The Diablo 4 Season 12 Public Test Realm goes live February 3, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. PST and runs through February 10. This seven-day testing window previews the season's core features: a new Killstreak system, Bloodied Items, Bloodied Sigils, and extensive class balance changes that hit Paladin particularly hard.
Blizzard has called Season 12 a "more focused" season designed to bridge the gap to the Lord of Hatred expansion on April 28, 2026. Expect roughly seven weeks of content before the expansion arrives.
Killstreak System
The headline feature transforms combat across all activities. The Killstreak system rewards rapid, consecutive kills with scaling power bonuses and end-of-streak payouts.
How Killstreaks Work
Killing monsters in quick succession triggers a pop-up tracker displaying the current kill count. A timer bar then starts depleting. Players refresh this timer through additional kills, direct damage, or initial damage-over-time application.
Five distinct tiers mark progression based on total kills:
- Killstreak (initial tier)
- Carnage
- Devastation
- Bloodbath
- Massacre
When the timer fully depletes, the streak ends. Experience and seasonal reputation are awarded based on total monsters killed and the highest tier reached. Seasonal reputation tracking won't be present during the PTR.
Dying during an active streak ends it immediately with no rewards.
Strategic Implications
The system may change how players approach endgame content like Tower pushing. Managing kill pace to stay just below tier thresholds, then triggering special effects at optimal moments, could affect decisions about pull sizes and combat pacing.
The mechanic resembles existing mercenary features (Subo or Varyana mercenaries already track kill counts) but with expanded functionality and rewards.
Bloodied Items
Bloodied Items represent a new quality tier that interacts directly with Killstreaks. Any droppable item can potentially appear as Bloodied, and this tag is non-exclusive. An item can be both Ancestral and Bloodied.
These items carry special affixes that scale based on Killstreak performance, divided into three categories by equipment slot.
Rampage Affixes (Armor)
Rampage affixes appear on armor and increase in power based on current Killstreak tier. Examples include:
- Resource cost reduction per tier (potentially reaching 30% at max tier)
- Movement speed bonuses per tier
- "Every 25 kills, gain Berserking for 6 seconds" (available to all classes)
With five tiers, these affixes can reach substantial values. Resource cost reduction could prove valuable for builds like Rod of Kepeleke Spirit Born. The Berserking effect grants movement speed and 25% multiplicative damage, a significant boost for non-Barbarian classes.
Feast Affixes (Weapons)
Feast affixes appear on weapons and apply combat bonuses based on total kills in the current streak. These aren't tied to tier thresholds. Example:
- "Every 40 kills in your Killstreak, reset 1 random cooldown"
Hunger Affixes (Jewelry)
Hunger affixes appear on jewelry and modify reward drops, scaling with tiers. Example:
- Elite kills drop Runes more frequently
All Bloodied affixes stack when multiple items carry them.
How to Get Bloodied Items
Based on available information, Bloodied Items drop naturally with affixes determined at drop time. No crafting system for adding or modifying Bloodied affixes has been confirmed.
Bloodied Sigils
Bloodied Sigils add a new challenge layer to endgame activities, similar in concept to the Profane Mindcages from Season 5. These special sigils become available at Torment I and apply to three activity types:
- Nightmare Dungeons
- Infernal Hordes
- Lair Bosses
The Relentless Butcher
Each Bloodied Sigil carries a unique affix called "Relentless Butcher." The Butcher hunts players endlessly throughout the activity. Kill him, and he immediately respawns to continue the chase.
This doesn't replace the existing random Butcher spawn chance. Players may face both the Relentless Butcher and a naturally spawning one simultaneously. Some promotional screenshots show multiple Butchers at once.
Difficulty and Rewards
Bloodied Sigil activities run approximately one Torment tier higher than the player's current level. For Lair Bosses (which already scale above standard content), this means Bloodied Lair Boss Sigils at Torment IV effectively reach Torment V difficulty, roughly Pit 70 equivalent.
Comfortably farming Torment IV Bloodied Lair Boss Sigils likely requires a character capable of clearing Pit 80-90 content.
The increased challenge guarantees Bloodied Item drops. The Relentless Butcher also drops the new Season 12 uniques.
New Unique Items
Season 12 introduces five new uniques, all from the Bloodied Sigil system. None are class-specific, breaking from the usual pattern of one dedicated unique per class each season.
Blood-Mad Idol (Unique Amulet)
Useable by: All Classes
Affixes:
- 51-65 All Stats
- 8.3-10% Attack Speed
- 7-8% Critical Strike Chance
- 17.5-31.5% Damage Reduction while Injured
Power: You are always Berserking but take 200% increased damage as Burning over 8 seconds. While Burning, Berserking grants an additional 75-125% increased damage.
Analysis: Despite the apparent damage penalty, this amulet offers interesting defensive potential. The burning damage spreads incoming burst over time, potentially preventing one-shots from boss mechanics or elite explosions. The "Damage Reduction while Injured" affix (triggered below 35% HP) can reach roughly 70% with Masterworking and Greater Affix rolls, potentially negating the 200% increased damage taken while injured.
Permanent Berserking provides both movement speed and damage bonuses. Total damage increase reaches approximately 150-160% when factoring in base Berserking benefits plus the unique's additional multiplier.
Wendigo Brand (Unique Ring)
Useable by: All Classes
Affixes:
- 424-457 Life
- 855-1,086 Life Regeneration
- 146-159 Life on Hit
- 441-490 Physical Resistance
Power: Every 15 kills in the last 30-60 seconds increases your damage dealt by 2% and Maximum Health by 1%.
Analysis: This ring scales with sustained killing speed. At roughly 12-13 kills per second, players could maintain around 50 stacks for 100% damage and 50% maximum health bonuses.
The limitations are significant though. Boss fights with no adds provide zero benefit. Dungeon transitions (climbing ladders, moving between areas) cause stacks to drop. The stat line is entirely defensive with no offensive affixes.
This is a "win more" item. Great for content already being cleared easily, useless where players actually struggle.
Rustbitten Dirk (Unique Dagger)
Useable by: Sorcerer, Druid, Rogue, Necromancer
Affixes:
- 51-65 All Stats
- 424-457 Life
- 8.3-10% Attack Speed
- 40-50% Vulnerable Damage
Power: Deal 50-100% increased damage to isolated enemies.
Analysis: "Isolated enemies" likely refers to enemies with no others within a certain radius, based on similar mechanics in previous Diablo titles. This makes the dagger a boss-killing specialist.
Rogues may get the most value due to existing single-target limitations and available weapon slots. Other classes (Sorcerer, Druid, Necromancer) generally have stronger aspect options competing for weapon slots.
Wyrdskin (Unique Gloves)
Useable by: All Classes
Affixes:
- 424-457 Life
- 1-2 Ranks to Core Skills
- 7-8% Critical Strike Chance
- 8.3-10% Attack Speed
Power: Attacks apply Vulnerable to Distant Enemies and Weakened to Close Enemies. Deal 10-30% increased damage to enemies that are both Vulnerable and Weakened.
Analysis: The stat line is near-optimal for core skill builds with Crit Chance, Attack Speed, and Life. But 30% damage is modest compared to existing offensive aspects.
The real value lies in Weakened application. Currently, Weakened access is mostly limited to Paladin abilities. These gloves let any class bring Weakened to group content, potentially helping party compositions without a Paladin.
Thousand-Eye Reaver (Unique One-Handed Axe)
Useable by: Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Paladin
Affixes:
- 424-457 Life
- 7-8% Critical Strike Chance
- 36.5-50% Movement Speed on Elite Kill
- Lucky Hit: Up to 40% Chance to Deal 900-2,400 Physical Damage
Power: Moving grants Ferocity, and Maximum Ferocity is increased by 1-3. Ferocity also increases Movement Speed by 4-8% per stack.
Analysis: This axe raises maximum Ferocity from 4 stacks to 7. Ferocity grants 5% Critical Strike Attack Speed per stack, and this item adds movement speed per stack.
The stat line is weak overall. Movement Speed on Elite Kill and Lucky Hit damage provide limited endgame value. Most builds already reach movement speed caps through other sources. Barbarians may find situational use for the attack speed scaling with builds like Battle Trance.
Paladin Class Changes
Paladin receives the most extensive changes in 2.6.0, including major nerfs to dominant builds, numerous bug fixes, and targeted buffs.
Castle Paragon Node Nerf
The Castle Paragon node gets a fundamental redesign. Previously, Castle granted increased damage equal to 1.8% of armor value, letting players reach approximately 3,000% increased damage with optimized gear.
The new effect: "You deal increased damage equal to 125% of the damage reduction granted from armor."
With roughly 80% damage reduction achievable from armor, players now receive about 100% increased damage (double damage) instead of 2,000%+. This represents approximately 8-9 Pit tiers of lost damage for Paladin builds using Castle.
Judgment Build Nerfs
Judgment Paladin, the strongest Paladin build in Season 11, takes multiple targeted hits.
Spear of the Heavens Changes: Previously, only the first spear applied Judgment marks. The new version grants three initial spears that apply Judgment marks for 12 seconds. Despite having more spears, the loss of permanent Judgment marking appears to be a significant mechanical nerf, with a 1.5-second burst window noted in updated planners.
Judgment Day Key Passive: Previously stacked multiplicatively for approximately 139% damage at max stacks. Now stacks additively for roughly 90% damage. That's about a 40% damage reduction from this passive alone.
Log Glyph: The bonus damage from this glyph was multiplicative for Judgment builds. It's now additive, another significant damage reduction.
Bug Fixes (Nerfs):
- Fixed Judgment marks applying to destructible objects
- Fixed Judgment always hitting one additional enemy beyond intended
- Fixed Log Glyph granting its additive bonus as a multiplier (described as "probably the biggest nerf to Judgment")
Combined estimates suggest Judgment Paladin loses approximately 25 tiers of clearing capability, potentially dropping from Pit 140 to roughly Pit 110-115.
Juggernaut Oath Fix
Juggernaut Oath previously granted generic damage to all abilities rather than only to Juggernaut skills as intended. This fix removes a significant multiplier from non-Juggernaut Paladin builds that were benefiting from the effect.
Auradin (Aura Paladin) Changes
Nerfs:
- Pet damage scaling reduced (wolves summoned through the Ceh rune trigger aura effects less frequently)
- Castle Paragon node nerf applies
Buffs:
- Holy Light Aura potency doubled
- Dawnfire updated: activating Holy Light Aura now refreshes duration, making it far easier to maintain stacks during boss fights and transitions
- Dawnfire tooltip clarified to indicate the aura around the player has extra size
- Holy Light Aura chance to deal double damage increased
- Buff duration increased
- Added buff number duration indicator for Holy Light Aura
- Holy Light Aura tooltip now clarifies it gains damage from attack speed (this double-dips effectively, particularly for builds using the Preacher node which provides "Deal increased damage equal to 65% of your attack speed")
Sun Knight Changes: Now grants aura skills in addition to anointing effects, a major benefit for party play.
Bug Fixes (Buffs):
- Fixed Defiance Aura bugs
- Fixed Fanaticism Aura bugs
- Fixed Holy Light Aura delay before granting benefits to allies
- Fixed Castle snapshotting issues (Castle now functions consistently without snapshotting)
Auradin should remain extremely strong in groups, potentially even stronger than before. The accumulating bug fixes and aura improvements may offset the Castle nerf.
Shield of Retribution (Thorns/Captain America) Build
Bug Fixes (Major Buffs):
- Thorns passive with Defiance Aura now functions correctly
- Right of Thorns with Defiance Aura scaling now works as intended
These fixes unlock significant party synergy. When stacking potency in groups, the Right of Thorns Defiance Aura bonus can potentially reach approximately 2,000% extra damage (a 21x multiplier from this single source).
This build may become the strongest Paladin option for Season 12, excelling as a leveling build, solo build, and group play build simultaneously.
Hammerdin Changes
Argent Veil Ring Fix: Fixed an issue where players with affixes that reduce evade cooldown (commonly found on boots like Flicker Steps) could trigger infinite core skill spawns through Argent Veil. This significantly reduces the build's power ceiling.
Wing Strikes
Wing Strikes received no targeted nerfs beyond the universal Castle nerf, making it relatively stronger compared to other Paladin builds that took additional hits.
Other Paladin Changes
Skill Updates:
- Convicting improvements
- Defiance Aura: Increased damage-over-time tick rate
- Heaven's Fury: Nearly doubled damage buff
- Rally: Health cost increased to 35% (nerf, this was used for resource generation strategies)
Passive Updates:
- Various passives received per-stack increases
- Soul Brand gains extra damage
- Sun Knight Aura receives additional bonuses
Other Class Balance Changes
All other classes receive Paragon board buffs that help close the gap with Paladin.
Barbarian
- Weapon Master: Fury gain reduced, but damage nearly doubled to 50-75%
- Warbringer: Now includes a damage multiplier
- Hemorrhage buffs may enable bleed build viability
- Lust for Carnage buffed
Druid
- Sustira Paragon changes
- Various number increases across Paragon boards
Necromancer
- Flesh Eater: Now requires only one corpse (down from three) and lasts 8 seconds (up from 6), changing consumption rate from one corpse every two seconds to one every eight seconds
- Various number adjustments
Rogue
- Paragon board adjustments
- Value changes that make certain thresholds easier to reach
Sorcerer
- Burning damage increased to 90%
- Vulnerable damage increased to 60%
- Non-Crackling Energy builds still need significant additional buffs
Spirit Born
- Infighter receiving buffs
- Duration increases
- Maximum stacks improvements
- Zenith improvements
Glyph and Node Changes
Ember/Guzzler Glyph Nerfs
The Ember and Guzzler glyphs (each class has one or the other) previously scaled with potion capacity. Players stacked potion capacity on pants and through Dark Citadel incense to reach approximately 13 potions, granting around 65% multiplicative damage.
These glyphs are now capped at 20% regardless of potion capacity. This kills Tower pushing strategies that relied on these glyphs and makes them far less attractive outside builds that can freely press potions (like those using Temerity).
Tower and Content Changes
- New monster types now appear in the Tower
- New tile sets added for the Tower
- Various bug fixes for Tower content
- Progress bar persistence fixes after player death
New Elite Affixes
A new legendary monster affix and unique elite affix have been added, similar to the Hidden Armory effect on sigils used when hunting specific spawns. These create glowing monster packs that drop one guaranteed Ancestral item when killed.
- Expert difficulty required for Legendary elite affix
- Apex difficulty required for Unique elite affix
This creates progression incentives for pushing into higher difficulties while leveling.
PTR Testing Features
The PTR Boost NPC (Mrak) returns with updated functionality, now offering segmented boosts for focused testing. Available boosts include:
Crafting & Materials:
- Gold, Obols, all materials
- Masterworking unlock
- All Temper Manuals
- Lair Keys, Tributes, Infernal Compasses
- Nightmare Escalation Sigils
Equipment:
- All Runes
- Maximum all Aspects
- Random Legendaries (requires Level 7+ for Helms, Level 15+ for Amulets)
- All Uniques
Paragon:
- All Glyphs
- Maximum all Glyphs
Progression:
- Complete Campaign and all Strongholds
- Set Level to 50 or 60
- Unlock all Waypoints and reveal map
- Unlock all Torment Tiers
- Set Paragon to Level 200
Seasonal:
- Grant Bloodied Items
- Grant Seasonal Activity Keys (Bloodied Sigils)
Character names will no longer change to "default" when accounts are copied to PTR.
PTR Installation
- Open Battle.net App and select Diablo IV
- Use the game version dropdown above the Play button
- Select "Public Test Realm"
- Click Install, then Play when ready
- Create a new test character (Seasonal Character for seasonal feature testing)
PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate users access PTR through Battle.net via the Xbox App.
Season Timeline
- PTR Start: February 3, 2026, 10:00 a.m. PST
- PTR End: February 10, 2026, 10:00 a.m. PST
- Season 12 Launch: March 10, 2026
- Lord of Hatred Expansion Showcase: February 11, 2026 (immediately following PTR)
- Lord of Hatred Expansion Launch: April 28, 2026
The roughly seven-week season length reflects its role as a bridge to the expansion rather than a full-featured seasonal experience.
Sanctification System Status
The Sanctification system from Season 11 (which granted access to powerful items like The Grandfather, Starfall, and Shako) won't return for Season 12. This removes approximately 10 tiers of damage from all builds that benefited from those bonuses.
Blizzard has acknowledged that Sanctification was well-received and popular. While not returning for Season 12, the positive reception suggests similar systems may appear in the future.
Meta Predictions
Here's what to expect for Season 12:
Power Level Changes
- Overall power ceiling drops approximately 20 tiers from Season 11 peaks
- Builds previously clearing Pit 140+ expected to clear Pit 110-130 range
- Gap between Paladin and other classes narrows, but Paladin remains strongest
Paladin Build Hierarchy (Projected)
- Shield of Retribution/Thorns (Captain America): Potentially strongest build overall due to major bug fixes enabling intended scaling
- Auradin: Remains extremely strong in groups; targeted buffs may offset nerfs
- Wing Strikes: Rises in relative ranking with no targeted nerfs
- Judgment: Drops significantly from top position; roughly Pit 110-115 expected
- Hammerdin: Reduced power from Argent Veil fix
Other Classes
- Pulverize Druid and other top non-Paladin builds expected to close the gap with Paladin
- Crackling Energy Sorcerer remains dominant for that class
- Heart Seeker and Death Trap remain top Rogue options
- HOTA and Lunge remain top Barbarian options
