As has always been done, to participate in a season of Diablo IV you must create a new character in the season realm and have completed the campaign. Once this is done, any Season character will start with the option to skip the campaign, the mount will be immediately available, all discovered Shrines of Lilith will be unlocked, and all discovered areas of the map will be revealed. The popularity achieved by these last two actions will be added from the beginning. After the season ends, her character, progress, and stash will be transferred to the Eternal Realm.
The first season of Diablo IV is called Season of the Wicked and will introduce a new storyline, power mechanic, boss, and gear, including 6 new unique items and 7 new legendary traits.
The new plot is about the corruption and invasion of Sanctuary by a contagious subversion that creates aberrations that run rampant throughout the world. To discover who is behind this new wave of corruption, players will collaborate with Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light. This Corruption will cause Corrupted Monsters to spawn throughout Sanctuary, dropping Evil Hearts as loot, an item that can be socketed into Jewels (Amulet and Rings) instead of a normal Gem.
The first season will include 32 evil hearts in four different categories that provide new and unique bonuses. As players progress, more powerful evil monsters will appear whose loot in the form of evil hearts will be better. These hearts can be obtained in several places and one of the best is the Evil Tunnels, some dungeons where you have to look for the catalyst of corruption and face the new boss Varshan the Consumed.
Beyond the loot you get from killing monsters, rewards will be earned throughout the seasons of Diablo IV through the Season Journal and the Battle Pass. The Season Journal has chapters that once completed unlock rewards such as new Legendary Traits, a Mastery Title, and a scroll that grants a free skill tree reset and Legend Panels. It also gives favor to progress in the battle pass. The favor is also obtained by playing naturally.
For its part, the battle pass, which has a free and a premium path, allows you to advance through 90 levels (27 free levels and 63 premium levels). Smoldering Ashes are earned in the free levels and are used to purchase Seasonal Blessings, which allow you to upgrade all Seasonal characters with higher XP gains, better chances to drop rare materials from salvaging items, and more. These blessings only last until the end of the season.