Diablo 3 will see its prolonged 16th Season come to a close on May 12, and Season 17 should be starting soon thereafter.
Though many fans knew that Season 16 would be extended early on, they have been waiting eagerly to begin the newest season. Luckily, the thematic elements of this past season, namely the Season of Grandeur, has been a great success. Season 17 hopes to inspire the same sort of creativity and will likely be released a week after the end of the previous season, as it usually the case.
Since the previous season was named after the Ring of Royal Grandeur set, and this season seems to be based upon the Legacy of Nightmares set, some fans are already calling it the Season of Nightmares. Every season has a seasonal buff, and this time it seems like damage dealt will be increasing by 750% and damage taken will be reduced by 4% for every Ancient Item a character has equipped while no set bonuses are active. It will be interesting to see what new strategies arise from the seasonal buff, if any.
Truth be told, this buff feels as though it will be far weaker than the current theme, which allowed for an additional legendary item to equipped in place of a set item. The Legacy of Nightmares has always been a fun theme to play around with, but it seems doubtful that it will have the same impact when it comes to hitting those highest greater rift levels.
So, what new changes lie in store in Season 17? We already know a bit from the current patch notes, PTR 2.6.5, though this is subject to change. To begin with, more Torment levels are finally being introduced. Torment 14, 15, and 16 have been added to the game, which will reduce the amount of farming needed when grinding to max out gear.
Using an Ancient or Primal Puzzle Ring in Kanai's cube will result in something new, though no details have been given yet. Considering that their current usage produces a portal to the Vault, many players are already curious. Perhaps it will still be the same location but with denser mobs and more breakable items flush with gold.
When a boss is killed in a Nephalem Rift, a permanent ping will resonate at the location of the boss' death until the rift is closed, which will be a helpful addition. Considering that most rifts are opened and completed within about two minutes with certain speed builds, some players have been frustrated when they cannot locate the body of the boss, losing out on blood shards and rift keys.
Party portraits will now display whether a player has recently activated a cheat death ability. Player stash has also received quality of life improvements, with the cap for earning additional tabs through the Season Journey increasing from four to nine. In addition, the long-anticipated search functionality has been added as well.
Diablo 3's Season 17 doesn't yet have a release date, but hopefully, we'll find out more information soon.