So I fired up Diablo 4 last night, stoked for Season 5. Figured I should really dig into the whole Battle Pass thing, see what the fuss is about between the free stuff and the paid premium track. Jumped in, made my new seasonal character, and immediately got bombarded with the Battle Pass screen right after the intro quests.
First Look & Initial Grinding
Clicked through it real quick, saw a massive list of tiers – 90 total this time. Felt kinda overwhelming, honestly. Started just playing like I normally do, bashing demons and clearing dungeons. Before I knew it, I popped the “Favor” thing that tracks progress for the Battle Pass after leveling up a bit. Saw that first tier unlock notification. Basic stuff.
Killed some time getting a few early levels and noticed my Battle Pass was creeping along slowly, tier by tier. The free tiers started unlocking:
- Weak Healing Potions – Like, the basic kind? Useless after level 10, felt like.
- Some Gold – Always nice to have, I guess.
- Plain Grey Gear – Literally just vendor trash, couldn’t even use it.
- One Common Emote – The most basic “wave” you can imagine.
The “Premium” Temptation Hits
Got curious around tier 15. Scrolled down the track using the controller stick. Man, the free track just looked so… blah. Beyond tier 20, it was mostly just more weak potions, a little gold here and there, and maybe a single crafting material sometimes. Felt like table scraps.
Then I saw what the Premium Battle Pass track was offering in the same tiers:
- Actual Cool Cosmetic Armor Pieces – Parts of the new seasonal theme set starting early on.
- Unique Mount Armor – Stuff that made my horse look way better than the free options.
- Special Portal Effects – Like, leaving a fiery trail when I teleported. Awesome.
- Way More Platinums – The premium currency, so you could actually save up a bit.
- Dope Emotes & Trophies – Stuff that wasn’t just “wave” or “clap”.
The Big Grind & The Smoldering Ashes Trap
Kept playing, got higher level, started getting into Nightmare Dungeons. Hit tier 25, 30, 40. The free track unlocks became incredibly stingy. Like, tier 35 on free was literally ONE Smoldering Ash. What the hell?
Smoldering Ashes are these points you collect to unlock passive boosts in the Season Journey menu – stuff for more XP, stronger elixirs, better loot quality… basically important power creep stuff for grinding efficiently.
Here’s the real kicker:
- The free track gives you some Smoldering Ashes, but barely enough to unlock maybe half the low-tier boosts.
- The premium track? Dumps a massive amount of extra Smoldering Ashes on you. It practically throws them at you compared to the free side.
This meant my buddy who paid for premium was unlocking all the juicy Season Journey boosts way, WAY faster than me. He was gaining levels quicker, finding better gear more consistently, clearing higher tier content easier – purely because his Battle Pass showered him with the resources needed for the seasonal power boosts.
Hitting the Higher Tiers & Feeling the Void
As I crawled towards tier 70 and beyond, the gap felt enormous. The free track rewards became almost laughable – single-digit amounts of crafting materials I had thousands of, maybe 10,000 gold (a pittance at high levels), another useless common emote. Nothing substantial, nothing cool.
Meanwhile, the premium track was unlocking full armor sets pieces, unique weapon cosmetics, flashy mount armors, and tons of Platinum. The cosmetic rewards past tier 70 looked seriously impressive. It stung seeing them greyed out on my screen, knowing I’d never get them without coughing up cash.
So What’s the Verdict?
After grinding a ton this season, here’s the raw difference:
- Free Track: Pays for the absolute bare minimum. Early potions/gold are okay for brand new players. Beyond that, it gives pitiful amounts of Smoldering Ashes (crucial for boosts) and worthless cosmetics. It feels like being locked out of the real seasonal rewards track.
- Premium Track: Is where the actual meat is. You get:
- The best cosmetic items.
- A massive flood of Smoldering Ashes to turbocharge your seasonal powers.
- Significant Platinum currency returns.
- The whole “Season 5 experience” feel.
Essentially, the free track is a sad little demo. The premium track is the actual game’s Battle Pass. Without paying, you miss out on nearly all the fun seasonal cosmetics AND the resources needed to play the season efficiently and unlock its power faster. That Smoldering Ash difference alone is huge for progression. It’s not just cosmetics; it’s straight-up power gated behind the paywall via those resources. Pretty brutal, honestly.