Diablo 4 Season 15 lets you wield the power of Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto
Pick your Prime Evil, change how you play, and prepare to be hunted by the power you chose.
Diablo 4 Season 15 is letting us get a little too comfortable with the forces of Hell.
We already knew of Soul Splinters in the PTR, but now Blizzard has added a lot of new information to it. So as part of Season of Hell's Legacy, you can collect Soul Splinters tied to some of the most powerful demons and artifacts in the Diablo universe. But these are not just another set of seasonal gems that you slot in your Jewelry. The three Prime Evil Splinters also determine the reputation track you follow, the activities you modify, and even what kind of power will burst from you during combat.
And obviously, the Prime Evil you choose will make you more vulnerable to its power.
Choose Your Prime Evil
After completing the Season 15 questline, you will collect the three main Splinters of Evil by defeating echoes of Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto in some very familiar locations.
Diablo waits beneath Tristram Cathedral
Baal returns at the Arreat Summit
Mephisto can be found within the Durance of Hate
Once you have collected them, you will have to choose the Prime Evil's power you want to carry.
Diablo's Splinter of Terror
This one modifies Helltide and Infernal Hordes, and periodically unleashes Diablo's Iconic Power from your character
That power deals Fire damage
Baal's Splinter of Destruction
It modifies The Undercity and Lair Bosses
Its Iconic Power deals Cold damage
Mephisto's Splinter of Hatred
The last one modifies The Pit and Nightmare Dungeons
Its deals Physical damage
All three Prime Evil Splinters can also modify the Tree of Whispers, and each reputation track contains eight activity modifiers and six upgrades for the associated Iconic Power.
You can only have one of these three Prime Evil Splinters at a time, but you are not locked into your decision. If you want to follow a different reputation track, you can get another Splinter from Waking Nightmares and change your path.
The Prime Evils Are Not Just Giving You Power
The biggest issue with these Splinters is that they do not simply make your character stronger. If you are carrying one, you will become a dark wanderer yourself, with its associated Prime Evil's Iconic Power periodically bursting from you during combat.
But that power comes with a price.
Each Splinter makes you more vulnerable to its associated Prime Evil. In other words, the demon you are borrowing power from can become a threat to you at the same time. As Blizzard puts it, what you hunt will stalk you in return. That is a pretty fitting way to handle the Prime Evils, if you ask me.
There Are Eight Soul Splinters to Collect
The three Prime Evil Splinters are only part of the system. Season 15 also has the eight Soul Splinters that we saw in PTR already, and we now know the powerful demon or artifact from Diablo's history that they are connected to:
Splinter of Anguish - Andariel
Splinter of Sin - Azmodan
Splinter of Lies - Belial
Splinter of the Black Soulstone
Splinter of Pain - Duriel
Splinter of the Mother - Lilith
Splinter of Hellfire - Na-Krul
Splinter of Damnation - Skarn
The only one that did not get any hint is the Black Soulstone, but everyone knows who this one belongs to (Malthael).
You can equip up to three Soul Splinters in your Jewelry slots, and if you wear Leoric's Crown, since it counts as Jewelry, you can also wear Splinters on that Helmet. Soul Splinters can also drop in Magic, Rare, Legendary, or Unique rarities, but if you get duplicates, the Horadric Cube's Amalgamation recipe lets you combine those of the same type and rarity to upgrade one to the next rarity.
So there should be plenty of occasions to get better versions as the season progresses.
Blizzard Has Already Fixed a Few Soul Splinter Problems
The final Season 15 patch notes also include a few fixes for Soul Splinters that players encountered during the PTR.
Fixed an issue where Soul Splinter of the Mother stacks could reset after mounting
Fixed an issue where Splinter of Lies did not properly apply its Vulnerable effect while mounted
Fixed an issue where Splinter of Pain could incorrectly reduce movement speed despite Splinter of the Mother granting Unhindered
With those issues addressed, the Soul Splinter system should be ready for the launch of Season 15 on September 15! And if you have not decided which Prime Evil you are siding with yet, you probably have a few days left to figure out just how much demonic power you are willing to put inside yourself.