers you will appear in the form of a Hoard, which you need to use the corresponding number of Lair Boss keys to unlock and claim - 12 for Initiate, 3 for Greater, and only 2 for Exalted. And now the locations of these Lair Bosses will also have unique map icons on the mini-map, and you can use the teleport function to directly reach the designated dungeon. New Mechanic: Boss Powers & Apparition Incursion Event Of course, Diablo 4’s changes to bosses go far beyond this: now you can gain powers from World, Event, and Lair Bosses after defeating them, including a primary skill that Boss previously used on you and a modifiable modifier. As far as we know, you can use up to four Boss Powers at once - one primary and three modifiers, all of which enhance your character’s abilities and improve your gameplay experience. While some well-informed action RPG fans will find these mechanics very familiar, it’s still quite shocking when the developers actually show players this mechanic in a cinematic trailer. In addition, the newly added Apparition Incursion Event, a periodic event, will bring some Apparition monsters with Belial mark into Sanctuary. You need to clear them all, no matter what difficulty level you are at. After you have cleared all the enemies and the progress bar at the bottom of the screen is full, one of 10 Apparition Bosses will appear and challenge you. New Battle Pass System: Reliquary After many players complained, the developers finally made a comprehensive change to the battle pass system in Diablo 4. Currently, you can choose the order and type of rewards you want to receive. For example, if you need weapons more, you can unlock Weapons Reliquary first, and then receive your season rewards in order. In addition, in the subsequent game process, Reliquary may also be associated with IP cooperation and some milestone events to launch some event Reliquary. They may exist for a short time, but their significance is extraordinary. Since Diablo 4 has made so many changes in Season 8, many players are looking forward to the impact of these changes, including many loyal fans of other similar players. In fact, I really hope that the developers will continue to maintain the frequency of such major updates so that players will gradually become more interested in its next expansion. I wish you a happy game!

Wanderer, the new Diablo 4 season is about to start. Are you ready? For every player, the initial goal of a new season journey is to level up, and although some people don't mind seeing the scenery halfway, the vast majority of people want to reach the level cap as quickly and efficiently as possible so that they can enter the endgame mode they really want to play. With this in mind, here, we will discuss some tips on leveling in Season 7, especially the overall leveling plan and specific strategies, on how we can optimize them and make them better according to the changes in the new season. It is worth mentioning that most of the information we have at present comes from D4 Season 7 PTR, which may affect some parts of it, both because of the nature of Public Test Realm and because they have changed the game since the second edition, but they do tell us some new content. Do You Need To Skip Campaign? The first big question is whether you skip Vessel of Hatred Campaign, and the answer is very likely. If you skip the dialogue and scenes in the expansion campaign entirely, you can actually finish it and level up in a few hours. Especially in Season 7, you don’t have to do the campaign because some new changes severely limit the actual benefits of doing so, but Vessel of Hatred Campaign itself is not actually a slow way to level up. So if you want to do Diablo 4 DLC campaign, it’s not a direct fault, but there are better ways, especially ones that overlap more with long-term goals. Mercenaries A quick note first, at this point we’re not sure what will happen to Mercenaries in the new season. If you skipped the campaign on both the live servers and PTR, you already have Mercenary unlocked from your main character, of course, provided your main character has already completed the campaign, and Mercenary levels are shared between characters. However, we’re not sure if skipping the campaign will automatically unlock Mercenary in the new season, or if we’ll have to do the quest again. Regardless, for Mercenaries, I specifically recommend Subo, as he’ll help you find herbs more easily, which will help you keep your Elixirs stocked up to ensure that XP buffs from Elixirs never wear off. Beyond that, there are more general uses in between, and it’s recommended that you use Varyana and her passive skill, which gives you extra movement speed when you kill things with Massacre Bonus. It’s a perfect open world leveling combo. Completing Headhunts Next, let’s look at the mainstay of the new season mechanics, Witch Powers, which are all tied to Tree of Whispers, and the result of that is a new sub-region takeover event called Headhunts. Among these events will be a whole new and improved set of Whispers of the Dead activities that will offer more rewards, there will be a ton of new monsters in there, and when you complete them, you can repeatedly turn them in for tons of Diablo 4 Gold and XP. Since this is Whispers of the Dead event, combined with the fact that open world activities don’t scale in difficulty with the player’s level, we’re guessing the more people you interact with, the more efficient your leveling will be. What’s more, the developers have said that they will reduce the density of monsters and elites in Headhunts areas in the last patch made between PTR and release, so this means that the fastest way to level up is expected to be in these Headhunts areas unless they completely eliminate the monster density in them. So let’s continue to assume that they won’t completely destroy the monster density in Headhunts and make it our main activity. Players will complete Whispers in Headhunts areas, however, it will eventually spawn a boss around the main tree of the area. If your goal is just pure pursuit of leveling speed efficiency, I would say that you should never kill the boss. Honestly, most leveling builds in Diablo 4 don’t focus on bosses or single target damage, so it makes sense to stick to your strengths and keep doing Whispers. If you run out of Whispers in an area, just move on to another Headhunts area. Season Questlines It is well known that the best way to level up in Diablo 4 is to interact with the season questlines themselves, and Season 7 is no exception, especially since this season will be directly tied into Coven’s Favor Reputation. This is the new Reputation system for Season 7, and it unlocks things for you, like more parts of the questline, and Witch Powers that you can’t get from anywhere else. So, combined with the actual reward boxes from Whispers of the Dead Caches, this has the potential to give you some really nice power upgrades when you level up, speeding up your leveling process. Rootholds Dungeon Also of note are the new Rootholds mini-dungeon activities, which let you get Sigils from Silent Chests and Whispers Caches. What’s more, they’re highly intensive activities, so they’re completed very quickly compared to regular dungeons, and they have decent rewards, too. The only downside is that there’s always a boss at the end of a Roothold, so whether or not you do this when leveling up depends on your single target damage. If your single target damage isn’t good, the general Whispers in Headhunts area will be more effective, but if single target damage is good, then you can do whatever Rootholds you encounter when you run into them. Choosing Difficulty Tiers The next big question is how to choose your Difficulty Tiers, how difficult these activities should be when you do them. This is a pretty easy problem to solve, just do it and don’t try to prove anything to someone. Start with Normal Difficulty, get to level 15 or so, then if you’re only half as fast on Hard Mode as you are on Normal, then maybe you can try to bump it up to Hard Mode, because the extra gold and XP from running on Hard Mode is worth it. But if it takes twice as long to kill monsters, then it’s not worth it. So if you want to increase your leveling efficiency by increasing Difficulty Tier, the most important thing is to keep up the speed. This is an efficiency game, so only do it when your build and gear are good enough, no matter how good you think it is subjectively. Using Elixirs It is well known that Elixirs give you 5% extra experience as long as they are activated. These Elixirs are easy to make early on, especially the high-level Elixirs, which give you 8% extra experience once you can start making and using them. Of course, this number itself is not high, but every little bit counts, and if you activate them 100% of the time, then it will definitely accumulate. Season Journey Meanwhile, Season Journey itself is also a consideration. Based on information leaked by the developers, we’ve learned that our early-game quests should be more effectively aligned with the efficient leveling activities of the first few chapters of Season Journey. This means that if we’re lucky enough, it will directly align with what we’re already doing and give us some nice little power boosts when we open those reward caches. Season Blessings The last thing to talk about is season boosts, which you can unlock with Smoldering Ashes after reaching them on the free track of Season 7 Battle Pass. The one consistent function they have always had is to get Boost XP buffs by killing monsters. So if you only care about leveling speed, this is also where you want to stick with the first four Smoldering Ashes. Outro In short, these methods should allow you to level up to level 60 easily and quickly. Of course, we still need to pay attention to the new seasonal activities, interact with them, and enjoy the new content they add in Season 7, and the new things they provide also happen to be a very effective way to level up. If you want to better welcome the new content that is coming, then you can pay attention to the giveaways that are often launched in iGMeet Discord. Here is your chance to get free D4 products and help you conquer the Sanctuary! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new season!

Diablo 4 recently launched a limited-time free trial, allowing players to try out Spiritborn class, which is usually only available to players who have obtained Vessel of Hatred DLC. And the release of this free trial coincides with the middle of Diablo 4 Season 6, giving players a great limited-time offer. Path of Exile 2 officially launched in early access this month, and although its brand awareness has not yet reached the heights of Diablo series, Path of Exile has proven itself to have a place in the competition as a long-running game, especially in terms of deep gameplay and constantly updated content. The new game will undoubtedly attract numerous action role-playing game players, and the release of Path of Exile 2 also means that it will become a competitor that Diablo 4 not not ignore can. Diablo 4 is clearly responding to this competitive dynamic by launching a free trial of Spiritborn class. While this release may seem like a coincidence, it is well timed. The launch of Spiritborn class free trial could greatly enhance Diablo 4’s appeal in the short term and help it maintain its edge over POE 2 and other competitors. Competing With Path Of Exile 2 Spiritborn trial will remain open until January 3, providing players with a valuable opportunity to experience this class. Although the game has advantages in many aspects, especially in terms of Diablo 4 Gold drops, loot mechanics and broad player base acceptance, it also faces great competition, especially from POE 2. As a powerful rival to Diablo 4, POE 2 not only borrows the essence of Diablo series in terms of game mechanics, but also improves multiple systems, especially in terms of skill trees and class selection to provide deeper strategies and choices. Although Diablo 4 performs better in loot mechanics and the ease of use that is more suitable for a diverse player group, POE 2 can attract more core players who are truly passionate about action role-playing games with its hardcore experience. The wide reach of Diablo 4 is undoubtedly a big factor in its success, allowing it to quickly attract a wide range of players. However, it is the more complex systems and gameplay of Path of Exile 2 that allows it to more grasp the loyal players who are addicted to detailed and deep games for a long time. For many hardcore fans, the immersive experience and challenge provided by POE 2 are the main reasons for their long-term stay in this game. Free Trial Is A Powerful Move While Diablo 4’s free Spiritborn trial may not directly attract numerous POE 2 players to switch to this game, it may at least prompt some old players who are curious about Spiritborn class and Vessel of Hatred DLC to return. Many players may be on the fence about paying for DLC, and trying this new class for free provides them with a risk-free opportunity to see if this new content is worth investing in. Although Path of Exile 2 provides an experience that is more suitable for hardcore players, Diablo 4 successfully injects some freshness into the series by introducing unique classes like Spiritborn. This class is not only attractive in terms of background story but also adds exciting additional elements to the gameplay mechanics. By offering a free trial opportunity, players can experience the new experience brought by this class without having to immediately obtain DLC, which is an opportunity that many players cannot miss. Spiritborn Overview Spiritborn class is a brand new class in Diablo series. Although there are already several unique classes in the series, Spiritborn has been considered one of the most powerful classes because of its extreme versatility and excellent combat style. Its uniqueness lies in the ability to use four Spirit animals: Jaguar, Eagle, Gorilla, and Centipede. Each Spirit animal represents a skill, and the skills in these classes of Spirit usually work well together, which allows players to be more concise and efficient when building characters. After choosing the Spirit to use, you usually only need to build your own gameplay around the skills of that Spirit, simplifying the complexity of skill selection. However, some Spirit skills are powerful in different types of builds, so when building a character, using a skill combination of two or three Spirits is often a better choice. This not only makes full use of the advantages of various Spirits but also makes the character’s combat style more flexible. Whether it is a melee attack or ranged control, it can provide extremely strong adaptability. The key attribute of Spiritborn is Dexterity, so it is very good in movement and attack speed, especially suitable for using weapons such as Polearms, Glaives, and Quarterstaves. Spirit Hall When the player reaches level 15 in Diablo 4 and completes Spiritborn class quest, you will enter Spirit Hall and choose a primary Spirit passive here. This choice will directly affect the player’s play style. The primary Spirit passive not only gives the player a new skill combination but also converts all skills of the selected Spirit type to that Spirit. For example, after selecting Eagle as the primary Spirit passive, all skills will become Eagle skills, bringing specific combat advantages related to this Spirit. At level 30, players can further choose a secondary passive, which makes the build more flexible and can adjust the combination and effects of skills according to their own gameplay needs. Overall, Diablo 4 has successfully injected fresh vitality into the game by launching a free trial version of Spiritborn class. Whether you are interested in the background story of Spiritborn or curious about the innovation of its combat mechanism, this limited-time free trial has undoubtedly brought more attention and participation to Diablo 4. Finally, pay attention to the game giveaway information in iGMeet Discord to get some good equipment to help you when you are doing a Spiritborn build.

Diablo 4 Season 4 together with Season 5 has made sweeping changes in the aspects of Diablo 4’s items, endgame loop, and crafting system. Helltides has also been reworked and overhauled, with the new ways to farm Exquisite Blood, which enjoys more efficiency than the previous one. Considering the reliability of the chance of new Blood Maidens to drop Exquisite Blood, and the new items added to Lord Zir’s Loot Table, slaying Blood Maidens to get Exquisite Blood enjoys great popularity in the game. Lord Zir drops multitude of high-level items, Unique Items, and even Mythic Uniques. As a must-have item to defeat this vampire - Exquisite Blood, is of particular significance. The more Exquisite Blood a player has, the more likely they are to defeat Lord Zir and then obtain a large number of high-class items. After that, if you want to summon this boss, players need nine Exquisite Blood to summon. This article will mainly introduce how to get Exquisite Blood in detail. The Way To Get Exquisite Blood Exquisite Blood is relatively rare, and players can only get it from specific activities. Here are those specific events for your reference: World Bosses - Getting from Boss itself or the relevant Chests Legion Events - From Base and Mastery Chests Helltides - From Tortured Gift Chests, Hellborne, Helltide Assassins, and Blood Maidens Whispers Caches - Enjoy a chance of dropping all Boss Summon Materials, with those for Duriel and Andariel being excluded Treasure Goblins - Killing a Treasure Goblin drops one Summon Material Nightmare Dungeons - Boss Summon Materials for Lord Zir, Beast in the Ice, Varshan, and Gregoire often drop as loots Although there are many ways to obtain Exquisite Blood, players can also directly trade this Boss Summoning Materials. Therefore, if players have enough Diablo 4 Gold to spare, they can get Exquisite Blood through the way of Trade Chat Channel in the game. To activate this channel, transfer to Social tab in Options Menu, then click Trade Chat directly. The Best Way To Get Exquisite Blood In Season 5 In Season 5, Helltides, the end game activity, serves as the most appropriate channel to get Exquisite Blood. And players can also farm Living Steel at the same time as an additional reward. Amounts of things in Helltides will drop Exquisite Blood. For example, opening Tortured Gifts Chests, fighting bosses such as Hellborne and Helltide Assassins, and fighting with Blood Maiden. To farm Exquisite Blood and Living Steel with high efficiency at the same time, you do better to follow these demands below: Farm as many Aberrant Cinders as possible in a short time to raise their threat level. Kill any Hellborne or Helltide Assassins that could spawn. Open any Tortured Gifts of Living Steel or Tortured Gifts of Mysteries in Helltide Zone and collect all Baneful Hearts and Boss Summoning Materials that may drop. When there are approximately 10 to 15 minutes left in Helltide, travel to Blood Maiden Ritual Location (marked on the map with a horned demon icon). Use Baneful Hearts you have collected to summon Blood Maiden, killing her and all her minions until the remaining Baneful Hearts are running out or comes a conclusion of Helltide. That’s all about how to get Exquisite Blood. But surprisingly, you still have a chance to get Exquisite Blood now. Please join iGMeet discord, where a lottery will be held on September 2nd, and 10 lucky players will be drawn to evenly share the rewards of 1,000 Duriel materials, 1,000 Andariel materials, 5,000 Stygian stones and 5,000 Exquisite Blood. Please believe in your good luck and actively participate. Thanks for reading.