Diablo 4: Difficulty levels, World Tiers Diablo 4 guide

In Diablo 4, there are a total of 4 difficulty levels called World Tier. When starting the adventure, you can choose one of the initial two, while the rest must be unlocked. From this guide page you will learn how to do it and what the different levels are.

Last update: 10 October 2024

Completing Diablo games on increasingly higher difficulty levels is a standard in each installment. On this page of our guide, we'll list all the difficulty levels available in Diablo 4 and the Vessel of Hatred expansion along with their characteristics.

• New difficulty levels - Season 6 and the Vessel of Hatred DLC
• How do I change the difficulty level after starting the game?
• Old difficulty level system - World Tiers

New difficulty levels - Season 6 and the Vessel of Hatred DLC

The 6th season of Diablo 4, which debuted in October 2024 with the Vessel of Hatred DLC, introduced some very big changes to its difficulty levels. World tiers, which were the equivalent of levels since the game's launch, have now disappeared. Instead, 8 new difficulty levels have been prepared - 4 of them are "standard" levels and the next 4 belong to the Torment level.

Standard difficulty levels are available from the beginning of the game - you can choose them when creating a new character or set them during the campaign (more on this can be found in the next section of this page). The available levels are:

1. Normal - this is the lowest difficulty level with no specific modifiers. It is meant for new players and people who want to focus on the narrative. However, this is NOT the equivalent of Story Mode difficulty you may know from other games. You will still be challenged to a certain degree. To some extent, you should still pay attention to how you develop your character and their equipment.
2. Hard - on this level you will encounter more difficult monsters, but by defeating them you will gain 75% more gold and XP.
3. Expert - enemies are even stronger, but you can receive 125% more XP and gold for killing them.
4. Penitent - this is the highest level of the basic set, where it is recommended to secure good legendary items for fights with strong enemies. Your character can obtain 175% more gold and XP.

4 Torment variants are initially locked and you cannot select them at the beginning of the game. There are 2 basic requirements:

1. Reaching level 60.
2. Obtaining a specific Tier in the Pit of Artificers - this is a special type of dungeon that already appeared in the game earlier. They are completely random and tied to endgame content.

Here are the main differences between the Torments:

1. Torment 1 (requires Tier 20 in the Pit of Artificers) - 300% more gold and XP, -250 armor and -25% all resist, the possibility of finding ancestral items, higher chance for legendary, unique and mythic items.
2. Torment 2 (requires Tier 35 in the Pit of Artificers) - 400% more gold and XP, -500 armor and -50% all resist, even more rare collectables.
3. Torment 3 (requires Tier 50 in the Pit of Artificers) - 500% more gold and XP, -750 armor and -75% all resist, even more rare collectables.
4. Torment 4 (requires Tier 65 in the Pit of Artificers) - 600% more gold and XP, -1000 armor and -100% all resist, even more rare items.

How do I change the difficulty level after starting the game?

The difficulty level set at the beginning of the game doesn't have to be an ultimate choice. You can change it for an existing character. Here's how you can do it:

1. Main menu - highlight your character and press the difficulty level key (C on the keyboard).
2. Fountains in the game world (see an example in the screenshot) - you can find them in the main cities (including Kurast in the Vessel of Hatred DLC). After interacting with them, the difficulty level window will be displayed.

Old difficulty level system - World Tiers

Before the 6th season debuted, the difficulty levels had been based on the so-called world tiers. There were 4 different tiers, with only 2 of them initially available: Adventurer and Veteran. The next two (Nightmare and Torment) had to be unlocked manually.

Before the changes in Season 6, the difficulty levels varied in enemy strength, the amount of earned XP and gold, resistances being ignored by enemies, elite monster encounters, finding rare items and the availability of certain activities (e.g. Helltides).