Season 8 of Diablo IV, Belial’s Return, launches April 29th at 10 AM PDT, and marks the long-awaited return of the Lord of Lies. Players will confront mysterious Apparition Monsters, harness powerful new Boss Powers, and delve into revamped Lair Boss fights across Sanctuary. A new questline, cosmetic rewards system, and restructured loot mechanics create the most content-rich Diablo IV season to date.
We got the full list of everything that you need to know to be ready for this update, yes EVERYTHING. Read on for all of the details of what is to come in the next update for Diablo IV: Belial's Return.
General Gameplay Changes In New Season
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Boss chests now skip the wait timer if all players open them.
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Incursions have been updated to include Whispers for easier tracking.
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Spectral Ashes reward amounts increased, and the cost to rank up Boss Powers has been reduced.
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Boss Powers now have less scaling and lower damage overall, making pure Boss Power builds much weaker (except Spiritborn builds).
Glyph Leveling Adjustments
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Glyph XP progression is now easier in lower Pit tiers:
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50 tiers = +1% XP
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40 tiers = +2% XP
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30 tiers = +4% XP
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20 tiers = +8% XP
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Progress for tiers 11 and closer remains mostly unchanged.
Class-Specific Changes
Barbarian
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All Core Skills cost 5 less Fury.
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Double Swing improvements make it a viable choice.
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Earthquake nerfed slightly but remains strong.
Druid
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Leveling boosted with Gift of the Stag resource buffs and increased companion damage.
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Wildheart Hunger much easier to maintain (5x more efficient).
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Minor buffs to human form casters.
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Cataclysm remains top-tier but slightly clunkier to use.
Necromancer
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Blood Lance now always spreads and deals double single-target damage.
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Blood Wave buffed.
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Vampiric Curse reclassified as a standard Curse.
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Flesh Eater effect can now be refreshed.
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Scent of Death grants both buffs permanently (only Crit Damage though).
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Blood builds like Blood Lance, Wave, and Spear dominate the meta.
Rogue
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Shadow Clone always counts as a Cutthroat skill now.
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Scoundrel's Leathers no longer allows teleporting.
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Potential revival for Rapid Fire and Twisting Blades builds.
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Poison Damage Tempering now available to all classes (via Alchemical Admixture).
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Death Trap builds looking strong.
Sorcerer
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Avalanche massively buffs Frost builds.
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New viable Ice Shards setups.
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Blizzard and Ice Spike strengthened with Avalanche synergy.
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Potential for more teleports with Bounding Conduit passive.
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Lightning Spear still top single-target build.
Spiritborn
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Bugfixes for Unyielding Hits interactions.
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Big buffs for Sepazontec and all basic attack builds.
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Sunbird’s Gorget now a strong Tier 4 build (similar to Righteous Fire from PoE).
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Convergence effects expanded beyond Physical damage.
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Ashava Boss Power + Noxious Resonance is the likely best surviving Boss Power build.
Miscellaneous Updates
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Conduit Shrine removed from the game.
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Quality of Life improvements for tempering recipes (system now remembers them).
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Neo rune interaction with Barriers now active (strong synergy).
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Varshan adds reworked, other bosses adjusted to reduce one-shot deaths.
Torment and Pit Scaling
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Torment IV (T4) is now about 6–7 Pit tiers harder than before (~x2.5–3 harder compared to S7).
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Most builds should now reach Pit 130+ eventually.
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Even casual builds can now get Glyphs to level 100 with enough dedication.
Boss Powers System
Harness the powers once wielded by Sanctuary’s greatest threats using Boss Powers, a brand-new system designed to expand your build customization. Draw strength from the defeated corpses of World, Event, and Lair (formerly Endgame) Bosses, with a total of 24 Boss Powers available to collect across Sanctuary.
Each Boss Power comes with two effects: a Main and a Modifier. Depending on the Power Slots you equip them to, you can activate one Main Power and up to three Modifiers at the same time. Your Main Power will serve as the centerpiece of your build’s fantasy, while Modifiers are designed to enhance and amplify its impact even further. Mixing and matching these abilities allows you to fine-tune your build like never before.
Boss Powers can be earned by defeating targeted bosses throughout Sanctuary for the first time each season. This includes World Bosses, bosses from the new Apparition Incursion events, and even Lilith herself.
Below, you’ll find a complete breakdown of all 24 Boss Powers, along with their Main and Modifier effects.
Can be Acquired at any Difficulty Level
Wandering Death's Chest Beam (obtained after defeating the World Boss, Wandering Death)
- Main: While Channeling a Skill, spawn a beam that deals 300% Frostbite damage per second. Enemies hit take 50%[x] increased damage from you for 1 second.
- Modifier: Your Main Boss Power instantly Executes Non-Boss enemies hit with less than 15.5% Life. When you Execute enemies you gain 25 Primary Resource.
Ashava's Poison Breath (obtained after defeating the World Boss, Ashava)
- Main: Hitting an enemy affected by Damage over Time spawns a wave of acid that deals 1,200% Poisoning damage over 4 seconds. Applies 10% more Poisoning for each 1% of the target's current Life affected by Damage over Time.
- Modifier: Once per activation, damaging an enemy with your Main Boss Power also applies 45% Poisoning damage to it over 3 seconds.
Avarice's Explosive Ore (obtained after defeating the World Boss, Avarice the Gold Cursed)
- Main: When you gain excess Primary Resource, spawn a Piece of Ore. After 2.5 seconds the Piece of Ore explodes dealing 700% Fire damage. You can spawn up to 3 Pieces of Ore at once.
- Modifier: Activating your Main Boss Power spends all your Primary Resource to increase its damage by 0.01%[x] per Resource point spent.
Allek's Talons (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: Casting a Basic Skill applies 200% Sparking damage over 4 seconds to enemies it hit.
- Modifier: Gain 5% Movement Speed, increased by 0.5% for each 1% Cooldown Reduction you have, up to a maximum of 11%.
Beastmaster's Training (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: Whenever you cast a Summon Skill or call a Mercenary for Reinforcement, one of your Summons or Mercenaries Stuns surrounding enemies for 2 seconds and gains 75% Damage Reduction.
- Modifier: Your Summons deal 5%[x] more damage, increased by 0.25%[x] for each 1% Bonus Critical Strike Damage you have from items and Paragon, up to a maximum of 17%[x].
Blackmailer's Sabotage (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: Casting a Core Skill while you have a Barrier Knocks Down Close enemies for 1.1 seconds. This cannot occur on the same enemy more than once every 5 seconds.
- Modifier: Whenever you gain Fortify, additionally gain 11% of the amount as Barrier for 6 seconds.
Flesh Reaper's Disruption (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: Damaging a Vulnerable enemy removes the Vulnerable and then Stuns them and surrounding enemies for 0.5 seconds. This Stun applies 100% more Stagger to Bosses.
- Modifier: Gain 5%[x] Vulnerable Damage, increased by 0.5%[x] for each 1% of Crowd Control Duration Bonus you have, up to a maximum of 10.5%[x].
Hatred's Embrace's Haste (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: Casting a Shadow or Fire Skill grants 1.1% increased Movement Speed for 3 seconds, up to 11%.
- Modifier: Gain 5%[+] Critical Strike Chance, increased by 0.5%[+] for each 1% of Shadow Resistance you have, up to a maximum of 12%[+].
Kirma's Sparks (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: When you Evade, apply 200% Sparking damage over 4 seconds to Close enemies.
- Modifier: Your Evade Cooldown is reduced by 5%, increased by 0.2% for each 1% Lightning Resistance from bonuses you have, up to a maximum of 11%.
Outlaw Sharpshooter's Eye (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: Dealing Direct Damage to a Distant enemy Slows them and surrounding enemies by 40% for 5 seconds.
- Modifier: You deal increased damage to Enemies the further they are from you, up to 10.5%[x].
Sinerat's Flames (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: Using a Mobility Skill Burns Close enemies for 50% Burning damage over 4 Seconds.
- Modifier: Gain 5%[x] increased damage to all Elements. For each 1% of an Element's Resistance from bonuses, gain 0.2%[x] increased damage for that Element, up to a maximum of 15.5%[x].
Skerg's Toxins (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: When an enemy deals damage to you, apply 600% Poisoning damage to them over 4 seconds.
- Modifier: When you take damage from a Damage Over Time effect, you have a 5% chance to be Healed instead, increased by 50% of your Poison Resistance from bonuses, up to a maximum of 12%.
Torusk's Rage (obtained after defeating this Apparition in the Apparition Incursion event)
- Main: Damaging a Crowd Controlled enemy makes them and surrounding enemies Unstoppable but you gain 10.5%[x] increased Damage, Attack Speed, and Movement Speed for 3 seconds.
- Modifier: Gain 5%[+] Attack Speed, increased by 0.25%[+] for each 1% Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies you have, up to a maximum of 10.5%[+].
Can be Acquired in Torment I or Higher
Belial's Crystal Decoy (obtained after defeating Belial in a Lair Boss ambush)
- Main: When you Cast an Agility, Defensive, or Macabre skill, spawn a crystal that Taunts enemies and explodes after 3 seconds, dealing 600% Shadow damage.
- Modifier: Activating your Main Boss Power Fears Nearby enemies for 0.75 seconds and deals 50% Shadow damage to them.
Lilith's Wind of Hate (obtained after defeating Lilith)
- Main: When you Cast a skill, attack enemies with a wave of spikes that lasts 2 seconds and deals 400% Physical damage. Enemies take 60%[x] increased damage from Wind of Hate each time it hits them, up to 300%[x].
- Modifier: Hitting an Elite enemy with a Main Boss Power creates an inert Blister Clone with 10% of their Maximum Life for 15 seconds. Killing the Blister removes 2.1% of the Elite's Life. An Elite can have up to 1 Blister active at once, and a Boss can have up to 2 Blisters. Enemies with Resilience cannot spawn Blisters.
Duriel's Burrow (obtained after defeating the Greater Lair Boss, Duriel)
- Main: When you Evade, you now burrow underground, immobilizing surrounding enemies for 5 seconds and dealing 100% damage on your entry and exit. You deal 100% damage every 0.25 seconds while burrowed. Evade's Cooldown is increased by 4 seconds, and Cooldown Reduction on Evade is 50% as effective.
- Modifier: Activating your Main Boss Power grants you 21%[+] increased Dodge chance for 5 seconds. Whenever you Dodge an attack you Immobilize Nearby enemies for 3 seconds.
Belial's Eye Beams (obtained after defeating the Exalted Lair Boss Belial, Lord of Lies)
- Main: After you drink a healing potion, gain 50% Damage Reduction for 2 seconds and summon eye beams that Corrupt enemies for 438% damage over 3.5 seconds. Then, your Healing Potion becomes disabled for 5 seconds. You may drink your Healing Potion at full Life.
- Modifier: Activating your Main Boss Power grants Stealth for 2 seconds. After entering Stealth, you deal 11%[x] increased Overpower Damage for 2 seconds.
Andariel's Flaming Skull (obtained after defeating the Greater Lair Boss, Andariel)
- Main: After standing still for 1 second, summon a skull for 4 seconds that rotates around you and breathes fire that Burns enemies for 450% damage over 3 seconds.
- Modifier: Enemies take 10.5% more damage from your Damage over Time effects.
Beast in the Ice's Sleet (obtained after defeating the Initiate Lair Boss, Beast in the Ice)
- Main: After casting 3 Skills which apply Crowd Control or Stagger effects, shoot out sleet spikes that deal 800% Cold damage and Freeze enemies for 2 seconds.
- Modifier: Your Main Boss Power now Chills enemies it damages for 2.5%[x].
Grigoire's Lightning Square (obtained after defeating the Initiate Lair Boss, Grigoire)
- Main: After you cast a Core Skill, lightning tiles outward for 1.2 seconds dealing 250% Lightning damage per strike.
- Modifier: Once per activation, damaging an enemy with your Main Boss Power Stuns enemies it hits for 0.25 seconds.
Lord Zir's Blood Pool (obtained after defeating the Initiate Lair Boss, Lord Zir)
- Main: After you damage an enemy, spawn a pool of blood that deals 400% Bleeding damage per second over 4 seconds. You can have up to 3 active pools.
- Modifier: Activating your Main Boss Power Heals you for 17% of your Maximum Life over 3 seconds.