2019-08-20T11:51:25 02:00

Diablo 3 Season 18 Guide - Tips on Classes, Sets & Builds | GameZ

In this guide to the 18th season of Diablo 3 you will learn among other things:

what new features patch 2.6.6 will bring to the game
what rewards are waiting for you in the new season
what makes the season theme so special this time

Season 17 of Diablo 3 ended on August 18, 2019. Already this week, the next Season of Diablo 3 will go to the start. The developers of Blizzard also announced a few days ago that Diablo 3 will continue to be supplied with new content in the future.

Today we tell you what to expect in the 18th Season and how to prepare perfectly for it.

Diablo 3 Season 18: The start date is fixed

On August 23, 2019 at 17:00 German time, the starting signal falls for the 18th Diablo 3 Season on PC. Console players may start the monster hunt earlier. On the ,and derwird the 18th Season already at 02:00 in the night of 23 August 2019 rung in. Three months are usually set for a season, so we can expect Season 19 in late November/early December.

New legendary properties in Diablo 3 Season 18

Some legendary items that were rarely used before have been given a new trait:

The Executioner: Attacks kill enemies who have less than (5 - 10%) of their life.
Stone Armor Gauntlets: When attacked, you will slowly turn to stone... (Your armor will be increased by 50r, but your movement speed will be decreased by 15% and your attack speed will be decreased by 20%. This effect stacks up to 5 times)
Sonic Fury: When you kill enemies, you go into a frenzy (Each enemy killed increases your attack speed by 15% and your movement speed by 5%. This effect stacks up to 5 times)
Crumb's Necklace: While you are not taking damage, damage dealt is increased by up to 100% and damage taken is increased by up to 50r.
Knivesmiths: Reduces the remaining cooldown of one of your skills by 1 sec when you kill an enemy.
Scent of Time: Pylon effects last twice as long.
Mortick'sBracers: Wrath of the Berserker gains the effect of each rune.
Viciousness: Colossi that have not yet mastered the Cleave skill will gain this ability, as well as the freeze effects of the Gigantoid rune.

Diablo 3: The theme in Season 18

This Season, the passive buff "Will of Trinity" will be active, which can cause three different areas to appear as soon as you attack an enemy. These areas have different colors and grant you a different buff each. The blue circle reduces your resource cost by 50%, while the purple circle increases your damage by 100.

If you are standing in the green circle, your spells will have significantly less cooldown, as it increases your CDR (Cooldown Reduction). The positive effects will affect every player who is in the zones. While the previous season buffs only became relevant at maximum level, this time your characters will already benefit from the effect at level 1.

These are the achievements to complete

The achievements rotate this season as well. This time, relatively easy challenges have been rolled out:

Boss Mode: Kill all bosses under 20 minutes on Qualification 10 or higher.
Mineral Collection: Upgrade three legendary gems to level 65.
Simply Divine: Complete a solo portal at level 75.
Cursed and Stitched: Kill 350 enemies from a chest at Qualification 10 or higher.
Demon of Speed: Complete a Nephalem portal at max level in under two minutes on Qual 10 or higher.

New Legendary Gem for LoN Builds in Diablo 3 Season 18

Blizzard is responding to the request of many players and making LoN builds (Legacy of Nightmares set) more relevant again this season. There are two ways to play a LoN build. Either you choose the Lament of the Host and Litany of the Undaunted rings, which together activate the Legacy of Nightmares set bonus. Or you can use the new Legacy of Dreams gem, which you simply need to socket into one of your trinkets.

As usual for LoN, no additional set bonuses must be active for the gem's effect to take effect.

Thus, at first level, it increases your damage by 3.75 percent and reduces damage taken by 2 percent. This effect is even doubled for ancient items. The gem will be the only new item this season.

These new cosmetic items are brought by Season 18

After Season 17 was the first time that players were able to grab past season-specific rewards again, Blizzard is bringing back the rewards from Season 6. However, the gloves and the chestplate of the Conqueror set are not to remain the only cosmetic rewards.

Additionally, you shall be able to earn a set of blood shard adorned portrait frames. Also, a flag is waiting for you, which is supposed to be themed to the spookiest time of the year.

These rewards are available in Diablo 3 Season 18

Of course, Haedrig will equip you with a full class set as usual. In Season 18, your favorite blacksmith will let you jump the following sets:

Wizard - Delsere's Opus Magnum
Barbarian - The Legacy of Raekor
Demon Hunter - Marauder's Equipment
Monk - Inna's Influence
Crusader - Akkhan's armor
Necromancer - Garb of the Plague Ruler
Witch Doctor - Zunimassa's Lair

Diablo 3 Season 18: The best classes and builds in the guide

Based on the balancing changes that patch 2.6.6 brings, the ranking of the best classes also changes. The ranking is a summary from all relevant areas. The ratings include the possibilities in single player, the speed in rifts, the usefulness in group play and the support ability. For the upcoming season, the ranking looks like this:

1st place: Necromancer
Builds: LoN Mage, Lancer, Thorns
2nd place: Monk
Builds: WoL Build, Support
3rd place: Wizard
Builds: Bazooka, Chan Vyrs
Rank 4: Demon Hunter
Builds: Multiple Shot, Impale, LoN Rapid Fire
Rank 5: Barbarian
Builds: Whirlwind, 22PuR, Pull (Support)
Rank 6: Witch Doctor
Builds: LoN Dart, Ghost Barrage, Jade Master
Rank 7: Crusader
Builds: Captain America, Shotgun

Except for Barbarians and Witch Doctors, all classes are good for hardcore mode equipped. While the witch doctor fails due to a lack of defensive skills, the barbarian only lacks damage. However, you can compensate for this via group play.

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