Hallows Phantom takes over Sanctuary (and your to-do list)

Blizzard has published details for the next Diablo Immortal update, headlined by a Halloween-themed limited-time event called Hallows Phantom. It’s positioned as a spooky remix of Defense of Cyrangar, asking players to hold off waves of monsters while completing daily and weekly quests for a new event currency: Hallowed Stones.

For MacGaming.com readers, the key takeaway is simple: this is a substantial live-service drop with multiple overlapping time-limited tracks—events, leaderboards, rewards, and system tweaks—so if you bounce between platforms (or just play in short sessions), you’ll want to plan your playtime around the dates Blizzard has posted.

Event dates and maintenance timing (per Blizzard)

Blizzard says server maintenance begins October 20, 2026 (5–7 p.m. PDT) for Oceania, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe servers, and October 21, 2026 (1–3 a.m. PDT) for servers in the Americas. After maintenance concludes, the update’s features go live, with some modes and events running on their own schedules.

Hallows Phantom runs from October 21, 2026 (after maintenance) through November 11, 2026 at 2:59 a.m. Blizzard notes that any unused Hallowed Stones will be removed when the event ends.

Rewards: Hallowed Stones, limited cosmetics, and leaderboard prizing

Hallows Phantom’s progression centers on earning Hallowed Stones and exchanging them for rewards. Blizzard lists items such as Gold, Arcane Dust, Telluric Pearls, and Legendary Crests among the earnable payouts.

There’s also a cosmetic hook: completing tasks and spending Hallowed Stones can unlock limited head cosmetics, including:

Headless Pyre
Headless Miasma
Headless Haunt

Beyond the reward shop, Blizzard says players will compete on server-wide leaderboards during the event for additional prizes awarded when Hallows Phantom concludes.

Long March campaign and returning events calendar

Alongside the Halloween event, Blizzard is running an “all new event campaign” called Long March. Completing tasks earns Skeletal Spoils, which can be used to claim rewards including Telluric Pearls, 1-Star Legendary Gems, Set Items of your choice, and selectable Legendary Item Chests. Weekly tasks refresh every Wednesday at 3:00 a.m. (server time).

Long March shares the same window as Hallows Phantom: October 21, 2026 (after maintenance) through November 11, 2026 at 2:59 a.m.

Blizzard also outlined several returning events that slot into the patch cadence:

Trial of the Hordes: October 21, 2026 3:00 a.m. – October 27, 2026 2:59 a.m.
Fractured Plane: October 28, 2026 3:00 a.m. – November 4, 2026 2:59 a.m.
Shady Stock: October 24, 2026 3:00 a.m. – October 31, 2026 2:59 a.m.
All Clans on Deck: October 31, 2026 3:00 a.m. – November 7, 2026 2:59 a.m.

Quality-of-life upgrades that matter day-to-day

Seasonal cosmetics are fun, but the stickiest changes are often the ones that make daily play less fiddly. Blizzard’s update includes several QoL improvements worth flagging:

“New” badges for fresh content: Blizzard says event tabs and entry points will display a “New” badge when new activities or objectives are added, and that the badges refresh alongside weekly task resets (Wednesdays at 3:00 a.m. server time).

Selectable Legendary equipment is more controlled: Blizzard says selectable Legendary equipment rewards will now grant a specific Legendary item for the chosen slot rather than a random Legendary from that slot.

Inventory Item Pinning: A new feature lets players pin up to 22 items to keep them prioritized in inventory placement, marked with a gilded outline. Blizzard notes items of the same type can only be pinned once.

Secondary Item Rank cap increased: Blizzard is raising the maximum Secondary Item Rank from 25 to 30, with new ranks unlocking at Paragon milestones: 26 at Paragon 1600, 27 at 1700, 28 at 1800, 29 at 2000, and 30 at 2100.

Balance changes, new essences, and Challenge Rift Season 21

Blizzard says the patch adds “tons of new essences and Legendary Gear,” along with class balance changes affecting Monk, Demon Hunter, Druid, Blood Knight, and Warlock. Blizzard is pointing players to its forums for the full list of essence additions and balance details.

There’s also a notable systems note: with the addition of Inferno XV Legendary Essences, Blizzard says all Loyalty Points will convert into Legacy Loyalty Points, and that Inferno XV gear can be extracted into Loyalty Points going forward.

On the ladder side, Blizzard says Challenge Rift Season 21 begins November 2, 2026 and ends December 17, 2026, adding levels 901–950 and increasing prior level difficulties. Blizzard also says the first player on each server to clear Floor 950 will get an exclusive limited-time portrait frame lasting until Season 22 begins.

Bug fixes and the usual live-service cleanup

Blizzard also lists several fixes, including adjustments to the Wind Walk Affix charge restoration and resolving issues involving instant-cast skills and certain Tempest Legendary Essence interactions.

Source and where to read the full breakdown

This update information comes directly from Blizzard News in Blizzard’s announcement post for Diablo Immortal.

For the complete schedule, item lists, and Blizzard’s full wording on maintenance windows and availability, read the original post here: https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24301609/defend-sanctuary-from-being-overtaken-during-hallows-phantom.

Read the full announcement on Blizzard News