Diablo 3 patch 2.3.0 PTR: Level your seasonal in Adventure Mode and more

As I was ending a Diablo 3 patch 2.3.0 PTR game in order to start a new one, the Season 4 introduction screen popped up. We already knew that Season 4 would probably be after patch 2.3.0 releases, but a closer look at the seasonal toon screen showed me a new UI feature regarding my seasonal progress. When I clicked it, a new pane popped up with seasonal objectives and rewards. I later found that you can also open this pane in a game by clicking on its icon just above the minimap, next to your current difficulty and character level.

As always, remember that this is the PTR where things are subject to change.

The season is divided into four chapters. After completing all four chapters, you receive the portrait frame and pet. The eight objectives for Chapter 1 are listed below:

• A New Start: Complete 5 Bounties. Open up the Waypoint Map in Adventure Mode to see what Bounties are available.
• Begin Again: Complete a Nephalem Rift. Click the Nephalem Obelisk in town while in Adventure Mode to start a Nephalem Rift.
• Socket to Me: Socket a gem in an item. Gems and items that are socketable do not start dropping until level 15.
• Like a Boss: Slay the Butcher, Belial, Azmodan, Diablo, or Malthael.
• Iron Heart: Raise the Blacksmith to level 5. The Blacksmith crafts weapons and armors and salvages items into crafting materials for you.
• I Like Jewels: Raise the Jeweler to level 5. The Jeweler crafts gems and jewelry and unsockets gems for you.
• Magic Mystical Tour: Raise the Mystic to level 5. The Mystic can replace one unwanted property on each item for you. The Mystic can also change the look of your items via Transmogrification.
• Fearless Veteran: Reach level 35. If enemies are too easy, raising the difficulty will also increase the amount of experience you gain. You can raise the difficulty outside of game through the Game Settings UI.

Level your seasonal with Adventure Mode: You might think that the “Like a Boss” objective can’t possibly be real, because you’ll kill the Butcher in Campaign Mode before you kill any of the others. However, Adventure Mode was open to my seasonal PTR toon before she even entered her first game. The other objectives point to being able to run bounties and rifts for leveling instead of being confined to Campaign Mode first. After questing a little in Campaign Mode I set off to confirm that new Seasonals will be able to run bounties and rifts at lower levels.

Although I grabbed the town portal through Campaign Mode first, I didn’t yet get to the templar, the first follower you normally get. When I arrived in Adventure Mode, all three followers were there for my level 11 seasonal witch doctor. They had their basic gear equipped, which means that the Enchantress is likely more powerful to start, as she has “later” gear than the other two.

Nephalem Rifts are available but Greater Rifts are still locked to level 70. I started a Nephalem Rift before I even had my whole action bar unlocked and I finished it three levels later. Even though I had only collected 14 Blood Shards in the rift, Kadala was standing there ready to offer her mysterious goods.

Crafting changes: While I was questing in Campaign Mode, I discovered a major artisan change. The Mystic is no longer buried in Act 5, but is now rewarded soon in Act 1 after you save Deckard Cain in the cathedral, right before you go talk to Haedrig Eamon to get the Blacksmith. Since I hadn’t unlocked the Jeweler yet, I had to train him to rank one (it cost 1000 gold) in order to see any of his recipes. Furthermore, the crafting mats familiar to many endgame players in Reaper of Souls are the only crafting mats that drop from monsters and from salvaging items.

All of the artisans are also in Adventure Mode with you — including the newest “artisan” Zoltun Kulle, who offers the quest for Kanai’s Cube. I was able to go to the Ruins of Sescheron through the Waypoint Map in Adventure Mode and grabbed Kanai’s Cube at level 16, as I did a bounty there and killed a lot of the map to find the Elder Sanctum. And yes — doing bounties at low levels still gives you some of the special legendary materials per Act that you need to use the Cube. However, nearly all of the Cube recipes require Death’s Breath, which is still a level 61+ item.

What’s after Chapter 1? We’ll have to catch up later to see what Chapter 2 has in store for us, but I imagine it’s more of the same “do X number of Y thing” objectives. As I completed seasonal chapter objective, I got a special splash graphic like an achievement, and some names of the splashes weren’t what I saw in the Chapter 1 pane. It’s likely that objectives for Chapter 1 set you up to complete larger thematic objectives in later Chapters.