Malignant Power bonuses get progressively stronger as you push into endgame World Tiers and engage with content like Nightmare Dungeons, and in total, there are 32 Malignant Powers split across four categories. These are similar to Legendary Aspects and Unique effects in that they can overhaul your build with new effects and abilities. Doing this will spawn an even stronger version of the enemy supported by hordes of minions, but once you kill them, you'll be rewarded with a Caged Heart that you can slot into armor pieces for valuable Malignant Power bonuses. Defeating them will drop a Malignant Heart, which you can then interact with by using the season's unique Cage of Binding item.

Welcome screen for Season of the Malignant that greets you on log in (Image credit: Jennifer Young - Windows Central)ĭuring Season of the Malignant, Elite mobs throughout the game will have a chance to spawn as Malignant versions with some special new buffs and attacks. Diablo 4 Season of the Malignant: Gameplay details

Presumably, this is how future seasonal narratives will be structured as well. Note that Season of the Malignant's narrative takes place after the events of the base Diablo 4 campaign, and is thought of by the developers as a relatively standalone story. Thus, the majority of the season's story will revolve around your collaboration with Cormond as he works to combat the growing Malignance. Only a new character named Cormond (pictured above) knows how to halt the spread of the corruption, but to do so, he'll need your help to ward off Sanctuary's many dangers. Season 1's is Season of the Malignant, and will be centered around a new corruption called 'Malignance' that's invading the world of Sanctuary and infecting everything and everyone it touches, including humans, Lilith's demons, and other creatures. Similar to other live service games like Destiny 2, Diablo 4 seasons will have a theme and a title that reflects it.

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