Season 1 Release Time, End Date, and Features

Season 1 for Diablo 4 (D4) has launched as of July 20, 2023 and will end on October 17, 2023. Check out our guide about all the new features and content updates in Diablo 4's Season of the Malignant.

When Does Season 1 Start?

Season 1 Starts on July 20, 2023

In the recent July 6th Developer Livestream, it has been confirmed that Season 1 of Diablo 4 will start on July 20, 2023, 10:00 AM PDT / 6:00 PM UTC. The Season 1 patch download will be available at a much earlier date - July 18, 2023 - so make sure to download the patch ahead of launch.

Time Zones and Release Times

Diablo 4 Season 1 End Date

Season 1 Will Last for 3 Months and End on October 17

Ours shows October 18 because we're located in Japan!

According to the main menu of Diablo 4, Season 1 is confirmed to end on October 17, 2023, for a total of almost 3 full months of Season 1. Like the start of the season, we guess that it will end at 10:00 AM PDT / 6:00 PM UTC; there's evidence for this in that the end date shows up as October 18 on our end, as 10:00 AM PDT on 10/17 would be 2:00 AM JST on 10/18 in Japan.

Diablo 4 Season 1 Guide and Features

All Season 1 Content and Features
New Seasonal Story Content Malignant Heart Seasonal Mechanic New Legendary Aspects and Uniques Seasonal Journey Tracker and Battle Pass New Shop Bundles and Cosmetics

New Seasonal Story Content

Season 1 will feature a fresh post-campaign story that involves a brand new character named Cormond - a former priest of the Cathedral of Light. Follow along with his discovery of the sinister Malignant Hearts and its effect on the world of Sanctuary in this brand new storyline that will only be available for seasonal characters.

Season 1 Questline Walkthrough

Malignant Heart Seasonal Mechanic

Season 1 also introduces a new gameplay mechanic that revolves around finding and collecting Malignant Hearts. Seek out these mysterious items by defeating mutated, malignant elites, and slot them into your jewelry items to gain access to powerful new effects that can drastically buff your seasonal builds.

All Malignant Hearts and How to Use

New Legendary Aspects and Uniques

Aside from the Malignant Heart mechanic, Season 1 will also introduce a host of brand new Legendary Aspects and Unique Items for players to find and collect. However, unlike the seasonal story and game mechanic, these new Aspects and Uniques will also be available to players on the Eternal Realm as early as July 18.

Note: Seasonal Characters will have a much easier time collecting the new Legendary Aspects since these will be included as free rewards in the Seasonal Journey system of Season 1.

Seasonal Journey Tracker and Battle Pass

Season 1 also ships with a Seasonal Journey Tracker and a Seasonal Battle Pass. These features will allow players to complete activities during the Season of the Malignant, rewarding them with a variety of items, Legendary Aspects, and Seasonal Transmogs as they progress their seasonal character and Battle Pass.

Progress the Seasonal Journey to Gain Seasonal Blessings

The Seasonal Journey's challenges will also allow players to make use of a brand new feature called Seasonal Blessings. By using a special type of currency you earn from the free tier of the Battle Pass, players will be able to purchase Season-long buffs and bonuses that allow them to level up and progress much faster than they would in the Eternal Realm.

Best Season Blessing for Season 2

New Shop Bundles and Cosmetics

Finally, Season 1 will also introduce brand new Shop Bundles for players to purchase using Diablo 4's premium currency - Platinum. Load up on some brand new Armor, Weapon, and Mount cosmetic bundles once Season 1 launches and start the season in style.

Diablo 4 Related Guides

List of Seasons: How Do Seasons Work?

Season 3

Season Guides