Blizzard Abandons Seasonal Theme in Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred

Blizzard Entertainment confirmed that this season will not have a separate storyline, theme, or seasonal narrative. The reason is the release of the major expansion Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, to which they want to dedicate more attention.

However, the season will not be empty. Blizzard stated that it will add "major system updates, including extensive skill tree and class changes, an increased level cap, difficulty and progression updates, quality-of-life improvements, and more." The goal is to connect the season and the expansion into a single gaming experience.

"Season of Retribution" starts on April 28th along with the expansion. It will also be the most extensive seasonal progression in the game: 9 ranks and 100 objectives. Rewards include up to 12 skill points, 42 paragon points, 14 Resplendent Sparks resources, a new pet Loathroot, a Hateful Heraldry mount decoration, as well as emblems, titles, resources, and equipment.

The developers believe this is better than adding another separate story on top of an already large expansion that includes new classes, the Skovos region, and the finale of Mephisto's arc.

Blizzard also clarified: "future seasons will return to the usual schedule and format."

Essentially, this is a temporary solution related to the scale of Lord of Hatred and changes in the Diablo IV system.