Diablo 4 players can breathe - won't need to reach level 100 to finish the battle pass
Don't worry, everyone. The Diablo 4 battle pass won't be anywhere near as grindy as the climb to level 100.
The next big moment for Diablo 4 is the release of Season of the Malignant, the game's first season. Alongside a new narrative questline that follows on from the end of the campaign, Season of the Malignant also introduces a big new mechanic, a new boss, new items, and more.
But it also brings with it the first battle pass for a mainline Diablo game. With the controversy of needing to create a new character to experience seasonal content now (mostly) behind us, interest has shifted to how Blizzard plans to structure the battle pass, and the sort of pace it expects players to go through it.
The developer stressed on multiple occasions that it wants casual players to have a real shot at unlocking all tiers of the battle pass, and it's confident the 12-week season will offer players of all styles enough time to experience it.
Considering the immense grind that becomes required in Diablo 4 after reaching level 50, many players were concerned that Blizzard would be expecting a similiar level of dedication. The good news, for one, is that it's not going to take you anywhere near that long to unlock every item on the battle pass.
Blizzard confirmed to Forbes in an interview that that you can also finish the battle pass without being at or near level 100 before the end of the season. This is helped by the lack of time-gated content, so you can take things at your own pace.
“We want to make sure that players playing at varying intensities can still complete the battle pass," explained game director Joe Shely. Supposedly, playing Diablo 4 for a few hours a week should be enough to earn everything.
This is great news, considering everyone will be starting from zero when the season launches. That said, if you're playing right now, there are a few things you should do before Season of the Malignant starts to kick off the grind with a major boost in power.
The new season arrives in-game on July 20, and it will be preceded by a major patch on July 18.