Tips For Speeding Up Progression In Diablo 4

Highlights

Demoness Lilith’s return and the Reign of Enmity have plunged Sanctuary into chaos, with both demonic incursions and wars among humanity.
Creating a Seasonal Character in Diablo 4 provides access to exclusive rewards and opportunities for better gear and EXP rewards.
Rushing through the Main Story, skipping side quests, and unlocking the Mount as soon as possible help players speed up their progress and explore the open world faster.

With demoness Lilith returning to the world she created with Archangel Inarius, Sanctuary is once again put in peril in Diablo 4. Moreover, the arrival of the Reign of Enmity plunged Sanctuary’s remaining nations into continuous wars, which places players in a world not only rife with demonic incursions but also war among remnants of humanity.

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Armed once again with the powers of the Nephalem, players of Diablo 4 may want to fast-track their way into discovering their character’s roles in the fate of Sanctuary, especially when the game’s new open-world environment will now allow players to encounter other adventurers in a persistent multiplayer setting. For Diablo fans who want to sink their teeth into the title’s endgame content, what process should they follow?

1 Create A Seasonal Character

Ensure Access To Exclusive Rewards By Joining A Season

Process	In the “Hero Realm” Selection Screen, choose “Seasonal Realm” instead of “Eternal Realm”
Effect	Players can only skip to the Seasonal Content once they finish the Main Story, otherwise they have to complete it first Start the current “Season of Blood” content via the “Blood Money” Quest in Ked Bardu, Dry Steppes Focus on improving Vampiric Powers via Blood Harvests for stronger buffs Focus on defeating Bloodseekers via Blood Harvests for better rewards

Seasons return in Diablo 4 gameplay as a way to improve character progression, with the current Season of Blood featuring the Vampire Lord Zir and his campaign against mankind, as well as Vampire Hunter Erys asking players to help stop them. As with other Seasons, this 90-day event gives players access to new questlines, mechanics, and bosses, as well as items that are no longer available after the event.

Starting a Seasonal Character gives players more opportunities to score better gear and higher EXP rewards with additional events they can engage in throughout their journey. The random Blood Harvest events function similarly to Helltides, this time giving players opportunities to upgrade Season-exclusive Vampiric Powers as well as chances to challenge Bloodseeker bosses for better rewards.

2 Rush Through The Main Story

Skip Side Quests If Out Of The Way

Process	Finish all the Main Story quests as soon as possible
Effect	Act 4 will unlock Mounts across all characters, even future ones Act 6 should be done at around Level 42 to Level 45 Only finish Side Quests along the path of the Main Story, otherwise skip them for now Finishing the Main Story

One of the first steps players should take to speed up their progress in Diablo 4 gameplay is to fast-track their way through the main story. While it’s possible to level up and get better gear by finishing dungeons and side quests across Sanctuary, the main game is theoretically possible to accomplish without them.

When done correctly, players can finish Act 6 at around Level 42 to Level 45 while equipped with enough basic Legendaries and Altars of Lilith buffs. While it’s much easier to defeat bosses by over-leveling them, the more worthwhile gear in Diablo 4 can be acquired in the post-campaign’s unlockables.

3 Secure The Mount As Soon As Possible

Explore The Open World Much Faster

Process	Finish “Donan’s Favor” Quest in Kyovashad, Act 4
Effect	This unlocks Mounts for the current character and all future characters, paving the way for faster travels

Another reason players should finish the Diablo 4 main story as soon as possible is to secure access to Mounts. The game only offers Mounts when players finish “Donan’s Favor” in Act 4’s Kyovashad, which places the game’s main method of exploration around the Act that players may want to venture into dungeons to find better gear.

Aside from being able to explore at a much faster pace, unlocking the Mount for the first character will unlock Mounts for all characters in the player’s account. In turn, players who want to power-level new characters won’t have to walk all the way again to Act 4 just to get faster movement options.

4 Settle For Existing Gear

Build Gear After The Main Story

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Process	Use the game’s skill system to adjust builds based on the current equipment, as later progression will inevitably lead to the gear grind
Effect	Maximizes the most efficient of a player’s combat abilities while they finish the Main Story It’s worth skipping the item grind now as better gear will be unlocked post-game and while farming to prepare for higher difficulties

Similar to other Diablo titles, the gear-dependent endgame of Diablo 4 means much of a Class’s recommended builds heavily rely on skill buffs offered by special Legendary sets. However, since Legendary gear often has randomized bonus stats, it’s ideal to farm them in the late game and not while players are speeding up their progression.

In this regard, it’s more practical to settle for current gear they can find and create builds around them, even if they’re only able to find Uncommon, Rare, and a few Legendary pieces of equipment. Thanks to Diablo 4 skill progression, players can easily adjust builds based on the current best available gear to maximize time. Not only that, the latter stages of power-leveling that includes grinding will likely pave the way for much-desired Legendaries anyway, making it more practical to invest in Legendary-hunting at this stage of the experience.

5 Create Builds Based On Existing Aspects

Maximize Builds To Compensate For Lower Levels

Process	The dungeons players explore while finishing the Main Quest will unlock specific Aspects for their character Alongside current gear, their starting builds should accommodate their current Aspects, regardless if they’re not endgame optimal
Effect	Settling for current Aspect-based builds will maximize the current strengths of the character These builds should make them capable of holding their own before players venture into the dungeon farm part of the progression

While the Diablo 4 endgame focuses on getting the best builds for a Class to maximize devastation on the battlefield, the power level grind can’t do this for players at early levels. Holding off builds to “save up” for powerful plays in the later game can significantly delay players who want to speed up progression. Instead, players should create their initial builds based on the Aspects they’re acquiring in their current playthrough.

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Since Aspects are special properties extracted from Legendaries and can be reapplied to existing Rares and other Legendaries, these buffs can dictate the current focus of a character as it tries to breeze through the early parts of the game. While builds based on Aspects might not dish out the most damage, they maximize the current buffs players possess and can facilitate the best DPS and survivability available at the moment.

6 Find Altars Of Lilith To Secure Perma-Buffs

Maximize Stat Buffs For Easier Power-Leveling

Process	Find Altars of Lilith after the Main Story to secure permanent stat buffs
Effect	Aside from Paragon Leveling, Altars of Lilith can give much-needed power boosts to a player’s base stats

As Mephisto’s daughter begins to make herself an active political and spiritual power across Sanctuary, players may encounter statues in her likeness across their Diablo 4 playthrough. While Shrines provide temporary upgrades, interacting with Altars of Lilith will provide +10 Region Renown, XP, as well as permanent buffs applied to all characters created in the realm.

The game has a total of 160 Altars which, when acquired, should give up to +68 Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Willpower, +100 Murmuring Obols Capacity, and +4 Paragon Points. While many Altars of Lilith can be found along the path of the main story, players can get a map ready or stay on the lookout for roads that seem to lead to nowhere, off-map areas they can jump on, and visible but seemingly inaccessible locations.

7 Spam Domhainne Tunnels To Secure Nightmare Difficulty

Grind To Level 45 For The World Tier 2 Capstone

Process	If players can’t finish the Cathedral of Light Capstone, they should farm until they are Level 50 or at a close enough level One of the best areas to farm would be the first level of Domhainne Tunnels due to its compact structure and numerous foes
Effect	Secure World Tier 3 as soon as possible as this is the difficulty where there are more common Unique and Sacred drops, as well as Hellfire events and Nightmare Dungeons that have better rewards

Players on the course to speedrun their way through Diablo 4 will likely be able to finish Act 6 and the entire story at around Level 42 or 43. From this point on, players should focus on unlocking Nightmare and Torment Difficulties, also known as World Tier 3 and World Tier 4, respectively. The first course of action could be attempting the Cathedral of Light Capstone Dungeon in Kyovashad, which is usually recommended for Level 50 characters.

Should this prove difficult, their characters can grind for EXP in some of the game’s horde-oriented dungeons. An example of this would be the Domhainne Tunnels in Scosglen, which has a tight first floor perfect for farming sessions. Securing World Tier 3 is a must for fast progression, as playing in this difficulty paves the way for Unique and Sacred drops, Nightmare Sigils to unlock Nightmare Dungeons, and randomly opening Helltides.

8 Persevere Against Tougher Foes In Helltides

The Random Dungeons Offer Increased Challenges For Rewards

Process	Helltides feature stronger opponents akin to elites that players face around the game area The event also rewards Cinders that can open Hellfire Chests
Effect	Hellfire Chests can contain Unique items essential for early builds Hellfire Chests are the only place where players can farm Fiend Roses, an alchemical component

The death of Archangel Malthael in the story of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls plunged Sanctuary into a state of chaos, with the Reign of Emnity marking conflicts between kingdoms and regions amid the arrival of more opponents in the land. This coincided with the regular appearance of Helltides, or short bursts of demonic activity, altering Diablo 4 gameplay by featuring much stronger opponents.

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Despite Helltides offering a surge in difficulty, players at World Tier 3 are advised to regularly engage in them for their rewards. Aside from vast amounts of EXP, Helltide demons can frequently drop Cinders, which could be used to open Hellfire Chests that may contain Unique items. Helltides are also the only area where players can obtain Fiend Roses, one of the game’s rarest alchemical components.

9 Grind More Specific Gear With Trees Of Whispers

Grim Favors Unlock More Specific Item Types

Process	Upon entering Nightmare Tier, finish “Whispers of the Dead” in Writhing Mire, Hawezar This unlocks Tree of Whispers that randomly spawn in regions They contain quests that players can accomplish for Grim Favors
Effect	Grim Favors can be traded in for Collections that feature specific gear, paving the way for much-needed set items When done in Torment Difficulty, players can unlock Greater Collections that guarantee a random Legendary

When players complete the main story of Diablo 4 and enter Nightmare Tier, they can venture into the Writhing Mire in Hawezar to finish the “Whispers of the Dead” quest. This unlocks the Tree of Whispers, which acts as limited-time quest-givers that spawn randomly in regions. While similar to Helltides in their random nature, Trees of Whispers offer various objectives that reward currencies called Grim Favors.

Unlocking a certain amount of these Grim Favors can be used to redeem caches of specific gear types. Doing so in Torment Difficulty gives the option of purchasing Greater Collections that have a guaranteed Legendary drop. Accomplishing Trees of Whispers in tandem with Helltides can significantly boost the odds of players securing better gear while preparing for higher-difficulty encounters.

10 Prepare For The Endgame With Nightmare Dungeons

Maximize Progression Options With Nightmare Dungeon Rewards

Process	Unlock Torment Difficulty by doing the Fallen Temple Capstone, which is a Level 70 Dungeon Difficulty in defeating this Capstone may need Nightmare Dungeon farming, where the player’s first Nightmare Sigils may be found from the Tree of Whispers Nightmare Dungeons are some of the most challenging areas in the game, especially with their randomized factors
Effect	Nightmare Dungeons reliably drop Glyphs and EXP Points for Paragon Levels, which can level up Glyphs Players can use this dungeon to farm for higher-tier (Legendary, Unique, Sacred, Ancestral) gear

The last phase of power-leveling in Diablo 4 gameplay involves unlocking the Torment Difficulty via the Fallen Temple Capstone. Farming Nightmare Dungeons is the most practical way to prepare for this Level 70 Capstone and is also the most efficient progression method upon reaching Torment Difficulty. When players complete their first sets of Tree of Whispers tasks, they may get Nightmare Sigils that open portals to specific Nightmare Dungeons, or higher-difficulty versions of existing areas. All Nightmare Sigils, which players eventually learn how to craft, determine the difficulty and special traits of Nightmare Dungeons they open.

The most important aspect of Nightmare Dungeons is its risk-reward component. Being absurdly more challenging versions of dungeons, these stages reliably drop Glyphs as well as higher-tier (Legendary, Unique, Sacred, Ancestral) loot. Not only that, Nightmare Dungeons provide much more EXP for character leveling, providing much-needed Paragon Points to level up Glyphs that can further enhance specific aspects of their builds.

Diablo 4

Released: June 6, 2023
Genre(s): Action RPG , Hack and Slash