The world of Sanctuary is alive once again, and Diablo 4’s Season 10 PTR has offered players a glimpse into what promises to be a thrilling new chapter for Blizzard’s action RPG. After spending the last week testing roughly 20 different builds and exploring all the new content, it’s time to break down what this season brings—and what could use improvement. If you’ve been enjoying the previous seasons, Season 10 likely has something to excite you. However, if you’ve found earlier seasons underwhelming, this one may not change your mind. Despite that, there’s plenty to unpack.
Infernal Hordes Overhaul
First up, let’s talk about the revamped Infernal Hordes. For those who have slogged through them in prior seasons, the changes are immediately noticeable. While they’re not spectacular, the new mechanics make the experience much more enjoyable. Many of the old boons have been adjusted for Diablo 4 Items, and there’s a fresh twist with the introduction of chaos waves.
Chaos waves are essentially purple energy bursts that change how horde encounters play out. Sometimes, you’ll need to protect a mass of objects; other times, you’ll be bombarded by swarms of goblins or dodge massive environmental hazards. This addition injects variety into the horde experience, which was previously somewhat predictable. The PTR also introduced a brand-new boss, which requires a hefty 666 ether to spawn. While some builds one-shot this foe, it’s clear from footage that certain strategies could make for interesting fights.
The primary issue with the Infernal Hordes is the “protecting mass” mode, where wave spawns are frustratingly slow. Beyond that, the overhaul is a solid improvement, making the horde experience more engaging than in previous seasons.
Chaos Armor: Flexibility and Inventory Woes
Season 10 introduces chaos armor, a new type of unique item that rolls on armor slots, allowing players to expand their build options. Imagine equipping a banished talisman as gloves, boots, or any other armor slot, with a 20% boost on a max-rolled aspect. The concept is excellent, offering more ways to approach builds while maintaining trade-offs, as offensive uniques often compromise defensive capabilities.
However, there are notable issues. Inventory management has become cumbersome; collecting multiple chaos armor pieces quickly fills your inventory without clear differentiation, forcing tedious hovering over each item. Additionally, these items currently drop only from Infernal Hordes and are account-bound, making farming predictable and repetitive. Chaos armor is an exciting addition, but expanding their sources or adding unique icons for easier sorting would significantly improve quality of life.
Seasonal Perks
One of the most significant changes this season is the rebranding of seasonal powers as “perks.” These perks aim to enable new builds more effectively than prior seasonal powers, though the results are mixed. Many perks remain underwhelming, such as fixed-damage abilities that lack proper scaling tools. Nevertheless, there are standout options: barb perks now support builds beyond the typical lunging strike, and sorceress perks enhance core skills to near-overpowered levels.
A cautionary note: some perks, particularly for the sorceress and necromancer, are extremely potent. When combined with the new mana shield, certain skills become capable of trillions of damage while granting near-immortality. While a slight nerf may be necessary for balance, completely reworking these powers would risk eliminating new build opportunities, repeating the missteps of Season 8.
New Uniques
Season 10 also brings an exciting array of new uniques, each offering build-enabling potential. Notable items include:
Saber of Chazgal (Barb): A solid, if straightforward, weapon choice.
Kilt of Blackwing: Introduces fun and unconventional builds.
Gospel of the Devote (Necro): Revives the use of bone splinter skills.
Orphan Maker (Rogue): Functions like a crossbow requiring reloads, though it currently suffers from slow reload speed.
Galvanic Azurite: Provides a net damage boost for lightning builds and supports new crackling energy setups.
Harambe-related Unique: Offers a controversial yet intriguing gameplay mechanic.
While most of these additions are welcome, a few require attention. The Harambe unique has a bug that grants enemies shields for their entire lifespan, inflating boss health dramatically. Orphan Maker, meanwhile, demands a buff to become viable. Overall, these uniques encourage experimentation and broaden the game’s strategic depth.
Class Balance and Meta Updates
Season 10 brings both triumphs and disappointments in terms of class balance:
Rogue: Unfortunately, the rogue class is struggling this season. With top builds gutted by power removals and nerfs to key abilities like Azure Wrath, most rogue strategies peak around Pit 100, leaving the class far behind others. Spin-to-Win remains a fun exception due to its synergy with new perks. Overall, the rogue desperately needs buffs to remain competitive.
Barbarian: Mighty Throw continues as the dominant Pit-pushing build, but new perks now provide additional viable options like Frenzy and Hotter. These changes allow barbarians to farm Pit 100 effectively while keeping gameplay engaging.
Sorceress: The class has two notable outliers: Hydra and core skill builds, which become excessively powerful when paired with the mana shield. While mana shield requires slight tuning, it’s crucial to preserve new build opportunities rather than rework them entirely.
Necromancer: Season 10 is shaping up as the “Season of Ultimates” for the necro, with a focus on screen-spanning abilities. While bonus storms and other ultimate powers are highly damaging and entertaining, they occasionally strain server performance. Careful optimization is necessary without removing the fun.
Druid: All core skills are now viable, and companion builds, particularly Storm Ravens, offer satisfying and enjoyable gameplay. Minor PTR bugs aside, the druid class appears strong and versatile for the upcoming season.
Soyborn: Comparable to the barbarian, the Soyborn maintains a single outstanding Pit-pushing build (Balazan Pantaloon), which received necessary nerfs. Other builds, such as Harambe and Quill Volley, are now functional and balanced, providing variety and fun. The class finally benefits from proper skill differentiation, moving away from redundant spirit mechanics.
Random Changes and Quality of Life
Season 10 introduces several miscellaneous updates worth noting:
Uber Bosses: Phasing has been removed, replaced with a shield mechanic. Players with weaker builds experience full fights, while those with overpowered strategies can efficiently defeat bosses. This balances challenge and speed for different playstyles.
Attack Speed Scaling: The removal of attack speed scaling from Azure Wrath and flat scaling damage has inadvertently eliminated several viable and fun builds. Reintroducing this feature would restore gameplay diversity.
Chaos Rifts: Present in Hell Tides and Nightmare Dungeons, chaos rifts are the primary method of acquiring seasonal perks and currency. Current issues include overly high monster health and underwhelming rewards, making these encounters frustrating during leveling.
Infernal Compasses: The ability to craft compasses, as seen in previous seasons, would improve inventory management and allow players to prioritize desired content more efficiently. Reintroducing this feature would be a welcome quality-of-life improvement.
Conclusion: Season 10 in Perspective
Diablo 4 Season 10 is a solid continuation of Blizzard’s evolving RPG experience. While not revolutionary, the season introduces meaningful content that enhances gameplay for seasoned veterans. Infernal Hordes are more engaging, chaos armor opens up creative build opportunities, perks provide strategic depth, and new uniques enrich the game’s arsenal. Certain classes, like the rogue, lag behind in balance, and quality-of-life issues persist in inventory management and chaos rift encounters.
The season also emphasizes experimentation. Players can explore creative builds for the necromancer, druid, and barbarian classes, leveraging new perks and unique items to push Pit 100 or dominate in endgame content. Despite minor bugs and overpowered abilities, the PTR demonstrates Blizzard’s commitment to keeping Diablo 4 fresh and exciting.
Ultimately, Season 10 showcases Blizzard’s careful balancing act: preserving fun while introducing variety, maintaining challenge without frustrating players, and expanding the meta without breaking it entirely. As the full season launches, the community can expect hours of thrilling dungeon crawling, horde-slaying, and build-testing, all while looking forward to future improvements in masterworking, buy D4 Gold, leaderboards, and perhaps even an auction house.
Diablo 4 continues to evolve, and Season 10 proves that the world of Sanctuary remains a place of innovation, chaos, and endless opportunity for both new and veteran players alike. With careful tuning and ongoing feedback, this season could become one of the most memorable yet, offering a mix of challenge, creativity, and sheer entertainment.
Share this page with your family and friends.