Tips For Speeding Up Progression In Diablo 4

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.

Armed once again with the powers of the Nephalem, players of Diablo 4may 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 them to encounter other adventurers in a persistent multiplayer setting. For Diablofans who want to sink their teeth into the title’s endgame content, what process should they follow?

Updated on June 6, 2024, by Rhenn Taguiam:With the release of Season 4: Loot Reborn practically reworking Diablo 4’s major gear mechanics, fans of the ARPG will likely experience changes to their favorite Classes that may drastically affect the way they contribute to the overall meta. However, before fans are even able to test meta builds, they have to make sure their characters are able to maximize their potential - be it through earning enough Skill Points, Paragon Points, and especially new gear. In this regard, new characters need to progress through the game’s campaign and higher difficulties as fast as possible. Some tips to do so include starting at a higher difficulty, teaming up with friends for boosts, repeating specific instances, and ensuring they drink a certain consumable for the guaranteed Experience buff.

Consider Starting At Veteran

Skip World Tier 1 And Start At World Tier 2 For The XP Boost

When players create their Diablo 4character, they can start at World Tier 1 (Adventurer) and World Tier 2 (Veteran). While players new to the Diablofranchise are advised to start at World Tier 1, players who want to level up quickly to enjoy the Diablo 4endgame should consider going for World Tier 2 at the onset - especially since the game will amp up difficulty at higher Tiers anyway. Granted, this difficulty might be merciless for new players, but this will ensure players start studying telegraphed attacks and master their mobility to prepare them for tougher challenges.

Mechanically speaking, starting at World Tier 2 doesn’t seem as practical as only mobs give +20% Experience. However, with Diablo 4's gameplay almost always forcing players to kill many monsters anyway, the extra XP can help gamers make progress much faster.

Play With Friends For An XP Boost

Get More Experience With Friends Or By Being Near Another Player

Unlike other Diablogames, Diablo 4gameplay adds a multiplayer twist to the isometric ARPG by allowing players to explore an open world and encounter other characters in real-time. They can also fight the same monsters in the open world as other players or even team up with friends to tackle dungeons and other threats. This multiplayer component is incentivized by the game, as this offers valuable experience boosts to players who want to level up quickly.

At its core, just sticking close to another random player will grant +5% more Experience to both gamers. However, if both players are in the same party, this +5% becomes +10% more Experience, which might seem small at first but can become significant during longer playthroughs. Unfortunately, these bonuses don’t necessarily stack, which means it remains practical for players to stay in groups given the overall difficulty of the game’s dungeons and bosses.

Get Decent Bonuses Per Zone At 900 Renown

Maximize Renown In Each Zone To Maximize Benefits

Despite Diablo 4 gameplay still dividing its main story across different Zones, the Diablosequel now offers a Renown system for each Zone that fills up whenever players complete activities while staying in these areas. Players earn rewards for both their character and all characters in their account on a realm, making Renown a must-complete for players who want to maximize earning XP as soon as possible.

Moreover, while Renown 4 and Renown 5 are only unlockable once players open World Tier 3 (Nightmare), reaching Renown 3 and earning Skill Point bonuses can help characters become much closer to their desired builds. When completing Renown across all five Zones, players can get as much as +5 Extra Potion Charges and +10 Skill Points for both the character in question and all characters after them.

Farm Stronghold Enemies Before Finishing Them

Continuously Kill Enemies Before Deciding To Finish Strongholds

When the former Archangel of Death, Malthael, forced the purging of humanity throughout Sanctuary, Diablolore positioned Strongholds as abandoned locations now overrun by demons. Players can visit these locations in their Diablo 4gameplay, where each includes story, bosses, and even unique mechanics. When cleared, these are one-off events that may transform the Stronghold into a friendly town or quest hub, reveal a Waypoint, or even unlock dungeons and other events.

However, players who want to optimize their leveling experience should farm Strongholds. Doing so requires progressing through a chosen Stronghold until one defeats a boss, only to exit to the main menu and reload their character afterward. This reloads players outside the Stronghold with all enemies respawned and available for another run. Should players want to rush to Level 45 quickly, the Temple of Rot Stronghold should be an ideal farming target.

Secure Elixirs For An Accessible XP Boost

Every Elixir Comes With A 3% Experience Boost

Due to the evolving strength of opponents in Diablo 4 gameplay, players need all the help they can get when trying to defeat demons across the game’s many difficulties. On top of having the right builds and gear, players also need the right buffs to supplement their gameplay needs. For players still trying to level up to reach the Diabloendgame, this means using consumables to maximize their performance. Thankfully, they can get buffs to their leveling experience as early as Level 10 by unlocking the Alchemist.

Doing so not only allows players to upgrade their Healing Potions and eventually Transmute Uber Uniques with Resplendent Sparks in the endgame. Rather, they can create Elixirs that provide various bonuses for 30 minutes, be it Armor and Thorns, Dodge, Elemental Resistances, Overpower Damage, and even Attack Speed. More importantly, all Elixirs provide a 3% Experience boost for the same duration. Players do have to note that only one Elixir can be active on their character at any time, and their effects persist after death.

Create A Seasonal Character

Ensure Access To Exclusive Rewards By Joining A Season

Seasons return in Diablo 4gameplay 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.

Rush Through The Main Story

Skip Side Quests If Out Of The Way

One of the first steps players should take to speed up their progress in Diablo 4gameplay 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 4can be acquired in the post-campaign’s unlockables.

Secure The Mount As Soon As Possible

Explore The Open World Much Faster

Another reason players should finish the Diablo 4main 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.

Settle For Existing Gear

Build Gear After The Main Story

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 4skill 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.

Create Builds Based On Existing Aspects

Maximize Builds To Compensate For Lower Levels

While the Diablo 4endgame 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 late 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.

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 they try 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.

Find Altars Of Lilith To Secure Perma-Buffs

Maximize Stat Buffs For Easier Power-Leveling

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 4playthrough. 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 that, 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.

Spam Domhainne Tunnels To Secure Nightmare Difficulty

Grind To Level 45 For The World Tier 2 Capstone

Players on the course to speedrun their way through Diablo 4will 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.

Persevere Against Tougher Foes In Helltides

The Random Dungeons Offer Increased Challenges For Rewards

The death of Archangel Malthael in the story of Diablo 3: Reaper of Soulsplunged 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 4gameplay by featuring much stronger opponents.

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 can 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.

Grind More Specific Gear With Trees Of Whispers

Grim Favors Unlock More Specific Item Types

When players complete the main story of Diablo 4and 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 grants 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.

Prepare For The Endgame With Nightmare Dungeons

Maximize Progression Options With Nightmare Dungeon Rewards

The last phase of power-leveling in Diablo 4gameplay 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.