Launching July 1, Sins of the Horadrim marks the beginning of Season 9 in Diablo IV, and it brings some of the most ambitious gameplay changes to date. With a strong narrative thread, deep customization systems, and revamped endgame content, Season 9 revitalizes Sanctuary for veterans and new players alike. From Nightmare Dungeon reworks to a fully fledged Horadric spellcrafting system, here’s everything you need to know about this transformative season.

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A Horadric Legacy Reignites

Season 9 introduces a narrative-rich seasonal storyline called “The Embers Yet Smolder.” Following the defeat of Astaroth, Sanctuary continues to grapple with the fallout of his demonic influence. Players journey to the town of Cerrigar, where they encounter the druid Bryona and uncover remnants of Horadric corruption.

The central figure of the season is Donan, whose attempt to contain Astaroth’s power using ancient blood relics has now backfired. These relics, scattered across the world, are weakening and releasing new waves of demonic energy. It’s up to the player to track and purge these corrupted remnants in an effort to stop a new catastrophe.

This questline acts as the gateway to new seasonal systems and unlocks essential features such as the Horadric Focus and Horadric Wayfinder—tools that help you navigate dungeon challenges and uncover hidden relics.

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Horadric Spellcrafting System

The headlining feature of Season 9 is the introduction of Horadric Spellcrafting, a system that lets players forge their own spells from modular components. Spellcrafting uses three core parts:

• Catalysts: The base function of the spell (e.g., a fireball, lightning chain, or defensive aura)
• Infusions: These alter the elemental nature of the spell, letting players shift its damage type or add effects
• Arcana: Up to three Arcana can be slotted in to add utility, crowd control, debuffs, damage amplification, and more

This system allows unprecedented flexibility. Want to turn a frost bolt into a shadow-based slowing spell with a bleed effect and a stun? You can. Spellcrafting lets players further personalize their builds, giving casters, tanks, and hybrid classes alike something to tinker with. The system rewards experimentation and builds synergy, fitting beautifully into the evolving gear ecosystem.

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Horadric Jewels and Phials

Another pillar of the season is the introduction of Horadric Phials and Jewels, which act as powerful enhancements to your builds. Phials are consumables that drop from a variety of sources, including Nightmare Dungeons, Strongrooms, Escalations, and boss caches.

You can use phials to craft Horadric Jewels, which are socketable items that apply game-changing bonuses. Some examples include

• Willbreaker: A jewel that boosts physical damage multiplicatively
• Liminal Echo: Offers temporary immunity to fatal damage by phasing the player out briefly

These jewels give players even more build diversity. Whether you’re min-maxing for boss encounters, PvP, or speed farming, these jewels allow for hyper-specific loadouts.

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Nightmare Dungeon Reworks

Season 9 overhauls the Nightmare Dungeon system, making it the foundation of endgame content. Key changes include:

Horadric Strongrooms

As players explore Nightmare Dungeons, they’ll encounter Horadric Strongrooms, which are self-contained challenge zones within dungeons. These short, intense combat trials reward players with high-value loot and crafting resources. Each Strongroom allows you to activate statues that increase the difficulty—and rewards.

Successfully clearing a Strongroom also grants buffs that persist through the rest of the dungeon run, encouraging players to seek them out rather than bypass them.

Escalating Nightmares

Escalating Nightmares are a brand-new dungeon challenge format that links three Nightmare Dungeons into a continuous chain, with increasing difficulty and stacking affixes. These marathon dungeon runs test endurance and build strength in new ways.

In higher World Tiers, the final dungeon concludes with a dramatic boss encounter against Exalted Astaroth and his Amalgam, a powerful fight that promises some of the season’s best rewards—including exclusive Horadric Jewels.

Improved Dungeon Affixes

Dungeon modifiers have been tweaked for better pacing and reward scaling. New affixes offer greater risk and greater reward, while buffs from Strongrooms can dramatically improve survivability, mobility, or damage.

These enhancements collectively address long-standing complaints about Nightmare Dungeon repetitiveness, making them more dynamic and rewarding than ever before.

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Season Journey, Rewards, and Cosmetics

Season Journey Progression

As in past seasons, players progress through the Season Journey, a multi-chapter system of challenges and objectives. Completing chapters rewards materials, gear upgrades, and exclusive cosmetics.

One of the major incentives this season is a new pet: Dante the Dog, awarded during the later chapters of the journey. Players can also unlock unique blessings called urns, which provide passive benefits such as increased gold, better vendor deals, or higher loot drop chances.

Battle Pass: The Reliquary

Season 9’s Battle Pass is themed around Horadric Reliquaries, ancient containers holding cosmetics tied to Sanctuary’s lost secrets. The pass includes:

• Free Track: Cosmetic unlocks like a themed Town Portal, mount barding, and armor visuals
• Premium Track: Additional cosmetics including weapon skins, mount trophies, armor sets, and more
• Deluxe Tier: Includes premium Reliquaries, an exclusive wings cosmetic, and a scapegoat-themed pet companion

Importantly, all rewards remain cosmetic and do not confer gameplay advantages.

Tejal’s Shop & Twitch Drops

Tejal’s in-game shop sees new bundles and skins added to celebrate the season, including limited-time pet sets and class cosmetics. Twitch Drops return as well, allowing players to earn exclusive items by watching supported Diablo IV streams.

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Quality-of-Life and Technical Improvements

Season 9 also brings several technical upgrades and quality-of-life improvements that benefit all players, whether seasonal or eternal.

• DLSS 4 Support: PC players can now enable DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation for smoother gameplay and better visuals on compatible hardware
• Console Keyboard & Mouse Support: Console users now have the option to plug in a keyboard and mouse, offering more flexibility in gameplay and UI interaction
• Improved UI and Spellcrafting Menus: Interface updates make it easier to craft, equip, and track Horadric systems
• Endgame Optimization: Loading times between dungeon wings have been shortened and teleport delays have been reduced, streamlining the grind loop

These changes aim to remove friction from the Diablo IV experience while giving players new reasons to return.

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Player Tips for Success

To make the most of your seasonal run, consider these tips:

• Finish the Campaign First: New players or returning characters must complete the main campaign to access seasonal content
• Start in Cerrigar: Head straight to Cerrigar after making your seasonal character to unlock your Horadric Focus and access spellcrafting
• Prioritize Strongrooms: These mini-dungeons offer high-value loot, stat buffs, and phials needed for jewel crafting
• Plan Your Spellcrafting: Don’t hoard components—experiment early to find combinations that enhance your playstyle
• Farm Nightmare Dungeons Efficiently: Focus on dungeons with Strongroom markers for maximum return on time invested
• Escalate Carefully: Escalating Nightmare chains are tough—bring optimized gear and coordinate if playing in a group
• Max Out the Season Journey: The rewards include exclusive pets, titles, and permanent account boosts—worth the grind
• Check Tejal’s Shop Weekly: Cosmetic bundles rotate, so check often if you’re chasing specific aesthetics

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Why Season 9 Matters

Sins of the Horadrim isn’t just a seasonal refresh—it represents a fundamental evolution in Diablo IV’s design. By turning Nightmare Dungeons into a compelling, layered core loop and adding systems like Spellcrafting and Jewel Enhancement, Blizzard has provided more ways for players to express creativity, progress meaningfully, and stay engaged.

This season brings together storytelling, player agency, and endgame structure in a way that previous seasons didn’t quite hit. Whether you’re diving in for the narrative, the loot, or just the dog companion, there’s something substantial waiting.

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Final Thoughts

Diablo IV Season 9 stands out as a major milestone in the game’s lifecycle. Sins of the Horadrim offers a layered, rewarding experience that corrects past missteps while pushing the franchise’s design philosophy forward. With a richer endgame, more expressive builds, and a lore-infused narrative arc, Season 9 sets a new gold standard for what a Diablo season can deliver.

Whether you’re chasing Escalating Nightmare triumphs, crafting custom spells, or collecting cosmetics, one thing is certain: Sanctuary has never felt more alive—or more dangerous.