Can someone explain how seasons work?

New to the diablo series and on these forums, so apologies for being not up to speed if this seems obvious to some

Apparently we are going to have to make new characters each season to participate in that seasons event/bp?

Doesn’t that kind of make the end game grind worthless if i make a really good character between now and season 1 and now i have to start all over again. If i make another good character in season 1 does that character get deleted come season 2?

What happens to those characters I grinded to end game? Are they now irrelevant because all the new stuff is only playable by making new characters. Presumably the seasonal content will build on the existing game and provide new gameplay and power so you will want to do it to advance your character further than the base game allows.

Very confused how it works. The way i am hearing from YT videos just makes it seem like there is no point in playing past a certain point. It makes it seem like investing in a build and character is pointless unless you are satisfied with playing none of the new seasonal content. If my character just gets deleted every season what reason is there to grind that new content?

Would it not have made more sense to have it be accessible to all players in the base game? So i can take my endgame barb and experience that new content. Not have to say bye to that barb i spent 100hrs on to go start a new barb for arbitrary reasons.

I really do not want to be forced into making a new character every few months. I want to invest in a few different characters from the start and them grow over time. They are my characters i want to come with me over the seasons. Brian the barb is my barb. I dont want to make brian 2 just to play the new stuff

Just stay on the eternal realm if you dont want to mess with seasons. Oh and good news for you and other like minded people.

So the only answer is just don’t get to play the new content. Great lol

This is going to be the thing that kills off the most amount of players. Once season 1 releases and people realise the last month of playing since launch was for nothing they will just leave. The devs should look into fixing this system if they want people to actually continue playing it. Everything i do should mean something. There is no reason i should be worried about spending time into a character/build because it will become irrelevant very quickly

Being told the 200hrs i put into my base character was wasted, because if i want to continue playing the new season quests i have to start a new character, is stupid. Also tying the battle pass to this restrictive structure is dumb. A lot more people would buy the battle pass if they could progress it on any of their established characters. Forcing people to make new characters to participate will massively effect their Bp and store sales.

The devs are literally incentivised to make it as open as possible for people so that more people can participate and spend money on things like the battle pass. Locking it behind having to make seasonal characters is shooting themselves in the foot because a lot of people just will not go through the hassel. They will either stay on the base game and never spend money or quit.

As for what that dev says, thats just new gear. What about the new quests, new gameplay, the battle pass. Y’know…. The actual reason to keep playing???

Also he says seasonal items will be retired at the end of the season…… so does any gear i get just evaporate and become unusable after the seasons over? I hope that is just poor wording and by items he means like quest items not gear items otherwise that seasonal structure is trash

Seasons should make people want to come back and see what is new and experience it. People dont want to come back and find the character they played hundreds of hours with is now unusable and they must make a new character.

I feel like the devs do not respect peoples time at all. Great, for people that play non stop everyday they can probably max level a seasonal character in like 2 days. But for someone who isn’t religious i do not want to have to level up someone from level 1 every few months

They do, which is why its very popular. We get it you dont like seasons, but as I said its very popular and you can enjoy the new content at the end of every new season. If this isnt enough for you then sorry but either suck it up and play the season or quit.

What??!?? I specifically want changes because i like seasons. I want everyone to be able to experience it

No other game with seasons deletes your previous seasons progress and asks you to start over. The reasons a seasonal cadence works is because they make people feel like they are building something over time and they can track their investment into the game

Being made to restart your progress every season has the opposite effect. It makes what you do obsolete and you never build toward anything because just as you are starting to get somewhere you get cut off and told to start again

What is going to happen is players will just have all these useless characters from past seasons that they no longer play with because they need to start again for the next season

If i create an awesome pyro mage one season i will never go back and play that pyro mage because if i do i dont get to to play the new season. There are 4 seasons a year. That is at minimum 4 different characters that once the season is over you will never play with again. It is a disrespect to players time in the game

You should be able to take 1 character and play them through the entire base game and all seasonal content. THAT IS WHAT AN RPG IS!!! And rpg doesnt make you reset your character every 3 months. You play and invest in 1 character and that is your character you become attached to.

This is the point of Seasons. Doing this keeps the game fresh, and with a new themed battlepass every 3 months even more so. Blizzard move everything from those servers to the Eternal Realm at seasons end. This allows you to start again if you so choose.

You make a hero, then you play the game either in story mode or jump straight into endgame.

Season is about seeing how far you can push your hero in 3 months, how many achievements you can obtain, how many season battle pass items you can unlock.

3 months is a long time. I often max out after 1 and a half months, so do another hero.

At the end of the season, your hero returns to being a normal hero. You keep everything.

Next season you can make a new hero, and try the challenges , get the unlocks etc.

It’s a refreshing way to replay the game, try new builds, hope for specific drops, etc

If you want to hit lvl 100 and then just grind gear, you can.

Seasons is like a timed even to unlock specific cosmetics, perks, banners, etc.

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Surely the new content of the season is what makes the game fresh???

New quests, new rewards, new bosses to fight, new events, new season challenges and a new battle pass

Making players start a new character doesnt need to happen to make the game fresh

And if you choose not to you dont get to play the new seasonal content…. So its not a choice at all. You either make a new character or you dont get to play the new content. That is dumb

Why would i do any of that if its all reset after 3 months? Why would i want to invest in a new character if in 3 months i have to invest in another new character for the next season.

Rpgs are ROLE PLAYING GAMES. Ie. You create your own character and that is YOUR character that you take with you. They progress with you. In 3 years time they are still with you and you can look back at all the things you went through with them.

I feel like this season structure misses the point of what an rpg is. I can not feel attached to my character if every 3 months i have to start over. I do not feel invested in building my character to endgame when in 3 months they are not usable.

Once I finish the season content there is 0 point in continuing to play. It doesnt matter if i get my season 1 necro to endgame with an amazing build cus guess what… in 3 months they are useless to me. I have to make another new character in season 2 and start again and now that necro i maxed out i will never play with again.

The whole point of an rpg is to make YOUR character and play through everything with them. Creating a history between you both. Diablo 4 is creating a system where you will never care about your character because they will be disposable in 3 months.

Like I said to someone above. 4 seasons a year. 4 characters a year. Each one making the last one obsolete. By season 3 you will never play your season 1 or 2 character again because they cannot participate in the new season 3 content. You will just have a graveyard of characters you have invested time and money into and never use again. This system has not been thought out in the slightest

Youll experience the new seasonal gameplay changes from the start with a new season character. Those seasons are developed to give a different way of experiencing the game to bring some fresh air.

Dont see the problem of starting a new character for that purpose. Its part of the arpg genre now.
D2R has it, D3 has it and PoE has it.
I like it because it gives me reason to rotate between all classes and play new builds instead of respecting my main character again and again.

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You don’t see the problem in not being able to play the sorc i spent 200hrs playing and building with……. Ok :roll_eyes:

You can do all of this without being forced to make a new character lol.

You realise you can just play a new class whenever you want? You dont need to wait until a new season to justify it. You can make 10 sorcerers whenever you want. You dont need to wait until a new season

You misunderstood or are being deliberately obtuse?

It’s not reset. It’s moved to the eternal realm, you can use it as much as you want. You CAN also play a new hero in the next season, and earn more stuff, when the season ends it goes to the eternal realm you can put it on your previous hero.

It’s all great. I mean, hitting lvl 100 takes a week. You might take a few to get everything. Then when you get what you want, go back to eternal.

There is nothing to complain about. It’s all good. More ways to play and more things to discover.

Or stay in eternal realm if this is all too much for you, I guess. All season content comes to eternal at the end.

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Sure …. but i cant progress because all seasonal content is locked behind making a new character

So you are the one being obtuse. I can use it as much as i want…. Sure… Provided i am happy to not play the new content. That isnt a choice lol

Ok great. So when all that happens, what can i actually do with my previous hero?

I cant play any of the new seasonal content with that previous hero. That previous hero cannot progress any further. So…… what do i do with them? They just languish unable to do anything. I cant take them anywhere or do anything else with them

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: no it doesnt!!! Where are you getting that from.

None of the streamers who played during their review period even got to level 100. And they all had 10 full days to play the game!!! I dont have 10 full days to play. I have a life and a job. Level 100 is weeks to months of time investment. To be told i have to do that every 3 months is BS

No it doesnt lol. The devs literally have said all seasonal gameplay and items disappear at the end of the season

What are you talking about? Of course you can play the sorc for as long as you want until the end of D4 online support. Just not for specific seasonal content that is built around new leveling experiences.

I know I can play new characters without seasons, but its a nice benefit to do so.
I really think you dont get how seasons work.

New legendaries, uniques etc. will be added to the non-season game the same time they add them via seasons. Just not season-specific gameplay.

Those seasons are meant to be sort of an experiment with new mechanics that may or may be not added later to the main game. So how should that work with everyone keeping their character?
People would be forced to play those seasonal mechanics and those seasons could never change how leveling works etc., because most would be max level already.

You simply dont understand the idea behind this form of content.
The seasons dont add main story content or different. You will NOT have to replay the story from scratch with those characters etc.

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:clown_face:

What you are saying is i can play my 1 sorcerer as long as the servers are up i just dont get to do any of the updates or new content

Do you realise how dumb you sound? Being serious. Do you not see how elitist and dumb that is?

‘You can still play that 1 character but you cant enjoy any of the new content’

Should I repeat what I just wrote or are you able to read it again?
The seasons dont add anything to the main story and all new legendaries will be added to the non-season realm the same time.

The only thing you dont experience are the seasonal mechanics that are built around replaying the game with a new character.

You call me a clown but complaint about seasons being seasons.
Its like that in D2R, D3 and PoE, because it makes sense to see how those mechanics work from start. How would you balance those new systems if you allow already maxed out characters to play them? How would you manage leaderboards?

You get new items outside of the season, but you complaint that you have to create a new character, to play the season (what literally is defined by replaying the game in a new way)…

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They are adding new missions/quests and new gameplay mechanics.

That all may not be directly connected to the main story but they are all forms of content intended to add longevity to the game experience

Idc about those games. They are kind of irrelevant really.

Just saying that other game does it so D4 should too is dumb logic. PoE isnt a big game. D3 isnt a big game. Sorry but they arent. Maybe in your little arpg world they are big but in reality they are very small.

D4 is trying to reach broader appeal. And to do so certain things have to change to match the bigger more casual playerbase. Telling you rn, forcing people to make a new character just to play through the battle pass will cause massive community uproar and players will quit over it. The devs either stick with it and D4 becomes irrelevant like other arpgs or they change their stance and open the game to a bigger audience.

Sounds like something for the devs to worry about. Not me.

Idc about leaderboards. Have people who import their eternal character into the seasonal realm not eligible for leaderboards. Irdc. I think you overestimate how much people actually care about leaderboards lol. They ultimately mean nothing and are just a way for no lifes to flex a non tangible score

YES BECAUSE ALL THE NEW CONTENT IS TIED TO SEASONS. IF YOU DONT PLAY THE NEW SEASONS YOU DONT GET THE NEW CONTENT.

YOU DONT GET THE NEW QUESTS
YOU DONT GET THE NEW GAMEPLAY
YOU DONT GET THE NEW EXPERIENCES
YOU DONT GET THE BATTLE PASS
YOU DONT GET EXTRA PROGRESSION

If you dont play seasons. You get nothing new. So you are forced to play seasons or you are left with the base game forever

This would be like in fortnite if you wanted to play the new season with the new battle pass and new skins you have to wipe your account of everything you did before that. Its DUMB.

What problem do you have with people carrying their existing characters over? Does it really effect you that much? Just sad really

PoE isnt a big game? D3 is not?
D2, 3 and POE are irrelevant for D4 and the genre?

Couldnt say more clear that you are just a troll.

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They arent big in any way lol

Go on twitch. None of them are in the most viewed games. People outside the arpg circle do not care about them

Like i said. You think they are big because you cant see outside your blinders

look again when a new PoE league drops… than you will see how liked seasonal resets are :wink:

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Am assuming leagues are like expansions?

So only when the game effectively releases a sequel does it make waves

You’re kind of proving my point dude

If your argument is that when the game gets a major update that is only when people talk about it you are kind of validating everything im saying

It is an irrelevant game. Only people who play poe talk about poe. That is bad lol

My mum knows about fortnite. My Gran knows about league of legends. Neither of them play games lol