The Diablo 4 Season 16 PTR, patch 3.3.0, opens today and runs for one week. It is PC only, it lives on separate test servers, and it is your first hands on look at War Plans Tactics, Tyrael’s Boons, Horadric Items and a new dual Reaper lair boss. Here is everything you need before you log in, verified against Blizzard’s official PTR post.
Quick answer
- Opens: Tuesday, October 27 at 10 AM PT / 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET
- Closes: Tuesday, November 3 at 10 AM PT / 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET (US clocks fall back on November 1, so Blizzard lists the end time in PST)
- Platforms: PC through Battle.net only. No PlayStation, Xbox console or Switch access
- PC Game Pass: PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate members launch Battle.net through the Xbox app, then follow the same steps
- Do you need Lord of Hatred? No. Tyrael’s Boons is open to all Seasonal players
- Does progress carry over? Plan on no. You play on test servers with a new test character
How to join the Diablo 4 Season 16 PTR
- Open the Battle.net desktop app and select Diablo IV.
- Use the game version dropdown above the Play button and choose Public Test Realm.
- Click Install. It is a separate download from your live game.
- Click Play, pick a test server and create a new test character.
- Choose a Seasonal character if you want to test Tyrael’s Boons and Horadric Items.
Blizzard lists the build as 3.3.0 #74145 and labels it PC only.
What is new in the 3.3.0 PTR
War Plans Tactics
A new meta progression tree for both Eternal and Seasonal realms. You earn points by finishing War Plans activities, then put up to 3 points into an activity node so it shows up more often. Putting at least 1 point into Helltides or Nightmare Dungeons opens a choice to favor Greater Helltides or Escalation Dungeons. Reward nodes, also up to 3 points each, cover Armor, Weapons, Jewelry, Obducite, Salvage, Gems, Gold, Activity Keys, Horadric Cube Materials and Talisman Items.
Marks of Wisdom
Turning in completed War Plans now pays out Marks of Wisdom, a currency that replaces gold for respeccing War Plans trees. They are capped at 20 on the PTR.
Tyrael’s Boons
A season themed War Plans tree with up to 132 points, enough for 4 of 6 selections across four paths: Curious Addition (Purveyor of Curiosities upgrades), Merchant of Mystery (a Torment merchant selling caches for Forgotten Souls), Scent of Gold (more gold, experience and Legendary chances) and Trash for Treasure. That last path unlocks a Greater Temper cube recipe that turns a Tempered Affix into a Greater Affix for 30 Scrolls of Restoration and 1,000 Obducite. Refunding a point costs 5,000,000 gold. Seasonal Blessings stay, but become a fixed set of the same five.
Horadric Items
New Legendary gear tied to Talisman sets. Horadric jewelry adds 1 to a set’s piece count, so a single charm plus the matching jewelry gives you the 2 piece bonus. Horadric armor and weapons add extra effects once you have at least a 2 piece Talisman bonus.
Fractured Reaper and Corrupted Reaper
The Corrupted Reaper from Season of Death Awakening returns with the Fractured Reaper as a combined lair boss fight. Blizzard also says Infernal Hordes, the Pit and Lair Boss activities are being reworked for next season.
Use Mrak to skip the grind
The PTR vendor Mrak stands next to the main Waypoint in major cities. His boosts can set you to level 70 and Paragon 200, unlock all Torment tiers, max War Plans (3 Marks of El’druin and 20 Marks of Wisdom), max Tyrael’s Boons, and hand out Horadric Items, Runes, Uniques, Glyphs and materials. One catch: boosted Helms need level 7 and Amulets need level 15, so level a little before you claim gear.
Class changes worth testing first
All eight classes get changes. A few headline numbers from the notes: Barbarian Double Swing jumps from 75% to 150% damage per swing, Necromancer Bone Spear rises from 160% to 175%, Druid gets a pass aimed at cutting tag stacking, and Paladin Aura Potency now scales with skill ranks. General changes include faster base mount speed, Helltides starting on the hour in base game zones and at half past in expansion zones, and the Banished Lord’s Talisman Critical Strike Damage bonus dropping from 130 to 150% down to 80 to 100%.
What will not be in the PTR
Blizzard says some features from the current Season of Hell’s Legacy will carry into Season 16, but they are left out of this test so the team can focus on the new systems. It plans to name those features next week. Numbers are also not final: Blizzard flags its images as in development content.
When does Season 16 start?
Blizzard has not announced a Season 16 launch date yet. The PTR ends November 3, and feedback goes through the official Diablo IV forums or the in game bug report tool (Esc, then Report a Bug). For more on Blizzard’s test servers, see our look at the World of Warcraft Forever stress test.
Sources: Blizzard News, “The 3.3.0 PTR: What You Need to Know” and the official Diablo IV forum post.
Image: Blizzard Entertainment (Diablo IV 3.3.0 PTR, in development content).
