What to Expect from Diablo 4 PTR Update 2.4.0

Diablo 4 players who have closed the book on Season 9 may want to sneak a peek at what Season 10 has in store via the latest update to the PTR. Diablo 4 has announced that update 2.4.0 for the Public Test Realm will allow players to test some of the features planned for Season 10 from August 19-26. Along with the expected addition of new uniques for each Diablo 4 class, Season 10 looks to shake up the Infernal Hordes endgame mode and introduce a bit of Chaos into player builds.

While this content will be accessible on Diablo 4‘s PTR from August 19-26, it is subject to change before Season 10 officially starts on September 23.

Diablo 4 PTR Update 2.4.0 Gives Players a Preview of Season 10

Changes to Infernal Hordes

Just like how Escalating Nightmares recontextualized Nightmare Dungeons in Diablo 4 Season 9, Infernal Hordes are getting an overhaul in Season 10. New additions to the mode include more difficult Fell Council members, new Chaos Monsters that activate Shrine-like abilities when killed, and Chaos Waves that give players the option of a high-risk-high-reward wave during their Infernal Hordes run.

Infernal Hordes will also offer a new face to Diablo 4‘s pantheon of bosses with the return of Bartuc, the Warlord of Blood, the infamous Vizjerei Clan leader from Diablo 2. Players will have the option to face Bartuc instead of the Fell Council to complete their Infernal Hordes run, wagering the Aether they’ve earned for even better rewards. The name of the game seems to be a ramp-up of difficulty that yields more valuable rewards for players brave enough to challenge Season 10’s Infernal Hordes Reborn.

Additionally, Infernal Hordes will be accessible before Diablo 4‘s Torment difficulties in the form of Fleeting Hordes. This version of the mode has players engaging in four waves of Hordes before facing two Fell Council members rather than the usual three. Truncating the mode in this way could be a great way to help players speed through leveling their character at lower difficulties while still offering a solid challenge and useful rewards for crafting their build before hitting the endgame.

New Chaos Perks and Chaos Rifts

Chaos will be the focus of Season 10, and the new seasonal gimmick coming to Diablo 4‘s PTR involves enhancing builds using Chaos Perks. These Perks come in four tiers: Magic, Rare, Legendary, and Unique, and players can equip one Unique Perk alongside any combination of three other Perks. Players will need to be careful when selecting which Perks they have equipped, as each one comes with a trade-off they will need to consider, such as limiting maximum life in favor of increased Resistance, Barrier, and Shield Generation.

Each Diablo 4 class will also have its own class-specific Chaos Perks for players to use as well.

A new random event that players will be able to encounter in this update is Chaos Rifts, where demons will pour out, and slaying them all will yield a variety of different rewards. There will even be the chance to find an extremely rare Mythic Chaos Rift that offers Mythic gear as a reward. However, the rarity of this type of Chaos Rift sounds closer to the 1-in-a-million Treasure Goblin Fancy Old Fedric, so players may never end up seeing a Mythic Chaos Rift in-game.

Remixed Chaos Armor

One of the most unexpected but promising new mechanics coming to the PTR is Chaos Armor. This new feature takes existing Diablo 4 Uniques and changes them to different gear types. For example, the Barbarian’s Hooves of the Mountain God could drop as a chestpiece instead of boots, opening the door for players to utilize combinations of Unique Affixes that weren’t previously possible due to being locked to overlapping gear types.

Barbarian – Sabre of Tsasgal (Unique One-Handed Weapon)
Druid – Kilt of Blackwing (Unique Pants)
Necromancer – Gospel of the Devotee (Unique Focus)
Rogue – Orphan Maker (Unique Two-Handed Crossbow)
Sorcerer – Galvanic Azurite (Unique Ring)
Spiritborn – Hesha e Kesungi (Unique Gloves)

Every Diablo 4 class is set to receive a new Unique item as part of Season 10, and players on the PTR will get to test this gear out to get a good idea of how it will affect the class meta ahead of the new season. Right off the bat, it looks like Druids will be getting a great new tool in their kits with the Kilt of Blackwing, as it’s geared toward increasing the damage of Ravens, which are a cornerstone of the already solid Season 9 Companion Druid build. On the other hand, the Necromancer’s Gospel of the Devotee likely won’t move the needle much since its increased Basic Skill damage isn’t very helpful, and the class prefers to use Two-Handed Weapons over a Focus in the offhand.