Diablo IV Season 1 will kick off in just a few weeks on July 20, Blizzard has announced during a developer livestream, bringing with it a new seasonal questline, items, and gameplay mechanics.

The first season, titled Season of the Malignant, will see players facing more powerful, Malignant enemies that can be conquered in order to capture their hearts. Those hearts can then be turned into powerful gem-like items called Caged Hearts that can be socketed into gear and grant additional effects. These Malignant powers are equivalent to Legendary powers and will allow players to create what Blizzard has described as "kind of new, stupid broken builds."

There are a total of 32 new Malignant powers players will be able to choose from. These powers come in Caged Hearts of three different colors and will need to be placed in gear with a matching color socket in order to be used. A rarer version of a Caged Heart will be eligible to be socketed into any of the three color sockets. Blizzard said players will want a combination of all Caged Heart color types, which will create new ways for players to customize their builds.