Blizzard is pushing harder than ever with Diablo 4's Season of Divine Intervention. Landing December 11th at 8:30 p.m. PST. Season 11 reshapes itemization, defenses, endgame activities, leveling, and progression from the ground up, all while introducing new seasonal mechanics, a rogue angel ally, Divine Gifts, and the return of the Lesser Evils. Azmodan even steps into the spotlight as Diablo 4's first-ever new world boss.

If you want the complete feature overview, this is the full list of every major change coming with the season.

Itemization Reforged

Season of Divine Intervention rebuilds Diablo 4's loot economy from base stats to endgame crafting.

Tempering Becomes Fully Targeted

Tempering now removes the classic RNG frustrations:

·Choose your desired affix directly from a recipe.

·Items receive one guaranteed tempered affix.

·On Ancestral items, that tempered stat can upgrade into a Greater Affix.

·Tempering Charges can be restored indefinitely.

This turns the system into intentional buildcrafting-no more gambling on bad rolls.

Masterworking Adds the New Quality Stat

Masterworking upgrades now increase a new Quality value:

·+1-3 Quality per upgrade, up to 25 total

·Every Quality point boosts all affix values and base item power

·Max Quality unlocks a Capstone upgrade, converting one affix into a Greater Affix

·You can re-roll the Masterworked affix using advanced materials

Non-unique items now roll four base affixes instead of three, opening far more powerful item combinations.

Smarter, Meaner Monsters and Better Elite Packs

Combat difficulty and clarity are rising across Sanctuary:

·Enemies have clearer combat roles and more responsive behaviors

·Monster packs form less predictably

·20+ new Elite affixes with better VFX clarity

·Elites spawn with inherited-affix minions

·Nightmare Dungeon affixes now affect Champions as well

This means positioning matters again, burst damage isn't always enough, and you'll actually feel pressure in high-end content.

Defense System Overhaul

Season 11 introduces Diablo 4's most important defensive upgrade ever.

Toughness is Your New Survivability Snapshot

·Displayed under Attack Power, Toughness shows how much raw post-mitigation damage you can take.

·Armor and Resistances now function as modern rating systems with diminishing returns, and Armor mitigates all damage types.

Healing & Potions Reworked

Potions are now stronger but fewer:

·Base limit: 4 potions

·Each heals 35% of max Life instantly

·Auto-regenerate 1 potion every 30 seconds

·Life on Hit returns and is more impactful

·Healing %, Life Regen, and Life on Kill all buffed

·Potion tier upgrades removed

Fortify Reimagined

Fortify no longer just reduces damage-it becomes a secondary life bar that drains to heal you. Any Fortify counts as fully "Fortified," simplifying interactions with skills and items.

The Lesser Evils Return to Reshape Endgame

Azmodan, Duriel, Belial, and Andariel now invade specific endgame activities, each bringing new mechanics, minions, and rewards.

1. Azmodan: New World Boss

Azmodan is now a permanent world boss, required for Season Rank progression. His summons can gain the powers of other Evils, making his encounter highly variable-and far deadlier.

2. Duriel in Helltide

Duriel now replaces the Blood Maiden and features:

·Pangs of Duriel enemies

·Baneful Hearts

·Swarm-based battlefield hazards

Expect faster, more chaotic fights and valuable Diablo 4 Items as rewards.

3. Belial in The Pit

Belial Eyes appear mid-run. Destroying them:

·Stuns enemies

·Opens new routes

·May replace the final Pit boss with Belial himself

4. Andariel in the Undercity

Andariel brings:

·Expanding Spirit Beacons

·Homing attacks

·Shade ambushes that can happen mid-engagement

Divine Gifts, Essences & Corruption System

Your ally this season is Hadriel, a rogue angel offering Divine Gifts. Each Gift has three forms:

·Reward (baseline)

·Corrupted Gift - increased danger, same reward

·Purified Gift - no downside, better bonuses, double rewards

Outer slots activate Corrupted perks; inner slots activate Purified perks.

Defeating each Lesser Evil grants Corrupted Essences, unlocking new Gift pairs tied to Duriel, Belial, Azmodan, or Andariel.

Sanctification: The Final Endgame Item Upgrade

Sanctification is the pinnacle of the Season 11 item chase, ideal for players pushing high Torment tiers or optimizing gear after they buy Diablo IV Items.

·Add a new Legendary power

·Upgrade one affix into a Greater Affix

·Add a special Sanctification affix

·Add +5-25 Quality

Sanctifying uses Heavenly Anvils or Heavenly Sigils, accessed in later Torment tiers.

The Tower & Leaderboards (Beta in Patch 2.5.2)

Coming early 2026, the new Tower is a timed multi-stage endgame dungeon that unlocks after Season Rank 2.

Season Rank Replaces Seasonal Renown

Season Rank includes five fixed-difficulty Capstone Dungeons and replaces Renown with a more demanding system that rewards Skill Points, Paragon Points, Sigils, cosmetics, and the new pet Alefta.

New Uniques Diablo 4 Items, Class Toys, Cosmetics

·Chainscourged Mail for Barb

·Death's Pavane for Rogue

·Gravebloom for Necro

·Orsivane for Sorc

·Path of the Emissary for Spiritborn

Each adds new build paths and class-specific power fantasies.

Final Thought

Season of Divine Intervention is the largest systemic overhaul in Diablo 4's history. With new item systems, defenses, progression, world bosses, and endgame activities, this update sets a new foundation for the future of Sanctuary.