Diablo 4 Season 5 bug let players keep Tempering Manuals — so devs made it a feature

Diablo 4 players found their Tempering Manuals from Season 4 thanks to a bug. Blizzard decided to “let it slide,” but warned players not to expect this in the future.

Tempering was introduced with the major itemization update in Patch 1.4.0 at the start of Diablo 4 Season 4. This system lets players use Tempering Manuals to learn recipes until the end of the season in the Seasonal Realm.

However, as Season 5 started on August 6, players were shocked to find that their Season 4 Tempering Manuals had not been erased, despite being told otherwise.

This unexpected carryover meant that players retained their learned recipes, giving them a substantial advantage early in the new season.

On Reddit, one player noted, “It seems tempering manuals from Season 4 have carried over to Season 5. I already have legendary manuals in everything on my level 19 character. Is this intended?”

The community echoed this sentiment, with many expressing surprise and curiosity about whether this was an intentional change.

Adam Fletcher, Diablo 4’s Global Community Development Director, addressed the Tempering Manual situation on X. He confirmed that the carryover of tempering recipes was not part of the original design.

“We are aware of the reports that new seasonal characters are having their tempering recipes carried over from their last season’s seasonal character. This isn’t the original design or intention, so I wouldn’t expect this for future seasons, but we are letting this one slide for Season 5.”

One player humorously commented, “When Blizzard does an oopsie, it’s almost never in your favor. Imma take it and run.”

Another lamented, “rip to everyone that didn’t touch S4,” expressing regret for those who missed out on the unexpected advantage.

Season 5, which players believe “finishes” Diablo 4, adds a ton of new content – some by mistake and some by design. It also brings back five iconic bosses from Diablo 2, adding a nostalgic touch for long-time fans.