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Diablo 4's New Reliquary Battle Pass System Is Even Worse Than Players Originally Thought

The more players dive into Diablo 4's new Reliquary battle pass system, the more issues emerge, as recently highlighted by members of the Diablo community on Reddit.

Introduced as part of Diablo 4 Season 8, the Reliquary system wasn't exactly well-received to begin with. It replaced the ARPG's straightforward battle pass system with a more confusing one that broke rewards into multiple different categories. Players have complained about fewer rewards and less premium currency offered as part of the overhauled system, even if Reliquaries do technically give players more control and agency over which rewards to target.

As highlighted by Loika on the Diablo 4 subreddit and broken down by Wowhead, the issues with the Reliquary system actually go deeper. While players can earn "favor" tokens for free while playing to unlock some rewards, the game also prominently presents the option to buy those same rewards with Diablo 4's premium currency.

In the example screenshot Loika gives, one set of armor can be redeemed for 15 tokens or 750 Platinum (roughly $7.50). The option to spend Platinum is featured prominently in the middle of the screen, and spending Platinum can be done without a confirmation screen. It's easy to see how players might accidentally click the wrong button one time and suddenly be out $7.50.

Another player points out in the comments how when using a controller, the button used to claim rewards with tokens or buy with Platinum actually changes. Initially, the left face button is used to "Claim" a reward, but upon pressing the button, another menu appears where "Claim with Favor Token" instead moves to a different button and purchase with Platinum is instead on the left face button. This issue was corroborated by GameSpot. Once again, it's easy to see how someone just clicking through the menus could easily spend money without meaning to.

The game's bundle system is also drawing criticism. Players can purchase individual premium Reliquaries separately for 500 Platinum or 1,500 Platinum for all three. However, the game offers a "Battle Pass Bundle" (confusingly named, since the battle pass terminology is no longer found anywhere else in the game) that nets players all three premium Reliquaries for 1,000 Platinum. Buying the bundle is definitely the way to go and saves players 500 Platinum, but if a player already bought one Reliquary (whether intentionally or by accident) they become locked out of the 1,000 Platinum bundle and instead are forced to buy each Reliquary individually. That means players who purchase one Reliquary but then later decides they want the others are essentially forced to spend an extra $5.

Then there's the Deluxe Battle Pass Bundle. One might think that for 2,800 Platinum (nearly triple the price of the standard bundle) that the number of new rewards would be significant, but that's not the case. The Deluxe Battle Pass Bundle grants instant access to an armor set already available in the standard bundle, as well as two additional rewards--a pet and a pair of wing cosmetics. That means players are spending an extra 1,800 Platinum, nearly $20, for just two minor cosmetic items.

During a recent Campfire Chat livestream, Blizzard stated it has heard "overwhelming feedback" about the Reliquary system and is looking to improve it, but that changes won't be coming in Season 9. Diablo director of social and content marketing Adam Fletcher further elaborated in a Reddit comment that the goal of the Reliquary system is "to add something for all players and not just paid." Additionally, Fletcher said for future IP collabs Blizzard will look to bring "better options and value, so players aren't only given some higher priced tier options and are left with that only." That came in response to Diablo 4's disappointing Berserk crossover, which was largely just an opportunity to buy high-priced cosmetics.

Thanks to Blizzard releasing a Diablo 4 2025 roadmap, players already know what to expect for the rest of the year in terms of new content. Diablo 4 Season 9 will let players craft their own spells, including one teleport spell that might be a tad overpowered. Another IP crossover is also slated for later this year. Diablo 4's second expansion, however, isn't coming until 2026.