Season 4 of Diablo 4 introduces significant changes to many core systems. These include revisions to itemization and the introduction of new crafting mechanisms. However, these system changes are not the sole additions. There is also a substantial amount of new endgame content and systems, one of which is The Pit of the Artificers.

Exploring The Pit - How To Unlock, Boss Encounters & Rewards

The Pit represents a crucial new focus system for endgame activities, bearing strong similarities to the Greater Rifts seen in Diablo 3.

To unlock this system, one must first attain World Tier 4 status. Subsequently, a quest will prompt completion of a Tier 46 Nightmare Dungeon. Upon accomplishing this task, the collection of Runeshards commences, achievable through various endgame activities. Accumulating enough Runeshards enables access to The Pit. Each entry into The Pit necessitates expenditure of Runeshards, though given their availability from multiple endgame sources, acquiring them should pose little challenge.

Once prepared, players venture to a new Obelisk to initiate their inaugural Pit run, initially restricted to floor one. Within The Pit, participants encounter randomized environments and foes, all against the backdrop of a ticking 10-minute timer. Dispatching enemies fills a progress bar, culminating in the spawning of a boss portal. Entering this portal transports players to a boss room, marking the culmination of their Pit journey.

Based on our observations, the boss rooms within The Pit appear to feature dungeon bosses as adversaries. However, there are intriguing new elements introduced. While engaging The Pit boss, and potentially even en route to confronting it, spectral manifestations of other bosses emerge, unleashing attacks during the encounter. For instance, while contending with The Pit boss, a shade resembling Lilith might manifest, unleashing waves of dread that require evasion. Alternatively, a shade akin to Duriel may materialize, charging to pin players against walls. This infusion of diverse challenges enhances the complexity of each Pit boss encounter. Furthermore, as players ascend The Pit's levels, these boss shades manifest with increasing frequency. Thus, even encounters with seemingly mundane bosses necessitate adapting to mechanics reminiscent of other formidable adversaries, heightening the intrigue of these encounters.

Upon vanquishing a boss, players receive a plethora of loot drops. Depending on the swiftness with which they complete the Pit level, additional rewards are also granted. Notably, defeating the boss before the timer expires awards Masterworking materials and unlocks the subsequent Pit tier. The Masterworking system comprises 3 tiers, with higher tiers obtainable as players progress through The Pit levels. These materials are integral to advancing within the Masterworking system, establishing The Pit as a primary source for acquiring them.

Should players dispatch the boss within 4 to 6 minutes, an extra Pit tier is unlocked. Similarly, eliminating the boss with 6 or more minutes remaining grants access to 2 additional tiers. Hence, completing a Pit level swiftly enables unlocking multiple tiers simultaneously. However, failing to defeat the boss within the time limit does not result in expulsion from The Pit. Players can continue and ultimately confront the end-level boss, albeit without unlocking subsequent Pit tiers or obtaining Masterworking materials. Nonetheless, they still secure gear drops from the boss and accrue Stygian Stones.

See More: A Potential Top-Tier Build For The Bone Spear Necromancer In Diablo 4 Season 4 Revealed

Introduction Of Stygian Stones

Stygian Stones, introduced in Season 4, serve as a new material for summoning Uber bosses.

These stones enable players to summon level 200 versions of existing endgame bosses such as Duriel or Lord Zir. These supercharged bosses offer heightened difficulty and yield significantly increased loot rewards, providing an additional late-game challenge. Obtaining Stygian Stones is tied to completing The Pit and defeating its boss, even if done after the timer expires.

Penalties & Mechanics In The Pit

In contrast to Season 2's Abattoir of Zir, dying in The Pit does not result in expulsion. Instead, players incur a time penalty with each death, escalating with subsequent deaths.

For instance, the first death deducts 30 seconds, the second deducts 60 seconds, and so forth. Therefore, minimizing deaths and completing Pit runs swiftly is essential for unlocking higher tiers and acquiring master materials. Losing valuable time, such as 60 seconds from a 10-minute run, carries significant consequences.

Tiering & Gameplay Dynamics

An integral aspect of the system is its extensive tiering, with each subsequent floor presenting greater difficulty.

Consequently, The Pit serves as a venue for testing builds while yielding substantial loot rewards. Due to its scalable and challenging nature, coupled with its timed structure, loot is not obtained from defeating enemies.

Instead, all loot is acquired upon defeating the boss and opening the chest if the timer is beaten. This feature enhances gameplay by eliminating interruptions for Diablo 4 Items collection, allowing players to solely focus on combat.

Group Participation In The Pit

Additionally, players will have the option to participate in The Pit with others, albeit with certain conditions that I believe should also apply to endgame bosses.

Primarily, the individual who initiates The Pit will receive the bulk of the materials, particularly Masterworking materials, described as the lion's share. Consequently, while other participants may still obtain a small portion of materials, the opener retains the majority. Furthermore, the opener is the sole recipient eligible to acquire Stygian Stones, essential for summoning Uber bosses.

It's worth noting that in group settings, such as playing with friends, Stygian Stones will be utilized to summon Uber bosses. As of now, there are no penalties for engaging in endgame boss battles with others, offering an advantage.

Moreover, one participant can utilize their materials to summon a boss, ensuring equitable loot distribution among all participants. This decision likely addresses concerns regarding potential material inflation if every member of a group were to acquire Stygian Stones in The Pit. Thus, it appears logical to impose limitations within The Pit.

In Diablo 4 Season 3 of the Construct, players can experience the Gauntlet: a dynamic and strategic dungeon challenge designed for speed and cunning. With leaderboards spanning all game modes and various group dynamics, each class competes against itself to claim a coveted spot in the Top 10 ranks, earning a permanent place in the Hall of the Ancients.

Here, I offer a brief overview of what to expect in the Gauntlet, along with a detailed exploration of the intricate mechanics crucial for climbing the ranks, aiming for the prestigious Top 1,000 and, ideally, breaking into the Top 10.

However, the Gauntlet offers more than just recognition. Participants can anticipate cash rewards akin to those found in Nightmare Dungeons. Additionally, your performance each week determines the rewards you'll receive, such as different types of Diablo 4 Items, etc., culminating in the prestigious Seal of the Worthy for top achievers.

What Are Seals?

Let's delve into the process of advancing through the Seals, offering insight into the rewards that await you.

Advancing through the Seals is contingent upon achieving scores across various tiers. These Seals can be proudly displayed on your player-character banner, signaling your prowess in the Trials. Simply for attempting the Gauntlet, you'll earn the Seal of the Blooded. Mastering the fundamentals of the Gauntlet and its mechanics earns you the Seal of the Steadfast, indicating rapid progression through the ranks.

Players who attain high scores will be honored with the Seal of the Iron-Willed, one step closer to proving themselves as the pinnacle. Finally, there's the Seal of the Worthy. Reaching this pinnacle ensures you receive all rewards from preceding Seals, maximizing the power and quality of gear obtained from caches each week.

For dedicated players who excel in their class and build, there's an even loftier goal: securing a place within the Top 1,000 scores globally.

Top 5 Tips For Achieving Leaderboard Success

While individuals with a basic grasp of their build and the Gauntlet's mechanics can ascend to the highest Seal, achieving a ranking within the Top 1,000, and potentially cracking the Top 10, requires a deeper understanding to maximize your overall score.

Therefore, I'll provide five tips aimed at elevating your performance to reach the upper tiers of the leaderboard, offering you a genuine opportunity to compete amongst the elite.

Tip 1: Grasp The Essence Of The Gauntlet

Tip #1 revolves around understanding the Gauntlet itself, your primary adversary in this endeavor.

Upon repeated runs of the Gauntlet, you'll discern its fixed layout. This intentional design fosters fair competition and favors those with a speedrunning mindset, enabling them to strategize effectively.

Examining the map, several critical aspects merit attention. Foremost among them are the bosses, consistently spawning in predetermined locations or tiles. These bosses yield substantial scores, especially when encountered alongside score-multiplying Pillars, a point we'll explore shortly. Each boss always drops specific Shrines, such as Blast Wave, Channeling, and Artillery, offering potent enhancements for bolstering damage and efficiency within a build.

At the very least, these Shrines significantly augment Movement Speed, potentially pushing you to the Movement Speed cap—an aspect we'll delve into later.

In between boss encounters, you'll confront various combinations of trash monsters, Elite monsters, and key-bearing monsters, all of which yield valuable score increments. Ensuring thorough elimination of these monster packs prevents wasted time traversing unproductive terrain.

Tip 2: Strategize Your Approach To Pillars

Simply defeating these bosses once won't significantly boost your maximum score. This leads us to Tip #2: strategize your approach to Pillars.

In the Gauntlet, there are 2 distinct Shrines known as Pillars. One resurrects all previously defeated monsters, while the other provides a substantial multiplier to your total score. With each chest opened or monster slain, the multiplier increases.

These Pillars are consistently located in specific areas of the map. Planning how many monsters to defeat before activating the resurrection Pillar, and efficiently navigating between monster packs to maximize your time under the score-multiplying Pillar, is crucial for edging ahead of your competition.

Tip 3: Prioritize Vital Stats

Tip #3 emphasizes prioritizing stats that may not have been a focus during your time playing Diablo IV Season 3.

There are 3 crucial stats that should be maximized on every piece of gear whenever possible: Movement Speed, Increased Attack Speed, and Shrine Buff Duration.

Starting with Movement Speed, it's straightforward—there's a cap of 200%. Every character begins at a base of 100%, with potential movement speed affixes on amulets and boots. Additional affixes such as "After killing an Elite, gain additional Movement Speed" can further augment your mobility. While reaching the maximum cap isn't necessary, the inclusion of Shrines' Movement Speed bonuses and those gained after killing Elites allows for strategic Shrine activation and ensures constant movement at maximum speed.

Increased Attack Speed is the next vital stat. Many players are unaware that Diablo IV's animations operate on breakpoints, meaning specific thresholds of Increased Attack Speed enable faster damage output and enhanced movement speed. Simply relying on skill spamming until enemies are vanquished won't suffice. Instead, weaving in movement inputs between skill casts ensures continuous movement, optimizing combat efficiency.

The final crucial stat is Shrine Buff Duration, which can be found on both boots and amulets. This not only extends the duration of beneficial Shrines dropped by bosses and crucial Movement Speed boosts but also prolongs the multiplier effect of Pillars on your total score.

Maximizing these stats across gear pieces enables efficient cycling between boss and Elite packs, ensuring maximum score accumulation at all times.

Tip 4: Find Ways To Automate Your Gauntlet Build

Tip #4 for the Gauntlet involves implementing automation into different components of your build, allowing it to handle the majority of tasks efficiently.

Here is an example: the synergy between Black River and Sacrilegious Ring for the Necromancer. The Sacrilegious Ring autonomously triggers Corpse Explosion every second when placed on the skill bar, while Black River enables casting five Corpse Explosions for the price of one, contingent upon sufficient Corpses on the ground. This setup allows for effortless dispatching of monsters as you move through the Gauntlet. While my expertise lies with the Necromancer, every class offers avenues for incorporating automation, ensuring continuous movement while monsters are efficiently eliminated behind you.

It's important to note that you don't need to manually collect the score—it automatically accrues to you, even from a considerable distance.

Tip 5: Optimize!

And Tip #5 may appear obvious at first glance, but it's crucial to emphasize: optimize, optimize, optimize.

Unlike the Abattoir of Zir, where survivability and stacking multipliers are paramount, the Gauntlet presents a different challenge. Its monsters are only Level 124, akin to those found in a Nightmare Dungeon set at Level 70. Consequently, there may be areas in your build where you've overly prioritized damage or multipliers that could be reallocated to utility, as discussed in the preceding tips. For instance, you might regain Movement Speed by replacing a damage-focused aspect on your amulet with a mobility one.

Even a seemingly minor adjustment, such as switching from a slower-based weapon to a faster one—like transitioning from a Scythe with 0.90 Attacks per Second to a Wand with 1.2 Attacks per Second—can yield significant benefits. It's essential to remember that overkilling a monster doesn't increase your score. Instead, delivering the minimum required damage at the fastest rate possible is what propels your build to the top of the charts.

Conclusion

Every week, the Gauntlet presents a fresh challenge, requiring a new round of theory-crafting, strategizing, and route planning. Depending on the Gauntlet's composition, the emphasis on slaying bosses versus tackling Elites may vary significantly.

It wouldn't be surprising to find myself swapping out one or two gear pieces each week, experimenting with different optimization strategies for my build. In just the initial hours of the Gauntlet's release, we've witnessed remarkable shifts in high scores, particularly among Necromancer players, soaring from 300,000 to nearly 700,000. This demonstrates the community's dedication to pushing the meta and redefining what constitutes the ideal build for this challenging content.

While Diablo 4 Season 3 has sparked a division within the community due to its emphasis on traps and hazards, there's no denying the game's steady improvement over time, marked by the introduction of numerous endgame activities. These include the new Arcane Tremor world events, Vault dungeons, and an enjoyable seasonal questline.

The central antagonist for this season goes by the name Malphas, whose boss battle awaits not only at the culmination of the seasonal questline but also in the endgame, featuring a modified Uber version. 

In this guide, we will comprehensively discuss the summoning process, location for the Diablo 4 Season 3 Uber Malphas boss fight, and provide a complete list of known Diablo 4 Items obtainable by defeating him.

The Whereabouts Of Uber Malphas & The Conditions For Summoning

To summon and confront Uber Malphas, you'll need to journey to his domain, the Vault of the Loom, situated in the central northern part of the main hub for Diablo 4 Season 3 - Gatehall. 

Upon entering the Vault of the Loom, you'll encounter a locked door and an altar. Accessing Uber Malphas' dungeon involves the use of 2 distinct resources:

• 7x Igneous Core
• 250x Shattered Stone

Shattered Stones are readily available and can be farmed in Diablo 4 Season 3, dropping from any of the new construct enemies and elites found in the Vault dungeons or Arcane Tremor events. You can also acquire them by picking up a Governing or Tuning Stone that is already at its maximum level.

Obtaining Igneous Cores is a bit more challenging. The primary method is by defeating the Heralds of Malphas elites, summonable at different Braziers during the Arcane Tremor events. 

The second method involves defeating the Son of Malphas elite, which, much like the Butcher, can randomly appear in any of the Vault dungeons and sometimes near the Arcane Tremor events in the open world.

Upon opening the door in the Vault of the Loom, you must clear four smaller versions of Vault dungeons before facing Uber Malphas at the culmination.

What Can You Gain After Defeating Uber Malphas?

Uber Malphas sets himself apart from other endgame bosses by lacking a dedicated pool of Unique items for drops. 

He has the potential to drop Rares, Legendaries, and random Uniques, similar to any other monster in World Tier 4, with a slight chance of them reaching Item Power 925. The primary incentive to farm Uber Malphas lies in the Unique Tuning Stones exclusive to him. 

Genesis and Evernight, the game's most potent Tuning Stones, can significantly enhance your Seneschal Construct. Blizzard has disclosed the drop rates for these Unique Tuning Stones:

• Uber Malphas: 0.5% chance to drop.
• Wardwoven Chests After the Boss: 3% chance to drop.

This encapsulates all the crucial information regarding locating, defeating Uber Malphas, and delves into his specific loot table. The Unique Tuning Stones he can yield are exceptionally potent, making it advisable to farm him if you aim to compete in the forthcoming Gauntlet leaderboards. 

At the same time, no matter what kind of bosses or monsters you challenge, you'd better use Diablo 4 Gold to equip your character to easily cope with various challenges!

Diablo 4 developers have just announced details of Lunar Awakening Event. This limited-time event will commemorate Chinese Lunar New Year and allow players to use Lunar Shrines to earn special rewards.

From February 6th at 10 a.m. to February 20th at 10 a.m. PST, players in Seasonal and Eternal Realms can enjoy the splendor and joy of Lunar Awakening Event. This limited-time event brings about a mysterious phenomenon that imbues shrines with great and prosperous power.

Explore Lunar Shrines

Embark on a journey through all areas and activities of Sanctuary to identify and activate Lunar Shrines. When active, these Shrines will give you a 50% multiplier XP bonus and a 30% movement speed increase. Immerse yourself in tons of buffs while earning generous Diablo 4 Gold.

Lunar Night Market

Head to Ked Bardu and head to the north of town to meet the leader of Lunar Night Market, Ying-Yue. This bustling market is your central hub for Lunar Awakening. Here you can exchange your hard-earned Ancestor’s Favor reputation for luxurious Diablo 4 item rewards.

Lunar Shrines

Lunar Shrines can be found throughout Sanctuary, appearing in Dungeons and Overworld. Players can accumulate Ancestor’s Favor reputation by participating in battles, activating Lunar Shrines, and killing monsters. The unique appearance of these Shrines is decorated with dragons and unique map icons, making them easy to spot from a distance.

Sigils & Glyph XP

During Lunar Awakening event, Nightmare Dungeon Sigils may come with Ancestor’s Favor dungeon affix. You need to make sure that only Lunar Shrines will spawn in this dungeon.

Upon completion, you’ll also receive a 10% Glyph XP bonus. Keep these Sigils even after the event ends to continue receiving the benefits of Lunar Shrines.

Augmented Lunar Shrine Effects

Lunar Shrine is full of mysterious and huge power, and people believe it is the return of the souls of their ancestors. They function similarly to regular Shrines but provide an extra punch during this holiday event.

Each type of Lunar Shrine provides unique bonus effects, the effects of each Lunar Shrine are listed below.

• Artillery Shrine: The caster has the chance to summon a holy bomb.
• Blast Wave Shrine: Each explosion summons a cluster bombardment.
• Channeling Shrine: Has a chance to increase attack speed and reset cooldown.
• Conduit Shrine: Summons frequent, powerful, shocking attacks.
• Greed Shrine: Has a chance to summon Treasure Goblin. Treasure Goblin can be summoned after 25 kills while Shrine is active, or 50 kills per second.
• Lethal Shrine: Has a chance to immediately execute the hit monster, causing Fear to surrounding monsters. This includes elites, but excludes bosses and other players.
• Protection Shrine: You reflect all damage taken. Damage reflection scaling is related to Level and World Tier.

Whisper Bounty Event

Take part in Lunar Awakening-themed Whisper bounties throughout the event to gain Ancestor’s Favor reputation and appease Tree of Whispers. Take advantage of specific gameplay augmentation provided by activated Lunar Shrine.

Rewards

Earning 10 levels of Ancestor’s Favor reputation unlocks 6 different Lunar-themed cosmetic rewards. Tejal’s store also offers Lunar Awakening-themed garments. You can dress your wanderer in an outfit appropriate for this joyous occasion!

Diablo 4 Lunar Awakening Event promises to celebrate strength and prosperity. Go on an adventure and activate Lunar Shrine to unlock unique rewards and immerse yourself in the magic of this limited-time event!

In Diablo 4 Season 3, a new dungeon called Vaults has been introduced, providing players with the opportunity to battle monsters while navigating through traps. Upon reaching the end of the dungeon, players can reap substantial rewards, including Diablo 4 Gold, items, and multiple chests containing Legendaries and Uniques.

This guide aims to highlight 3 crucial mistakes I encountered at the beginning of Season 3 and share strategies to consistently maximize rewards when running Vaults.

Vault Rewards

The most important thing first, why should I run this new dungeon Vault?

We can get up to all 3 rewards at the same time by running 1 Vault, 5 Grim Favors, Glyph XP and tons of Legendary Drops including Uniques.

By completing the designated Vault housing the whisper quest, players receive 5 Grim Favors. Opting for the nightmare version of the same Vault, identifiable through matching the name from the sigil, grants Glyph XP. Successfully evading trap damage allows players to unlock up to 4 chests at the Vault's conclusion, yielding 6-10 Legendary drops, with notably high probabilities of obtaining Unique drops.

But it is not easy to get all of them.

1. Stuck On Seasonal Questline

My initial misstep, or more accurately, an oversight by Blizzard, was the inability to access Vaults altogether.

Due to a bug in the Seasonal Questline, I find myself stuck and unable to interact with the Brazier, hindering any further progression in the Seasonal Questline. Initially, I hoped that acquiring Diablo 4 Items from the Seasonal Content would resolve the issue, but unfortunately, it appears to be a persistent and problematic bug.

After searching a bit, I fixed it by going back to the Character Selection menu, then the Options menu, Connect, Toggle the Disable Cross-Network Play, and going through the experience twice. Then, I can progress the Seasonal Questline and finally unlock the Vault access. Try this if you get stuck, too.

2. Pearls To Use

The second mistake to avoid is to use too many Pearls for the Zoltun’s Warding Buff, which is used to unlock the extra chests. Because there aren’t that many chests at the end of the dungeon.

The Pearls can be farmed by doing these seasonal content on the map. And each pearl can be transformed into 3 Zoltun’s Warding Buff stacks. I was once wearing 25 stacks of the buff. But there was only 1 extra chest requiring only 1 stack. What a disappointment and waste.

So I made this chart after running a few Vault runs. For example, if I run a Nightmare Vault in World Tier 3, I recommend using no more than 3 Pearls, which is 9 stacks to get the final 2 chests that requires 5 stacks, meaning that we can get hit by trap at most 4 times.

The good news is that getting hit by monsters would not reduce the stacks, just getting hit by traps will. But in general, getting hit by trap only 4 times throughout the whole Vault seems difficult. How do we achieve that?

3. Safe Spots In The Final Fight

This comes to my final tip on the safe spots in the final fight.

There are 2 parts of the Vault. The first part is where we go through some monster fights, then a trap location, then some monster fights with some traps.

To avoid trap damage as a Sorcerer, I recommend waiting a bit and using Teleport to skip the traps while keeping an eye on the ground for small traps.

The second part is where we need to fight monsters while avoiding a lot of traps together, before getting the chests that are usually the part I lose all my buff stacks.

After running a few Vaults, I noticed that there are usually 5 safe spots, 1 in the center and 4 on the side. We can teleport between the 5 spots to stay out of the trap attack range completely.

So, instead of fighting the monsters in the whole area, we fight them among these 5 spots and then rotate between them through Teleport. Dying is OK too as it doesn’t reduce the buff stacks at all.

I recommend to use 8 Pearls, as 24 stacks, for the World Tier 4 Nightmare Vault as to harvest all 4 chests as long as we take less than 9 hits from traps in the dungeon progression and the final fight.

Once we get more proficient in trap escaping, we can use just 7 or even 6 Pearls instead.

Final Thoughts

The Vault mechanics isn’t superb at its current state. The rewards are decent, but it is just too difficult to get everything.

In my opinion, Blizzard should triple the buff stacks from Pearls, like 1 Pearl equals to 9 stacks, in order to make it a slightly more enjoyable content for us players

Right now, running Vaults in Diablo 4 Season 3 feels like just getting punishment and too risky to get enough rewards.

Diablo 4 Season 3, which is titled Season of the Construct, has been ushered in Diablo 4, bringing along a plethora of new game mechanics to explore. The standout features of this season include the introduction of the Seneschal Companion follower and engaging endgame activities like Vaults, Arcane Tremors, and the unique Malphas boss encounter.

A key element in interacting with the season's mechanics revolves around a new resource known as 'Pearls of Warding.' To fully immerse yourself in the new in-game activities, it becomes imperative to comprehend the purpose of these Pearls and where you can gather more of them. This article aims to do just that—clarify the functionality of 'Pearls of Warding' and provide insights into how you can amass them in Diablo 4 Season 3.

What Do Pearls Of Warding Signify In Diablo 4 Season 3?

Pearls of Warding will serve as the primary resource in Diablo 4's Season of the Construct. These Pearls play a pivotal role in the new season's mechanics, serving 2 distinct purposes:

1. Zoltun's Warding

Utilize Pearls of Warding at the statues of Zoltun Kulle located at the outset of the new Vault dungeons.

Exchanging 1 Pearl of Warding grants you 3 stacks of Zoltun's Warding, a novel buff introduced in Season 3. Each instance of encountering traps or hazards within the Vaults results in the depletion of one stack of the buff. Therefore, if you have enough Diablo 4 Gold, you can equip your character in advance.

However, upon successfully completing the dungeon, you'll have the opportunity to open several chests based on the remaining stacks.

2. Uber Malphas

The second application of Pearls of Warding involves summoning Uber Malphas, the new primary boss for the season.

Uber Malphas becomes the exclusive means by which you can acquire the powerful Genesis and Evernight Unique Tuning Stones, offering the most potent abilities for your Seneschal Companion.

2 Ways To Help You Get Additional Pearls Of Warding

Here are the two approaches we've identified for acquiring Pearls of Warding in Season of the Construct:

1. Arcane Tremor Braziers

To obtain more Pearls of Warding, the initial method involves traveling to a zone influenced by Arcane Tremors and interacting with one of the Braziers on the map. As is typical with all seasonal mechanics in Diablo 4, zones affected by Arcane Tremors will be denoted on the world map by a green leaf.

Upon locating a Brazier, you can summon a Herald of Malphas mini-boss by expending 3 Elemental Cores and 50 Shattered Stones.

Activating the Brazier initiates a battle against waves of enemies, concluding with the Herald of Malphas mini-boss. If you find it difficult to defeat them, you may wish to check out IGGM's Diablo 4 Boosting services. There will be professional players there to help you solve any problems you have!

This mini-boss drops Governing or Tuning Stones and Pearls of Warding.

2. Vault Dungeon Chests

The second method to acquire additional Pearls of Warding is by engaging in the new Vault dungeons introduced in Season of the Construct.

These dungeons are replete with various traps and hazards, constituting a primary activity in Season 3. Access the Vaults through zones influenced by Arcane Tremors, Vault Sigils dropping in World Tier 3, or directly from your home base in Gatehall.

Upon completing the Vault dungeon, a chest awaits you, offering gold, Diablo 4 Items, and Pearls of Warding.

Notably, you can bypass the Zoltun's Warding/Trap mechanics entirely and head straight to the end of the dungeon to collect your Pearls from the standard chest.

This thorough guide provides you with insights into Pearls of Warding and their sources in Diablo 4 Season 3. Utilize this knowledge to boost your Pearl count, improving your odds of unlocking multiple chests after Vault runs or engaging in the new Uber Malphas boss fight.

In this guide, I would like to provide you with a leveling strategy for all characters in Diablo 4 Season 3. 

Recommended Starter Builds For Different Classes

I’ve had a positive experience with Double Swing for the Barbarian thus far. Even if boss fights take a bit longer than with HotA, we’ll definitely add Charge and possibly also the Chain. Alternatively, you can continue playing classic HotA. Leveling should be as good as before, so if you’ve had a good experience with HotA, don’t be discouraged and stick to it.

As for the Sorceress, I can affirm that Firewall is also enjoyable in PVE and works right from the start without special gear. That’s how I leveled up my first Sorceress in season 2 until I had the gear for Ball Lightning. Fireball performs well when you have better resource generation and the unique gloves. A useful alternative could still be a Chain Lightning Mage, where you have the advantage of quickly building up some good resource management, but I haven’t tested that. Firewall definitely worked well the last time.

The Druid can be played as a Lightning Storm Druid from the beginning. 

Then for Necromancers, I recommend Bone Spear, and for Rogues, Penetrating Shot.

How To Level Up Fast?

Next, I want to talk about the strategy of how to level up fast and get to World Tier 4. 

Level 1-15: Season Quest/Events

Essentially, playing in a party and leveraging bonus XP, as well as using elixirs and other boosts, is advantageous.

Next, it is recommended to explore seasonal quests and events right from the start, as they provide substantial assistance in the initial stages. This is crucial as we aim to swiftly acquire the Seneschal Construct.

Furthermore, in the previous season, the Blood Harvest event proved to be an effective method for gaining substantial XP. It’s worth investigating to see if a similar opportunity is available again.

Level 15: Class Quest/Aspects

Upon reaching level 15, it becomes opportune to undertake the class-specific quest. 

It is advisable to unlock the most crucial aspects for your build at this stage. Examples include Edgemaster’s Aspect and Aspect of Disobedience, which can be obtained by completing the dungeons: Oldstones in Scosglen and Halls of the Damned in Kehjistan.

Level 15-50: Arcane Tremors/Vaults

For the way towards level 50, you should definitely do the Arcane Tremors and run the vaults. 

This way, you will also level up the seasonal bonuses. But if you like, you can also fall back into your favorite dungeons in between.

Level Mid-40s: Capstone Dungeon T3 

Then, around the mid-40s, you should be ready for the Capstone Dungeon. 

With a strong group, you can even do it earlier. But if you want to do it safe and easy, I recommend waiting until 45. Tough fights and lost battles cost much time.

T3 Weapon Vendor/PvP Area

In World Tier 3, you should check out the merchants first. Maybe you can get a useful Sacred weapon there. 

Otherwise, the PVP areas are a good place to get bases because there are quite a lot of elite mobs which always appear in packs of three. 

Helltides/Whispering Tree

You can also collect some points for the skill tree in the PVP area quickly by completing all tears and killing the boss monster.

As soon as you are strong enough, you should also run the Helltides at least once and some dungeons for the Whispering Tree. This will give you materials and Diablo 4 Gold, and above level 50, also glyphs. 

The low-level Nightmare Dungeons are not really worthwhile for leveling up the glyphs.

Level 45-65: Arcane Tremors/Vaults/Dungeons

If you can swiftly navigate through them, consider focusing on low-level Nightmare Dungeons for character XP. 

This could be an option for groups, but for solo players, I recommend proceeding with Arcane Tremors, exploring the new vaults, or engaging in normal dungeons.

Level 60-65: Capstone Dungeon T4

Between level 60 and 65, you should be able to complete the Capstone Dungeon to World Tier 4. There you should get an Ancestral weapon as soon as possible. 

T4 Weapon Vendor/PvP Area

Again, check out the merchants or kill mobs in the PVP areas.

Level 65-70: Strongholds/Helltides

In addition, you can now capture the strongholds because the monsters there scale with the character level. So, they can be below level 70. 

You should also run Helltide events to collect materials for upgrading and rolling Diablo 4 Items. This way, you already get some Living Steel for Duriel.

Level 70+: Nightmare Dungeons 

Upon reaching level 70, initiate the process of running Nightmare Dungeons to advance and finally level up the glyphs. 

It's beneficial if you can engage in dungeons rated 31 and above at an early stage. Continue running Nightmare dungeons until you reach level 100. Ensure that the monsters encountered are consistently around 5 levels above your character. If you can swiftly progress to higher levels, it's advisable to do so as it expedites the enhancement of your glyphs.

In the interim, consider farming the items required for your desired builds and adjusting your skills from starter to endgame. The objective is to avoid progressing to level 100 with a starter build.

Between levels 70 and 80, most builds can be effectively played, potentially even earlier. However, it's crucial to possess the items that are absolutely essential for your chosen build.

This guide is about how to most efficiently farm the Tree of Whispers Bounties for body parts that you can use to summon Varshan. 

Now, this is not only important because this boss, alongside Grigiore, is needed to summon Duriel. The addition of the five new Malignant Rings announced at BlizzCon makes Varshan very desirable. Even though he’s actually quite ugly in real life. 

Priority List: Always Farm The Lowest Available

In order to maximize the efficiency of farming body parts, I suggest using a priority list, and this requires some explanation. I will mention multiple ways to obtain body parts, in order of most efficient to least efficient. 

You always have to choose the activity that is available to you with the lowest number. And this way, you’re going to farm at peak efficiency. 

When you finished with one task, continue with the next farming method with the lowest rank. For example, if activity number 2 and five are both available to you, choose number 2. When you finish that, and see activity number 1 is up, continue with that instead. 

Now, let’s continue with the actual list.  

1. World Bosses

Number one, with the highest priority, is World Bosses. 

When completing World Boss objectives, you get five Grim Favors. And that’s great by itself, being a fast way to get caches, and body parts from those Caches. 

But the reason why this is on top is because of the Grotesque Debtors. When any bounty is completed, you have a chance to summon a Grotesque Debtor that will drop one or more body parts. 

After killing a World Boss, each player has a chance for a Debtor, and everyone will be able to loot the body parts from it. This way, it is very likely that you’ll get an extra body part or two from your or other people’s Debtors. And this speeds up the farming process tremendously.  

2. Legion Events

Number two is the Legion Events. 

Even though these take longer to complete than World Bosses, they are group events. Therefore, the chance of spawning a Debtor and receiving a body part is still high. 

This makes Legion Events are high priority.  

3. PVP Objectives

Next, we have the PVP objectives. 

These are usually completed solo, so no increased chance for Debtors and body parts besides your own character’s. 

However, these objectives are fast to complete. They are always located at the same spots in the PVP zones, and award a lot of Grim Favors.  

4. Blood Harvest

At number 4, we have Blood Harvest objectives.  

These are also quite consistent, always located in the Blood Harvest Zone, and fast to complete, especially since a ton of people usually farm there. You can get a lot of Diablo 4 Gold and XP for this.

They can also be combined with other activities in the zone. The one where you have to rescue villagers can be a bit tedious, so skipping that might be worth considering.  

5. Helltide Objectives

Number five are the bounties located in the Helltide zone. 

Honestly, by themselves, these are nothing special. But combined with the farm for Aberrant Cinders and Living Steel Chests, they are worth mentioning. 

If you have no interest in those, ignore this point.  

6. “Find The Corpse” Objectives

At number six on the list, there are the so-called “find the corpse” objectives. 

The reason is that these are fast to find and finish, and there is a chance for them to spawn a Debtor at completion. 

Even though they only add one Grim Favor, the short time between completing them means more chances to spawn a Debtor. And this makes farming these objectives worth it.  

7. Anything Else

And lastly, there’s every other objective. 

If nothing else with a higher priority is available, it’s your choice what to do. 

Personally, I would suggest farming something else until a better alternative comes up. But if you’re desperate, you can farm the dungeon objectives. They take a long time to complete, but award a lot of completion at least. 

Remember, always do the activity with the highest priority that is available. The Helltide objectives can move up or down on the list to even number one, based on how much you need Living Steel, but they are not that good for body part farming. 

A campfire live stream just broadcasted on November 4th with some big news about the mid season patch, Season 3, some more news on the holiday event and the expansion to Diablo 4 coming late next year. Here’s the summary of everything you need to know.

Expansion News

The new expansion will have a new story revisiting some familiar places to the Diablo Franchise.

The story will follow Neyrelle and Mephisto in a new campaign in a new area called Nehantu.

They did not reveal the new class. The only information we received was it will not be the Witch Doctor.

Unique Season 1 Rings

Varshan in Season 2 will be dropping the new Unique Rings that are inspired but tweaked versions of some of the Malignant Powers we had in Season 1.

For Rogue, we have a unique ring that deploys a Decoy Trap after using Subterfuge Skills.

For Druid, we got the pull in power after using an ultimate.

Barb will have guaranteed crits on core skills after using enough fury.

For Sorcerer, we got more elemental damage.

For Necromancer, we have the automatic corpse skill power.

Unfortunately, Corpse Tendrils will not cast as often as it did before.

Enchantment Preview

December 5th we’re getting the Occultist Enchanting Preview, where we can see affix replacements before we make any attempts in enchanting a Diablo 4 Item.

This eliminates blindly enchanting affixes and we’ll have a better expectation of what we’ll get. But whatever you need to enchant, you need to prepare enough Diablo 4 Gold.

100+ Endgame Content

Abattoir of Zir is a new endgame seasonal content that is not intended to make a return after Season 2, but depending on Player Feedback might come back.

The Abbatoir of Zir is going to be level 100+ content, that will be meant to be the most difficult content in the game.

To enter Abbatoir of Zir, you’ll need to finish the Season Journey and craft Bloodforged Sigils by getting a recipe. You’ll be able to level up the sigil after completing it multiple times.

The Bloodforged Sigil will max out at Tier 25. At any tier, you’ll have a chance at receiving the new Paragon Glyph, Tears of Blood.

The Abbatoir of Zir will give increased glyph experience, which we will need because the Tears of Blood paragon glyph can be leveled up to 200.

Tears of Blood will have a larger influence radius than any of the glyphs we have now.

Holiday Event

For the new holiday event, we’re getting new cosmetics, including weapons and back trophies.

The new event is going to transform the Fractured Peaks into a holiday themed area with new events and a new random boss called The Red Cloaked Terror.

Collect special tokens to unlock rewards at an NPC in town.

The Gauntlet & Leaderboard

We have more news on The Gauntlet and Leaderboard.

The Gauntlet is a new dungeon that will have fixed monsters, a fixed layout, no randomization whatsoever. The Dungeon will be the same for a week and at the end of each week will rotate out. The person highest on the Leaderboard will be adopted into the Hall of Ancients.

To get points in the Gauntlet to raise your score, you’ll need to collect Proves of Might.

On the leaderboard, you’ll be able to filter by Platform, Class, Party, or Solo. Your ranking in the Hall of the Ancients can be seen from your character profile.

Q&A

From the Q&A, they’re looking into adding presets with an unknown date.

Itemization is the developer’s main focus right now. They’re thinking of doing more with the Codex of Power and reducing the amount of conditional affixes on equipment.

Collecting Living Steel is also going to be improved at some point, but also with an unknown date and not sure as to how they will improve it.

There are many reasons why you need to farm Helltide. The most notable reason being Helltide is the only way to obtain Living Steel needed to summon Grigoire The Galvanic Saint, which, depending on your class, will give you some of the best equipment for your build in the game.

Grigoire is also the boss you’ll need to farm in order to fight Duriel. The boss that has the best chances of dropping Uber Uniques, so you’ll want to farm Helltide as much as possible.

It’s also the only source in the game for getting Forgotten Souls and Fiend Roses. We need these for enchanting at the Occultist to remove unwanted gear affixes from equipment and upgrading our equipment to their maximum level at the Blacksmith. Of course, if you want to upgrade your equipment faster, it is also necessary to prepare a large amount of Diablo 4 Gold.

As for the best methods of getting the most out of Helltides, let’s get right into it.

Helltides

Helltides are unlocked after completing your level 50 Capstone Dungeon and getting into World Tier 3.

However, I feel like Helltide in World Tier 3 is a waste of time. Living Steel only drops 1 at a time instead of 3 at a time and Blood Harvest is better for farming Sacred Gear in Season 2. I would save this content for when you’re in World Tier 4.

Helltides are up for an hour and down for an hour. You’ll be able to see if a Helltide is active by its icon or the red glowing region.

Aberrant Cinders

Inside a Helltide area, you’ll have a new UI element in the top right. This is for your Aberrant Cinders.

Aberrant Cinders will randomly drop from enemies defeated in Helltide or from interactables, especially those with a red glow.

Dying in Helltide will cause you to lose half of your Aberrant Cinders. Be careful opening a menu like your inventory during Helltide because meteors can randomly fall on you.

Make sure to keep your health topped off. And if you get hit by a meteor, immediately use a potion so you don’t accidentally get two shot by a second meteor.

Tortured Gifts

If you open your map, you’ll be able to see the Tortured Gifts in your current area and the item slot in the chest will drop. The cost of each chest is associated with the item type and will be listed above the chest.

The Tortured Gift of Mysteries will be the most rewarding chest to open in terms of equipment for a total of 250 Aberrant Cinders, but will only show up on the mini map when you’re near it. The spawn locations for the chest of mysteries are at fixed but random locations.

In season 2, we received another chest with a randomized spawn called the Tortured Gift of Living Steel. This is what we’ll need to farm if we want to pursue either Grigoire or Duriel.

If you’re looking to farm Helltide, I recommend aiming for either the Tortured Gift of Mysteries for 250 Aberrant Cinders or the Tortured Gift of Living Steel for 300 Aberrant Cinders.

So far, I’ve been able to find a total of two or three chests of Living Steel total per Helltide, meaning you should get between 6 and 9 Living Steel per run if you complete your run sufficiently. But this also means you’ll need between 600 and 900 Aberrant Cinders.

Efficient Farming Strategies

Farming Aberrant Cinders is quite simple. I highly recommend using a speed farming build for this with good wave clearing ability. Helltide can expand further than just 1 region, meaning you can find multiple types of monsters in a single Helltide area.

If you can find a region that has a specific type of enemy that spawns in a higher density, focus your farming there. I prefer to farm cannibals, spiders, or vampire type enemies if they’re available. And I avoid ghost type enemies. They’re just too difficult to pin down.

Once you found a good spot, just defeat groups of enemies as quick as you can, just like you would in a Nightmare Dungeon and then mount up and move on to the next group.

Events in Helltide are pretty hit or miss for dropping Aberrant Cinders. Some are great. Some are a waste of time. If you come across a chest of Living Steel earlier than expected, just mark it on the map, since it will disappear when you’re far away. This way, you can easily come back to it later.

I never recommend holding on to two more Aberrant Cinders than you need to because it is devastating to lose half of your Cinders. If you run into Kixxarth, Helltide Assassin. I recommend just running away. He has a ton of health. His drops aren’t great and he’s overall just a pain of fight.

Once you have 300 Aberrant Cinders, head to the nearest Tortured Gift of Living Steel and interact with the chest the mini boss attached to it will then become active and vulnerable to attacks.

This mini boss is actually fairly easy to defeat. The real danger is any of the mobs nearby. When defeating the mini boss, be careful if it had any after-death affixes, like the exploding fire or poison affix.

Defeating the mini boss does not mean you spent your Cinders. So, if you die before opening the chest, you’ll lose half of your Cinders.

Opening a Living Steel chest in World Tier 4 will give you 3 Living Steel, Forgotten Souls, Fiend Roses and elixir.

While farming Living Steel chest, keep an eye out for Screaming Hell Veins. These are special environment resources only found in Helltide and are a good source of Forgotten Souls.

Another environment resource you’ll want to find are Fiend Roses. These will offer Aberrant Cinders and Fiend Roses. Both of these materials are important for minmaxing your equipment in the endgame, so you’ll want to collect as many of these as you can.

To see when Helltides are available, I like to use the website helltides.com. They will also list where the chest of Mysteries and the chest of Living Steel potential locations are, which takes out a lot of the guesswork and the need for running around.