Diablo 4 Boosting

The arrival of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred also marks the beginning of Season 13. However, in order to keep new content under wraps, the developers did not open a PTR for Season 13. Fortunately, the wait for fresh information won't be much longer.

The team has confirmed that a comprehensive developer update livestream will take place on April 23, offering a detailed look at Lord of Hatred expansion and the overhauled skill system. Here's what viewers can expect from the broadcast.

Date

The developer livestream begins at 11:00 a.m. PT on April 23. During the show, the development team will share final details about the expansion's launch and dive deep into the skill trees of the new class.

Players can tune in via official channels on Twitch, YouTube, X, and TikTok. While watching any stream under Diablo 4 category during the developer update, viewers who log at least 30 minutes will earn Twitch Drop rewards: Decaying Corona Staff Cosmetic and Double Trouble Sword Cosmetic. The redemption window remains open until the end of the day following the livestream.

Global Launch Timing

Regarding the most anticipated question - Lord of Hatred expansion's release time - while the official announcement only confirms the release date, the specific time has not yet been released. It's highly likely that a detailed global launch time map will be shared either during or immediately after the stream. Due to time zone differences, the local clock times will vary, but the moment itself will be simultaneous worldwide.

Skill Tree Overhaul

One of the update's biggest highlights is a fundamental rework of skill trees across all classes.

So far, we've only seen the full skill tree for the new Warlock class. But preview snippets of Necromancer skill tree from a press kit suggest that every class will receive a rework of equal scope. Compared to the previous version, the new skill trees promise greater depth and complexity, with nearly every skill featuring transformative keystone nodes.

It has also become clear that passive skills have not been removed; rather, they have been relocated out of the skill tree. These passives will now appear on gear affixes, Paragon Board, or Legendary Aspects. The skill tree itself will focus more tightly on customizing active skills rather than stacking passive attributes.

Perhaps most excitingly, players will now be able to invest up to 15 skill points into a single skill. This opens the door to a wider variety of builds and could thoroughly shuffle Season 12 meta - some Tier D builds might vault all the way to Tier S.

It remains uncertain whether the livestream will reveal every class's full skill tree at once, but viewers can at least expect a comprehensive preview. The community can then use this information to plot out fresh leveling strategies. Developers have also reassured players that beloved existing playstyles are not going away; they will simply be assembled in new ways.

Talisman System

Another major focus of the stream will be the brand-new Talisman System. Although there has been chatter about the return of Sets, this iteration moves away from traditional set items. Instead, a central Talisman triggers set-like bonuses based on the charms placed around it.

The system revolves around two components: Talisman itself and an arrangement of Set Charms encircling it. Footage and materials shown previously indicate that Set Charms come in various rarities, and the central Talisman serves as the key to activating their combined effects.

Through Talisman System, players can gain conventional set bonuses as well as unique supplementary effects that depend on the specific charm combination equipped - for instance, damage reduction or increased damage while moving. Additionally, Talisman features different socket types, allowing players to further tailor attributes by slotting gems.

This system can deliver bonuses to core skill ranks, improved chances for obtaining crafting materials, and even wild affixes that grant extra experience. It promises a substantial power boost for every class and will be a tremendous asset for anyone pushing toward Paragon Level 300.

Horadric Cube

The stream will also delve into Horadric Cube. Several recipes have already been glimpsed in preview footage, and players have largely deduced their intended functions. Nevertheless, many questions remain about material rarity and specific outcomes.

For example, Sanctification mechanic will be folded into Horadric Cube. The goal is to make this potent customization tool more controllable and logical, moving away from the extreme randomness and highstakes gambles associated with chasing doubledamage Mythic Uniques.

Alongside changes to the gear system, new materials like Enhanced Primordial Dust and Raw Primordial Dust are being introduced. Developers have made clear that these crucial crafting components will be readily available through standard endgame loops, so there's no need to break down rare Unique items on purpose just to obtain them.

Endgame Systems and War Plans

Regarding endgame expansion, the livestream will spotlight two key features:

Echoing Hatreds

This is an extreme challenge dungeon that appears only in specific seasonal modes and requires a rare key to enter. While the exact rewards remain a mystery, this is likely the most difficult boss encounter currently in the game.

War Plans

War Plans represents an endgame framework previously introduced by the team. Comparable to Path of Exile's Atlas system, it lets players use War Plans resources to unlock and upgrade talent trees for endgame activities such as Infernal Hordes and The Pit. These trees grant powerful bonuses.

This system gives players the ability to tailor specific activities, influencing the types of Diablo 4 items dropped or the enemies encountered. Each activity features seven tiers to unlock, which should make Diablo 4's endgame considerably more engaging.

Lord of Hatred is set to reshape the game. Whether it ends up resembling Path of Exile or carves out a distinct identity all its own, we'll just have to wait and see.

With only two weeks remaining until Diablo 4 Season 13, you might be tempted to look ahead to the new season and its upcoming expansion, foregoing the completion of Season 12.

However, building a powerful Season 12 character, and doing so without any regrets, is a rewarding endeavor in its own right.

To achieve this, continuously upgrading your gear is paramount. Once you reach the maximum level, gear, alongside your Paragon Board configuration, becomes the core factor determining your character's overall strength.

Diablo 4 offers numerous methods for enhancing your gear; among them, socketing gems into your equipment stands out as a relatively low-difficulty option that yields excellent returns.

In this guide, we will introduce you to the specific functions of these gems and the most effective ways to farm them.

What are Diablo 4 gems?

While gems are a common feature in the item systems of many ARPGs, in Diablo 4, they function specifically as magical artifacts that can be socketed directly into your gear.

There are seven distinct types of Diablo 4 gems, each type is further subdivided into five different tiers. Naturally, the higher the tier, the greater the statistical bonuses provided.

Each type of gem provides specific bonus effects depending on whether it is socketed into a weapon, armor, or jewelry slot:

(Chipped/Base/Flawless/Royal/Grand) Amethyst:

• Weapon: + Damage Over Time
• Armor: + Barrier Generation
• Jewelry: + Shadow Resistance

(Chipped/Base/Flawless/Royal/Grand) Diamond:

• Weapon: + Ultimate Damage
• Armor: + All Stats
• Jewelry: + Resistance to All Elements

(Chipped/Base/Flawless/Royal/Grand) Emerald:

• Weapon: + Critical Strike Damage
• Armor: + Dexterity
• Jewelry: + Poison Resistance

(Chipped/Base/Flawless/Royal/Grand) Ruby:

• Weapon: + Overpower Damage
• Armor: + Strength
• Jewelry: + Fire Resistance

(Chipped/Base/Flawless/Royal/Grand) Sapphire:

• Weapon: + Vulnerable Damage
• Armor: + Willpower
• Jewelry: + Cold Resistance

(Chipped/Base/Flawless/Royal/Grand) Topaz:

• Weapon: + Basic Damage
• Armor: + Intelligence
• Jewelry: + Lightning Resistance

(Chipped/Base/Flawless/Royal/Grand) Skull:

• Weapon: + Life on Kill
• Armor: + Healing Received
• Jewelry: + Armor

How to obtain gems?

Generally speaking, gems in Diablo 4 do not drop as complete, single units. Instead, you will primarily farm gem fragments and then visit Jeweler to craft them into the final finished gems.

However, if you don't want to consume extra time farming and would prefer to acquire the gems you desire instantly, the best option is to buy Diablo 4 gems at IGGM!

How to farm gem fragments?

There are many sources for gem fragments in Diablo 4; however, not all of them are equally reliable.

Therefore, we recommend prioritizing the farming of Infernal Hordes Chests, Augment Caches, specific Whispers Caches, and Gem Caches that may be awarded from side quests.

The specific methods for obtaining each type of chest/cache are as follows:

• Infernal Hordes Chest: Collect a sufficient amount of Burning Aether during combat encounters to exchange for the chest.
• Augment Cache: Unlock Bartering System at The Den by reaching Affinity Level 8 with the mercenary Aldkin, then exchange for the cache.
• Greater Cache of Gem Fragments and Greater Collection of Materials: Complete the bounty quests issued by Tree of Whispers, then redeem them using Grim Favors you have earned.
• Gem Cache: Complete various side quests.

In addition to being used to craft gems, fragments can, in certain seasons, also be used to craft specific Jewelry Caches, Incense, or other consumables.

How to craft gems?

Once you have obtained enough fragments, and paired them with a sufficient amount of gold or Forgotten Souls, you can craft gems at Jeweler. The material requirements for crafting each tier of gem are as follows:

• Chipped: 10 gem fragments and 1,000 Gold
• Base: 100 gem fragments and 10,000 Gold
• Flawless: 1,000 gem fragments and 100,000 Gold
• Royal: 10,000 gem fragments and 1,000,000 Gold
• Grand: 100,000 gem fragments, 30 Forgotten Souls, and 10,000,000 Gold

Gold can be obtained from most events or dungeons in Diablo 4. As for Forgotten Souls, their drop sources include (specifically on Torment difficulty settings):

• Salvaging Ancestral items
• Legion Events
• Helltides
• Tree of Whispers
• Infernal Hordes
• Undercity of Kurast

It is worth noting that, aside from standard crafting, you can also exchange 100 fragments each of three different gem types for 200 fragments of a fourth type. This is particularly useful when your inventory of gem fragments is unbalanced.

Gems can be replaced/removed/salvaged

Since gear sockets are limited, once you have crafted higher-tier gems, you will naturally want to use them to replace your lower-tier ones. You can do this simply by performing a direct swap; the gem being replaced will be returned to your inventory.

If you decide you no longer wish to have any gems socketed, you can simply unsocket them from the gear slot, and the embedded gem will be removed. Furthermore, neither replacing nor removing gems requires the consumption of any additional materials.

In the late stages of a season, once your character is sufficiently advanced, those removed or replaced lower-tier gems will probably no longer serve any purpose for you.

At this point, you can choose to salvage them to avoid cluttering your inventory space. However, salvaging a gem will only refund the fragments you originally used to craft it; gold and Forgotten Souls are not included in the return.

Which gems should you prioritize obtaining?

Regardless of the type, Grand-tier gems are undoubtedly the best choice, as they provide the highest stat bonuses. And now, nearing the end of the season, you should have ample materials on hand to craft Grand gems.

Therefore, the best strategy is to take a gradual approach: as you progress through the game, make sure to timely salvage your old gems and craft new ones to equip.

With this in mind, Grand Ruby and Grand Emerald are particularly popular choices in Season 12, as their stat bonuses are highly effective at countering most bosses.

The above covers all the essential information you need to know regarding gem acquisition in S12. Barring any major class-specific reworks, these guidelines are expected to remain just as valid for Season 13!