Diablo IV

Blizzard is gearing up for a major shake-up in Diablo 4 with the launch of Season 9 this July. While Season 8 is still underway, the developers have already dropped some major details about what's coming next, and it looks like players are in for a lot of new content, gameplay changes, and class balancing.
Here's a breakdown of what we know so far about Season 9.

When Does Season 9 Start?
According to Blizzard’s roadmap, Season 9 is set to launch in July 2025 and will run through September. An exact start date hasn’t been confirmed yet, but testing is already underway. The PTR (Public Test Realm) for the new season opened on May 27 and will run until June 3, giving players a chance to preview the upcoming changes.
The PTR is a hefty download (about 145 GB), but it includes access to all of Season 9’s new systems, features, and balance tweaks.

What's the Theme This Time?
Season 9 is themed around "Sins of the Horadrim", and it introduces a fresh layer of build customization through something called Horadric Powers. The powers can be earned by completing seasonal content and can be customized using three components:

• Catalysts: determine the core of the spell.
• Infusions: adjust the type of elemental damage.
• Arcana: add new mechanics or effects to spells.

It’s a system that encourages experimentation and opens up new ways to tweak your playstyle.

New Content Highlights
There’s no shortage of new content to explore in Season 9. A few of the big additions include:

• Horadric Vaults: Timed mini-dungeons that appear within Nightmare Dungeons, packed with loot and tough enemies. You have to finish them quickly to maximize your rewards.
• Escalation Nightmare Dungeons: A series of three Nightmare Dungeons chained into a single run — each one harder than the last, with stacked affixes and increasingly better loot. One of the returning bosses is Astaroth from the campaign.
• Horadric Gems: New socketable PoE 2 Gems that can be crafted from tomes and offer powerful bonuses when placed in rings or amulets.

Plus, each class will get a brand-new Unique Diablo IV Item, and loot quality will now scale more clearly with difficulty, especially when facing off against hell hordes.

Game improvements
Blizzard is also making some welcome improvements to game flow. Starting with Season 9, you'll be able to start the next Nightmare Dungeon straight from where you are; no more jumping back to town just to queue it up again. Crafting costs for jewel chests are also getting a reduction, making it easier to experiment with gear.

What About the Best Builds?
It's still too early to say which classes will come out on top in Season 9. Right now, Necromancers, Druids, and Barbarians dominate the meta. But Blizzard has confirmed a big nerf is coming to the current system, so expect the tier lists to shift dramatically once the new season drops.
Are you going to give a try to PTR or wait for the release of the full game?