Diablo 4 guide: Everything you need to survive Sanctuary
From bosses to builds to riddle solutions, we’ve got you covered.
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If you’re wanting to get throughDiablo 4with as few setbacks as possible, then you’ve come to the right place. Although ourDiablo 4 review in progresssays that the live-service elements detract a bit from the series' greatness, it’s still a Diablo game, ergo it can be pretty overwhelming when you’re starting out. Fortunately, that’s where our handy guides come in.
As with previous Diablo games, you’ll be fighting world bosses, taking part in public events, and encountering all manners of weird and wonderful individuals and their fetch quests. You’ll also want to keep on top of your builds when levelling so that, when you eventually reach that sweet endgame content, you won’t be one-shot killed immediately. Here’s every guide on Diablo 4, from builds to waypoints and fast travel, mounts and potions upgrades, and more.
Starting out
World tiersYou’ll choose your initial World Tier (difficulty level) right when you begin Diablo 4. We’ll walk you through which is best to choose and how to change your mind later.
Battle passEverything you need to know about Diablo 4’s first seasonal battle pass including price, rewards, and when it’s expected to arrive.
Level unlocksHere are all the character milestones and systems, including class abilities, crafting, paragon boards, and when you’ll unlock them all.
Eight things we learned from the betaMollie’s tips guide will help you get started with Diablo 4, whether you’re a newbie or a veteran.
Pre-order bonusesIf you pre-ordered Diablo 4 then you’ll get lots of in-game goodies, so here’s where to find them.
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How to swap weaponsHere’s how to use different weapons during combat and, for the barbarians in the room, assign different weapons to skills.
How to farm XP and goldIf you’re racing to the endgame, here’s your guide to leveling up fast. You should be hoarding your gold too, and we can show you the best ways to earn.
How to enable co-op and cross-playMultiplayer grants you big XP boosts and you can play together regardless of what platform you’re playing on. Here’s how to get your friends into a party and how quests, loot, and experience work while you’re together.
How to emoteEmotes are a good way to thank fellow players but are also the key to completing some quests, so here’s how to use them.
How to earn renownRenown can be gained for each region in Sanctuary. Here’s your guide to which activities grant renown and what you’ll earn for them.
Twitch dropsEverybody loves free stuff, right? Here’s when to tune in to the Diablo 4 Twitch drops for each class.
Builds
Diablo 4 Sorcerer build: In your elementDiablo 4 Barbarian build: Stay buffedDiablo 4 Rogue build: Need for bleedDiablo 4 Druid build: Air and weresDiablo 4 Necromancer build: Stay undead
Above are our guides to the best builds for each class. Everyone is loving the Necromancer at launch, but don’t overlook the Sorcerer and Rogue either.
Legendary AspectsLegendary Aspects are gear bonuses that activate under certain conditions, so here’s your list of where to find all the aspects that you can earn from dungeons.
How to summon a golem: NecromancerNecros have some pretty rad abilities, and in this guide, you’ll learn how to summon a golem to really mess shit up for your enemies.
Every Diablo 4 status effectThere are a lot of special status effects that can be inflicted during combat. Understanding what they do and how they interact is a vital part of your build.
Paragon Board explainedHere’s how Diablo’s hellish endgame levelling system works.Diablo 4 training dummy locationWhen you’re wielding all that buildcrafting info, put it to the test with this punching bag pal.
Season of Blood
How to create a seasonal characterAnd should you skip the campaign when you do?
How Vampiric Pacts workThe gear modifiers that make Season of Blood’s special powers tick.How to equip and use Vampiric PowersLearn how to wield the special character powers unique to Season of Blood.How to unlock Accursed TouchGain access to the locked seasonal power.How to get Exquisite Blood and summon Lord ZirThrow down with the Season of Blood’s big bad vampire.
Cellar locationsWhere to find cellars to complete a seasonal objective.
Where to get Scattered PrismsThis item allows you to add sockets to gear.
Seasonal JourneysEarn Favors for the battle pass while completing objectives.
How to get the Scroll of AmnesiaThis special seasonal item will make respecs a lot easier.
Travel
Waypoint locations and fast travelDiscovering waypoints unlocks several fast travel points and earns you renown, so here’s where to find them all.
Unlock your mountEveryone wants to know when they finally get their mount in Diablo 4. Hint: don’t slouch on progressing the campaign.
Where to find dungeonsDungeons feature challenging bosses and often contain good loot, so here’s where to find them.
How to reset dungeonsIf you really want to optimize your dungeon farming, you’ll want to learn about resetting them as soon as you’re done.
Stats and gear
How to transmog and change your appearanceAfter salvaging your gear, you can change the style and colour of your gear, so here’s what you need to do.
How to upgrade healing potionWe’ve had a basic healing potion, yes; but what about a better healing potion?
How to enchant an itemIf you want to get the best from your gear, you’ll want to swap out useless stats or damages bonuses, so here’s how.
How to repair gearYour gear will take hits when you die, so here’s how to repair your favourite gear.
How to salvage gearDon’t want your gear anymore but don’t want to sell it, either? Then check out our guide on how to salvage it for resources. Oh, and remember that salvaging is the key to fashion.
How to find and use gemsYet another part of crafting gear, here’s how to find and craft gems at the jeweler to specialize your gear sockets.
Legendary GearCrafting your own legendary gear is the way to become OP, so here’s how to customize some of your best pieces.
Sacred ItemsEven more powerful than a legendary, here’s what sets this S-tier gear apart and how to earn it.How to get Unique itemsMaster your class with their most powerful gear.
Collectibles
Murmuring ObolsThis currency can be collected by completing events, but there’s a specific vendor you’ll need to visit to spend it.
Altar of Lilith locationsFinding Altars of Lilith grants you a bunch of renown and stat boosts, so here’s where to find all of them in Fractured Peaks
Whispering KeysAs the name suggests, Whispering Keys unlock a particularly quiet kind of chest, so here’s where to find them.
Faded PlaquesActivating these statues gives you a powerful boon, here’s how to solve their little puzzles.
Whispers of the DeadHere’s where to find the Whispers of the Dead and net yourself a bunch of extra XP.
GemsGems offer a bunch of cool bonuses so here’s where to find and how to use them.
Fiend RosesThis endgame crafting material is used to reroll stats on your gear, so be sure to stock up.
How to get GlyphsHere’s how to get Glyphs and how to equip them.
Side quests
Secret of the SpringSecret of the Spring is one of the many riddles hidden in Diablo 4, so here’s how to solve it and claim your rewards.
Unyielding FleshThis disturbing quest involves searching for a missing husband, so here’s where to find him and the demon who led him astray.
Cellar PuzzleThe cellar puzzle is one of the many random events you can happen upon in Sanctuary’s mini-dungeons, aka cellars, so here’s how to solve it.
Reject the motherAnother day, another emote riddle.
Keeping the Old TraditionsSolve this desert mystery to get some new loot.
Traveler’s SuperstitionRead a hastily scrawled note and solve another emote puzzle.
The Pilgrim’s FootstepsIf you’re looking to find more loot chests, then you’ll want to complete The Pilgrim’s Footsteps emote quest.
How to unlock Nightmare dungeonsGrab Nightmare Sigils to gain access to these endgame dungeons.
How to unlock Helltide eventsHere’s how you can unlock Helltide events and earn Aberrant Cinders.
How to open Mutterlock ChestsHere’s how to open these chests with special passwords.
Brought to HeelHere’s where to find the red mushroom you need to give Lumir.
Rusted KeyThis key “drops” when you try to teleport out of a specific dungeon.
Bosses
Ashava spawn time and locationAshava isn’t always present, so here’s when and where she spawns each week to claim your Cryof Ashava mount trophy.
How to beat the Den MotherThis werewolf matriarch put everyone’s builds to the test during the beta. She’s still formidable at launch, so be sure you’re ready to meet her.
How to beat the ButcherWhile not a main boss, the Butcher will likely wipe you out if you’re not careful, so here’s how to defeat him.How to get Malignant body parts and summon VarshanOriginally a seasonal boss from Season of the Malignant, Varshan returns in Season of Blood as one of the new set of end-game bosses, with targetable Unique items and necessary component for further bossfights. Find where to find the necessary bits to battle him here.How to get Living Steel and summon GrigoireLike Varshan, Grigoire is one of the quartet of end-game bosses added in Season of Blood, and has targetable Uniques to drop and materials for later bossfight summons. To bring him into being, you’ll need to dive into Helltides.How to get Shards of Agony and Mucus-Slick Eggs to summon DurielWith items that drop from Varshan and Grigoire above, you’ll be able to fight Duriel for a chance at Uber Unique drops.How to get Distilled Fear and summon The Beast in the IceYou’ll need to delve into a pile of Nightmare Dungeons the fight this frigid demon—another new end-game boss added in Season of Blood.Diablo 4 boss loot tablesCheck here to decide which boss above you should target for the Unique gear you need.
The first three games Lauren played on PC were Star Wars: X-Wing, Zoo Tycoon and Barbie Fashion Designer, which explains her love of all things space, strategy and aesthetically pleasing. Lauren recently took over as PC Gamer’s Guides Editor after three years of writing many dozens of Destiny 2 guides at VG247, as well as casually trying to shoehorn in The Witcher 3 articles wherever possible. When she’s not trying to force everyone to play as a Warlock in Destiny 2, Lauren is either mastering her SEO abilities to help smash the competition, or patting one of her red sons.
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