Killstreaks (and a tiny bit more) are coming to Diablo 4 in a short Season 12

The PTR for Diablo 4 patch 2.6 is now live, and as usual it’s scheduled to run for a brief week, until February 10 at 10am pacific (1pm eastern). This patch includes Season 12, which Blizzard says is “a more focused, streamlined season,” meaning it’s a short season with less content than usual. Season 12 is due to start on March 10, and with Lord of Hatred expansion launching on April 28 with Season 13, leaving Season 12 running for just seven weeks. That means this season has just one straightforward mechanic: killstreaks.

It’s a fun system that’s well-suited to Diablo’s gameplay, and we’ve seen killstreak systems pop up in events in Diablo 4 — just not as part of primary gameplay. The concept is straightforward: the more kills you make in quick succession, the higher your killstreak goes and the more bonuses you earn. Doing damage and applying damage over time effects will also continue your killstreak, so keep fighting to keep the killstreak counter will keep going.

The rewards for the Season 12 killstreak system are a little unimpressive. A killstreak awards bonus XP and bonus seasonal reputation when it ends, so collecting massive killstreak totals is how you earn seasonal progression. There are no new seasonal powers or events: it’s all about racking up massive killstreaks.

However, there is some gear to collect that can power up your killstreaks. Bloodied items drop randomly and include unique affixes that buff killstreaks, most based on the tier of your current killstreak. The system has five tiers: Killstreak, Carnage, Devastation, Bloodbath, and Massacre.

Here are the Bloodied affixes you can get:

• Rampage
  • Increase in power based off current Killstreak Tier
  • Applies to Armor
  • Ex: Killstreak: 7%[+] Move Speed per Killstreak Tier in your Killstreak
• Feast
  • Apply Combat bonuses based off total kills in your current Killstreak
  • Applies to Weapons
  • Ex: Every 40 Kills in your Killstreak, reset 1 random Cooldown
  • These bonuses are constant and are not tied to Killstreak Tier
• Hunger
  • Customizes reward offerings, which scale with Killstreak Tiers
  • Ex: Elite kills will drop Runes more frequently
  • Applies to Jewelry

These affixes are in addition to existing affixes, and multiple Bloodied affixes will stack. Bloodied items can also drop as Ancestral items, so you’ll have Bloodied items at every power level.

There are also seasonal Bloodied Sigils for Nightmare Dungeons, Infernal Hordes, and Lair Bosses, which become available on Torment 1. These Sigils have the affix Relentless Butcher, which strengthens all enemies and spawns a Butcher who will chase you throughout the entire dungeon. If you kill the Butcher, he will respawn and continue the chase. It’s a fun new menace to contend with.

These systems all seem fun, but Season 12 is certainly lightweight, without much content to engage with. And while the killstreak system is a good fit, it’s apparently only being added for this short season.

There may be some additional surprises for Diablo 4 Season 12, but they’re unlikely to be huge since nothing else is being tested on the PTR. We don’t yet know about any seasonal quests or seasonal rewards that will be available, and we may not find out until shortly before the season launches.

Diablo 4 patch 2.6.0 and Season 12 are scheduled to launch on March 10, 2026, so be prepared to wrap up your Season 11 goals and jump on the killstreak bandwagon soon.