Diablo IV’s Season 16 PTR Starts October 27 With War Plans Changes and Horadric Items

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Blizzard will open Diablo IV’s 3.3.0 Public Test Realm on PC from October 27 at 10 a.m. PDT through November 3 at 10 a.m. PST. The test is focused on Season 16 changes, including a new War Plans progression layer, reworked endgame activities, Horadric Items, and class balance updates.

The PTR is only available on PC through the Battle.net launcher’s game version dropdown. PC Game Pass players can also get in through Battle.net after launching from the Xbox app.

The biggest addition is War Plans Tactics, a meta progression system for both Eternal and Seasonal Realms. Players earn Marks of Wisdom by completing War Plans, then spend them to influence which activities and rewards are more likely to show up.

Season 16 also adds Tyrael’s Boons, a seasonal War Plans tree that lets players steer rewards toward things like seasonal reputation, currency, Purveyor of Curiosities bonuses, gold, experience, crafting materials, and other perks. Blizzard says all seasonal players can access Tyrael’s Boons, and ownership of the Lord of Hatred expansion is not required.

  • Horadric Items are new Legendary items that interact with Talisman set bonuses.
  • Horadric jewelry can increase the set bonus count for a specific Talisman set, letting players activate bonuses with fewer charms equipped.
  • Horadric armor and weapons can add effects tied to two-piece Talisman bonuses, including damage, defense, and skill rank perks.
  • Infernal Hordes, the Pit, and Lair Boss activities are being reworked for the PTR.
  • A new Fractured Reaper boss encounter builds on the Corrupted Reaper fight from Season of Death Awakening.

The 3.3.0 patch notes also include broader class balance changes. Blizzard specifically called out a Druid rework aimed at reducing tag stacking and separating the Resolve and Fortify keywords.

Some features from Season of Hell’s Legacy will carry forward into Season 16, but Blizzard says they won’t be part of this PTR. More details on those returning features are planned for next week.

Further reading: Official Diablo IV 3.3.0 PTR overview