The night skies of Sanctuary are about to get a lot more interesting with Diablo IV’s Lunar Awakening event, running now until February 18, 2025 (if you haven’t played Diablo IV before, make sure to check my review on Diablo IV and its expansion, Vessel of Hatred.
The event introduces supercharged Lunar Shrines across all of Sanctuary, including Nahantu. These aren’t your regular shrines – they’ve been enhanced with a 100% experience bonus that stacks multiplicatively with other bonuses for two minutes, plus some impressively buffed effects. For instance, the Greed Shrine now has a chance to summon Treasure Goblins with each kill, while the Protection Shrine reflects all incoming damage, scaled with your level and difficulty.
Blizzard has set up the event hub at the Lunar Night Market in Ked Bardu, where you’ll meet Ying-Yue, the market leader. This is where you’ll be spending your hard-earned Ancestral Favor Reputation on various rewards, including the new Unceasing Gifts from the Ancestors caches and Lunar Renewal-themed cosmetics.
What’s particularly interesting about this event is how it enhances the existing shrine mechanics. Each shrine type gets a unique bonus effect – my personal favourite has to be the Lethal Shrine, which can now instantly execute Elite monsters (though thankfully not bosses or other players). The augmented Artillery and Blast Wave shrines should make for some spectacular visual effects during intense combat sequences.
The progression system includes 10 Ancestral Favor Reputation levels to work through, with rewards including the Resplendent Spark and six different Lunar-themed cosmetics. The highlight is definitely the new Trag’Oul’s Consort mount, which should look impressive charging through Sanctuary’s darker regions.
For fashion-conscious players, Tejal’s shop will feature special Lunar Awakening themed armour sets, including the Scholar of the Lonely Moon for Sorcerers and the Dragon of the Lonely Moon mount armour. These cosmetic options add another layer of customisation for those looking to stand out in both seasonal and eternal realms.
The Lunar Awakening event kicks off on February 4 at 10 a.m. PST, bringing a fresh twist to Diablo IV’s shrine mechanics and offering plenty of rewards for dedicated players. Whether you’re pushing for experience gains or hunting for new cosmetics, this celestial-themed event seems well worth diving into.
For more information about Diablo IV and its latest content updates, you can check out the official Diablo website for the Lunar Awakening Event and follow their social media channels.
