Blizzard’s explanation of Diablo 4’s seasons and their battle passes didn’t mention that you have to start a new character to participate in each one, and news of the requirement is bewildering a lot of players just weeks before the start of Season 1.

Diablo 2’s ladders and Diablo 3’s seasons work the same way—you start a new seasonal character each time one starts—but that context was pretty easy for less-than-diehard fans of the series to miss. I played both Diablo 2 (which is 23 years old) and Diablo 3 (11 years old) and never touched their seasonal modes. There’s also the issue of the battle pass, which is new for Diablo 4, and the reason the topic came up this week. Leveling it will require a new seasonal character, Diablo franchise GM Rod Fergusson confirmed on T…