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DEV BLOG: A DEEP DIVE INTO SEASON 3 IN MLB THE SHOW 24 

August 15th, 2024

Season 3 in Diamond Dynasty mode is arriving August 29th in MLB The Show 24!  

Let’s hit on some big reveals and help you prepare now in the final weeks of Season 2. 

Highlights of what’s coming in Season 3: 

  • Earn XP Reward Path bosses earlier than ever in TWO 6-week XP Reward Paths 
  • Season 3.1 XP Rewards: TWO 99 Bosses 
  • Season 3.2 XP Rewards: THREE MORE 99 Bosses 
  • Complete Head Start goals NOW for 60,000 XP on Day 1 
  • Earn THREE Wild Card Slots in the Season 3 Collection, plus bring CORE Ernie Banks into Season 3 squads 
  • Team Affinity starts with 95 OVRs x30 teams in a new card series 

HIGHER OVERALLS AT LAUNCH & ACCELERATED POWER CURVE 

Season 3 brings another reset of the power curve in MLB The Show 24, but with a lot of changes, as you rebuild your squad once more.  

Season 3 will start with player rewards at 95 OVR and higher.  

For example, Team Affinity is filled with 95 OVRs, and Ranked World Series rewards have 97 OVR players. We hope that this still provides the sense of a fresh start to your team build. 

As we move throughout Season 3, the power curve will progress faster as well, with 99 OVRs coming along as we get into the exciting MLB Postseason. 

TWO NEW XP REWARD PATHS  

We’ve seen a lot of feedback around the XP Reward Path throughout MLB The Show 24. In the current Season 2, we made strides to make the grind shorter and allow the XP Reward Path Bosses to be more obtainable. In Season 3, we’re making even bigger changes to dial it up! 

Season 3 will feature two separate AND shorter XP Reward Paths, lasting six weeks each. Each XP Path is 350,000 XP long, which means you will be unlocking the boss rewards much quicker than past seasons. 

The first XP Reward Path in Season 3 will feature two 99 OVR Hall of Fame Bosses, but there are also other rewards along the way.  
 
Here are the player rewards you can find in the 3.1 XP Reward Path: 

  • 95 OVR player item at 20,000 XP  
  • 97 OVR player item at 90,000 XP 
  • First 99 OVR boss reward at 160,000 XP 
  • Second 99 OVR boss reward at 350,000 XP 

Keep in mind, the 3.1 XP Reward Path will expire in six weeks to make room for the new 3.2 XP Reward Path. It will come loaded with three new 99 OVR bosses in a similar reward structure. 

With these improvements to the XP Reward Path, we expect many of you will reach the bosses quicker and get them on your squad! 

GAMEPLAY XP CAP CHANGES & DOUBLE XP WEEKEND 

The launch of Season 3 is your chance to get on the fast track towards the 99 OVR XP bosses!  

We will be launching Season 3 with a Double XP Weekend over the Labor Day holiday weekend! In addition, starting in Season 3 and throughout the rest of MLB The Show 24, the cap on daily gameplay XP will be doubled from 15,000 to 30,000.   

Note: This daily cap only applies to XP earned playing games in MLB The Show 24 and does not cap how much you can earn through content such as Team Affinity and Other Programs. 

WHAT CAN I DO NOW IN SEASON 2 TO PREPARE FOR SEASON 3? 

CORE Ernie Banks  

By collecting 35 Action Figure players and completing the Action Figure collection, you can obtain 99 OVR Action Figure Ernie Banks, who is a CORE player item! This means that he is eligible for any season.

With the addition of the Moonshot Program on August 16th, there will be exactly 35 Action Figure players that you can earn solely through gameplay.  This means that you can obtain 99 CORE Ernie Banks simply by playing through all the Season 2 content available to you!  

The Action Figure collection is in its own “Special Collections” area of the Collections tab in Diamond Dynasty.

Head Start Rewards 

Completing certain areas of Season 2 content will grant Head Start Rewards for Season 3, giving you a head start on Day 1! 

Completing any of these tasks in Season 2 will jumpstart your progress in Season 3: 

  • Completing The Hall of Fame: Adrian Beltre Program 
  • Completing the Moments of Glory Program
  • Unlocking All-Star Game Paul Skenes through the 2024 All-Star Week Collection 
  • Unlocking Season Awards Lightning Brenton Doyle through the Season Awards Program Collection 
  • Unlocking Action Figure Max Scherzer by collecting 20 Action Figure players (on your way to CORE Ernie Banks) through the Action Figure Collection 

Completing these tasks individually provides rewards, but completing all five tasks will reward you with 60,000 XP on Day 1 of Season 3. With the new shortened XP Reward Path, you will start only 100,000 XP away from your first XP Reward Path Boss! 

Important Note: In order to earn Head Start rewards, these tasks must be completed BEFORE the launch of Season 3 on August 29th. They will not grant Head Start rewards if completed after the start of the season around noon PT.   

TEAM AFFINITY RETURNS WITH A NEW CARD SERIES 

A new season means new chapters of Team Affinity, and we’ve got a strong set of players dropping in Team Affinity Season 3: Chapter 1!  

In a brand-new card series, look out for fan-favorite legends such as Randy Johnson and Mariano Rivera, as well as a mix of current players among the 30 clubs! 

There’s one more change coming! Missions in Season 3 Team Affinity Programs will NOT have in-season requirements. Mix and match in-season and out-of-season theme teams to earn Team Affinity progress. Read ahead to find out which Diamond Dynasty modes will have in-season and out-of-season flexibility. 

We wish we could tell you more and show you more of this card, but that will have to wait. 

Important Note: Starting at a higher OVR curve to begin Season 3, there will be two Team Affinity Chapters released this season, each dropping alongside the two XP Reward Paths. Season 4 will still feature an all-new Team Affinity Chapter.  

UNDERSTANDING “WILD CARD” PLAYER SLOTS IN SEASON 3 

The Wild Card slot allows you to add any player item from previous seasons (in this case, a Season 1 or Season 2 player) onto your Season 3 eligible squad. 

You can earn three Wild Card Slots from the Season 3 Collection starting on August 29th, with the fourth coming at a later date. This is a change from Season 2 when they were in the XP Reward Path. Our goal is for these three Wild Card Slots to be much quicker to obtain than they were in Season 2.  

Here’s how to unlock your Wild Card slots through the collection: 

  • Collect 1 Season 3 Player: First Wild Card slot 
  • Collect 15 Season 3 Players: Second Wild Card slot 
  • Collect 50 Season 3 Players: Third Wild Card slot  

Note: Wild Card slots from Season 2 will not carry over into Season 3. The maximum amount of available Wild Card slots will remain at 4. 

BREAKDOWN OF SEASONAL RESTRICTIONS IN SEASON 3 

Season 3 cards will have the “S3” notation. Once Season 3 has begun, some modes won’t allow you to have “S1” or “S2” players in lineups without the use of a Wild Card slot. 

Referencing this graphic will help you keep track of what modes may have item restrictions: 

For example, Solo Ranked will always require an in-season team. Modes such as Events and Conquest will sometimes require an in-season squad while Play VS. CPU allows all cards regardless of the season.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY SEASON 1 & 2 PLAYER ITEMS WHEN SEASON 3 GOES LIVE? 

All Season 1 and Season 2 player items will remain in your Inventory, and you will not lose any items as the new Season begins. 

SEASON 3 AND SEASON 4 ITEM ELIGIBILITY 

Season 4 will be the final season of MLB The Show 24 and will have no restrictions! This means you will be able to use any cards from any season at any time once Season 3 is over in late November.  

This also means that any cards released during Season 3 will never be restricted, as they are eligible in their own season and in Season 4 too. Make sure to go after the best Season 3 cards you can get your hands on, as they have permanence throughout the rest of MLB The Show 24! 

LOOKING FORWARD – WHAT’S AHEAD IN SEASON 3 AND BEYOND? 

Throughout September, several programs will be dropping with new and exciting content in Diamond Dynasty, including the celebration of Roberto Clemente Day. 

As we move into October, we will be bringing you reactive live content based on the biggest moments of the MLB Postseason! Stay tuned for weekly Postseason content updates as teams make a World Series run. 

Oh, and one more program is coming in Season 3.