Diablo 4 Season 1 is basically adding super gems that let you make 'stupid, new broken builds'

pcgamer.com:

Things are, somehow, getting worse in Sanctuary. Diablo 4 Season 1, aka the «Season of the Malignant,» was revealed today during a livestream. The gist is that there's a curse going around, and it's turning humans and demons even more feral than usual. On the plus side, we'll be able to slot «Malignant Hearts» into gem slots for «stupid, new broken builds,» says Blizzard.

The roughly three-month-long event includes a new questline and story, seasonal mechanics, and the first Diablo 4 battle pass, which includes free and premium tiers.

The first season of Diablo 4 begins on July 20. This will coincide with the launch of the first Diablo 4 battle pass and its 90 tiers of rewards. A pre-season patch will happen on July 18th to prepare for the update.

The big picture: a «festering curse» has infected Sanctuary, turning enemies and humans alike into «bloodthirsty fiends» and adding new «Malignant» items. There's a new side story quest line centered around combating this curse, led by a new character named Cormund. The story takes place after the main Diablo 4 story, and if you've already finished the campaign, you can skip it with your seasonal character to jump right in. (Otherwise, you'll have to play through the campaign on the seasonal realm to get the the new stuff.)

Alongside that new story, gameplay and gear changes will be in effect on the seasonal realm:

When you transition from an eternal realm character to a seasonal character, you'll retain all the fog of war you've cleared from the map, the renown you've earned, and Altars of Lilith you've unlocked.

Unlike a lot of other games, Diablo's seasons won't give you more to do with your existing, max-level characters, which has caused some confusion for newcomers.

Inste