Season 8: Return of Belial Impressions

With the launch of Diablo 4’s Season 8: Belial’s Return, we are faced with a new threat—the return of Belial.

He’s back from Diablo 3 and, once again, up to no good.

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We’ll join forces with two key characters in the new Seasonal storyline: Seyeena, a retired Vizjerei mage, and Jarius, who ominously claims to be a knight of the Cathedral of Light. Together, we’ll uncover what’s happening in Sanctuary and hunt down Belial.

Every season introduces a new storyline, but what feels different about this one is how directly it references the main questline. In the trailer released for this season, Belial mentions Mephisto awakening in Sanctuary in human form. This direct tie-in to the main story arc adds an exciting depth to the quest as we watch the narrative evolve while waiting for the next expansion.

Personally, I really hope this is the direction future seasons take. It would make the gaps between expansions feel more cohesive—like we’re building toward something major. I don’t mind the occasional side story, but if each season connects, it’ll feel like every piece contributes to a bigger puzzle, rather than fading away with the next seasonal reset.

Season 8 also brings an incredibly fun and exciting twist with the addition of Boss Powers. The Diablo team has added 24 new Seasonal Boss Powers. Each power includes a main boss ability and a modifier. You’ll be able to choose four powers to use at once—one main power and three modifiers.

Whichever main boss power you select, you’ll actually get to use the same abilities bosses have used against you. The modifiers will supplement your character and enhance your gameplay.

Even though we’ve seen similar mechanics in the past, this still felt like a fresh and thrilling concept when it was unveiled during the Campfire Chat. I mean, how cool is it to kill a boss, steal its power, and then turn it back on them?

The previews were big, flashy, and even altered the appearance of certain skills. Notably, the power you steal from Duriel transforms your evade skill into an ability that lets you burrow underground while still moving. These kinds of transformative powers—like metamorphosis or Duriel’s burrow—are my favorite kind of Seasonal mechanics. I hope we continue to see more of them in the future.

When we got to the PTR, the powers were just as they appeared in the livestream—flashy, impactful, and very hard-hitting. I mean really hard-hitting… maybe a bit too much. They completely dominated your character’s build. For example, I fought Duriel on Torment IV without any boss powers for 25 minutes before finally defeating him. I equipped the new powers—and the fight was over instantly.

This kind of power is a double-edged sword. On one hand, Seasonal characters benefit tremendously, as any build can clear content. But on the other hand, class identity starts to disappear. No one’s really playing Barbarian or Rogue—they’re just playing “Andariel’s power.” And for anyone playing on the Eternal Realm, it’s a struggle to keep up.

Fortunately, with the latest update from the Diablo team, most of the overtuned powers have been scaled back to a more balanced level. While we don’t yet know exactly how things will feel once the servers go live, this looks like a great change for the health of both the season and the game overall.

In conclusion, I’m still very excited to see how the new season and changes to core gameplay mechanics feel in action. After the initial shock of a new dynamic, I think this will settle into a refreshing new normal—and set us up nicely for a couple of strong seasons leading into the next expansion.