Endgame Activity Guide: Pit, Nightmare Dungeons, Helltide, Tower, and War Plans
Choose five major Diablo IV endgame activities by the result you need now, not by a permanent efficiency ranking. Four base-game activities are separated from Lord of Hatred's War Plans, which chain multiple activities together.
Use the Pit for Glyph upgrades and difficulty pushing, Nightmare Dungeons for Sigil modifiers, gear, and Masterworking materials, Helltide for short chest, upgrade-material, and Living Steel runs, and the Tower for ten-minute competition and seasonal ranking. After completing Lord of Hatred, chain the activities you need in War Plans, overlap Whispers, and claim the War Chest. To build Splinter reputation in Season 15, pick the activities matching your carried Splinter — Terror for Helltide and Infernal Hordes, Destruction for the Undercity and Lair Bosses, Hatred for the Pit and Nightmare Dungeons — and add the Tree of Whispers, which every Splinter modifies. For one specific Unique, leave this loop and use the boss reverse lookup.
Five Steps to Choose an Activity
51. Pick One Immediate Goal
Choose one result for the next 30–60 minutes: Glyphs, gear volume, upgrade materials, boss keys, competitive rank, or a multi-activity completion. Change activities when the goal changes.
2. Check Base-Game and Expansion Access
The Pit, Nightmare Dungeons, Helltide, and the Tower are base-game activities. War Plans unlock in Temis after the Lord of Hatred campaign. Without the expansion, run the individual activities directly.
3. Match Difficulty and Time Pressure
Choose a Torment and tier you can clear consistently. The Pit and Tower reward timely clears, Helltide depends on remaining event time, and Nightmare Dungeons require checking the Sigil modifiers first.
4. Stack Only Compatible Objectives
Overlap Whispers, the activities matching your carried Splinter, and War Plan nodes when they point to the same activity. The Tree of Whispers is modified by all three Splinters, so it stacks whichever one you carry. Do not combine unrelated goals that slow the clear.
5. Rotate as Soon as the Goal Is Met
Once the needed Glyph, material, key, or ranking milestone is done, rotate to the next shortage. During a War Plan, finish the selected chain and claim the War Chest in Temis.
Five Endgame Activities
5The Pit
Glyph upgrades and difficulty push
Base game; enter through the Artificer's Obelisk after reaching Torment.
Best for- Upgrading Paragon Glyphs
- Testing build limits and survivability
- Post-clear Glyph upgrade attempts
- Loot from dense combat and chests
- Bonus Experience at high tiers (2700% at tier 150 as of Patch 3.2.1)
Overlap: Can be selected in War Plans and overlapped with eligible Whispers. In Season 15, the Splinter of Hatred modifies the Pit.
Rotate away when: Avoid when recent gear changes make clears unstable or when only one boss key is needed.
OPEN RELATED GUIDE →Nightmare Dungeon
Sigil modifiers, gear, Masterworking materials, and Distilled Fear
Base game; inspect the Nightmare Sigil's dungeon and modifiers before opening it.
Best for- Gear and materials from chests and events
- Farming keys for the Beast in the Ice
- Gear, Obducite, and Gold
- Distilled Fear and follow-up Sigils
Overlap: Can overlap War Plans and eligible Whispers. In Season 15 the Splinter of Hatred modifies it, and in the finished Season 14 it also overlapped Rupture modifiers.
Rotate away when: Avoid when Glyph upgrading is the only goal; that function currently belongs to the Pit.
OPEN RELATED GUIDE →Helltide
Short chest, upgrade-material, and Living Steel runs
Base-game open world; check the active region and remaining time on the map.
Best for- Opening targeted chests with Cinders
- Living Steel for Grigoire and upgrade materials
- Gear and materials from Tortured Gifts
- Living Steel, Blood Maiden rewards, and Whisper progress
Overlap: Naturally overlaps Whispers and War Plans. In Season 15 the Splinter of Terror modifies it, and in Season 14 it overlapped goals in the same region.
Rotate away when: Avoid near event end or when Glyph upgrades or Tower rank are the priority.
OPEN RELATED GUIDE →Tower
Ten-minute competition, rankings, and milestones
Base-game Seasonal Realm; enter after completing Season Rank 2. The Tower itself is an evergreen feature still receiving fixes in Patch 3.2.2, but the leaderboard guide recorded here is from Season 14.
Best for- Comparing build speed and boss performance
- Ranks, first-time tiers, and milestone rewards
- Treasures of the Artificer and Season Rank progress
- Titles, Halos, and other leaderboard progression rewards
Overlap: Not one of the six War Plan choices and not modified by any Splinter of Evil. Overlap it only when a seasonal objective points at it.
Rotate away when: Avoid when gear volume, boss keys, or Glyph upgrades are the immediate shortage, or when the goal is Splinter reputation.
OPEN RELATED GUIDE →War Plans
Chained activities, tree progression, and War Chest
Requires Lord of Hatred; create one at Temis's Command Table after the campaign. From Patch 3.2.1, reputation points are shared between characters that match in all three partitions: Eternal/Seasonal, Non-Hardcore/Hardcore, and Normal/Solo Self-Found.
Best for- Combining several needed activities into one playlist
- Activity Points and the War Chest
- Each activity's rewards and tree progression
- War Chest after all selected activities are complete
- In Season 15, eight Splinter activity modifiers and six Iconic Power upgrades
Overlap: Choose Nightmare Dungeons, Helltide, Undercity, Lair Bosses, Infernal Hordes, or the Pit, then overlap Whispers. In Season 15, choosing the activities matching your carried Splinter also advances its reputation.
Rotate away when: Avoid without the expansion or campaign completion, or when one material is the only immediate target.
OPEN RELATED GUIDE →First Run by Goal
7Upgrade a Glyph
Run a reliably clearable Pit tier and choose the target Glyph first. Ignore old routes that send Glyph upgrades back to Nightmare Dungeons.
Collect Gear and Masterworking Materials
Choose a favorable Nightmare Sigil and collect chests, events, and interactables along the route.
Farm Keys and Materials in a Short Session
Enter a Helltide with enough time remaining, gather Cinders, and prioritize needed slot chests and Living Steel.
Test Competitive Build Performance
Use the Tower to test speed, Pylon routing, and boss damage. This is for tier and time improvement, not primary material farming.
Advance Several Shortages Together
Lord of Hatred owners can chain needed activities in a War Plan and overlap eligible Whispers. Claim the War Chest after the full chain.
Advance a Splinter Reputation Track
Run the activities matching your carried Splinter and add the Tree of Whispers, which every Splinter modifies. Each reputation track holds eight activity modifiers and six upgrades to its Iconic Power, unlocked by progressing War Plans. To switch tracks, first acquire a different Splinter in the largest Waking Nightmares.
Target One Specific Unique
Take the item name from the finished build and use the boss reverse lookup to find its Hoard and key. Do not treat this comparison as a permanent farming table.
Rules for Overlap and Separation
7Overlap Whispers with Matching Activities
In War Plans, Whispers overlap selected activities rather than appearing as separate nodes. Outside War Plans, stack them only when region and activity match.
Overlap Splinters of Evil with Their Matching Activities
In Season 15, each Splinter of Evil advances reputation through a fixed pair of activities. Diablo's Splinter of Terror modifies Helltide and Infernal Hordes, Baal's Splinter of Destruction modifies the Undercity and Lair Bosses, and Mephisto's Splinter of Hatred modifies the Pit and Nightmare Dungeons. All three modify the Tree of Whispers. Only one Splinter can be carried at a time, and you swap it in the largest Waking Nightmare.
Use the Tree of Whispers for Splinter Progress and Caches
Because all three Splinters modify the Tree of Whispers, it is the one node that advances reputation regardless of which Splinter you carry. Patch 3.2.1 raised Whisper Cache rewards broadly: Experience Orbs went from 3-5 to 4-6 with an additional 2-4 in Torment X and above, Gold roughly tripled, Gem Fragments roughly doubled, and Cube and salvage materials rose by roughly two to three times. Key Caches can also drop Mephisto's Keys and Echo Traces at a low rate.
Keep Tower Separate from War Plans
The Tower is a competitive mode and is not one of the official six War Plan choices. A Tower clear does not advance the War Chest chain.
Separate Glyph and Gear-Material Goals
Use the Pit for Glyph upgrades and Nightmare Dungeons for gear, materials, and Sigil modifiers. Do not merge retired seasonal roles.
Layer Seasonal Objectives Only Where They Match
The current Season 15 overlaps through the activities matching your carried Splinter, while the finished Season 14 overlapped through Rupture-modified Nightmare Dungeons and regional objectives. In both cases, seasonal rewards are not permanent baseline rewards.
Confirm Boss-Key Uses in the Boss Guide
After obtaining keys in Helltide or Nightmare Dungeons, reverse-check the boss, count, and expansion. Key acquisition and Hoard opening are separate activities.
Boundaries for Using the Comparison
9- Hourly rates, drop chances, and ideal tiers vary by build, Torment, Sigil modifiers, and live events and are not guaranteed.
- Old guidance that farms Glyph experience in Nightmare Dungeons is not the current role; use the Pit for Glyph upgrades.
- The Tower was still receiving fixes as a game feature in Patch 3.2.2. Leaderboards, however, belong to the Seasonal Realm: 3.2.2 fixed the leaderboard button remaining visible in Eternal. Availability in Eternal or in future seasons is not permanently guaranteed, so confirm it in game.
- War Plans require Lord of Hatred and campaign completion; do not confuse this with base-game activity access.
- The six War Plan choices are the Pit, Nightmare Dungeons, Helltide, Undercity, Lair Bosses, and Infernal Hordes. The Tower and season-only activities remain separate.
- The per-Splinter activity pairings are a Season 15 mechanic. Do not assume they persist after the season ends or treat them as permanent activity behavior.
- Always check Helltide time, Nightmare Sigils, and stable Pit and Tower clearability in game.
- Do not infer a specific Unique's chance from this comparison; prioritize the in-game Loot panel and boss reverse lookup.
- If a live season or patch changes rewards, prioritize the in-game UI and latest official patch notes.
Patch 3.2.2 Checkpoints
17- Patch 3.0 increased Pit density, elite packs, and Cursed Chest availability.
- In Patch 3.0, Dungeon Delve affixes on Nightmare Sigils can upgrade on entering Torment.
- Patch 3.1.1 improved loot from Helltide chests.
- Patch 3.1.1 added fully shared War Plan boards and adjusted high-Torment XP, Infernal Hordes rewards, Helltide requirements, and Nightmare options.
- Patch 3.1.1 added Halo rewards for Tower and Leaderboard progression, with leaderboard rewards requiring Crossplay.
- Patch 3.1.2 restored the Pit completion bubble; when a Whisper Ambush triggers, the bubble remains suppressed until its boss is defeated.
- Patch 3.1.3 fixed War Plans teleports to Infernal Hordes sometimes failing below Torment.
- Patch 3.2.1 launched Season 15 and tied each Splinter of Evil to specific activities: the Splinter of Terror to Helltide and Infernal Hordes, the Splinter of Destruction to the Undercity and Lair Bosses, and the Splinter of Hatred to the Pit and Nightmare Dungeons. All three modify the Tree of Whispers.
- Patch 3.2.1 increased Whisper Cache Experience Orbs from 3-5 to 4-6, with an additional 2-4 in Torment X and above. Gold roughly tripled (from about 35 million to about 100 million in Torment XII), Gem Fragments roughly doubled, Horadric Cube and salvage materials rose by roughly two to three times, and Key Caches now give twice the Offerings and five times the Sigil Powder while also dropping Mephisto's Keys and Echo Traces at a low rate.
- Patch 3.2.1 increased bonus Experience in high Pit tiers, for example from 1800% to 2700% at tier 150, and doubled Experience from Experience Orbs while the Soul of Choron node is active.
- Patch 3.2.1 increased War Plans Experience rewards: completing any node in Torment X and above now gives a base of 4 Experience Orbs instead of 2, and Magic, Rare, Legendary, and Mythic Experience reward nodes give twice as many Orbs.
- From Patch 3.2.1, War Plans reputation points are shared across every character on the account that matches in all three partitions: Eternal/Seasonal, Non-Hardcore/Hardcore, and Normal/Solo Self-Found. Point allocation remains separate per character.
- Patch 3.2.1 reduced Helltide Experience Orbs: Plague Maggot Larvae from Hellmouth nodes have a lower drop chance, and Harbingers of Agony and Plague Devourers now drop 1-2 instead of always 2.
- Patch 3.2.1 added Forgotten Souls to Undercity Refining Offerings and doubled Experience Orbs from the Jade Seal node.
- Patch 3.2.1 changed the unlock requirement for Expert and Penitent from completing the campaign to completing the Prologue, and raised Torment bonus Experience (Torment X from 1200% to 1300%, XI from 1300% to 1500%, XII from 1400% to 1700%).
- Patch 3.2.2 fixed the Tower's Artificer's Obelisk not showing available rewards on the Map and Minimap icon.
- Use the live UI as the final authority for reward counts, Sigil affixes, Tower rounds, and War Plan nodes.
Continue From Here
15Goal-Based XP, Gold, and Material Farming
Connect the chosen activity to the primary route and rotation condition for your current shortage.
Boss and Unique Target-Farming Guide
Turn activity-farmed keys into the right Hoard and Unique target.
War Plans Guide
Review all six choices, goal routes, trees, and party sync.
Tower and Leaderboards Guide
Continue to ten-minute clears, divisions, rewards, and build tuning.
Season 14 Guide
Review Ruptures, reputation, and seasonal goals layered onto evergreen activities.
Build Index
Choose all-eight-class builds by target, gear dependency, and expansion.
New and Returning Player Guide
Review level 70, Torment, and the route into endgame activities.
Loot Filter Setup
Prioritize desired upgrades for each activity's loot volume.
Patch 3.1.x Changes
Review current activity reward, War Plan, and Tower changes.
Paragon and Glyphs
Choose priority Glyphs and a stable Pit tier.
The Pit Guide
Review progress, bosses, Glyph upgrades, and tier choice.
Nightmare Dungeon Guide
Review Sigil affixes, materials, keys, and clear routes.
Helltide Guide
Route Cinders, chests, Blood Maiden, and Living Steel.
Infernal Hordes Guide
Choose Offerings, clear waves, and spend final rewards.
Kurast Undercity Guide
Plan Tributes, time, Attunement, and floor transitions.