Today, I present to you a comprehensive guide to progressing from level 1 to 100. You may have noticed a few changes, particularly with the recent update to nightmare dungeons.
In the latest patch notes, it was mentioned that Blizzard has significantly increased the experience gained in nightmare dungeons by 80%. Additionally, players can now easily travel to nightmare dungeons using sigils. By activating a sigil, you can teleport directly to the dungeon via the map, similar to using a waypoint. These changes have greatly accelerated the leveling process and reaching level 100.
Previously, many players would either form groups and farm high-level dungeons like Champion's Demise in the Dry Steppes. This was a popular strategy, especially in the early stages. Later on, players would switch to Blind Burrows in Havazar, another top-tier dungeon. Both of these dungeons offered the advantage of being able to split up in a group and clear different paths, significantly speeding up the dungeon-clearing process compared to solo play. However, players needed to be strong enough to handle the higher HP monsters in a group. This was the preferred leveling method for many players, particularly in groups.
Even for solo players, some dungeons like Udurs Cave in Kazakhstan proved to be more efficient and powerful for leveling. It was located near the Iron Wolves encampment and attracted a lot of solo runners. However, Blizzard has made a decision to no longer support normal dungeons for leveling purposes. So, this strategy is now obsolete if you want to gain experience efficiently. Furthermore, with the faster leveling to 100, players need to prioritize Glyph leveling, providing an additional incentive to focus on nightmare dungeons instead of normal ones.
At this point, most players who started the game at launch are likely at least in Rotier three or four and have completed most of the renown tasks. For new players, it is recommended to aim for completing the renown tasks in all regions. By doing so, you earn skill points at renown one and renown three, and paragon points at renown five. The paragon points may not have a significant impact individually, but collectively, they contribute to your overall power. Not having these points could result in being around 10 to 15% weaker in terms of DPS. Therefore, it is advisable, especially for hardcore players, to farm renown and not skip it.
However, if you prefer to expedite the process and dislike farming renown, considering that season one is approaching, and you want to reach level 100 quickly, you can skip the fourth and fifth paragons but make sure to obtain the first one for free.
You may have noticed the list of dungeons sorted by region, along with details about the monster families and potential drops. This allows you to target specific dungeons for certain items. I have ranked all these dungeons based on different categories. First, we have the XP category, focusing on leveling from one to 100. Then, we have glyph leveling, particularly important as you approach level 100. Some dungeons take significantly longer to clear than others, so prioritizing the faster ones is essential.
As you progress through the levels, you may find yourself in need of additional resources to enhance your character's power. This is where the option to buy Diablo 4 gold comes into play.
If you're interested in pushing your build to its limits and achieving high levels beyond 100, there is a ranking for that as well.
Lastly, we have the group farm category. As mentioned earlier, dungeons like Blind Burrows and Champion's Demise offer significant advantages when played in a group. Both of these dungeons are nightmare dungeons and can be completed much faster with a group, providing a substantial benefit.
The leveling process has become much faster with the introduction of nightmare dungeons. If your goal is to reach level 100 and be done with it until season one, I recommend focusing on nightmare dungeons from levels three to nine. In particular, prioritize dungeons with high XP gains such as Guru Canals, Blind Burrows, and Sunken Ruins. You can find the complete list of dungeons ranked by XP efficiency.
However, if you want a more comprehensive approach and aim to maximize your power and gear, your priorities will shift. Glyph leveling becomes crucial in this case. Most builds use between four and six Glyphs, and it's important to level them up. The maximum level is 21, but reaching level 15 is a good milestone. Neglecting Glyph leveling while rushing to level 100 may result in having to grind Glyphs later on, even if you focused on leveling before the experience buff patch.
Glyph experience scales with the tier of the nine-band dungeon you run. It's optimal to run dungeons that are 50 or 51 levels below your character. This means that if you want to run a tier four sigil, your character should be level 54. Being underleveled by three levels provides a 25% bonus to XP, which increases slightly due to the monsters also giving extra basic PM. Going significantly higher in tier doesn't increase the bonus XP proportionally to the increased difficulty, so it's not recommended. Glyph leveling becomes more efficient once you reach higher levels (around 80 or above) and run tier 30+ sigils.
As you progress through the levels, you may find yourself in need of additional resources to enhance your character's power. This is where the option to buy Diablo 4 gold comes into play.
Completing renown tasks early in Nightmare Difficulty is advisable. It allows you to focus on Glyph leveling and the experience grind later on. The early tiers of nightmare dungeons don't contribute much to Glyph leveling. Additionally, farming Hell Tights for forgotten souls should be done as early as possible. This ensures you have enough souls to reroll and upgrade your gear. While Hell Tights don't provide XP, they are necessary for improving your gear.
For group play, dungeons like Blind Burrows are popular among players. It's possible to chain run Nightmare Dungeon sigils with a group, increasing efficiency and variety. However, it's important to note that Nightmare Dungeons don't scale to each individual's level like normal dungeons do. Therefore, it's best to have a party with characters of similar power and level.
In conclusion, the leveling process has been greatly accelerated with nightmare dungeons. Whether your focus is reaching level 100 or maximizing power and gear, prioritizing nightmare dungeons and Glyph leveling is essential. Completing renown tasks and farming Hell Tights early on can also be beneficial. Good luck with your grind to level 100!