Diablo 4 is bringing back killstreaks in run-up to season 12, with special bloodied items to help you unleash hell, and nostalgic fans are pleased: "Seriously missed these from Diablo 3"

The next Public Test Realm on the road to season 12 of Diablo 4 starts in just a few days, and Blizzard's unveiled what aspects of the next patch players will be getting to try. Killstreaks are top of the list, with new items, sigils and more following closely behind.

Exactly what they sound like, Killstreaks are a mechanic that makes you more powerful the more bodies you rack up. Keep the kills coming, and you'll get particular bonuses. Per the PTR patch notes, there are five tiers to rack up: Killstreak, Carnage, Devastation, Bloodbath, and Massacre.

Needless to say, clocking up a massacre will be satisfying. Getting one of these streaks will net you extra experience and some seasonal reputation, on top of knowing you're mowing through your adversaries.

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Then we have Bloodied items, which are designed to assist in all your combos. They add bonuses to the streaks, for extra rewards and momentum. For instance, the Rapid Parashu gives six seconds of Berserking per 25 kills.

These pieces of kit can be both Ancestral and Bloodied, and they offer three kinds of additional rewards. Rampage, which draws from your killstreak tier; Feast, which uses your total kills; and Hunger, which affects your rewards based on the current tier. These additions alone are going down well.

"So glad Killstreaks are finally back! Seriously missed these from Diablo 3 while leveling," says a top-rated comment on Reddit. "It was so satisfying to keep the kill chain going to build the XP combo. It creates a little mini game," adds another.

Bloodied Sigils are coming too, making the area into a Bloodied Lair when used. On top of the escalated threat, you'll summon a Relentless Butcher, who constantly chases you and can only be temporarily defeated. Using this sigil guarantees Bloodied item drops - no pain, no gain. They'll be available in Nightmare Dungeons, Infernal Hordes, and Lair Bosses, and you can only access them once you're up to Torment I difficulty.

You'll find a small selection of items and other little changes during the test period as well. The PTR for 2.6.0 is available for one week starting February 3, and Diablo 4 season 12 kicks off proper on March 10, to be followed by Lord of Hatred, the next major expansion, on April 28.

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