The short answer

Choose Eternal when you want a character on the enduring realm and do not want to start inside the seasonal progression reset. Choose Seasonal when you want to participate in the active season’s character progression and systems.

The official material describes Seasonal and Eternal as different realm contexts. The community question is useful for the wording players use, but it does not change the realm rules.

What persists on Eternal

The collected official page describes Eternal progression as enduring and lists gear, stash, Paragon, and Gold as preserved on the Eternal realm. Cosmetics and transmogs are described as account-wide rather than as a reason to choose one realm.

Treat this as the current captured boundary, not a promise about every future seasonal transfer. If the client presents a newer realm or Rebirth notice, use that current UI as the next check.

What Seasonal is for

Seasonal characters are the route for seasonal progression and the active season’s content. The official current-season page identifies Hell’s Legacy as live in the captured September 20, 2026 snapshot.

Do not select Seasonal expecting all character progression to remain in the same form after the season. The reset boundary is the reason the Seasonal and Eternal choices are presented separately.

How to choose before creating a character

1. Select Seasonal if your goal is the live season’s progression and systems.

2. Select Eternal if your goal is to continue an enduring character and its realm progression.

3. Read the creation screen’s current realm and transfer wording before confirming, especially after a seasonal patch.

4. If the character is meant for a group, confirm that every player is entering the same realm context before starting.

  • Seasonal for active-season play
  • Eternal for continuity
  • Read the current confirmation screen

Needs confirmation

The exact future Rebirth UI flow and any later seasonal transfer changes are not confirmed by the collected sources. An older YouTube explanation corroborates the basic concept but cannot establish current UI behavior.

Do not treat community metaphors such as “graveyard” as game rules, and do not infer that cosmetics or account-wide progress are lost merely because a character is Seasonal.