Diablo III Season 30: The Lords of Hell goes live next week. Those who have been playing the game for quite a while now might think that the title of the upcoming season is so familiar. Well, that's because the same title was actually used before, specifically during Season 25!
New Rotation System
According to Blizzard, Diablo III's 30th season is the first one to use the game's "Season theme rotation system." The seasonal mechanic for "The Lords of Hell" is actually the same as that of Season 25.
For those who have not played Diablo III during that time, players can harness the power of Hell by using demonic Soul Shards. These are items that can drop from any monster throughout Sanctuary, though players will have a much better chance of acquiring them by defeating Act bosses and Rift Guardians.
There are two main groups: the Prime Evil Soul Shards and Lesser Evil Soul Shards. The Prime Evil Soul Shards are based on the three Prime Evils in the game, such as Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal. These shards are called Sliver of Terror, Shard of Hatred, and Fragment of Destruction and can only be used on helmets.
On the other hand, the Lesser Evil Soul Shards are based on the remaining Lords of Hell, including Andariel, Azmodan, Belial, and Duriel. These shards bear the names Essence of Anguish, Stain of Sin, Dregs of Lies, and Remnant of Pain and they can only be socketed into weapons.
Now, what do the Soul Shards do, exactly? These unique items provide special bonuses and effects depending on which shard is used. However, these benefits also come with noticeable downsides.
For example, the Stain of Sin makes players deal 25% less damage. But, as soon as 50 enemies are killed in a rift or a map, a pool of blood comes out that increases the player's damage against elite enemies by a whopping 150%. This effect lasts for 15 seconds, which is more than enough time for players to kill whoever or whatever it is they are facing.
While the upcoming seasonal mechanic is nothing new, this is to be expected considering that Blizzard is now busy improving the latest installment in the franchise, Diablo IV, with new content and features.
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Seasonal Conquest
There are several new challenges that players can complete once Season 30 goes live. First is "Divinity/Lionhearted" which requires players to complete a level 75 Greater Rift.
"On a Good Day/I Can't Stop" is a challenge that requires a lot of patience. That's because in order to complete this, players must take any three Legendary Gems and level them up to 65.
The upcoming challenge for Season 30, called "Curses!/Stars Align," will have players pick any Cursed Chest event that requires them to slay over 350 or more minions of Hell at level 70 on Torment X.
Last but not least, players must use their best builds for "Boss Mode/World's Apart." That's because this is a speed challenge where players must defeat a series of bosses at level 70 on Torment X in under twenty minutes. This includes heavy hitters like Belial, Malthael, and Diablo himself, among many others.
Diablo III Season 30: The Lords of Hell is expected to go live on Friday, January 12, at 8 p.m. EST.
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