Summary

  • Blizzard reveals new endgame content for Diablo 4 in Season 9.
  • Season 8 complaints about slow leveling and unbalanced builds prompt Blizzard to make changes.
  • Season 9 will feature Escalation Nightmares - new challenging dungeons culminating in a battle with Astaroth.

Blizzard has revealed new details about some of the endgame content coming in Diablo 4's upcoming Season 9. While players will be able to test this new Diablo 4 content during the 2.3.0 PTR between May 27 and June 3, the finished product will be coming in Season 9.

After a mixed reception to Diablo 4's Season 8, Blizzard has a challenging task to win players over with the upcoming Season of content. Previous complaints involved leveling feeling too slow, especially with drops of rare items being generally reduced. Some players even felt that many builds were simply unviable in the way Season 8 was unbalanced, with players needing to turn to meta options to have any success. Hopefully, the upcoming PTR will be a successful trial for a much more popular Season 9.

Some Diablo 4 Players Want the Game to Add an Auction House
Some Diablo 4 Players Want the Game to Add an Auction House

Some Diablo 4 players speak out to suggest that developer Blizzard should add an auction house item trading system to the game.

By 

Blizzard's summary of the upcoming 2.3.0 PTR revealed that Season 9 will be getting some new endgame dungeons titled Escalation Nightmares. The developer describes this as the "ultimate test," putting players in a chain of three Diablo 4 Nightmare Dungeons. Affixes from each Nightmare Dungeon stack into the next, although the rewards will also increase as the difficulty racks up. At the end of the trio of dungeons, players will face off against the Exalted version of Astaroth.

Diablo 4 Season 9's Escalating Nightmares Provide the 'Ultimate Test'

Diablo 4 players have faced Astaroth in the past, but Blizzard has teased a "new, challenging twist" for the Season 9 iteration. "As the battle unfolds, Astaroth will shed his mount, splitting into two terrifying bosses. Maneuver and learn their new deadly combos to defeat Astaroth." Players will be able to try out the new Escalation Nightmares from May 27 until the 2.3.0 PTR ends on June 3, after which they'll have to wait until the full launch of Season 9.

Diablo 4's 2025 roadmap shows there's still plenty more to come from the game this year. While there will be no major expansion until 2026, Seasons 9 and 10 will continue to build on last year's Vessel of Hatred. As Season 9 draws closer, players can expect even more content from Blizzard detailing exactly what to expect from the gameplay update.

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9 /10

Diablo 4
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Action RPG
Hack and Slash
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
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Released
June 5, 2023
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s)
Blizzard
Publisher(s)
Blizzard
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5 Images
Diablo 4 Press Image 1
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
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Engine
Proprietary Engine
Genre(s)
Action RPG, Hack and Slash