Diablo IV Season 3 – Season of the Construct

Diablo IV’s 3rd season is right around the corner, launching on Tuesday, January 23rd and with their announcement today, we got the first peek of what’s in store for Season of the Construct. Here’s a quick recap of what’s coming next week!

• New Quest Line
• Seasonal Companion – Seneschal Construct
• Vaults – New Dungeon Type
• Arcane Tremors – Overworld Activity
• Gauntlet – Weekly Leaderboards

As always, there will be a new quest line to take part in as you level up your brand new seasonal character. This time ancient technology called the Loom has been taken over by the forces of evil, specifically Demon Malphas. You will make your way through the Vaults to stop Malphas and his plan to take over Sanctuary.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LOOT! You know we’ll be diving in to the all the new loot, systems, and ways to make the best builds OP, so let’s take a look at what’s coming.

Seasonal Robotic Seneschal Companion

During the seasonal questline, you’ll earn a new seneschal companion! This spider-looking pet will accompany you on your adventures during season 3. This pet is the main focus of the seasonal gameplay loop and you will augment your pet’s abilities with the governing and tuning stones you acquire in the new dungeon type called VAULTS.

There are 12 Governing Stones and 27 Tuning Stones to chase in the new activity and through your season journey. These stones can also be leveled up to increase their power and, in some cases, change their attacks. Governing Stones decide which attacks your companion can perform, whereas Tuning Stones will provide utility and augment the skills selected. You can earn stones through Vaults and your season journey.

Governing Stones:

• Autodefense: The Seneschal Construct activates an antimaterial field around itself shooting down enemy projectiles. Can not shoot down Boss or Player projectiles.
• Bushwhack: Quickly ambush dealing damage to each target. May strike the same target multiple times.
• Firefly: Deploy a small construct that lands on the target and explodes 3 times, dealing damage.
• Focus Fire: The Seneschal Construct channels a ray of fire onto targets dealing damage to each over time.
• Gyrate: The Seneschal Construct whirls its legs around quickly dealing damage to all surrounding enemies.
• Impale: Perform a line attack to all enemies in front of the Seneschal Construct dealing damage.
• Lightning Bolt: Launch a bolt of Lightning at the target dealing damage. Arcs to other targets dealing a portion of the original damage.
• Protect: The Seneschal Construct materializes a protective Barrier on the player for a portion of their Maximum Life.
• Reconstruct: The Seneschal Construct channels a reconstruction beam Healing the player for a portion of their Maximum Life over time.
• Slash: Pummel enemies in front of the Seneschal Construct dealing damage.
• Tempest: Electrically charge an enemy causing it to deal damage to themselves and additional each second over time. If the enemy is killed, Tempest spreads to another enemy gaining for additional time and bonus damage. These bonuses are also applied if Tempest is reapplied onto the same enemy.

Tuning Stone Abilities:

• Voluminous Support: The supported skill’s effect size is increased.
• Swift Support: The supported Skill gains an Attack Speed bonus.
• Breaking Support: Damage from the supported Skill instantly destroys enemy Barrier effects. In addition, there is a chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
• Tactical Support: Decrease the cooldown of the supported Skill.
• Efficiency Support: When the supporting skill deals damage, you gain Critical Strike Chance to the same targets hit.
• Devastation Support: Supported Skill gains a Critical Strike Damage bonus.
• Safeguard Support: When used, the supported Skill grants Damage Reduction to you.
• Frigid Support: A portion of the supported Skill’s damage dealt is applied as Cold damage over time and applies Chill.
• Burning Support: A portion of he supported Skill’s damage is applied as Burning damage over time. Burning enemies take bonus Critical Strike Damage from the Seneschal Construct.
• Electrocution Support: A portion of the supported skill’s damage dealt is applied as Lightning damage over time and has a chance to Stun enemies.
• Bleeding Support: A portion of the supported skill’s damage dealt is applied as Bleeding damage over time. Enemies take bonus Bleeding damage from all sources while moving.
• Poison Support: A portion of the supported skill’s damage dealt is applied as Poison damage over time. This poison has a chance each second to spread all Poison damage to an additional enemy.
• Dusk Support: A portion of the supported Skill’s damage dealt is applied as Shadow damage over time. Afflicted enemies who attack have a chance for their attacks to be interrupted. Does not interrupt Bosses.
• Duration Support: Supported Skills have their durations increased.
• Fortify Support: When the Seneschal Construct uses the supported Skill, you gain Fortify. Skills with slower attack speeds or skills with cooldowns will increase the amount of Fortify granted.
• Resource Support: Player gains an amount of Primary Resource when the supporting Skill first deals damage.
• Initiative Support: The supported Skill will cause the Seneschal Construct to teleport to the target if out of range. Can only occur once every so often seconds.
• Arcing Support: The supported Skill can hit additional enemies.
• Multishot Support: Supported Projectile skills launch additional projectiles.
• Piercing Support: The supported Projectile Skill will pierce multiple enemies.
• Gripping Support: Damage and effects done by the supporting Skill to Distant enemies pulls them towards the Seneschal Construct. Can only occur once every so often per enemy.
• Registered Damage Support: Any damage caused from the supported Skill is registered. The registered damage explodes at effectiveness when the target dies as Fire damage.
• Seeking Support: The supported Projectile Skill will auto-seek enemies for a limited duration.
• Slowing Support: Damage from the supported Skill Slows enemy movement speed for a limited duration. The closer the enemy is to the Seneschal Construct, the greater the Slow amount. Enemies may be slowed up to a maximum amount.
• Mockery Support: Damage done by the supporting Skill Taunts enemies hit for a limited duration of time. This can only occur once every so often per enemy. Does not work on bosses.

The news post by Blizzard also alludes to some additional super secret stones that we may have to hunt down!

New Dungeon Type – VAULTS

As mentioned above, you’ll need to run through the new Season 3 dungeon type, named VAULTS, to acquire and level up your stones. From reading Blizzard’s post, it seems we’ll need to convert Pearls of Warding to enter, which is most likely farmed in the open world. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they’ve learned their lesson from Season 2 helltide farming and these materials won’t be as tedious to farm. You can also complete Nightmare Dungeons after world tier 3, to acquire Vault Sigils as drops, eliminating the need to farm the materials.

The vaults are unique dungeons that contain a new monster family called The Constructs. It sounds like this enemy type will do elemental damage, so be prepared. These constructs can also lower your stack of Zoltun’s Warding, a blessing found inside the vault, that allows you to unlock a Wardwoven Chest at the end. Wardwoven chests will grant legendary items and stones at the end of the dungeon.

Gauntlet Weekly Leaderboards and Quality of Life

Later in Season 3 we’ll see The Gauntlet, a weekly static dungeon for leadboard placements. The top weekly score will also earn a permanent place in the Hall of the Ancients. More details about the gauntlet are coming soon.

Some highly requested quality of life updates are making their way into Diablo IV’s Season of the Construct. Most notably, Helltides are now always active! Blizzard is also adding W-A-S-D support for movement if that’s more comfortable for you. And fellow loot goblins rejoice, we finally got another stash tab! Full patch notes will be available on January 19th.