Diablo IV

Season 14 · Patch 3.1.2

Season Archive Current Mar 11 → Apr 28, 2026 (48 days)

Season of Slaughter is the shortest D4 season ever — 48 days, built as a bridge into the Lord of Hatred expansion. It gave players a chance to play as the Butcher, added the Butcher as a permanent Lair Boss, and layered Killstreak-scaling Bloodied Items onto the meta. Spear of the Heavens Paladin received nerfs but remains a strong pushing build.

Seasonal Mechanic — Killstreaks

Visible timer tracks consecutive kills with five escalating tiers:

• Killstreak — 15 kills
• Carnage — 100 kills
• Devastation — 250 kills
• Bloodbath — 500 kills
• Massacre — 1,000 kills

Bonus XP + seasonal rep granted on streak end. Combined with Bloodied Items for scaling affixes tied to current Killstreak Tier.

Butcher Transformation

'A Taste of Power' quest in Gea Kul unlocks the Butcher form in Slaughterhouse dungeons. Butcher mode replaces your class skill kit with: Carve, Culling, Molten Slam, Hail of Hooks, Hell Charge, Furnace Blast. Earns Fresh Meat currency for Bloodied gear, uniques, and cosmetics.

Bloodied Items

New item quality tier. Affixes scale off current Killstreak Tier — higher streak, stronger affixes. Bloodied Sigils for Nightmare Dungeons, Infernal Hordes, and Lair Bosses (Torment 1+) carry a "Relentless Butcher" affix that buffs all enemies and spawns a hunting Butcher chasing you.

The Butcher Lair Boss

Permanent addition to the Lair Boss rotation. Drops 5 new exclusive uniques (3 universal, 2 multi-class for Barb/Druid/Necro/Paladin):

• Blood-Mad Idol — Permanent Berserking, 200% increased Burning taken
• Wendigo Brand — Per-15-kills damage + max HP scaling

Top Meta Builds

• ◆ Spear of the Heavens Paladin (nerfed from S11, A-tier)
• ◆ Wing Strikes Paladin
• ◆ Shield of Retribution Paladin
• ◆ Auradin Paladin
• ◆ Crackling Energy Sorcerer (speedfarm)
• ◆ Thorns Barbarian