Season 3: Difference between revisions

<center><span class='white'>Season 3 - Season of Construct begins at 10 a.m PST (8 pm GMT) on Tuesday 23rd January 2024.</span></center>

 

[[Kehjistan]] will be the primary battleground of Season 3. Below the Amber Sands (Desolate Sands) lays a sprawling network of [[Vaults_-_Dungeons|Vaults]] once occupied by Zoltun Kulle (founding member of the Horadrim) and his companion, Ayuzhan, who toiled away there creating the Black Soulstone to trap and hold the Great Evils. This was work he didn't want the other Horadrim or demonic forces discovering so he set countless traps and hazards throughout the Archives in case any of them came searching for him. Traps you'll find soon enough.  

 

 

Season 3's protagonist, Ayuzhan, is a member of the Ennead Clan, who, along with Zoltun Kulle, had taken Constructs created by the Vizjerei Mage Clans and made them their own by using a powerful apparatus they constructed called the Loom.

After ruling over the Vaults for many years, [[Malphas]] has now set his sights on the overworld and the rest of Sanctuary breaking cover and making his presence known with [[Arcane Tremors]].

The Loom is an ancient technology designed by Zoltun Kulle and Ayuzhan to shape the elements and build tools to serve humanity. Zoltun Kulle <ref name="zoltun kulle">[https://www.purediablo.com/zoltun-kulle-the-mage-and-his-machinations Zoltun Kulle: The Mage and His Machinations]</ref> first appeared in Diablo 3 where years of experimenting with Soulstones had turned him to the dark side and into a Dark Horadrim but he was defeated. With Kulle dead his companion, Ayuzhan, failed to keep the Loom safe and now it has fallen into the hands of the demon Malphas who is harnessing its awesome power and not in a good way.

 

 

 

The new Seasonal town is called [[The Gatehall]], which is the gateway between the Vaults and the world above. This town is underneath Kehjistan and will serve as your base of operations. The Gatehall is your conduit to access the deadly Vaults and will evolve into a fully formed town, including vendors and a waypoint, once you have played through the Seasonal Questline.  You can also access the Vaults from here with gateways to the Vault of the Loom, Vault of Ink and Vault of Stone.

 

File:Gateways to Vault of the Loom, Vault of Ink and Vault of Stone.jpg|Gateways (Terminus) to Vault of the Loom, Vault of Ink and Vault of Stone. from the Gatehall.

== The Vaults ==

Vaults are a new type of dungeon for Season 3 and there are 4 types. As well as being full of different kinds of [[Constructs]] to battle the actual environment is hostile, itself almost alive with hazards. Spiked floors, vents of poison, and beams of fire will all be thrown at you. This offers a slightly different style of gameplay with so much more around and underneath you to contend with.  However, because of the intensity of the Vaults, they are also highly lucrative.

Within every Vault will be a Statue of Zolton Kulle. The player can offer a [[Vaults - Dungeons#How do you Get Pearls of Warding?|Pearl of Warding]] to this statue and each pearl will grant three stacks of [[Vaults - Dungeons|Zoltun’s Warding]], which is a buff that yields extra rewards in a Wardwoven Chest if the player can maintain the buff stacks by avoiding the hazards while fighting enemies.  This buff is removed from the player if they leave the Vault.

File:Statue of Zoltun Kulle.jpg|Buffing at the Statue of Zoltun Kulle

</gallery>Objectives are not as obvious as found in other dungeons but are intentionally vague so you have to seek out your objective rather than have it spoon-fed to you as you enter the Vault.

 

As with regular dungeons, Vaults come in the Nightmare versions by activating Vault Sigils.  Because of their increased difficulty, the rewards are better with more Wardwoven Chests.<div class="linkbox">[[Vaults - Dungeons|The Vaults Guide]] </div>

The Seneschal is a special Construct that was originally built to command the other Constructs based on Zolton and Ayuzhan's direction. Now, for the first time in Diablo 4 you can have a companion who works a little like Mercenaries in Diablo 2 and Followers in Diablo 3.  It has many different abilities that complement your build. It can deal damage, crowd-control monsters, apply [[Status Effects]] and even support you directly by healing you or providing you with a damage bonus. The Construct's power will grow one to one with yours so its [[Attack Rating]] and [[Critical Strike Chance]] for example increase as yours does.  This ensures the Seneschal is a viable companion Construct during end-game battles.

 

<gallery>

File:Seneschal-construct.jpg|An inactive Seneschal Construct.  A Guarding Stone will bring it to life.

File:Hero-seneschal-companion-constructs.jpg|A hero, his Seneschal Construction face off a pack of enemy Constructs.

</gallery>Using magical [[Governing and Tuning Stones]] recovered from the [[Vaults - Dungeons|Vaults]] and elsewhere in Sanctuary, you can augment your Seneschal to suit your build best. Once you have acquired your Seneschal, they’ll follow you everywhere in Sanctuary until Season of the Construct ends.

=== Governing Stones ===

Defeating enemy Constructs within the Vaults can also grant Shattered Stone, which can be crafted into Governing and Tuning Stones at [[Jewelers]] found throughout Sanctuary.

[[Governing_and_Tuning_Stones|Governing Stones]] determine which attacks your Seneschal can perform. You can equip your Seneschal with 2 Governing Stones and into each of those place 3 Tuning Stones to fine tune them.

!+ Expand drop-down for details of all the Governing Stones.

=== Tuning Stones ===

!+ Expand drop-down for details of all the Tuning Stones.

=== Shattered Stone ===

Defeating enemy Constructs within the Vaults will also grant Shattered Stone, which can be crafted into [[Governing and Tuning Stones]] at [[Jeweler]]s found throughout Sanctuary.

To unlock the full power of the Stones, you will need to increase their raw power by levelling them. Collect or craft duplicates of the same Stones, fuse them together to grant experience and eventually level up your currently held Stones. Increasing the level of these stones increases the potency and ability of your Seneschal's attacks.

== Season 3 Enemies ==

Malphas is a servent of Diablo. He's unlike other Demons encountered in Diablo 4. He's shapeless, manipulates others and takes on forms other than his own.  He has possessed one of Zultan Kulle's prized Constructs.  <ref name="dev update">[https://www.purediablo.com/diablo-4-developer-update-livestream-recap-for-season-3-january-18 Developer Update - 18 January 2024]</ref>

There is also an Uber version of Malphas who will be even more challenging.

== Season 3 World Event - Arcane Tremors ==

[[Arcane Tremors]] are overworld events that appear in the vicinity of Vault entrances. In these events, you battle the enemy [[Constructs]] that have spilt out of the Vaults to do Malphas’ bidding by invading Sanctuary.

Players will search for roaming bands of Constructs while attempting to locate and collect Cores to deposit in a special brazier to summon one of the Heralds of Malphas.  Defeating the Herald will yield [[Vaults_-_Dungeons#How_do_you_Get_Pearls_of_Warding?|Pearls of Warding]] and other rewards.

== The Gauntlet ==

Unlike other dungeons every time you and other players enter the Gauntlet that week it will be identical. Same monster positions, same affixes, everything. This makes it a fair competition with everyone on a level playing field. Additionally, monsters within the Gauntlet start at level 100. This is meant to test your fully levelled and geared-up build.  Gauntlets are not just about powering through and getting them finished as quickly as possible, they are also about the strategies employed to squeeze as many points out of the Gauntlet as possible.

A defeated Boss doesn't drop loot but rather a shrine which can be used as a power-up. Shrines such as the Pillar of Proving respawn all the enemies you've killed around it so you can kite a Boss or large groups of monsters to the Pillar, kill them, tap the Pillar and kill them again to further boost your score.  There is the Pillar of Glory which gives you a multiplier on your score. You can also gather keys in the Gauntlet that open chests dotted around the Gauntlet which add to your score.

At the beginning of each week, a new Gauntlet replaces the current one.  

<span class='white'>Gauntlets will not launch at the start of Season 3 but a few weeks later.</span>

== Trials Leaderboards ==

Each Leaderboard has a Ladder you must first climb to reach it. Each rung of the Ladder rewards a Seal that you can show off. Each rung on a Ladder has a Seal associated with it so as you improve over the weeks in The Gauntlet you will earn higher Seals. It will begin with 'Seal of the Blooded' all the way to 'Seal of the Worthy' and once you achieve that Seal you will be ready to compete in the Leaderboards.

Leaderboards have all sorts of filters that can show you how you rank within a category.

* Five solo classes - For Softcore and Hardcore

* 2 person team

* 3 person team

* 4 person team

* All Platforms

* Friends

* Clan Members

<span class='white'>Leaderboards will not launch at the start of Season 3 but a few weeks later.</span>

== Hall of the Ancients ==

The [[Hall of the Ancients]] records the top 10 players from every ladder each week. Unlike the weekly Leaderboards The Hall of the Ancients does not reset. It is a permanent record of the best of the best.

<span class='white'>Hall of the Ancients will not launch at the start of Season 3 but a few weeks later.</span>

[[Category:Seasons]] [[Category:Season 3]]