On Wednesday, August 5, the Diablo IV 3.2.0 Public Test Server (PTR) went live. Blizzard stated that this PTR does not include all content for Season 15, with most details to be revealed at BlizzCon. I spent some time playing the content currently available in the PTR.

Season 15 introduces new gems to replace the Horadric gems, which previously relied heavily on repetitive gameplay like 'Royal Runs.' Soul Thorns are powerful items that can only be socketed into accessories. Like existing gems, they provide attribute resistance, but they also offer unique effects that balance benefits and drawbacks—such as increasing critical hit chance and attack speed at the cost of higher resource consumption, or gaining damage reduction at the cost of movement speed. They come in five rarities: Normal, Magic, Rare, Legendary, and Unique, and can be upgraded via the Horadric Cube.

There are many interesting effects beyond simple stat adjustments. For example, 'Thorns of Deceit' is a farming-focused gem that boosts EXP, gold, and material drop rates while keeping you in a weakened, vulnerable state. 'Hellfire Thorns' increases damage dealt by up to 100% but reduces critical hit chance by 100%. I encourage you to choose the Soul Thorns that fit your build or design a special build around specific ones.

Challenge Dungeons are a new mechanic appearing throughout Sanctuary. You can enter them via portals in the overworld to face bosses up to three difficulty levels higher than your current tier for greater rewards. You can select the difficulty upon entry, with higher difficulties yielding better loot.

Challenge Dungeons are not being added directly in Season 15; they are currently being piloted in the PTR to test similar mechanics. New content based on these dungeons will be unveiled at BlizzCon.

Overworld Ambushes are a new feature reminiscent of 'The Butcher,' where demons occasionally appear to hunt players while they explore the overworld. If you are marked as prey, a warning will appear, giving you 30 seconds to either flee or fight back. These demons are noticeably stronger than others at the same difficulty level, so Hardcore players should decide carefully whether to engage or run.

The 'Mythic Unique' item grade introduced last season was polarizing among players. This system will see major improvements next season. First, while crafting Mythic Unique items via the Horadric Cube will require more materials and costs, it removes the RNG element, allowing you to convert items directly into their Mythic state. As long as the item isn't 'Attribute-Locked,' you can upgrade it to Mythic grade while retaining all its original affixes and attributes.

However, Mythic Unique items crafted this way will receive a 'Crafted Tag,' limiting you to equipping only one at a time. Conversely, if you craft a random Mythic Unique via the Blacksmith or Jeweler, the 'Crafted Tag' is not applied. While the restriction on crafted Mythic Uniques isn't entirely gone, it is a significant improvement compared to Season 14.

Additionally, 'iconic Mythic Unique' items from up to Season 13, such as The Grandfather and Harlequin Crest, have been changed so they can also be used as standard Unique items. This should significantly reduce frustration for players who have just reached max level and are starting to put together their first builds.

Along with Mythic Unique equipment, Mythic-quality amulets have been added. Like Mythic Unique gear, their attributes are set to maximum values, and their unique properties are significantly enhanced. There is no specific way to craft or farm Mythic Unique amulets; they can only be obtained if a Unique amulet drops as a Mythic Unique by chance.

Furthermore, new Unique amulets are being released. There are 16 new types, based on Unique items that already exist in the game but were previously unused. While not shown in the PTR, amulets will also be applied to 8 of the 10 new 'Legacy Unique' items coming in Season 15.

The newly added 'Rebirth' feature eliminates the hassle of creating a new character every season due to character slot limitations. By using Rebirth to convert an Eternal character to a Seasonal state, that character moves to the Seasonal realm and resets to level 1. Rebirth preserves your class, name, appearance, Hardcore status, and cosmetics, while all held items are removed.

'Horadric Mail' has also been added. This is a new system for the Diablo IV team to send rewards and messages to players, including supplies, commemorative items, and more. It will be interesting to see how this is used after the season opens to provide rewards for existing content or to introduce new prestige-based content.