Diablo 3 is still going on strong for 11 years, and it’s getting one major new season to prepare for part 4.

Diablo 3’s Season 28 will start on 24 February, a week or so from now. This is to prepare and continue the hype for Diablo 4, since its closed and open beta dates are 17-19 March for the former and 24-26 March for the latter.

Altar Of Rites

The Season is called Rites of Sanctuary, and is based around the object called the Altar of Rites.

This new item opens up a new progression path for characters that will apply across all your Season characters; like an extra skill tree that has bonuses you can prioritize to power up your characters. Here’s a quote from Blizzard’s official post:

“As we look towards Diablo 4’s release, we wanted to celebrate its arrival with a feature that emphasises progression as well as offer some interesting details about Sanctuary.”

Upon arrival at the Altar of Rites, players will see 26 icons called Seals and three Legendary Potion Powers.

You need to slay monsters and collect resources to unlock these Seals and Potions; which ones you unlock is entirely up to you and they last for the whole of Season 28.

Costs To Unlock Seal/Legendary Potion Power

Unlocking all the Seals will net you the Wings of Terror Cosmetic, Seal AD.

Season 28 Rewards

New rewards for Season 28 include a new Primal Hunter portrait, a Taennin the Tiny pet, and the following Haedrig’s Gifts:

• Barbarian: Horde of the Ninety Savages
• Crusader: Aegis of Valor (Recommended)
• Demon Hunter: Gears of Dreadlands (Recommended)
• Monk: Patterns of Justice (Recommended)
• Witch Doctor: Mundunugu’s Regalia
• Wizard: Typhon’s Veil
• Necromancer: Masquerade of the Burning Carnival

Class & Items Changes & Updates

Monk

• Combination Strike Passive Skill:
  • Each Spirit Generator you use increases the damage of your other Spirit Generators by 100% for 10 seconds.
• Crippling Wave Skill:
  • Every third hit also dazes enemies within 11 yards, slowing their movement speed by 30% and attack speed by 20% for 10 seconds.
    • Concussion Rune: Enemies hit by Crippling Wave deal 20% less damage for 10 seconds.
    • Breaking Wave Rune: Enemies hit by Crippling Wave take 10% additional damage from all attacks for 10 seconds.
• Deadly Reach Skill:
  • Foresight Rune: Every third hit also increases the damage of all your attacks by 15% for 10 seconds.
• Way of the Hundred Fists:
  • Assimilation Rune: Each enemy hit with the third hit increases your damage by 5% for 10 seconds

Items

Barbarian

• Horde of the Ninety Savages (6-piece bonus):
  • Frenzy deals 2,000% increased damage per stack.

Demon Hunter

• Chanon Bolter:
  • Your Spike Traps lure enemies to them and deal 150-200% increased damage. Enemies may be taunted once every 10 seconds.
• The Demon’s Demise:
  • Each blast from Spike Trap will damage all enemies again after 1 second and deals 150-200% increased damage.
• Natalya’s Slayer:
  • Increases Spike Trap Damage by 10 -15%.
• Natalya’s Vengeance (2-piece bonus):
  • Hitting an enemy summons a Spike Trap if it is on your action bar. Each Spike Trap detonation restores 1 Discipline.
  • Spike Trap deals 100% increased damage to enemies affected by Caltrops. Spike Trap now instantly refreshes charges on use, no longer cost resources, and each detonation restores 2 Discipline.
• Natalya’s Vengeance (4-piece bonus):
  • Laying a Spike Trap grants 60% damage reduction. The duration of this bonus is always equal to the number of already laid traps in seconds.
  • Spike Trap explosions will blast affected enemies towards the nearest set Caltrops. Laying a Spike Trap grants 75% damage reduction. The duration of this bonus is always equal to the number of already laid traps in seconds.
• Natalya’s Vengeance (6-piece bonus):
  • Spike Traps deal 10,000% increased damage, and each consecutive blast from the detonation chain reaction will deal 10% more damage than the previous blast.
  • Spike Trap deals 10,000% increased damage, and each consecutive explosion from the detonated chain reaction will deal 25% more damage than the previous blast.
• Gears of Dreadlands:
  • Your primary skills deal 15,000% increased damage.
  • Your primary skills deal 27,500% increased damage.
• The Shadow’s Mantle (2-piece bonus):
  • While equipped with a melee weapon, the damage of your Bolas, Chakram, Fan of Knives, and Impale is increased by 6,000%.
  • The Shadow’s Mantle 2-piece bonus no longer benefits Spike Trap.
• Trag’oul Coils:
  • Spike Traps gain the Scatter Rune, are deployed twice as fast, and deal 150-200% increased damage.
• Unhallowed Essence (6-piece bonus):
  • Hatred generators, Vengeance attacks, and Multishot deal 1700% increased damage per point of discipline the Demon Hunter currently has.

Monk

• Patterns of Justice (6-piece bonus):
  • Hitting with Tempest Rush while Sweeping Wind is active increases the size of Sweeping Wind as well and increases all damage dealt by 20,000.
• Raiment of Thousand Storms (4-piece bonus):
  • Dashing Strike spends 25 Spirit but refunds a Charge when it does.

Necromancer

• Masquerade of the Burning Carnival (6-piece bonus):
  • Bone Spear deals 9,000% increased damage. Simulacrums gain triple this bonus.

Witch Doctor

• Spirit Barrage:
  • Manitou Rune: Summon a specter that hovers over you, unleashing spirit bolts at nearby enemies for 6,000% 14,000% weapon damage as Cold over 20 seconds.

Wizard

• The Typhon’s Veil (6-piece-bonus):
  • Hydras deal 4,000% increased damage for each Hydra head alive.