Diablo 3's Game-Changing Season 28 Starts Today

Diablo III Season 28 has begun as of February 24, and thanks to a new account-wide progression system, it will forever change how the game is played.

As previously detailed by Blizzard, the star of Season 28 is the Altar of Rites, an account-wide progression system that will allow players to unlock some seriously game-changing perks and legendary potions for the entirety of the season across all characters. These perks are unlocked via a talent tree where each subsequent perk requires increasingly rare items and materials to be sacrificed at the Altar of Rites.

These perks aren't just simple stat boosts. They can range from items no longer having level requirements to huge flat damage or movement speed bonuses. There's even a perk that makes it so pets can pick up and salvage items, Torchlight-style. Unlocking all 26 perks and three legendary potions via the Altar of Rites will reward players with the Wings of Terror cosmetic, letting them sport the look of the Lord of Terror himself.

A major new progression system being introduced to Diablo III over a decade after its release is a pretty big deal. That's probably why the update's testing period on the game's public test realm saw five times more concurrent players than ever before, according to a Blizzard press release. As a result, a few things about the update have changed since the PTR period based on Blizzard's latest blog post. Of particular note is how Blizzard has tweaked the effect of one specific legendary potion that granted a random shrine or pylon effect, stating in the official patch notes that receiving multiple, powerful conduit pylons just from drinking a health potion as was the case on the PTR "completely broke the game." The potion now will grant a random shrine or the dimensional power pylon effect.

Season 28 additionally adds a new way for players to create Primal items via Kanai's Cube, and salvaging Primal items will grant 55 Primordial Ashes, which will come in handy when trying to unlock the later perks within the Altar of Rites. Diablo III's Season 28 update will also bring changes to several Monk skills and adjustments to various class set items, particularly the Demon Hunter's Natalya's Vengeance set.

The new season will likely run up to the release of Diablo IV, which will adopt a similar seasonal format to that of Diablo III and will also feature seasonal battle passes. Blizzard has made clear that the game's battle pass or in-game shop won't grant players additional power for their characters. Diablo IV releases on June 6, following what was reportedly a turbulent development cycle.