In this leveling guide, we’ll be exploring the most effective strategies for leveling up in Diablo 4. We’ll dive into various methods to rapidly advance your character during the early stages, and how to optimize your late-game progression with different activities. I’ll even share tips on how to quickly level your alts.

Additionally, we’ll take a look at bonuses that can further enhance your experience points. Stay tuned as we go over the path to getting to level 100.

Intro

Leveling up from 1 to 50 can be a breeze, especially for your first character, as you’ll naturally progress through the story. However, if you’re looking to power-level an alternate character, I’ve got some practical strategies to share.

First, consider selecting the ‘Skip Campaign’ option when creating your alt. Once you’re in the game, focus on completing Whispers. Instead of rushing through objectives, take the time to clear out groups of mobs you encounter along the way.

Here’s the key: prioritize Whispers that lead to dungeons. Why? Because not only will you earn experience points from the dungeon mobs, but you’ll also receive a substantial bonus upon completing it.

Don’t forget to turn in your completed Whispers at the Tree of Whispers for even more experience points.

If you’re playing during Season 1, your best bet is Dindai Hollow. It offers straightforward objectives and plenty of elite enemies. After finishing the dungeon, simply exit, open your map, and select ‘Reset Dungeons.’ Repeat this process until you reach levels 20 to 30. These practical tips will have your alternate character leveling up efficiently in no time.

Also Read: Diablo 4: Top 7 PvP Tips Everyone Should Know

Level 20-30

If you find yourself in the level range of 20 to 30 and are eager to optimize your leveling experience, turning your attention towards strongholds is the way to go.

Among the top recommendations, I’d suggest exploring Kor Dragan northwest of Kyovashad, Onyx Watchtower southeast of Ked Bardu, and the Temple of Rot directly south of Ked Bardu.

In Kor Dragan, our primary focus will be on these specific circular objectives. As you venture into these areas, be on the lookout for tumors that need to be destroyed. Each tumor is surrounded by elite enemies, and upon destroying a tumor, another elite will emerge. To sweeten the deal, as you reach the end of Kor Dragan, a challenging boss encounter awaits, promising you a substantial boost in experience points.

To maximize Stronghold grinding, it’s crucial to understand how to reset a Stronghold. Instead of wrapping up with the final objective after defeating the boss, simply access your menu and select ‘Leave Game.’ Upon logging back in, you’ll find yourself right at the entrance, with the Stronghold reset to its initial state.

Level 50

Once you’ve reached level 50, it’s time to do a capstone dungeon. To gain access to the Cathedral of Light, you’ll need to transition to World Tier 2. You’ll find this cathedral in the church in Kyovashad. The initial phase of this dungeon follows a standard pattern: gather animus and confront a boss at the end.

However, unlike most dungeons, there’s one more section to conquer. In this new stage, you’ll have to eliminate all enemies and conclude the dungeon with a final boss. While it’s possible to attempt the Cathedral of Light before hitting level 50, exercise caution as it poses a considerable challenge compared to earlier dungeons.

The smoothest way to do a capstone dungeon is to get the assistance of a high-level friend to guide you through it.

Level 50-70

Leveling 50 to 70 is all about Nightmare Dungeons.

To enter a Nightmare Dungeon, you first need a Nightmare Sigil, which would be located in your consumables tab.

To get your first Nightmare Sigil, I recommend doing whispers until you get a nightmare sigil from opening a whispers cache.

Here’s how to read nightmare sigils. At the top, we have the name of the dungeon. In Season 1, the fastest nightmare dungeons for leveling are: Uldur’s cave, Sarat’s Lair, Mariner’s Refuge, Hoarfrost Demise, Immortal Emanation, and Domhainne Tunnels.

The level of the mobs is determined by the sigil tier plus 53 in World Tier 3 and plus 54 in World Tier 4. Nightmare Dungeons contain random benefits and detriments known as dungeon affixes.

The best benefits are reduced cooldown on kill, magic find, Diablo 4 Gold find, battle hardened, quick killer, and increased critical strike. The worst detriments are Drifting Shade, Lightning Storm, Stormbanes Wrath.

If you get bad Nightmare Sigils, salvage them at the occultist. Then, use the sigil powder to craft new Nightmare Sigils.

In a recent patch that increased the mob density, Nightmare Dungeons are by far the fastest way to level.

The key to efficiently leveling in Nightmare Dungeons is finding the sigil tier that you can complete the fastest. Get your clear times somewhere between 3 and 5 minutes. If you find yourself dying or taking longer than 5 minutes to clear a Nightmare Dungeon, try doing a sigil with a lower tier level.

Gearing yourself appropriately, choosing the right build, efficiently using paragon points, and getting better legendary aspects are all ways to boost your clear speeds. Faster clears equals more experience points.

To break away from the grind, do some Hell Tides. Hell Tides offer plenty of elites just like Nightmare Dungeons, the drawbacks not being able to choose the levels of the mobs you fight.

Leveling with Hell Tides isn’t as efficient as leveling with Nightmare Dungeons, but you do get some awesome Diablo 4 Items and equipment opportunities with Hell Tide chests. Running too many Nightmare Dungeons in a row can lead to fatigue and burnout.

World Tier 4

To get into World Tier 4, you’ll need to clear the last capstone dungeon. Set your world tier to World Tier 3, and head east of Kyovashad to the Fallen Temple. The recommended level to take on this challenge is level 70. You’ll either need to be well geared or have a high level friend to carry you through this capstone.

The last boss is Elias, and this is definitely one of the hardest bosses I’ve encountered in Diablo IV. Unfortunately, the best way to level in World Tier 4 is still Nightmare Dungeons. It is currently the fastest way to gear, level up, and the only way to level glyphs.

Eventually, Diablo 4 will have a World Tier 5, which hopefully comes with new content to grind with.

Level 70 - 100

Leveling from 70 to 100 is going to take substantially longer than anything we’ve done so far.

Lastly, to boost your experience points even higher, be sure to use potions during dungeons, this offers a 5% bonus, party up with someone for an extra 10% bonus, and don’t forget to use your seasonal blessings for a 20% bonus.