&w=3840&q=100)
Diablo 4 season 9 brings new dungeon gauntlet and boss mechanics: Details
American video game developer and publisher, Blizzard Entertainment, has revealed the first major details of Diablo 4 Season 9, with a strong focus on revitalising endgame content following widespread criticism of Season 8.
The new feature, titled Escalation Nightmares, will debut during the Public Test Realm (PTR) for Patch 2.3.0 from May 27 to June 3 and will be fully launched with the new season.
Escalation nightmares: A stacked dungeon challenge
According to a GameRant report, at the core of Season 9's endgame is Escalation Nightmares—a sequence of three chained Nightmare Dungeons. In this mode, affixes from each dungeon carry over to the next, progressively increasing difficulty. Blizzard has dubbed this feature the 'ultimate test,' offering players greater rewards for enduring mounting challenges.
The final stage of this gauntlet culminates in a revamped boss fight against Exalted Astaroth. This version of the demon splits mid-battle into two independent bosses, forcing players to adapt to new attack patterns and combo mechanics.
Season 9 aims to win back players after season 8 criticism
As per GameRant, Season 8 was met with mixed reviews, with players expressing frustration over sluggish progression, limited build diversity, and reduced drop rates for rare items. Blizzard's new approach in Season 9 appears aimed at restoring confidence through a more challenging and rewarding endgame experience.
More to come, but no expansion until 2026
While Season 9 leads the way, Blizzard has confirmed that a major expansion won't arrive until 2026. In the meantime, Seasons 9 and 10 will continue building on the 'Vessel of Hatred' storyline, with more updates expected as launch day approaches.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
37 minutes ago
- News18
Who Is Benson Boone? Meet Nora Fatehi's Rumoured Boyfriend And Viral Pop Star
Last Updated: As Nora Fatehi sparks dating buzz with Benson Boone, here's everything to know about the viral pop sensation and rising global star. Nora Fatehi made waves at the 2025 American Music Awards, not just with her striking presence but also due to her bond with American pop star Benson Boone. The duo's interactions quickly sparked dating rumours. According to Filmfare, an insider revealed, 'They were totally locked in. There was undeniable chemistry, definitely more than just small talk." While neither Nora nor Benson has commented on the growing speculation, fans are eager to know more about the new face lighting up headlines alongside the global diva. Who is Benson Boone? The 21-year-old singer rose to fame through American Idol in early 2021. At just 18, Boone auditioned in front of Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, despite having sung for only a year. He was handed a golden ticket to Hollywood Week, but exited the competition early. Explaining his decision, he shared in an interview, 'I didn't want to show the world someone I'm not. Social media is the biggest opportunity to get people to know you personally." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Benson Boone Nation 🍟 (@bensonboonenation) Later on The Zach Sang Show, Benson revealed, 'The reason I quit American Idol is because I wanted to do music… I just didn't want that label on me." He added that his parents, initially confused, supported his decision after he expressed his desire to be known for his music, not reality TV fame. Benson then turned to TikTok, where he quickly went viral. Before releasing his first single Ghost Town, he had already amassed 1.7 million followers. The single went on to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. In 2024, Taylor Swift announced Boone as one of the openers for her Eras Tour London shows at Wembley. He also made a splash at Coachella 2025 with two live performances. Now, with dating rumours linking him to Nora Fatehi, Boone is gaining traction with Indian fans too. First Published: June 04, 2025, 03:41 IST
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Alcaraz cruises into French Open last four with Sinner-'inspired' performance
Carlos Alcaraz said his ruthless quarter-final performance at Roland Garros on Tuesday was partly "inspired" by rival Jannik Sinner as the Spaniard blew away Tommy Paul for the loss of just five games. The reigning champion needed just one hour 34 minutes to dismantle former world number nine Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier and set up a last-four meeting with Italy's Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti, seeded eighth, earlier beat Paul's compatriot and 15th seed Frances Tiafoe in four sets. It will be the third time Alcaraz and Musetti meet this clay-court season. Alcaraz has dominated that series, beating the 23-year-old in the final in Monte Carlo before also stopping him in the last four on his way to the Rome title. "I mean he's playing great," said Alcaraz of the Italian. "It's going to be a beautiful battle, a beautiful match, I think we're both playing great tennis... it's going to be great for the people to watch as well." But the 22-year-old's blistering performance under the lights on centre court in Paris will have many backing him to make it three from three against Musetti as he seeks to defend his title. "It was, I could close my eyes and everything went in, my feeling today was amazing. Today was one of those matches where everything went in, I'm just pleased with everything," said Alcaraz of his performance Tuesday. Alcaraz fired 40 winners on his way to victory over Paul for just 22 unforced errors as he emphatically put inconsistent displays in the previous rounds behind him. The five-time Grand Slam champion has received some criticism for dropping sets and prolonging his time on court so far at Roland Garros this year. This stands in stark contrast to top seed Sinner a potential final opponent for Alcaraz who has minimised his playing time with relentless straight-set wins through his first four matches. "He inspired me in some ways just to give my 100 percent every match and I see how important it is just to play such a great level in the whole match, just to have more time then to recover after the match," admitted Alcaraz. "This kind of match is never easy," he said. "I've played Tommy many times and he's beat me twice." Despite previous success against Alcaraz, it took the 28-year-old American eight games to get on the scoreboard as his opponent raced out of the blocks, mixing powerful groundstrokes with perfectly-weighted drop-shots and lobs. Paul put up determined resistance in the third set despite carrying an injury but couldn't deny Alcaraz, who broke in the ninth game before holding to love for victory. "I know you wanted to watch more tennis," an apologetic Alcaraz told the crowd on centre court. "I have to say sorry for that. But I had to do my work." Paul has now lost his last four meetings with Alcaraz, including at the same venue last year in the last eight of the Olympic Games. "I think, you know, we've seen Sinner really destroy people lately," Paul told reporters after the match. "I guess today was Carlos' turn, so I think both of them are playing at an extremely, extremely high level right now." nf/lp
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Tennis-Alcaraz bludgeons Paul to reach French Open semis, Swiatek to face Sabalenka
PARIS, - Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz steamrolled past American 12th-seed Tommy Paul 6-0 6-1 6-4 at the French Open on Tuesday with a jaw-dropping display of attacking tennis in one of the most one-sided men's quarter-finals in Paris in recent memory. Four-time champion Iga Swiatek, who is looking to become the first woman in the professional era to win four consecutive titles in Paris, also punched her semi-final ticket with a straight sets win over Elina Svitolina of Ukraine to set up a mouth-watering semi-final with world number one Aryna Sabalenka. But it was four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz's merciless dismantling of Paul that grabbed the fans' attention, with the 22-year-old Spaniard terrorising the former French Open junior champion who looked like a fish out of water. Alcaraz charged through the first two sets in just 53 minutes and in near flawless fashion, hitting winners at will and chasing down every ball before the shell-shocked American had any time to react. Paul pulled himself together to hold serve and go 4-3 up in the third but as the sun gradually went down over Paris so did the curtain on his inspired run, with Alcaraz winning three games in a row to put him out of his misery in just 94 minutes. "I could close my eyes and everything went in," Alcaraz said. "My feeling was unbelievable. I tried to hit the shots 100% and not think about it." "Today it was one of those matches where everything went in," he said. He will next take on in-form Italian Lorenzo Musetti who battled past American Frances Tiafoe in four sets after surviving a second-set wobble, to reach the French Open semi-finals for the first time. MUSETTI WARNING Musetti, the world number seven, who escaped with a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct when he kicked a ball at a line judge, eventually overran 15th seed Tiafoe. "Honestly it was really unlucky coincidence," said Musetti of the incident. "I was a little bit scared, because I really didn't want to harm nobody, of course. So I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said, 'sorry', I apologise to everyone." "It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that, and that's why probably just, you know, let me continue my game." That occurred in the second set when Musetti, the only man to reach at least the semi-finals of every main claycourt event this season, was given balls to serve. He kicked one to inadvertently hit the line judge, who barely flinched even though she was hit on her upper body. Grand Slam rules state that players are issued a warning at first instance for any ball abuse. Tiafoe, however, called it 'comical' that there was no serious punishment. "I mean, obviously he did that and nothing happened," said Tiafoe, who had looked surprised and pointed out the incident to the chair umpire. "I think that's comical, but it is what it is. Nothing happened, so there's nothing really to talk about. Obviously it's not consistent, so it is what it is." Earlier, and in front of a sparse crowd around lunchtime, Swiatek braved the windy conditions to beat Svitolina 6-1 7-5. Although Swiatek failed to win a title going into the tournament this season, she looks to have rediscovered her remarkable claycourt form in Paris, stretching her winning run at the French Open to 26 consecutive matches following her title three-peat between 2022-24 to add to her 2020 crown. Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka, hunting her first French Open crown, also needed just two sets to overcome Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and snap her opponent's 10-match winning streak at Roland Garros with a 7-6 6-3 victory. "I think we're all here for one reason," Sabalenka said. "Everyone wants that beautiful trophy. I'm glad I have another opportunity, another semi-final to do better than last time." "I really hope that by the end of the claycourt season I'm really proud of myself."
