Diablo 4 Season 15 turns you into a Dark Wanderer to fight the Prime Evils

Blizzard brings back nearly 20 classic bosses and heroes, and a look at what is coming next.

Jaymo

Editor

Published Sep 13, 20266 min read

BlizzCon is still ongoing, and another Diablo panel just wrapped up! This time, Blizzard showed off the Season 15 trailer, classic bosses, heroes, locations, Legacy Uniques, and a look at what is coming next. If you are a longtime Diablo fan, this season is a must-play. It is one of the game's biggest trips into its own history, and the developers just revealed a lot more about how all those classic Diablo elements fit together.

They went into more detail on the Dark Wanderers, Soul Splinters, Waking Nightmares, and the huge number of characters and locations returning from previous Diablo games. And there is much more than just a few items.

Are you ready to become one of the Dark Wanderers yourself?

Deckard Cain Is Back, and the Dark Wanderers Have Returned

Season of Hell's Legacy continues the story of Season of Death's Awakening, with the Cult of the Dead growing stronger and souls from Sanctuary's past returning.

Deckard Cain's lost soul once again walks the world, and he is apparently a little confused about how he got there. Cain calls on you to redeem the souls of the Dark Wanderers, leading you into nightmares based on some of Diablo's most iconic moments. The seasonal questline eventually has you face Echoes of the three Prime Evils in their familiar thrones:

• Diablo in the original Tristram Cathedral

• Baal in the Worldstone Chamber

• Mephisto in the Durance of Hate

But that is where things get even more interesting.

You Become a Dark Wanderer Yourself

After confronting the Echoes of the Prime Evils, you will choose a Soul Splinter belonging to Diablo, Baal, or Mephisto, and that pretty much turns your character into a Dark Wanderer. You then get access to that Prime Evil's reputation track, and you unlock powers as well.

Of course, you did not think that accepting such a power would come without issues, did you?

Because carrying a Prime Evil's Splinter also attracts its unwanted attention. Blizzard confirmed that the ambushes seen during the Season 15 PTR were in reality placeholders for this system. In the finished season, the Prime Evil whose Splinter you are carrying can come after you directly. And I have to admit, this suddenly makes these Ambushes a lot less boring than they initially were.

They were basically just a preview of what happens when you start carrying around a piece of Diablo, Baal, or Mephisto.

Waking Nightmares Revisit the Entire Diablo Series

We already talked about those in another news, but the developers gave a bit more information about them. Waking Nightmares will essentially let you revisit iconic moments from Diablo, Diablo: Hellfire, Diablo II, Diablo III, and Diablo Immortal.

These are not just old dungeons copied into Diablo 4, either. Blizzard is rebuilding their locations, encounters, and enemies with updated visuals and Diablo 4's systems.

The largest Waking Nightmares recreate huge, important battles and can later be replayed as Capstones, with Pinnacle versions becoming available at the highest Torment levels.

There are also dungeon-sized nightmares based around specific iconic locations, and smaller single-room encounters can appear in the open world with familiar bosses and enemies.

Turns out, Blizzard apparently went pretty deep into the archive for this.

Nearly 20 Classic Bosses Are Coming Back

The team revealed that nearly 20 bosses from Diablo's history will return through these nightmares. They even brought back characters such as Nihlathak and the Maggot Queen, and a whole collection of heroes from the older games will also make appearances.

That includes familiar NPCs such as Leah, and plenty of other characters that have not been seen in Diablo 4 before.

So if you have spent the last few decades playing Diablo, there is a good chance Season 15 is going to throw something at you that makes you stop and go, "Oh, I remember that guy!"

And yes, the developers also found time to talk about cows. Because this is Diablo, after all.

Nine Classic Uniques Are Joining Diablo 4

You probably already know that, but in case you do not, Season of Hell's Legacy is also introducing nine Legacy Uniques, bringing some of the most recognizable items from Diablo's past into Diablo 4 permanently.

During the panel, they mentioned Leoric's Crown and the Stone of Jordan, two items that have been pretty important in previous games. They confirmed that they are not just temporary seasonal items, because all the Legacy Uniques will be permanent in Diablo 4.

Rebirth and Mythic Crafting Are Also Getting Updates

The panel also went over some of the other features arriving with Season 15, that got a few adjustments compared to the PTR:

• Rebirth is returning, allowing you to carry a character's identity and legacy from one season to another instead of starting completely new

• Mythic and Iconic crafting has also been adjusted following feedback from the PTR

  • You can use the Horadric Cube to upgrade a Unique directly into a Mythic while keeping all of its affixes

  • Mythic Charms can also drop alongside Unique Charms

  • The Blacksmith will offer two new Mythic caches: one containing Mythics usable by all classes and another specifically for Iconic Mythics

• There are also new Horadric Cube recipes for modifying gear, Charms, and Seals

Blizzard Is Already Planning What Is Next

Season 15 is also not the end of the Cult of the Dead storyline. Blizzard confirmed that Season of Hell's Legacy and future seasons will continue the story established in Season of Death's Awakening, following the dead returning to life and the mysterious goals of the Cult of the Dead.

They also teased future changes to War Plans, including playlist customization and more seasonal variety, on top of itemization and customization options for more build variety.

So even if Season 15 is focused on Diablo's past, Blizzard is already looking at how some of these systems can evolve beyond the anniversary season.

Between the Dark Wanderers, Soul Splinters, classic locations, returning heroes, nearly 20 bosses, nine Legacy Uniques, and a few inevitable cow references, Season of Hell's Legacy is easily one of Diablo 4's biggest celebrations of the franchise's history.

The interesting part is that Blizzard is not simply dropping old content into the game for the sake of nostalgia. You are entering nightmares from Diablo's past, taking on the role of a Dark Wanderer, carrying a piece of a Prime Evil, and then dealing with that Prime Evil coming after you. And it is definitely only the beginning of Sanctuary's downfall.