Introduction
Diablo 4 Season 3, also known as the Season of the Construct, is introducing a new feature that will change the way you play the game: the Seneschal companion. This mechanical ally can revolutionize your gameplay and assist you in combat, exploration, and looting; depending on how you customize it and which Governing and Tuning Stones you use. In this guide, we will explain what the Seneschal companion is, how to get it, and how to use it effectively.
What Is the Seneschal Construct
The Seneschal construct is a robotic companion obtained through the Seasonal questline. This quest involves a mysterious element known as the Loom, and Zoltun is the one who grants you this mechanical companion. The Seneschal will accompany you throughout your journey, from dungeons to cities, offering assistance based on how you equip it with Governing and Tuning Stones, special items found in various locations, with which you determine the abilities and attributes of your Seneschal companion.
After activating the Seneschal Construct through the Season of the Construct story questline, it will remain with you throughout the rest of the season.
You can even pet your Seneschal Construct! It is just an emote, but it adds a unique touch to your gaming experience.
Optimizing Your Seneschal Companion
Your Seneschal companion has its own user interface, and the best part is that the Stones you use will not occupy space in your inventory, as they have their own tab. However, to harness the full potential of your Seneschal companion, you need to equip it with Governing and Tuning Stones.
Two Governing Stones and six Tuning Stones can be applied in total. Furthermore, it is important to note, that the Seneschal companion scales with your character’s stats, mirroring your attack, crit, and other attributes. However, it will not trigger legendary, paragon, or other effects.
Governing Stones
Governing Stones will determine the skills of your Seneschal companion.
There are 12 different types; 4 for melee combat, 4 for ranged attacks, and 4 for utility functions.
You can find rare and legendary Governing Stones through various means, and the stones can be upgraded to rank 10 by collecting or crafting duplicates of the same type and fusing them.
Governing Stones can be obtained from Whisper Caches, completing Vaults, participating in Arcane Tremors, obtaining Season Journey rewards, or crafting them from Shattered Stones at the Jeweler, which are obtained by killing enemies in the Vault or defeating Constructs. If your Governing Stone is already at max level, and you find a duplicate, you will instead receive 150 to 200 Shattered Stones.
Here is an overview of all 12 obtainable Governing Stones:
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Autodefense | The Seneschal Construct activates an antimaterial field around itself shooting down enemy projectiles. Can not shoot down Boss or Player projectiles. |
| Bushwhack | Quickly ambush dealing damage to each target. May strike the same target multiple times. |
| Firefly | Deploy a small construct that lands on the target and explodes 3 times, dealing damage. |
| Focus Fire | The Seneschal Construct channels a ray of fire onto targets dealing damage to each over time. |
| Gyrate | The Seneschal Construct whirls its legs around quickly dealing damage to all surrounding enemies. |
| Impale | Perform a line attack to all enemies in front of the Seneschal Construct dealing damage. |
| Lightning Bolt | Launch a bolt of Lightning at the target dealing damage. Arcs to other targets dealing a portion of the original damage. |
| Protect | The Seneschal Construct materializes a protective Barrier on the player for a portion of their Maximum Life. |
| Reconstruct | The Seneschal Construct channels a reconstruction beam Healing the player for a portion of their Maximum Life over time. |
| Slash | Pummel enemies in front of the Seneschal Construct dealing damage. |
| Tempest | Electrically charge an enemy causing it to deal damage to themselves and additional each second over time. If the enemy is killed, Tempest spreads to another enemy gaining for additional time and bonus damage. These bonuses are also applied if Tempest is reapplied onto the same enemy. |
| Flash of Adrenaline | Administers a quick flash of adrenaline into the player, granting bonus damage for a duration. |
Another interesting aspect regarding stones for your Seneschal companion, is that you can alter the abilities of Governing Stones by incorporating Tuning Stones.
Tuning Stones
Tuning Stones serve to enhance and modify Governing Stones.
There are 27 different Tuning Stones, each providing a unique attribute boost. You can slot 3 Tuning Stones per Governing Stone.
However, certain Tuning Stones will only work when combined with specific Governing Stones. After equipping two Governing Stones, check the bottom of the tuning stones tooltip to confirm compatibility with your current Governing Stone; this information will only display for the ones currently equipped.
Tuning Stones can be obtained from Whisper Caches, completing Vaults, participating in Arcane Tremors, earning Season Journey rewards, or crafting them from Shattered Stones at the Jeweler. Shattered Stones are a new material that can be obtained by killing enemies inside the Vault, or defeating Constructs. If your Tuning Stone is already at max level, and you find a duplicate, you will instead receive 150 to 200 Shattered Stones.
Here is an overview of all 27 obtainable Tuning Stones:
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Voluminous Support | The supported skill’s effect size is increased. |
| Swift Support | The supported Skill gains an Attack Speed bonus. |
| Breaking Support | Damage from the supported Skill instantly destroys enemy Barrier effects. In addition, there is a chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds. |
| Tactical Support | Decrease the cooldown of the supported Skill. |
| Efficiency Support | When the supporting skill deals damage, you gain Critical Strike Chance to the same targets hit. |
| Devastation Support | Supported Skill gains a Critical Strike Damage bonus. |
| Safeguard Support | When used, the supported Skill grants Damage Reduction to you. |
| Frigid Support | A portion of the supported Skill’s damage dealt is applied as Cold damage over time and applies Chill. |
| Burning Support | A portion of the supported Skill’s damage is applied as Burning damage over time. Burning enemies take bonus Critical Strike Damage from the Seneschal Construct. |
| Electrocution Support | A portion of the supported skill’s damage dealt is applied as Lightning damage over time and has a chance to Stun enemies. |
| Bleeding Support | A portion of the supported skill’s damage dealt is applied as Bleeding damage over time. Enemies take bonus Bleeding damage from all sources while moving. |
| Poison Support | A portion of the supported skill’s damage dealt is applied as Poison damage over time. This poison has a chance each second to spread all Poison damage to an additional enemy. |
| Dusk Support | A portion of the supported Skill’s damage dealt is applied as Shadow damage over time. Afflicted enemies who attack have a chance for their attacks to be interrupted. Does not interrupt Bosses. |
| Duration Support | Supported Skills have their durations increased. |
| Fortify Support | When the Seneschal Construct uses the supported Skill, you gain Fortify. Skills with slower attack speeds or skills with cooldowns will increase the amount of Fortify granted. |
| Resource Support | Player gains an amount of Primary Resource when the supporting Skill first deals damage. |
| Initiative Support | The supported Skill will cause the Seneschal Construct to teleport to the target if out of range. Can only occur once every so often. |
| Arcing Support | The supported Skill can hit additional enemies. |
| Multishot Support | Supported Projectile skills launch additional projectiles. |
| Piercing Support | The supported Projectile Skill will pierce multiple enemies. |
| Gripping Support | Damage and effects done by the supporting Skill to Distant enemies pulls them towards the Seneschal Construct. Can only occur once every so often per enemy. |
| Registered Damage Support | Any damage caused from the supported Skill is registered. The registered damage explodes at effectiveness when the target dies as Fire damage. |
| Seeking Support | The supported Projectile Skill will auto-seek enemies for a limited duration. |
| Slowing Support | Damage from the supported Skill Slows enemy movement speed for a limited duration. The closer the enemy is to the Seneschal Construct, the greater the Slow amount. Enemies may be slowed up to a maximum amount. |
| Mockery Support | Damage done by the supporting Skill Taunts enemies hit for a limited duration of time. This can only occur once every so often per enemy. Does not work on bosses. |
| Evernight | The supported Skill grants you +4 to all Skills when used for 2.0 seconds. |
| Genesis | Increase the effectiveness of the supported Skill by 150% |
Two special Fabled Tuning Stones, Evernight and Genesis, possess exceptional powers. You can obtain these two new stones for your Seneschal Companion by defeating Malphas.
The Governing and Tuning Stones of your Seneschal companion can be adjusted at any time, provided you are not engaged in combat. This flexibility allows you to adapt your companion to various in-game situations and enemies. Experiment with different combinations to discover the most effective synergy for your playstyle and character build.
Summary
The Seneschal companion is a key feature of Diablo 4 Season 3, adding depth and variety to the gameplay experience. It serves as a powerful and versatile ally whose effectiveness is determined by how you customize it with Governing and Tuning Stones. Furthermore, a great way to take advantage of the Season of Construction and enjoy all of the possibilities is to use your Seneschal companion with your chosen optimizations to assist you in hunting for the greatest loot to create the best build out there!
