Season of the Malignant is slated to launch on July 20, and Diablo 4 players will be able to enjoy a hefty seasonal questline, in addition to the new gameplay features coming with it. Though the community hasn't exactly been a fan of sockets in Diablo 4, the new season is bringing Malignant Hearts, which can best be described as Diablo 4's take on Legendary Gems from Reaper of Souls. Malignant Hearts will be the main gimmick for Season 4, and players will be able to Diablo 4 Items socket them into gear to earn powerful bonuses.

Unlike Legendary Gems, Malignant Hearts cannot be removed, but they can be replaced, and the endgame in Diablo 4 will feature 32 Malignant Hearts to collect. Players will be able to farm specific Malignant Hearts by doing Malignant Tunnels spread throughout the open world in Diablo 4, and Elite enemies bearing the Malignant affix will also have a chance to drop them. Only Infested jewelry will be able to hold a Malignant Heart, so players will have to farm those too if they wish to make the most of the new mechanic.

When Does Diablo 4 Season 4 Start? Diablo 4 Season 4 Start Date: July 20

Though the Legendary Aspects from the Codex of Power will carry over into the new season, Diablo 4 players will have to unlock them again by completing their Season Journey. While many objectives can be done by playing through the story, Malignant Hearts and Infested items will only start to drop for players who finish the campaign on at least one character. The Battle Pass for Diablo 4 will feature 27 free levels that will give crafting materials and cosmetics (usable by all classes), with the premium levels only giving out additional cosmetics.

As opposed to the Codex of Power, Renown in Diablo 4 will completely carry over into Season of the Malignant, and players will only need to log in on a character on patch day to claim all eligible Renown bosses, area exploration, and Altars of Lilith for their seasonal heroes. In order to remove the hassle of resetting a character's Paragon Board, Skills, and Passives, a Scroll of Amnesia will also be introduced at an undisclosed date after Season 4.

Lastly, Helltides in Diablo 4 will also receive a major buff, as Uniques will now be able to drop from Helltide Chests. While Malignant Hearts sound exciting on paper, players aren't too keen on them being restricted to Infested items, as opposed to being restricted to any jewelry. The developers have stated that should the community enjoy a seasonal mechanic, it may find its way to the Eternal Realm in Diablo 4.

Diablo 4 players are criticizing how the game doesn't let them see statistics about their profile, such as playtime, dungeons cleared, and other things. This info was readily available in Diablo 3, and several Diablo 4 players are missing this simple feature.

Blizzard released Diablo 4 almost exactly one month ago, on June 5th. Available on PC and PlayStation and Xbox consoles, the multiplayer action RPG sees players on a quest to save the ironically-named world of Sanctuary from the machinations of the demon Lilith. Diablo 4 saw overall positive reviews, with particular praise going to the story, atmosphere, and visual design. While it's not above criticism, many see Diablo 4 as a step up from its predecessor.

Diablo 4 Players Find Gold Economy Too Punishing

However, there are a few areas where the new game feels like its features have been stripped out. As Reddit user Sardoron points out, this includes Diablo 4's lack of a Profile Viewer. A feature of 2012's Diablo 3, the Profile Viewer allowed players to see various statistics about how they play the game. This includes the user's overall playtime, playtime by class, dungeons cleared, elite enemies slain, information about each of Diablo 4 materials their characters, and other stats. It also lets players compare their stats with their friends.