What Version and Platform Does This Guide Cover?

Diablo IV Season of Hell's Legacy — Season 15 — launches on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Battle.net, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, according to Polygon. That converts to 9:30 a.m. PDT, 5:30 p.m. BST, 6:30 p.m. CEST, 1:30 a.m. JST on September 16, and 2:30 a.m. AEST on September 16. Blizzard also released preload version 2.18/1.118 on September 14 so you can download the season data ahead of launch, as reported by MP1st.

The goal of this guide is a concrete first session: start the seasonal questline with Deckard Cain, defeat the echoes of the three Prime Evils, choose a Splinter of Evil, begin War Plans reputation, and equip your first Soul Splinters. Season 14 progress carries over to Eternal when the season changes on September 15. A Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game also arrives the same day in the Age of Hatred Collection, which supports USB mouse and keyboard but not Joy-Con 2 mouse mode, per HotHardware; this guide focuses on the season content itself, which is shared across platforms.

How Should You Prepare Before the Season Starts?

1. **Install the preload.** Download patch 2.18/1.118 before September 15 so the season data is already on your machine when servers switch over. 2. **Decide between a fresh seasonal character and Rebirth.** The new Rebirth feature converts an Eternal character into a Seasonal character at level 1 while keeping its class, name, appearance, cosmetics, and accumulated playtime. Gear must be removed from the character first. 3. **Clear character slots if you plan ahead.** Blizzard teased a new Amazon class — a bow-and-javelin fighter with Champion, Skirmisher, Ranger, and Commander archetypes — for the first half of 2027, so keeping a slot free now avoids conflicts later. 4. **Link your accounts if you want bonus cosmetics.** Xbox Game Pass subscribers can claim more than 50 cosmetics by linking their Battle.net account. Watching any Diablo IV stream for two hours between September 15 and September 29 earns the Deforestation Two-Handed Axe cosmetic through Twitch Drops. 5. **Buy the right edition if you want the crossover skin.** Players who pre-purchase or buy The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past on Battle.net unlock a Geralt-themed skin in Diablo IV.

What Are the First Steps After Logging In?

1. **Start the seasonal questline.** Deckard Cain's lost soul returns to Sanctuary, confused by the journey, and he calls on you to redeem three Dark Wanderers tied to Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto. 2. **Defeat the Echo of Diablo beneath Tristram Cathedral.** This revisits the original Diablo's iconic throne location. 3. **Defeat the Echo of Baal at Arreat Summit.** 4. **Defeat the Echo of Mephisto within the Durance of Hate.** Each victory grants one of the three Splinters of Evil. 5. **Choose which Prime Evil's power to bear.** You assume a Splinter of Evil and become a Dark Wanderer yourself. Diablo affects Helltides and Infernal Hordes, Baal affects The Undercity and Lair Bosses, and Mephisto affects The Pit and Nightmare Dungeons; all three affect the Tree of Whispers. 6. **Begin War Plans tied to your Splinter.** Battling the Prime Evils grants modifiers and upgrades for your War Plans, and reputation tracks give you additional powers to fight the Prime Evil whose stone you bear — while also attracting that Prime Evil's unwanted attention. 7. **Equip up to three Soul Splinters.** These socketables work like gems and add effects to equipment alongside stat increases.

Which Soul Splinters and Waking Nightmares Should You Target?

Soul Splinters are tied to demons and artifacts from the series' history: Andariel, Azmodan, Belial, Duriel, Lilith, Na-Krul, Skarn, and the Black Soulstone — eight in total, with up to three equipped at once. Each offers a powerful boon alongside a demonic liability, so read the liability before committing a socket. Examples include the Splinter of Sin (Azmodan) and the Splinter of the Mother (Lilith). In the 3.2.0 PTR, the Greater Splinter of the Black Soultone gave plus 30 to all stats and added the effect of collecting souls from enemies and buffing the character based on absorbed souls, per Polygon. Soul Splinters can be upgraded using the Horadric Cube.

Waking Nightmares are three types of rebuilt encounters with updated visuals: multi-level Capstone dungeons, standard dungeons, and surprise one-room boss encounters in the open world, all recreating memories from the franchise's 30-year history. Higher-level versions become available as pinnacle Capstones at Torment 10 and above.

The season also adds nine Legacy Uniques as permanent additions: Leoric's Crown, Nemesis Bracers, Stone of Jordan, Squirt's Blouse, Arioc's Needle, Henri's Perquisition, In-Geom, The Furnace, and Messerschmidt's Reaver. Some can appear as Unique Charms.

What Order Fits Your Playstyle Best?

Your Splinter of Evil choice determines which endgame activities your reputation tracks feed, so pick based on what you already run:

• **Alt players:** War Plans reputation now shares across eligible alts on the same account, across the same Seasonal/Eternal, Hardcore/Non-Hardcore, and SSF/Non-SSF partitions, though each character keeps its own planner and allocation choices.
• **Crafters:** the Mythic crafting rework adds the Upgrade Direct Item to Mythic Cube recipe, which transfers affixes, Tempering, and Masterworking into an item's Mythic version; Crafted-tag items are limited to one equipped. New recipes include Affix Value Reroll and Horadric Reroll for Legendary+ Charms and Seals.
• **Returning veterans:** chasing the nine legacy Uniques — items Blizzard says will be "instantly recognizable" — is a standalone goal that does not depend on the questline order.

What Can Go Wrong and How Do You Fix It?

• **You cannot see the season content at launch.** Confirm the client updated to the 2.18/1.118 preload; Polygon lists the launch at 12:30 p.m. EDT on September 15, so content appears only after that time on your platform.
• **Rebirth fails or gear is lost.** Blizzard states gear must be removed from the Eternal character before converting it; strip everything first.
• **You feel unusually punished by one Prime Evil.** Each Splinter grants an Iconic Power but also makes you more vulnerable to that Prime Evil and attracts its attention — that liability is by design, not a bug.
• **A Soul Splinter seems to hurt your build.** Every Soul Splinter pairs a boon with a demonic liability; swap or upgrade it at the Horadric Cube.
• **Only one Mythic upgrade applies.** Only one Crafted-tag item may be equipped at a time.
• **Rewards not arriving.** Check the new Horadric Post, which delivers rewards, supplies, messages, and commemorative items directly to players.

How Do You Know Your First Session Succeeded?

• You completed the seasonal questline intro with Deckard Cain.
• You defeated the echoes of Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto and collected all three Splinters of Evil.
• You chose one Prime Evil's power and see War Plans reputation accumulating for it.
• You socketed up to three Soul Splinters and read each liability.
• You cleared at least one Waking Nightmare encounter type.
• Season Journey progress is visible: 9 Season Ranks and 125 objectives reward up to 14 Skill Points, up to 42 Paragon Points, up to 10 Resplendent Sparks, 5 Mythic Unique Caches, the Dark Wanderbear pet, a mount trophy, emblems, titles, crafting materials, keys, Runes, Sigils, Charms, and Seals. Season Blessings boost Purveyor of Curiosities, Salvaging, Masterworking materials, Glyph upgrades, and Ancestral Whisper caches.
• Details that may differ from PTR behavior — such as exact Soul Splinter values — should be verified in-game, since Polygon's plus-30-stats example came from the 3.2.0 PTR.

FAQ

**When does Diablo IV Season of Hell's Legacy start?** Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Battle.net, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, per Polygon.

**Do I have to fight all three Prime Evils before choosing a Splinter?** Yes — the questline asks you to collect the three Splinters of Evil by defeating echoes of Diablo beneath Tristram Cathedral, Baal at Arreat Summit, and Mephisto within the Durance of Hate before you choose which power to bear.

**Does War Plans reputation carry to my alts?** Yes. Reputation earned on one character shares across qualifying alts on the same account, within the same Seasonal/Eternal, Hardcore/Non-Hardcore, and SSF/Non-SSF partitions.

**Are the Legacy Uniques seasonal or permanent?** All nine, including the Stone of Jordan and Leoric's Crown, are permanent additions to the game.

**Is there anything for Witcher fans?** Buying Songs of the Past on Battle.net unlocks a Geralt-themed skin in Diablo IV, marking The Witcher 3's arrival on the platform.