As it tends to happen to seasonal content that launches alongside big expansions, Diablo 4's Season 6 may be taking a back seat with the release of Vessel of Hatred, which has a lot of content to offer well beyond its story campaign. Diablo 4's new Spiritborn builds are also taking center stage after the expansion's release, as the class has a lot of customization options that players can take advantage of, especially if they plan on tackling the endgame activities in the form of Kurast Undercity and Dark Citadel. Still, for those interested in farming more items and materials, Season 6 is a good starting point - though it repeats a huge mistake from the base game, only to make amends later on.
Aptly called "Season of the Hatred," Diablo 4's Season 6 is tied to the events of the DLC's campaign in the sense that the main enemies here are tied to Mephisto himself - the Realmwalkers. These entities roam the land of Sanctuary one region at a time, and players can grab new rewards for slaying them as well as progressing the reputation bar with the seasonal vendor. While this may all sound enticing, Realmwalkers are essentially a big escort encounter.
Diablo 4 Season 6 Commits The Base Game's Sin With More Escort Missions
Why Diablo 4's New Realmwalker Mission is Skating on Thin Ice
Escort missions in video games as a whole as well as in Diablo 4 tend not to be very popular because they can take the pace away from players, who instead have to sit down and wait for the escort target to do its thing while they slay monsters. This is mostly a stationary encounter or one where players have to move around slowly, waiting for new waves of enemies to defeat until the big entity is finally vulnerable. That's exactly what Season 6 asks of players, as they have to fight enemies in waves until the Realmwalker is vulnerable to damage and try to kill it.
Diablo 4 Season 6's Realmwalkers are not a typical escort mission because they are also the target to kill.
When Diablo 4 first launched, it featured several small-scale events in Sanctuary where players could obtain Murmuring Obols, making them very worthwhile. However, a bunch of these events were and still are escort missions where players are tasked with, for example, accompanying a ghost to various gravestones as they look for their mother, all while a handful of enemies spawn and attack players. Escort missions like these don't really reward buildcrafting in Diablo 4, and they can be quite tedious to go through, even if the rewards are good.
How Diablo 4 Redeems Its Season 6 Mechanic
In Diablo 4 Season 6, regardless of whether players kill the boss as the escort mission goes on or after it reaches its final destination, doing so will spawn a portal to a dungeon. This is where Season 6 redeems itself, as the location is randomized, which can be quite refreshing after an escort mission. It can still feel redundant if players have been farming Nightmare Dungeons in Diablo 4, though, as the area will always tend to be linear with the same objectives. Yet, going into a randomly-generated dungeon after what will mostly be a tedious bit of content can be exciting and return players to the pace the ARPG is known for.
Furthermore, players will be able to obtain the all-new Seething Opals in Diablo 4, which will provide similar benefits to Elixirs, as the grant 15% more experience gained for 30 minutes. On top of it, there are five types of Seething Opals, each providing players with unique bonuses. These are:
- Seething Opal of Equipment, which drops additional gear
- Seething Opal of Gold, which drops additional gold
- Seething Opal of Materials, which drops additional Herbs and Crafting Materials
- Seething Opal of Socketables, which drops additional Gem Fragments
- Seething Opal of Torment, which drops additional Artificar's Stones
These are all interesting drops for a Diablo 4 seasonal activity, and considering that players will start with nothing, it makes sense to pursue them - particularly the Opal of Materials. As such, the escort mission needed to kill the Realmwalker remains a low point for Diablo 4, but what follows is well worth it.
Diablo 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
WHERE TO PLAY
Diablo® IV is the ultimate action-RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot.
Embark on the epic campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through a gripping story in a beautifully dark world, or explore an expansive end game: battle iconic bosses for powerful loot, fight back the encroaching onslaught of Hell in Helltides, master the Forge to create your ultimate weapons and progress powerful characters, with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms.
Discover the critically acclaimed franchise that defined the Action RPG genre. As the battle between the High Heavens and Burning Hells rages on, hatred devours Sanctuary as evil spreads and a new wave of cultists and worshippers arise to embrace Lilith’s coming. Only a brave few dare to face this threat and bring light to the all-consuming darkness.
Expansive Open WorldForge your own path through the corrupted lands of Sanctuary, an ever-growing, fully explorable world teeming with challenges, quests, enemies, and loot. Join your fellow adventurers, rescue and retake besieged towns, delve into nightmarish dungeons and uncover lost secrets as you fight back evil. The many zones of Sanctuary are yours to explore, and with rotating areas of extreme peril like World Bosses and Helltide, danger lurks at every turn.
Immersive Character DevelopmentCreate and customize your character to face the encroaching darkness. Choose from one of five classes and build your hero with skills, abilities and cosmetics, creating a champion that is uniquely your own. Grow stronger as you progress through powerful Skill Trees and develop even more unique end game specializations with Paragon Boards.
Legendary Gear, Epic BattlesDiscover and experiment with a vast arsenal of powerful weapons, armor and more to fight back against the demons threatening Sanctuary. Explore unique combinations, create your own upgrades and collect a plethora of powerful tools to battle in immersive, action-packed combat against the deadliest of enemies.
Seasons & EventsThe tales of Sanctuary continue to unfold. Create Seasonal Characters and join in fresh adventures - master new mechanics and take on the latest threats in each new Season. Complete harrowing feats of the Season Journey and earn new Battle Pass rewards. Plus, sharpen your swords and get in the spirit of the seasons when Limited-Time Events sweep through Sanctuary.
End Game UndertakingsThere’s even more Diablo® IV to explore as you reach higher levels and more fearsome World Tiers. Face the greatest challenge yet as you take on the most powerful demons in The Pit, steel yourself against Uber Bosses to reap uber unique rewards, fight back overflowing armies of Hell as Helltides emerge across Sanctuary, battle larger-than-life World Bosses, and master the Forge to create the mightiest weapons fit for a hero.
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Cross Save
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Diablo
- Number of Players
- 1-2 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 158.25 GB
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 players (console only)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
