Diablo 4 Season 10 officially launches on September 23rd, staggering the releases of Last Epoch Season 3 and Path of Exile Patch 0.3.0. However, Path of Exile 2 still held its own in September.
Each major update to Path of Exile 2 brings a host of changes, so what about the content in Diablo 4 Season 10? Is it worth playing this season? Below, IGGM.com analyzes the pros and cons of Season 10.
New Season Mechanics
Chaos Unique Items
Season 10’s Chaos Armors allow unique items, such as Banished Lord’s Talisman and Fists of Fate, that were previously fixed to specific equipment slots, to appear in non-traditional locations. Currently, these items are limited to the five main armor slots: helmet, chest armor, gloves, pants, and boots, not weapons.
Chaos Perks
Chaos Perks grant each class a new, powerful passive effect, which grants a significant power boost, but often comes with a significant downside that requires players to overcome through gear builds.
These two mechanics free players from the constraints of a specific build’s mandatory use of certain equipment in certain slots, allowing for freer combinations.
They can create entirely new builds, such as the Infinite Bone Storm Necromancer. Its core mechanic is to swap Core Skills and Ultimate Skills through the effects of Chaos unique items, creating unprecedented, overpowered gameplay. Whether it’s leveling up, farming Diablo 4 gold or in the endgame, it will perform very well.
They can also transform the gameplay and feel of a build, such as allowing Barbarians to cast their War Cry automatically, reducing player control and allowing them to focus on other skills. This auto-casting isn’t simply a nerf; in some cases, it can even be more effective, but it also comes with the bonus of reducing resource generation.
Season 10’s two mechanics are undoubtedly 10/10, and perhaps the best of the 10 seasons, as they promise to spawn numerous new builds and give non-meta-style gameplay the opportunity to stand out with powerful new combinations.
Reworked Infernal Hordes And New Boss
Reworked Infernal Hordes is a slight improvement over the original Infernal Hordes. Players must fight through 10 waves of enemies, culminating in a new boss, Bartuc. However, to obtain Diablo 4 items contained in the final chest requires consuming 666 Burning Aether.
While the new boss is impressive, like other bosses in the game, it can be quickly defeated in seconds by endgame meta builds, making it generally unchallenging.
The revised Infernal Hordes feels more like a small-to-medium-sized event than a full-fledged major seasonal content.
Furthermore, the 666 Burning Aether required to open the final chest is a bit excessive. For non-top-tier meta builds, it’s difficult to accumulate the necessary Aether to open chests consistently. While you can buy Diablo 4 gold or lair boss materials, Aether is untradeable, so the official drop rate for Burning Aether may need to be adjusted.
Season 10 Pros
Season 10’s greatest strengths are its two seasonal mechanics. They virtually expand the possibilities of builds and provide endless exploration for dedicated players.
Some class perks are quite impressive, such as Sorcerer’s Mana Shield Perk, which reduces 99 health but absorbs all damage with mana. Combined with a mana-stacking build, this is a game-changing defensive mechanic. Necromancer’s Alter the Balance Perk, which swaps core abilities with their ultimate, is also a game-changer.
Season 10 also includes some quality-of-life improvements, primarily to boss encounters. For example, phasing and platforming mechanics for Lilith and Duriel have been removed or simplified. If your build deals enough damage, you can kill it before it transitions. Some players kill this boss over 1,000 times per season, and this change saves them a ton of time.
Season 10 Cons
Farming in Season 10 is incredibly difficult, as getting a perfect Chaos Unique item faces three extremely challenging random obstacles:
- The right item. The pool of all Chaos unique items (both universal and class-specific) has a very low chance of dropping the one you need.
- The right slot. The item must drop in one of the five armor slots you need for your build, but this has a 1 in 5 chance of dropping.
- The right affixes. The affix pool is full of junk stats, making getting a Chaos Armor piece with the perfect affixes and the right slot a matter of sheer luck.
For casual players, assembling a set of the specific Chaos unique items required for a build is nearly impossible. Getting the right set of Diablo 4 items is more difficult than getting a set of Mythic items.
Besides, the new Infernal Hordes mode lacks originality and feels like old wine in a new bottle. The focus of late-game content remains on gaining experience and upgrading paragons in The Pit.
Chaos Perks of Sorcerer and Necromancer are undoubtedly very strong, but the Rogue’s Chaos Perks are abysmal, with the buffs barely offsetting the debuffs.
Finally, Chaos Armors are seasonal content. Players invest hundreds of hours farming for the perfect Chaos unique item, only to see it disappear at the end of the season. This immense investment leaves nothing behind, leading to a profound sense of frustration and emptiness.
Season 10 is unparalleled in its design creativity, but the frustrating multi-level randomness of the farming experience is its biggest flaw. IGGM believes that if the drop issue is resolved, this season could easily reach a 9/10 rating. If the status quo remains, it will likely be a 6/10 or even lower for most players.
