Diablo 4 Season 6 review: Decent content overshadowed by Vessel of Hatred

Diablo 4 Season 6 kicked off alongside the Vessel of Hatred expansion, and that's why it may be overshadowed completely by the new, permanent content. There are some interesting gameplay options in this current season, known as Season of Hatred, but I’m not sure I’m loving it quite the same way I did some of the previous seasons. I like it, but I’m not seeing as many people going out there to do the content the way I did in Loot Reborn, or even the previous season.

That could very well have something to do with when I’m active in Diablo 4 Season 6, though I’m willing to accept that. While I am enjoying Season of Hatred and loving some of the builds that are popping off right now, the content just isn’t as strong as the rest of the game.

What does Diablo 4 Season 6 - Season of Hatred bring to the game?

Season 6 isn't perfect, but I do still enjoy the content it brings to the table (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Season 6 of Diablo 4 (Season of Hatred) introduces gigantic new enemies known as Realmwalkers. These colossal foes show up periodically and can be seen on the map via their brilliant green icon. That part is easy to see. However, once the event has started, they will get up, and leave that spot, making players chase them down.

You have to go through a few phases to cause damage to Realmwalkers. They’re completely invincible until you can grind through waves of enemies, elites, and then destroy the spires of hatred they conjure.

Only then can you enter the Seething Portal, and take part in a mini-dungeon. This is how you unlock Seething Opals, which are my favorite part of the season. These Elixirs allow you to farm the reputation for the season anywhere and help you target farm-specific types of items; for example, crafting materials, gear, or gold. They help you level up faster and help you find more of what you need in the world at large.

Completing this activity repeatedly builds up your reputation/renown with the Zakarum Remnants, the Diablo 4 Season 6 faction. This, in turn, grants a variety of rewards as you level up further, though it does lead me to my major complaint for this season: the grind.

Diablo 4 Season 6 feels like a longer grind than ever before

The renowned grind this time doesn't feel as reliable or enjoyable (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

I don’t mind grinding in online games, don’t get me wrong. However, there are some very frustrating things about this particular reputation grind. The main problem I have is that not every enemy appears to give reputation with the Zakarum Remnants. It appears to happen almost at random, regardless of whether you’re fighting a Realmwalker.

This is quite a frustrating grind. I don’t mind that a grind takes a while, but if the actual point increases are connected to RNG in any fashion, that’s infuriating. Even if you’re using a Seething Opal, which does let you farm the renown even if you aren’t fighting Realmwalker-summoned foes, it still takes forever.

I would have been fine with the required exp per level being a bit higher, if it meant I always gained Zakarum Remnant exp, instead of it feeling incredibly random. This is easily the most frustrating part about the season as a whole.

Realmwalkers are cool but can be frustrating to chase down in Diablo 4 Season 6

Realmwalkers are certainly an interesting concept (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

I like Realmwalkers as a new challenge, to be honest. However, once they’ve started moving, if it’s a larger zone, they can be harder to track down. You have to hope you see the moving boss icon on your mini-map. I wouldn’t mind this changing slightly in an update/patch. When you're in the zone and nearby, the current location can appear on the full map, at least.

After all, this season will be around for a while, until January 21, 2025, to be exact. There’s still plenty of time to fix this and make it clearer where the Realmwalker is going on the map, or where it is. I think it’s a fun challenge though, and a solid way to grind for extra exp.

Diablo 4 Season 6’s power level is still relatively high

There are some remarkable new items to farm in Season 6 (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Though there are likely some bugged interactions causing players to hit for massive damage, for the most part, I like where the power level for Season 6 is. The seasonal journey gives gear that fits your class, and some of it is remarkably powerful.

On top of that, you have some truly remarkable new Mythic Uniques and regular Uniques in Diablo 4 Season 6. All classes received at least one incredible new Unique, with some of them focusing on new abilities, such as Necromancer’s The Unmaker.

There’s also an incredible new Mythic Unique, Shattered Vow, which executes targets with more Damage Over Time inflicted on them versus their remaining life. The new equipment in this season truly feels powerful, and I’m a big fan of feeling overpowered.

Final thoughts

While not a perfect season, I'm still enjoying it well enough (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

It’s hard to say where I’d rank this among the other previously released seasons of D4. It’s far from the worst season I’ve played, but it doesn’t quite stack up to my personal favorites. It’s a solid, mid-range season. Most of my problems with this season can be fixed with patches. Even if it's not perfect, I've still had fun playing a Spiritborn in this new temporary content.

I feel like perhaps it was designed this way to avoid out-doing the new, expansion content, but that in turn makes the people who didn’t buy in yet likely feel disappointed.

It’s certainly not a bad season, but the grinding for renown and constantly fighting Realmwalkers doesn’t feel very fun. Though I do love the Seething Opals as ways to help level characters, as well as the overall power level of the expansion. Not terrible, but not great.

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Edited by Angad Sharma