Diablo IV: Season 5 PTR, a new Public Test Realm that has been developed to test the upcoming changes and features for the fifth season of the now year-old action RPG, is now live for players with a PC Battle.net account until July 2, Blizzard entertainment has announced. The lengthy list of changes, which can be found here, includes a major nerf to immunity skills that was prompted by Sorcerers abusing the Flame Shield skill for permanent invulnerability in Season 4 via select Tempers and Aspects, while a PSA from Blizzard is warning players to be careful about the level-100 boosting feature, as doing so currently deletes all existing gear on a character.
Defensive changes prompted by Sorcs include:
- Flame Shield
- “Cooldown begins when Invulnerability ends.”
- Miscellanous
- “Skills that grant Immunity, e.g. Flame Shield and Blood Mist, now only go on cooldown once the Immunity effect ends.”
A PSA on the level boosting feature, per community manager PezRadar:
- “Just putting a PSA out there that players should not use the boost on existing characters copied over to the PTR.”
- “This will remove and replace their character state with the character boost and you will lose your character inventories and gear from your copied state.”
- “We will look to improve this flow in the future. Please only use the boost on fresh level 1 characters created on PTR.”
Blizzard’s latest Campfire Chat, where devs provided a first look at the Season 5 PTR:
Blizzard on the Season 5 PTR and what’s coming in the fifth season:
The purpose of the PTR is to test updates and features before the launch of Season 5. Then we’ll make adjustments to Season 5 using your feedback before it goes live for everyone. The feedback we receive helps us to fine-tune balance changes, eliminate bugs, and create the best experience possible. Having a PTR gives us a chance to test new systems, and we’re grateful for your time spent playing.
Season 5 features a new story where enemies are cut-down, alliances shift, and unlikely friends emerge from the shadows. The PTR features a new Questline that takes place after the events of the Main Questline and is available on both Seasonal and Eternal Realms, and will remain on the Eternal realm once Season 5 has concluded.
Head to Hawezar in World Tier III and investigate a disturbance amongst the cityfolk there. Completing this Questline will allow you to battle the Infernal Hordes, the new gameplay activity coming with Season 5. Note that you only have to complete this Quest once across your Account.