When Diablo 4 rolls out its eighth season on April 29, expect some big changes to the battle pass. Gone is the straightforward path of yesteryear. Now, it branches into categories, or Reliquaries, letting you target specific types of cosmetic enhancements for your demon slayer. This shift follows a trend seen in many popular live service games, where the goal is to align more closely with how players actually engage with the game.
Dan Tanguay, the senior manager of game design, discussed the overhaul in a recent chat with Polygon. He pointed out three major issues with the old system: the rewards didn’t feel particularly meaningful, they were too closely tied to the seasons, and there was a noticeable lack of player choice.
From my own perspective, I’ve found all of this to be quite true. Each new Diablo 4 season, I’d briefly check the battle pass out of curiosity, only to quickly forget it, except for when I wanted to clear notifications for new unlocks. Often, the newly acquired cosmetics wouldn’t even suit the class I was playing, which only lessened their appeal.
Blizzard appears keen to address this with Reliquaries, reinventing the battle pass by allowing players to pursue the rewards they truly desire. There’s still a catch though. To unlock three of the four categories, you’ll need to pay an initial cost—a bit like mini premium battle passes. However, if all that catches your fancy is the radiant tiger from the Beasts Reliquary rather than the ornate sword from the Weapons Reliquary, you can go ahead and skip the rest. Plus, for those not interested in starting a new character each season, this system will also be available on the game’s Eternal Realm.
Tanguay emphasized that the previous battle pass felt out of place in an action RPG centered on gratifying decision-making. “You craft your build, you choose your appearance, and then the battle pass comes along, far too linear and deterministic, offering so little choice,” he explained.
Playing the game and vanquishing foes now earns you Favor, a new currency essential for acquiring Reliquary rewards. Everyone can spend it on the free Reliquary’s cosmetics throughout the season. Meanwhile, Event Reliquaries, like the one debuting with Diablo 4’s Berserk collaboration in May, will pop up for a short time and demand their own unique currency. While Tanguay couldn’t confirm if returning events would have their own Reliquaries, he noted the team is still deliberating on these opportunities.
This new Reliquary system is part of Blizzard’s ongoing effort to refresh elements of the game losing their edge. By decoupling battle passes from the seasons, Tanguay highlighted that Blizzard has more freedom to enrich the Season Journey—a free set of challenges like slaying bosses and clearing dungeons, which reward loot and cosmetics. Previously, these tasks were so simple you’d finish them unintentionally. But according to Tanguay, the team desires to push players toward “more aspirational content” for completing the later chapters. One task for season 8 requires defeating an endgame boss using a specific seasonal power, promising a fun challenge when the new season kicks off.
