Lilith’s dark crusade in the mortal realm sends players on a quest throughout a large chunk of Sanctuary, slaying demons and collecting shiny loot all throughout. Players can expect an hours-long campaign here featuring everything that madeDiablo 4so famous in the first place.

However, players who are totally new to the gamemight be asking themselves a couple of questions: what’s the difference between the Eternal and Seasonal Realm inDiablo 4?This can have a tremendous impact on how your first playthrough goes, so before hopping on tocreating your first character, you might want to read this short guide first.

Diablo 4: character

Should You Pick Eternal or Seasonal Realm in Diablo 4?

First, the definitions. The Realms are essentially two sides of the same coin. TheSeasonal Realmcontains time-limited stories and gameplay features, while theEternalRealmoffers the coreDiablo 4experience of dungeon crawling and looting withoutany of the new toysand tales offered by the Seasonal Realm.

Making this distinction is very important for new players because they might end up wasting their time. If you want to participate in the current ongoing season, then make your first character in the Seasonal Realm. If not, go to the Eternal Realm. Youcannotsend an Eternal character to the Seasonal Realm, but all Seasonal characterswill goto the Eternal Realmonce the current season expires. Additionally, you cannot play with characters who are in a different Realm.

Diablo 4 Tag Page Cover Art

First-time players are highly encouraged tostart their journey in the Seasonal Realmjust so theydon’t miss outon current events and seasonal rewards. However, people who do not like dealing with time-gated mechanics or those who want to learnDiablo 4without time-sensitive mechanics may want to start on the Eternal Realm instead. When a Seasonal character is transferred to the Eternal Realm, players get to keep their progress with said character — their level and inventories are preserved, including their entire stash.

Every time a season resets, all players will need tostart with a new Seasonal character. This meansreturning to level 1without any of the gear they’ve collected in the past. However, as long as they’ve completed the main campaign at least once, they’ll be able to skip it and start atDiablo 4’sendgame immediately. Bounties from the Tree of Whispers will be available right at the start, and all players need to worry about is leveling up, clearing dungeons, and unlocking some undiscovered waypoints.