Finally, there's a reason to play 'Diablo III' on consoles again
Blizzard finally took enough time away from its baby, Overwatch, to give the console version of Diablo III some extra love that was long overdue: Seasons are finally happening.
For anyone unfamiliar with the PC version of Diablo III: Seasons are short-term in-game events that usually last for around three months. They give players an opportunity to earn rare gear that isn't otherwise available and compete on special, Season-specific leaderboards.
To participate, you need to start a new game from scratch with a "seasonal" character -- though once the season ends, you keep both the character and any gear you earned.
The primary appeal of Diablo III's Seasons is the unique loot. There are pets and other cosmetic items up for grabs, but there's also Season-specific "set" armor that comes with (typically powerful) stat and ability bonuses.
Each character class in Diablo III gets its own seasonal set armor, but players can only obtain one of those sets per season. So there's always a choice to be made.
The update -- which is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and includes a number of other features -- will kick off the 10th season on March 31. The feature has been available in the PC version of the game for some time, so starting with Season 10 will help Blizzard keep console and PC players on the same page.
If you haven't kept up with Diablo III much in the years since its 2012 launch, it's worth noting that the Seasons feature is a game-changer. The time limitations make the Season-specific loot drops -- which are generally powerful -- all the more alluring.
While you do need to start fresh with an entirely new character, there's no requirement for grinding through the story again. Diablo III's open-ended Adventure Mode is the alternative, and it's frankly an easier and faster way of leveling up -- which is important, since most of the seasonal challenges involve high-level play.
All of which is to say: this is the best news possible for Diablo III's console community. That version of the game has long lagged behind the PC release, with Seasons being perhaps the most notable absence. Their arrival on PS4 and Xbox One gives you a great reason to fire the game up and take it for a spin again.
Topics Blizzard Entertainment Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
