These last days before Lord of Hatred hits on April 28, 2026 are when I stop messing about and start getting my account in shape. Every expansion does this to Diablo 4. Stuff you ignored for weeks suddenly matters. If you're sitting on a stash full of maybe-useful gear and random drops, now's the time to sort it. I always check my Diablo 4 Items setup first, because the gear you carry into a new expansion can save you a lot of pain in those opening hours. Season of Slaughter is nearly done, the Isles of Skovos are coming, and if you leave everything until launch day, you'll spend more time cleaning up than actually playing.

Start with your stash

The first job is simple. Audit your Mythic gear properly. Not in that lazy way where you glance at a tab and tell yourself you'll handle it later. Go piece by piece. Keep the items that still have real value, the ones that can help with levelling, early survivability, or a clean handoff into the new endgame. The rest should go. I know some players hoard everything just in case, but that usually turns into a cluttered stash and bad decisions. Salvaging weak Mythics now gives you resources you'll actually use, and it frees up space for expansion drops. That alone makes launch week smoother.

Finish what the season is offering

After that, I'd look at the Seasonal Journey. A lot of players leave it half-finished, then regret it when the season ends and those rewards are gone. If you're close to the last few objectives, just knock them out. Titles, cosmetics, caches, whatever's left, it's better to claim it now than wish you had later. While you're doing that, stockpile what you can. Gold disappears fast after major updates. So do Masterworking materials, Forgotten Souls, and all the bits people never think about until they're broke. I usually spend this stretch farming with a purpose instead of chasing perfect drops. You really do feel the difference when the patch lands and you've got enough saved to upgrade gear straight away.

Get ready for Warlock

The Warlock is the big wildcard, and that's where a lot of players are going to lose hours in a good way. Even without the full final numbers, you can still prep smart. Clear room in your stash. Save useful account-wide resources. Think about what kind of levelling route you want if you're rolling the class on day one. I wouldn't overcommit to theorycrafting too hard yet, because launch balance always shifts a bit, but it's still worth reading the early skill info and getting a feel for how the class might play. If you've been around Diablo long enough, you know the people who prepare a little are usually the ones having more fun right out of the gate.

Clean the log before Skovos

One more thing, and I think it's underrated: clean up your quest log before you sail off to the Isles of Skovos. Having a screen full of stale side quests, old markers, and half-done errands makes a fresh campaign feel messy straight away. I like going into an expansion with a clean map, a clean log, and a clear plan for the first session. It puts you in a better headspace. And if you're still short on upgrade currency or crafting stock, it's not a bad time to look into Diablo 4 materials buy options so your first few hours in Lord of Hatred feel focused instead of scrambled.