Diablo 4: Season of the Malignant features explained

Blizzard developers have announced everything players need to know about Diablo 4 Season 1. The update is expected to go live on July 20, so here’s everything you’ll need to know to be prepared for the Season of the Malignant.

Diablo 4 has announced the first seasonal story that will be affecting the whole world of Sanctuary. The Season of the Malignant includes an extra mechanic for events happening in the Diablo 4 endgame and will also add a new way of crafting items, clearing Strongholds, and even a type of demonic entity that players haven’t seen before.

Wanderers that have already completed the main campaign will be able to get into the Seasonal Realm to start this new journey. Here’s everything you need to know about Diablo 4 Season of the Malignant.

• Diablo 4 Season of the Malignant lore explained
• What are Malignant Monsters in Diablo 4?
• What are Malignant Hearts and Caged Hearts in Diablo 4?
• What are Infested Sockets in Diablo 4?
• How to get Malignant Hearts in Diablo 4?
• Where to find Malignant Tunnels in Diablo 4?
• What are Seasonal Journeys in Diablo 4?

Diablo 4 Season of the Malignant lore explained

The story of Diablo 4 Season 1 begins right after the events of the main campaign. Wanderers will find Cormond, a former priest at the Cathedral of Light, that tells them about the Malignance. This plague has turned animals, humans, and even demons into bloodthirsty manic monsters.

Cormond has taken it upon himself to discover the cause of it, although he’ll need all the help he can get. The former priest will guide you through the season’s lore while looking for a cure to protect the world of Sanctuary.

What are Malignant Monsters in Diablo 4?

As Cormond will tell you as soon you set foot in Diablo 4 Season 1, Sanctuary has been invaded by creatures called Malignant Monsters. These entities are corrupted creatures that will rabidly attack any player that’s near them.

Malignant Monsters are only Partially Corrupted when they initially spawn, and only after you defeat them once, they’ll drop an item called Malignant Heart.

Keep in mind that if you want to face them, your character won’t be the same as the one you completed the main campaign with. Since you’ll start from scratch because of the seasonal reboot, we recommend facing these enemies with care and farm XP as quickly as you can.

What are Malignant Hearts and Caged Hearts in Diablo 4?

Partially Corrupted Malignant Monsters drop a new item in Diablo 4: Malignant Hearts. These are similar to gems and are color-coded in four different varieties.

Malignant Hearts grant specific buffs when equipping them into slots of matching color. You can find up to 32 different types of Malignant Heart and they will be more powerful if you collect them from higher-level enemies or higher World-Tiers.

These items can also be used with an item called Cage of Unbinding, which summons a Fully Corrupted version of the Malignant Monster from which players stole the original Malignant Heart. If they’re defeated, they’ll drop a Caged Heart.

What are Infested Sockets in Diablo 4?

Once you obtain a Caged Heart in Diablo 4, you can use its powerful buff by gearing it up in Infested Sockets. These come in three color-coded categories that have to match the tiers of Caged Hearts.

Blizzard’s developers also confirmed a fourth category of Caged Heart that can be fitted into any Infested Socket, and will be called “Wrathful Caged Heart”.

How to get Malignant Hearts in Diablo 4?

Malignant Monsters will randomly spawn in Diablo 4’s map, replacing regular Elites. If Wanderers defeat them once and use a Cage of Binding on its Malignant Heart, a stronger version of the same demon will appear alongside a horde of demons.

You can also farm Malignant Hearts from Malignant Tunnels, which are places that will appear only after finishing this season’s story. These are a form of dungeons with Malignant Outgrowth at the end. When clearing the area, the Malignant Outgrowth can be activated by an Invoker- a special item crafted from Malignant Hearts. This will spawn a new Elite that can be defeated to obtain a Malignant Heart that matches the Malignant Outgrowth’s color.

Where to find Malignant Tunnels in Diablo 4?

Every dungeon around Diablo 4’s Sanctuary will randomly transform into a Malignant Tunnel. These areas will spawn Malignant Elite Monsters at a much higher rate and will also house Malignant Outgrowths.

Malignant Outgrowths have a specific color tier and can be activated by an Invoker. This will summon a Malignant Monster that will drop a Caged Heart that matches the color of the Malignant Outgrowth.

Throughout the rest of a Malignant Tunnel, Elites have a higher chance to have the Malignant modifier, too, making these great areas to farm for new Diablo 4 Season 1 items.

What are Seasonal Journeys in Diablo 4?

Blizzard developers explained that a Season Journey is a series of challenges that players will get during Season of the Malignant in Diablo 4. After Wanderers complete the seven Chapters of the Journey, they’ll earn unique rewards.

Each season will include a new Journey and will be free to any player who owns Diablo 4. You don’t have to complete all the objectives to earn rewards, although completing full Chapters can give you new Aspects that aren’t available in the normal Codex of Power.

Check out these guides below for safer travel through the demonic world of Diablo 4:

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