Diablo III Set to Test Season 25 on the PTR

Blizzard have pushed out some partial patch notes for their upcoming test of Season 25 in Diablo III. For those that may not be aware, the developers introduce a theme for each Season that affects gameplay in some manner.

Season 24 introduced a brand new weapon type, just for that Season, in the form of ethereal weapons. These were supercharged pieces of loot, usually rocking stats and bonuses at their maximum roll level while also adding on the effect of another legendary weapon, meaning builds were adjusted to accommodate this new shiny loot.

With testing of Season 25 set to begin from 4th November 2021, Blizzard have revealed what the upcoming seasonal theme will be:

"New Season Theme: Season 25 introduces a new type of socketable item called Soul Shards. Nephalem can find 7 unique Soul Shards, based on the Lords of Hell, which give players demonic new powers. One of 3 Prime Evil Soul Shards can be equipped into Helms and one of 4 Lesser Evil Soul Shards can be equipped into Weapons. Each Soul Shard can be upgraded three times using a new seasonal-exclusive consumable, the Hellforge Ember.
Soul Shards and Hellforge Embers can drop from anywhere in Sanctuary, but Soul Shards have a higher chance to drop from Bosses. Soul Shards cannot be traded, but can be salvaged or utilized in Caldesann’s Despair. You may only equip one Prime Evil Soul Shard and one Lesser Evil Soul Shard at a time. Lastly, Soul Shards and Hellforge Embers only drop in Seasonal play, and will not transfer to your non-seasonal character when the season ends.
Developer's Note: With the upcoming 25th Anniversary of the Diablo Franchise, we wanted players to delve into the darker side of the Nephalem's past. In Season 25, players can embrace evil by infusing themselves with the essences of the Lords of Hell. Players will embark on their Season Journey to discover and upgrade demonic Soul Shards based on the seven Lords of Hell. By embodying a Prime and Lesser Evil, players will inflict new forms of pain and suffering on the demons of Sanctuary. We can't wait for players to get their hands on Soul Shards to start unlocking their true power."

The prospect of brand new shards to equip into gear is certainly a theorycrafter’s wet dream. While details are thin on the ground as to what exactly these shards do, there will no doubt be discussion on how they may change builds and how they will shake up the meta for seasonal play.

There’s also a focus on updating some existing builds for Witch Doctor, Barbarian, Necromancer, Wizard, and Demon Hunter. The devs hope that players will focus their testing attention on these classes, so that Blizzard are able to get the data they need, should further tweaks need to be made before Season 25 goes live.

 

Interested in testing Season 25 in Diablo III? Fear not, Blizzard has steps for you to follow:

"To participate in the public test, you must have a Diablo III game license attached to a Battle.net account in good standing (i.e. one that hasn't been suspended or banned). In addition, you will also need to download and install the Blizzard Battle.net desktop app if you have not already done so.
Step 1: Restart the Battle.net desktop app.
Step 2: Navigate to the Diablo III tab on the left-hand menu.
Step 3: On the Diablo III screen, there is a drop-down menu right above the "Play" button (note that this may say "Install" if you do not have Diablo III currently installed). Select "PTR: Diablo III" from this drop-down menu before proceeding.
Step 4: Click Install to begin the installation process.
Your PTR account will be created automatically if you do not already have one. The PTR is available in all supported languages, and accounts from all regions are eligible to participate. For additional assistance with installing and launching the PTR, click here."

For the full article by Blizzard, feel free to mosey on over here.

Diablo III Season 25 begins testing on 4th November 2021 and will run for two weeks. What builds will you be looking at testing? Let us know in the comments.