First Steps for New and Returning Players

New Players: Prefer the Seasonal Realm

Use a fresh Seasonal character for current progression and rewards. Choose Eternal when you specifically want to continue an existing character. Both realms retain the core campaigns, classes, and endgame.

Start with the Base Campaign for the Story

If Lilith and Sanctuary are new to you, begin with the base campaign. Returning expansion players who want the current endgame can choose an owned expansion start or Story Complete when available.

Pause Before Skipping the Campaign

Campaign Skip is permanent for that character. Do not confirm it if you intend to play the story; reserve it for characters that are deliberately joining open-world progression.

Choose Difficulty by Kill Speed

Start from Normal. Raise difficulty only when regular enemies die quickly and bosses leave healing resources to spare. Smooth completion matters more than selecting a higher reward modifier too early.

Pick One Main Damage Skill

Choose one primary active skill and prioritize its branches. A main attack plus resource, defense, and mobility roles is easier to build than spreading points evenly across several attacks.

Keep the Loot Filter Permissive at First

Open the Loot Filter under Options > Gameplay. Early on, recolor useful affixes and Codex upgrades instead of hiding broad item groups; narrow it only after you understand what your build needs.

Open the Seasonal Questline

In Season 14, read the scroll in Kyovashad to begin A Gospel of Despair. Story-first players can prioritize the campaign and join the seasonal loop once open-world progression is appropriate.

Levels 1–30: Establish Controls and a Core Skill

Build a smooth combat core while advancing the campaign or seasonal objectives.

Levels 30–50: Prepare for Difficulty Progression

Narrow the build, fix survival and resource problems, and prepare for Capstone challenges.

Levels 50–70: Converge and Enter Early Torment

Align gear, skills, Codex choices, and your target activity. If you can clear the relevant Capstone, early Torment progression can begin before the level cap.

Level 70+: Stabilize a Torment Farming Loop

At the level cap, continue through Paragon and goal-specific activities while gearing for stable clears in the next Torment tier.

Do Not Trust Old Gear Automatically

Obsolete base or tempered affixes may have become +100 All Stats and been marked Legacy in 3.0. Legacy items cannot be crafted or used in the Horadric Cube, so compare every old slot with current drops.

Rebuild the Skill Tree

Many passives moved out of the tree and active-skill branches were redesigned. Even when an old build name still exists, re-check its branches, Aspects, and Uniques from the beginning.

Test at a Lower Difficulty First

Because gear, skills, and defenses changed, test resources, survival, and controls in the training area or a lower tier before returning to high Torment.

Discard Old Renown and Altar Checklists

Seasonal benefits are tied to Season Rank, and Altars of Lilith no longer grant permanent stats. Old instructions to collect every Altar before anything else are no longer a mandatory power route.