Blizzard has officially revealed Season of Divine Intervention, the eleventh season of Diablo IV, and it’s one of the most ambitious seasonal overhauls the game has seen so far. Launching December 11th at 8:30 p.m. PST, the new season marks the return of the Lesser Evils, led by Azmodan himself, and introduces a mysterious unbound angel descending into Sanctuary to gift players divine power. From sweeping itemization changes to brand-new progression systems, this season aims to redefine the Diablo IV experience.
Check out the new trailer and a quick run down of what you can expect down below. If you would like a more in depth view at what is coming, we will be getting that up in a new article later today.
Major Itemization Updates: Tempering & Masterworking Rebuilt
Season of Divine Intervention completely reworks the item journey with massive updates to Tempering and Masterworking.
Tempering
Tempering is no longer random players can now always select their desired affix, here are a few things the update will bring:
- Reforged around customization, giving players strategic control
- Greater consistency in building endgame gear
- Masterworking
- Now features a linear, clearly defined upgrade path
- Allows a direct route to “perfect” items
- Eliminates confusing RNG in the final stretch of item progression
Blizzard describes the rework as a return to what item upgrades should be: prestige, customization, and clarity.
Monster Combat Evolves
Season 11 introduces a new design philosophy around monster behavior. Enemies in Sanctuary aren’t just stronger they're mutating and adapting.
Players can expect:
- More varied combat encounters
- Smarter enemy patterns
- New attack types and mutation-based behaviors
These updates ensure that high-level combat remains challenging even for optimized builds.
System Updates: Defense, Healing & Renown
The season revamps several core systems:
Defense
New defensive calculations and mitigation adjustments help balance incoming damage across all World Tiers.
Healing & Potions
Potion systems receive tuning to better reflect fast-paced endgame encounters.
Renown
Renown changes drastically on Seasonal Realms, replaced by the new Season Rank system while remaining intact on the Eternal Realm.
Ally With Hadriel, A New Angelic Guide
A rogue angel from the High Heavens, Hadriel, secretly descends to Sanctuary to aid players. His arrival summons an angelic light in major cities that marks the start of the seasonal storyline.
Hadriel grants access to Divine Gifts, powerful new boons representing fragments of heavenly power.
Divine Gifts Include:
- Reward the main benefit
- Corrupted Gift a high-risk, high-reward modifier
- Purified Gift a safer, empowered variant
Players can socket Divine Gifts directly into their inventory interface to activate either the corrupted or purified effect.
The Lesser Evils Invade And Azmodan Becomes a World Boss
Each Lesser Evil corrupts different seasonal game modes, imbuing familiar activities with new demonic twists. As Azmodan joins Diablo IV as a new world boss, appearing in rotation with other endgame titans. Expect large-scale mechanics and fire-heavy attacks faithful to his Diablo III incarnation.
Sanctification, Imbue Your Gear With Heavenly Power
A new endgame feature, Sanctification, lets players channel the High Heavens’ power directly into their weapons and armor.
This system acts as a “holy counterpart” to demonic crafting, giving players:
- New item infusions
- Unique angelic powers
- Build-defining modifiers
Season Rank, The New Seasonal Progression System
Season Rank replaces the traditional Season Journey and Seasonal Renown with a more challenging, structured progression path.
Key Features:
- Each Rank requires completing a Capstone Dungeon
- Can be attempted early for skilled players
- Unlocks Skill Points, Smoldering Ashes, cosmetics, and more
On Seasonal Realms, Renown no longer persists permanently as those benefits must now be earned through Season Rank progression.
Tower & Leaderboards Returning in 2026
The anticipated Tower challenge and official Leaderboards will return with Patch 2.5.2 in early 2026. These features will not launch on Day 1 of Season 11 but remain part of Blizzard’s long-term endgame goals.
Twitch Drops Are Back
From December 12th (9 a.m.) to December 26th (10 a.m. PST), players can earn the Barbute Hacker One-Handed cosmetic for the Barbarian class by watching two hours of eligible Diablo IV streams on Twitch.
Season of Divine Intervention is shaping up to be a massive turning point for Diablo IV. With sweeping itemization reworks, a new seasonal structure, a new world boss, and divine powers changing the core gameplay loop, Season 11 looks like one of the most ambitious updates since launch.
Whether you're chasing leaderboard glory in 2026 or hunting Azmodan with the power of the High Heavens, Sanctuary is about to face a new kind of reckoning.
What are your thoughts on the announcement? Will you be playing the new season? Do you think it will be enough to beat Path Of Exile 2 and their next update coming the day after? Let us know which one you will be playing in the comments down below! As always, stay tuned for more news at Gamefragger.com!