Diablo 4 Vessel Of Hatred new difficulty levels
Here's the rundown on the new difficulty levels in Season 6, including the Torment difficulties
What are Diablo 4's new difficulty settings? As of the Vessel Of Hatred expansion and Season 6, Diablo 4 has done away with the old World Tier system and introduced new difficulty settings, including four ultra challenging Torment difficulties. Even if you're a seasoned veteran when it comes to vanquishing the demons plaguing Sanctuary, one of these new difficulties is bound to test your skills, playstyle, and experience.
But the greater the risk, the greater the reward, and playing on a harder difficulty setting grants you the chance to earn more XP, more gold, and better loot drops. If you're trying to decide which Torment difficulty is right for you in Diablo 4, then here's what you need to know.
What are Diablo 4's new difficulty settings?
Diablo 4 boasts four standard difficulties, which are designed to help you reach level 60, and four Torment difficulties, which only become available after level 60. Click on each difficulty name to be taken down to the appropriate section.
Diablo 4 standard difficulties
Normal
As you might expect, this is your starting difficulty level. It's similar to the old World Tier 1 difficulty, and unlocked from the start of the game. Don't expect any gold or XP bonuses when you play in Normal, but it's a good difficulty for getting your feet wet and testing out an unfamiliar class, including the all-new Spiritborn.
Hard
Hard amps up the difficulty a bit, and is somewhat analagous to the World Tier 2, though arguably harder. Also unlocked at the start of the game, you'll receive 75% more Gold and XP from monsters in this difficulty mode. We suggest starting with Normal unless you're an experienced Diablo or ARPG player who desires heavier-hitting enemies right out of the gate.
Expert
Expert only unlocks if you've completed the campaign Prologue, and ranks somewhere in between World Tier 2 and World Tier 3 in difficulty. You'll receve 125% more Gold and XP from monsters in this difficulty mode, which is meant for Diablo 4 players with Legendary items at their disposal. We suggest you wait until you have at least 5 Legendaries before tackling the challenges of Expert.
Penitent
Ever heard the phrase "only the Penitent man shall pass?" Keep that in mind as you tackle Penitent, which only unlocks after completing the original campaign. You'll get 175% more Gold and XP from monsters in this mode, which is similar to the old World Tier 3. You'll be stuck with this mode until you reach level 60, in which case you'll also be able to engage with the Pit of the Artificers, Diablo 4's endgame dungeon with 150 levels.
Diablo 4 Torment difficulties
Torment 1
Torment 1 is your first dose of Diablo 4's most hellish difficulties. It unlocks after you're level 60 and have completed Pit level 20, and is similar to World Tier 4. You can earn 300% more Gold and XP from monsters in this model, but you'll suffer -250 Armor and -25 all Resistances. Expect to find Ancestral quality items here, and increased Legendary, Unique, and Mythic Unique drops - which will remain the case for all of the Torment difficulties.
Torment 2
Torment 2 is pretty similar to Torment 1, and should feel like a natural progression once you're used to the toughness of the Pit. It unlocks once you're level 60 and have completed Pit level 35. You'll nab 400% more Gold and XP from monsters in this mode, but you'll suffer -500 Armor and -50 all Resistances.
Torment 3
Here's where things start getting dicey - Torment 3 feels like a major step up as enemies start coming at you fast and furious. You can only unlock Torment 3 once you've hit level 60 and have completed Pit level 50. Expect to get 500% more Gold and XP from monsters in this mode, but you'll suffer -750 Armor and -75 all Resistances. And if for whatever reason you're still trucking along and looking for more punishment, don't worry as there's one more difficulty mode available...
Torment 4
Finally, the last of Diablo 4's difficulties! Torment 4 really separates the riff-raff from the true heroes of Sanctuary, and is only available for level 60 players who've completed Pit level 65. You'll receive 600% more Gold and XP from monsters in this mode, but you'll suffer -1000 Armor and -100 all Resistances. Surviving in this hellscape will take a lot of time farming, equipping Runes, and testing out builds. But you'll also get the most Ancestral drops, hopefully making all of that sweet pain worth your time.
That's everything we know about Diablo 4's new difficulties, including the Torment difficulty levels. If you're planning to go all out to play through on Torment, you'll want to pick a class and start experimenting with builds. Why not check out our guides to the best Diablo 4 Barbarian build, the best Diablo 4 Rogue build, and the best Diablo 4 Necromancer build for starters? If you need a hand exploring Sanctuary then we've also got an interactive Diablo 4 map to help you out.