Skovos and Temis Guide
DIABLO IV / LORD OF HATRED / WAR PLANS

War Plans Guide: Reward Routes and Party Sync

Build better post-campaign War Plans by separating the six activity choices, the route to the War Chest, Activity Tree progression, and Patch 3.1's fully shared party boards.

Verified patch: 3.1.1Requires: Lord of HatredSolo & Party
QUICK PLAN

Choose one reward goal and time budget first, then select up to five activities at the Command Table. Favor activities that overlap Whispers, complete the displayed chain, and claim the War Chest. Use two or three activities for short sessions, Helltides or Infernal Hordes for volume, Lair Bosses for targeted boss runs, and the Pit or Nightmare Escalations for challenge. The live board remains authoritative for node rewards and conditions; there is no guaranteed fixed best order or hourly rate.

COMPLETE

Five Steps to Complete a War Plan

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STEP 01

1. Reach Temis After the Campaign

War Plans unlock after the Lord of Hatred story. Open the Command Table in Temis and review the current board, Plan level, and available choices.

Lord of HatredTemisCommand TableWar Plans
STEP 02

2. Set One Reward Goal and Time Budget

Prioritize gear volume, a specific boss, challenge, a short session, or Whisper overlap. Avoid mixing too many goals and keep the first chain comfortably finishable.

War PlansWhispers
STEP 03

3. Select Up to Five Activities

Choose from Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, Kurast Undercity, Lair Bosses, Infernal Hordes, and the Pit. War Plans generates a Sigil on the fly when the selected activity needs one you do not have.

Nightmare DungeonHelltideKurast UndercityLair BossesInfernal HordesThe Pit
STEP 04

4. Follow the Tracker and Teleport Forward

After the first completion, teleport directly to the next activity. Read each node's success condition, avoid abandoning waves or objectives, and confirm the tracker advances.

War Plans
STEP 05

5. Claim the War Chest After Full Completion

Finish every selected activity, return to Temis, and claim the War Chest. Track ordinary activity drops, Whisper rewards, and the final War Chest separately.

TemisWar ChestWhispersWar Plans
ACTIVITIES

How to Use the Six Activities

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Nightmare Dungeons

Use this for dungeon chains and Nightmare Escalations. Patch 3.1 added more Escalation options. Read any warning before teleporting away when an Escalation chain remains open.

Nightmare DungeonWar Plans

Helltides

Use this for open-world Cinder progress. The current objective uses a flat Cinder spend rather than chest count and has additional options. Check the live board for the required amount.

HelltideWar Plans

Kurast Undercity

Use this for a focused timed, multi-floor run. Check Tribute and War Plan modifier conditions before entry, and keep the party together through floor transitions.

Kurast UndercityWar PlansVessel of Hatred

Lair Bosses

Use this for a chosen boss or Hoard target. Confirm the key, boss, and node bonus before entry, and keep boss rewards separate from the final War Chest.

Lair BossesSuperior Lair KeyWar Chest

Infernal Hordes

Use this for concentrated wave combat. Patch 3.1 increased its War Plan rewards. Do not assume full rewards when leaving before every wave is complete.

Infernal HordesWar Plans

The Pit

Use this for build stress tests and tier progression. Read death or timeout conditions on challenge nodes, then use the Artificer's Obelisk and HUD guidance in Temis.

The PitTemisWar Plans
ROUTES

Five Goal-Based Route Templates

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Short Session: Two or Three Activities

Choose only currently fast, low-friction nodes and favor Whisper overlap. Reaching the War Chest matters more than filling all five slots.

War PlansWhispersWar Chest

Loot Volume: Helltides plus Infernal Hordes

Combine open-world Cinder progress with wave rewards. If adding another node, use one Nightmare Dungeon and avoid stacking too many uncertain-duration objectives.

HelltideInfernal HordesNightmare Dungeon

Boss Target: Lair plus Key Support

Center the Plan on the desired Lair Boss, then use remaining nodes to support missing keys or materials. Recheck the boss, key tier, and Hoard modifier each time.

Lair BossesSuperior Lair KeyWar Plans

Challenge: Pit plus Nightmare Escalation

Start below your maximum at a reliable tier and avoid pushing the Pit and Escalations simultaneously. If failure conditions stack, remove one and protect War Chest completion.

The PitNightmare DungeonWar Chest

Whisper Overlay: Match Live Objectives

Whispers are not standalone nodes. Match the Plan to live Whisper objectives so activity progress, Activity Points, and Whisper rewards advance together.

WhispersActivity PointsWar Plans
PROGRESSION

Four Command Table and Tree Rules

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Plans Level the Command Table

Executing War Plans levels the Command Table and unlocks deeper progression and choices. Do not plan around options that are not yet unlocked.

Command TableWar Plans

Keep Each Activity Tree Separate

Activity Trees progress per activity. Advancing Helltides does not imply the Pit tree advances at the same rate.

Activity PointsHelltideThe Pit

Spend Points on the Primary Goal First

Customize one or two frequently played activities first instead of delaying the main route through even distribution. Treat the live UI as authoritative for respec cost and effects.

Activity PointsWar Plans

Whispers Also Grant Activity Progress

Whispers overlapping a selected activity contribute activity progression and Activity Points alongside normal rewards. Judge non-overlapping detours against Plan completion time.

WhispersActivity Points
PARTY

Six Steps for Party War Plans

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STEP 01

1. Gather Everyone in Temis

Every party member must be in Temis to begin synchronization. Avoid rerolling individual boards before everyone arrives.

TemisWar Plans
STEP 02

2. Choose New Plan for Party

The New Plan prompt appears only while grouped. Treat it as a reroll of the initiator's board.

Command TableWar Plans
STEP 03

3. Initiator Spends Two Marks

The player initiating a new Party Plan spends two Marks of El'Druin. Do not describe the cost as being charged to every member.

Marks of El'DruinWar Plans
STEP 04

4. Unanimously Approve the Reroll

Synchronization occurs after every member approves the vote. Do not leave assuming a shared board after a rejection or missing approval.

War Plans
STEP 05

5. Push the Initiator's New Board

The initiator's newly reset board is pushed to the party with synchronized progression and objectives. It does not merge everyone's previous personal boards.

Command TableWar Plans
STEP 06

6. Separate Sync from Eligibility

Plans sync regardless of Plan level, Torment, or campaign-completion state. Sync alone should not be treated as proof of activity eligibility; read the current host-progression messaging.

War PlansLord of Hatred
BOUNDARY

Common War Plan Mistakes

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  • You do not need to fill all five slots; an unfinished long chain delays the War Chest.
  • Whispers are not a seventh selectable node; they overlay selected activities.
  • Do not confuse a Plan-generated Sigil with an ordinary inventory Sigil.
  • Keep activity drops, Whisper rewards, node modifiers, and the final War Chest separate.
  • Party Sync distributes the initiator's new board; it does not combine each player's best nodes.
  • The Party reroll costs the initiator two Marks; do not preserve a previously bugged lower displayed cost.
  • Nodes, modifiers, requirements, and rewards can change; no fixed hourly rate, drop count, or always-best route is guaranteed.
LIVE UPDATE

Important Corrections as of Patch 3.1.1

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  • Patch 3.1 added fully shared party boards with synchronized progression and objectives.
  • War Plan XP at Torment VIII+ and Infernal Hordes rewards were increased; do not apply the same XP increase to lower difficulties.
  • Helltide now uses a flat Cinder-spend objective, with more Helltide and Nightmare Escalation options added.
  • Current patches fixed shared-board rerolls costing fewer than two Marks and clarified party-generation messaging based on host progression.
  • Current fixes cover War Chests, completion XP, full Horde waves, seasonal affixes leaking into Eternal, Pit guidance, and other progression issues; prefer the live tracker over old workarounds.
NEXT

Continue From Here

8

Horadric Cube Guide

Spend Cube materials earned from War Plans on goal-specific recipes.

Talisman Guide

Turn Cube materials from War Plans into Seal, Charm, and set upgrades.

Skovos and Temis Guide

Review the unlock condition and where to find the Command Table and War Chest.

Lord of Hatred Buying Guide

Confirm the base-game and expansion licenses required for War Plans.

New and Returning Player Guide

Follow campaign completion, level 70, and Torment progression.

Build Index

Choose expansion-inclusive builds for War Plans, bosses, speed, and the Pit.

Season 14 Guide

Review boundaries when overlapping current-season activities with War Plans.

Tower and Leaderboards Guide

Review the Tower as a separate ten-minute competitive activity from the Pit.

SOURCES

Official Sources

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Blizzard: Lord of Hatred Launch Guide (Japanese)2026-07-23Blizzard: Lord of Hatred Launch Guide2026-07-23Blizzard: Season of Death Awakening Party War Plans2026-07-23Blizzard: 3.1 PTR War Plan Updates2026-07-23Blizzard: Current Diablo IV Patch Notes2026-07-23Blizzard: Diablo IV Patch Notes2026-07-23