Diablo 4 season one battle pass: How it works and all rewards

First comes the story, then the seasonal grind begins.

Two people on horses wearing skull masks in gold armor in Diablo 4
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Diablo 4’s first battle pass is live, along with the game’s first season, Season of the Malignant. This battle pass goes beyond the usual formula of adding new content for players to grind for, instead also offering seasonal bonuses to make XP and gold farming a little easier.

Recommended Videos

The battle pass is exclusive to seasonal characters, which means you must create a new one during Diablo 4’s season one to unlock the bonus content, regardless if you own the free or premium pass. It will be time to give your original characters a rest, just like I will give to my dear Overpower Druid.

Diablo 4 season 1 battle pass release date

Diablo 4’s battle pass came out on July 20 at 12 pm CT along with season one, the Season of the Malignant, and is expected to end around October 2023.

The battle pass features 90 tiers, with 27 free tiers and 63 premium tiers. The free tiers of the battle pass are ones that anyone can earn. However, the premium rewards are ones that only those with the premium battle pass can earn.

Aside from the passes’ new content, which will include visuals of all kinds for your characters, you can expect the season to bring new quests, legendary items, and balance changes—we’re looking at you, billion-damage builds.

How to unlock season 1 and the battle pass

You must complete the Diablo 4 campaign on the Eternal Realm to unlock the Seasonal Realm and the battle pass. That’s the only realm where you can create the required seasonal character that will let you progress through the tiers. As soon as you enter the new realm, you’ll automatically gain access to the battle pass.

The devs have previously said seasons in Diablo 4 will run for around three months, which makes October the estimated end date for the game’s first battle pass.

Diablo 4 season 1 battle pass price

The season one Diablo 4 battle pass will cost $9.99 USD (1,000 Platinum Points). If you want to have a head start and buy the pass with a 20-tier skip and an exclusive cosmetic, you can pay $24.99 (2,800 Platinum Points) for the Accelerated Battle Pass.

You have the option to not pay for the pass and play in the Seasonal Realm normally, gaining Favor and unlocking free battle pass tiers along the way. If you later decide to buy the Premium Pass, you automatically gain the rewards of all tiers behind your current one that was previously locked.

All Diablo 4 season 1 battle pass rewards

Horse surrounded by icons of rewards and battle pass information in Diablo 4
There are 90 rewards you can earn if you have the premium battle pass. Image via Blizzard Entertainment

All the battle pass rewards for season one of Diablo 4 can be found under the Season tab in your menu. Here are all the rewards, unlock levels, and whether they’re a premium tier reward or free tier reward.

TierRewardTypeFree or Premium
OneColdiron BardingMount ArmorPremium
TwoArtisan’s TunicCosmetic Chest ArmorFree
ThreeColdiron VesselCosmetic FocusPremium
FourHeartglow LanternMount TrophyPremium
FiveBalanced SwordCosmetic SwordFree
SixStrength TestEmotePremium
SevenColdiron SagarisCosmetic AxePremium
EightSmoldering AshesCurrencyFree
NineColdiron AegisCosmetic ShieldPremium
10Coldiron HauberkCosmetic Chest ArmorPremium
11Coldiron JambiyaCosmetic DaggerPremium
12Artisan’s KnickersCosmetic PantsFree
13“Lurking”Title PrefixPremium
14Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
15Balanced AxeCosmetic AxePremium
16“Survivor”Title SuffixFree
17Watch Those FingersEmotePremium
18Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
19Coldiron ShearCosmetic ScythePremium
20Coldiron BreechesCosmetic PantsPremium
21Coldiron LaminaCosmetic TotemPremium
22Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
23Artisan’s BootCosmetic BootsFree
24Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
25Balanced DaggerCosmetic DaggerFree
26Coldiron HeadsmanCosmetic Two-Handed AxePremium
27Karamat’s BaneMount TrophyPremium
28Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
29Cage PuppetryEmotePremium
30Coldiron BracersCosmetic GlovesPremium
31Coldiron RecurveCosmetic BowPremium
32Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
33Coldiron GreavesCosmetic BootsPremium
34Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
35Balanced MaceCosmetic MaceFree
36Artisan’s BracersCosmetic GlovesFree
37Dagger TapEmotePremium
38Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
39Coldiron Bastard SwordCosmetic Two-Handed SwordPremium
40Coldiron CasqueCosmetic HelmPremium
41Thoughtful ExaminationEmotePremium
42Balanced WandCosmetic WandFree
43Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
44I Will End You!EmotePremium
45Banner of the MalignantMount TrophyFree
46Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
47Talisman of the CageMount TrophyPremium
48Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
49“Eldritch”Title SuffixFree
50Awoken Coldiron BracersCosmetic GlovesPremium
51Coldiron EstocCosmetic SwordPremium
52Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
53You Will Die!EmotePremium
54Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
55Malignant CenserMount TrophyPremium
56Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
57Gilded Coldiron PillarCosmetic StaffPremium
58Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
59“Malevolent”Title SuffixPremium
60Awoken Coldiron GreavesCosmetic BootsPremium
61Coldiron SimulacraCosmetic FocusPremium
62Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
63“Worm”Title SuffixPremium
64Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
65Heartglow BrazierMount TrophyPremium
66Gilded Coldiron CrozierCosmetic StaffPremium
67Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
68Smoldering Ashes x TwoCurrencyFree
69I Will Rip Your Soul ApartEmotePremium
70Awoken Coldiron BreechesCosmetic PantsPremium
71Coldiron MaulCosmetic Two-Handed MacePremium
72Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
73Hero OverwhelmedTombstonePremium
74Platinum x 60CurrencyPremium
75Artisan’s HeadwrapCosmetic HelmPremium
76Gilded Coldiron GuillotineCosmetic Two-Handed ScythePremium
77Smoldering AshesCurrencyFree
78“Monster”Title SuffixFree
79Die!EmotePremium
80Awoken Coldiron HauberkCosmetic Chest ArmorPremium
81Coldirong CudgelCosmetic macePremium
82Smoldering Ashes x TwoCurrencyFree
83Gilded Coldiron ArbalestCosmetic CrossbowPremium
84Platinum x66CurrencyPremium
85Coldiron RodCosmetic WandPremium
86Prepare For Oblivion!EmotePremium
87Gilded Coldiron PoleaxeCosmetic PolearmPremium
88Smoldering Ashes x ThreeCurrencyFree
89Awoken Coldiron CasqueCosmetic HelmPremium
90Awoken Coldiron BardingMount ArmorPremium

The free tiers in the pass obviously pale in comparison to the Premium tiers. Players who play for the Premium or Accelerated battle pass will have access to a slew of extra cosmetic items. But if you want to unlock the Premium battle pass, you can do so right from the battle pass menu.

How to level up the Diablo 4 battle pass and earn rewards

The Diablo 4 battle pass comes with seasonal objectives that give you Favor, the currency that lets you progress through the tiers on the battle pass and unlock rewards. That is the only way to climb the tiers and unlock rewards.

The objectives are fairly simple and include things like:

  • Collect 15 Gallowine
  • Complete any dungeon on your map
  • Complete a world event on your map
A screenshot of the in-game window of the Diablo 4 season journey. On the right is the list of objectives of Chapter one.
A list of Diablo 4 season journey objectives used by Blizzard as an example. Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Players will get new objectives as new chapters of the Season Journey are released, and these objectives are tied in with the Holding Back the Flood quest many of us were having trouble with.

How Smoldering Ashes and Season Blessings work in Diablo 4

You can get the new Diablo 4 currency Smoldering Ashes from free battle pass tiers and use it to unlock Season Blessings, which give your Seasonal characters a little progression boost. Even though these blessings don’t affect your character’s stats, they can speed up your XP, gold, and materials farming, or even make your elixirs last longer.

But there’s a twist. Some of the free tiers that give you Smoldering Ashes are tied to your character level. So, if you reach or buy the battle pass tier that rewards you with Smoldering Ashes but don’t meet the required character level, you can’t claim the currency until you reach that level. Blizzard did this so buying tier skips doesn’t buy you these gameplay boosts instantly, which would effectively make leveling in Diablo 4 pay-to-win.

The Diablo 4 Season Blessings screen. Several blessings are displayed in dark boxes with different icons, and the last blessing is obscured by a red film and the words "TOP SECRET."
Diablo 4’s Season Blessings boost things like XP gain in a season. Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Here are the Season Blessings revealed so far:

  • Urn of Aggression – Boost to XP earned from monster kills.
  • Urn of Bargaining – Boost to the amount of Gold earned from vendor sales.
  • Urn of Reclamation – Boost to the chance of rare materials from salvage.
  • Urn of Prolonging – Boost to the duration of all Elixirs.

Is the Diablo 4 battle pass pay-to-win?

No. In its current form, the only gameplay benefit you can get from the Diablo 4 battle pass comes from the free tiers. Also, these benefits only help with character progression, and they won’t give you stat boosts of any kind.

Author
Image of Scott Duwe
Scott Duwe
Senior Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of all things Marvel, Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to corgis Yogi and Mickey, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.
Author
Image of Josh Challies
Josh Challies
Staff Writer. Professional writer since 2014. Pokemon, Marvel, Star Wars and overall geek. Previously wrote for Yahoo Sport, Stats Perform and online news publications.
Author
Image of Bhernardo Viana
Bhernardo Viana
Bhernardo is senior guides writer and strategist at Dot Esports. He's been working in the gaming industry for over 9 years, with works published on Destructoid, Prima Games, ESPN, and more. A fan of Pokémon since 6 years old and an avid Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch player. Now writing strategy and quests guides for several mobile and PC titles.
Author
Image of Hayley Andrews
Hayley Andrews
Hayley Andrews is a staff writer for Dot Esports with a dual degree in business and human resource management. After discovering her passion for creative writing and gaming, she now writes about MOBAs, MMOs, and cozy games.