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Diablo 4 Season 1 release time: When does Season of the Malignant launch?

Discover the Diablo 4 Season 1 release time

Diablo 4's corrupted Malignant Monster playing around with a floating Malignant Heart in a screenshot from the game's Season 1 update
Image credit: Blizzard
Hayden Hefford avatar
Guide by Hayden Hefford Former Guides Writer
Updated on

Want to know the exact Diablo 4 Season 1 release time? After the particularly rough Patch 1.1.0, Diablo 4 Season 1 is finally launching today. It'll bring a bunch of new Seasonal challenges, alongside new Uniques, Aspects, and a mechanic called Malignant Hearts. Malignant Hearts can be inserted into "infested" gem sockets, and grant powerful bonuses that are sure to shake up the meta for the coming months.

In this guide, you'll find the exact Diablo 4 Season 1 release time, so that you can hop into the Season of the Malignant as soon as it goes live. For those who've yet to look into Season 1's content, you'll also find a breakdown of what the Season of the Malignant entails.

What is the best class in Diablo 4? Watch this video to find out.Watch on YouTube

Diablo 4 Season 1 release time

Diablo 4 Season 1 launches on Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 6pm BST. You can find the exact release time in your timezone below:

  • US West: 10am PDT (July 20)
  • US East: 1pm EDT (July 20)
  • UK: 6pm BST (July 20)
  • Europe: 7pm CET (July 20)

The Season 1 patch is available to download now, and the balancing changes have gone live in the Eternal Realm (for all non-Seasonal characters). The patch hasn't been received too well, but Blizzard have since shared in a tweet that they'll be hosting a fireside chat to discuss the community response to this patch.

What is coming in Diablo 4 Season 1?

Diablo 4 Season 1, officially dubbed the Season of the Malignant, unleashes new Malignant Monsters throughout Sanctuary. When killed, these Malignant Monsters can drop Malignant Hearts, which will grant new powers when placed into Infested gear sockets.

You'll be able to get these Malignant Hearts after getting the Cage of Binding, an item to which you'll gain access during a new questline introduced in Season 1. This questline will ally you with Cormond, a former priest, as you try to stop the spread of the Malignant.

Diablo 4 image showing the Season 1 boss, Varshan the Consumed.
Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

New dungeons, known as Malignant Tunnels, will also appear across Sanctuary. Delving into these Malignant Tunnels will help you gather Malignant Hearts, and you might also find a new boss named Varshan the Consumed.

There are 32 Malignant Hearts to find and use in Season 1, but that's not all you can expect to change your build. Diablo 4 Season 1 also includes seven new Legendary Aspects and six new Unique items, which could provide drastic upgrades for the various classes.

On top of all that, Diablo 4's first Battle Pass also launches with the Season of the Malignant. This contains free rewards, such as armor transmogs and titles, and premium rewards including more armor transmogs, weapon skins, and emotes.

That wraps up our guide on the Diablo 4 Season 1 release time. If you're still unsure what class you'd like to play in Season 1, take a look at our Diablo 4 Barbarian builds, Rogue builds, Necromancer builds, Druid builds, and Sorcerer builds. Remember that Altars of Lilith will carry across for Seasonal characters, so make sure to use our Diablo 4 interactive map to find them all before it begins!

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