Diablo 4 Season 1 release time, date, Malignant Questline, Battle Pass and more

The first season of Diablo 4 is about to begin on PS5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC. Diablo 4 Season 1 – which is titled Season of the Malignant – has a July 20 release date and a 6pm BST UK start time. The new season features a brand new questline, a variety of Battle Pass rewards, new enemies, bosses, locations and lots more. Before we detail all of the new gameplay features, however, it’s worth pointing out that you’ll need to complete the main Diablo 4 campaign before you can enjoy the seasonal content.

Blizzard explains more: “Once the Season starts, log onto the game, create a new Seasonal character, and enjoy!

“If you have not completed the campaign yet, you will need to complete it on one character to gain access to seasonal content.”

Provided you’ve completed the Campaign with at least one character, newly created Seasonal characters will have immediate access to their Mount, plus the option to skip the campaign. 

All previously discovered Altars of Lilith will also be unlocked, as well as the corresponding Renown. The same is true for all previously discovered areas of the map.

According to Blizzard, Season of the Malignant will launch with a free Battle Pass, which is automatically available to all Seasonal characters. There’s also a paid Premium Battle Pass with additional rewards, as well as an Accelerated Battle Pass with level skips.

Players can progress through the Battle Pass and unlock new rewards by earning Favour, which can be unlocked by playing the game and defeating enemies. Favour can also be earned by completing Chapters and specific challenges within the Seasonal Journey.

There are 90 tiers available within the Battle Pass, including 63 Premium tiers and 27 Free tiers.

Players will earn Smoldering Ashes within the Free Battle Pass, which can be used to upgrade your seasonal characters with increased XP gains, better chances for rare materials and more.

The Premium Battle Pass contains cosmetic items such as Awoken Armour Sets , Mounts and Mount Armour. This includes the Coldiron Armour Set, which can be seen below.

As part of the Digital Deluxe and Ultimate Edition bundles, customers will receive one Premium Battle Pass unlock. This can be used to unlock the Season of the Malignant Premium content, or redeemed in a future season.

Whether you purchase the Premium Battle Pass or stick with the free version, the actual Season of the Malignant content is available to everybody who has finished the Campaign.

This includes the Season of the Malignant questline, which involves a new batch of monsters and a new ally.

“A deviant form of Lilith’s sinister machinations has given birth to a new threat, Malignant Monsters,” reads the official description.

“These decaying abominations roam Sanctuary in a frenzy, mindlessly attacking anyone in range without hesitation. Wanderers will investigate this mysterious malady in a new Questline with the help of Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light, who also trains you to capture the Malignant Hearts fuelling these foul beasts and convert them into build-altering powers.

“The malignancy that’s taken hold of the Burning Hells’ armies cannot remain unchecked—you must snuff it out at the source before all of Sanctuary becomes its thrall.”

That’s on top of 30 new Malignant powers to wield, a new boss battle, Malignant tunnels, new gear and lots more.