Diablo 4 leveling guide: reaching level 70 and Paragon

The level cap in Diablo 4 has been 70 since the Lord of Hatred expansion, not the 60 that many older guides still assume. This guide explains how leveling from 1 to 70 works on PC and console, how many skill points you get, what difficulties and Season Ranks add, and what comes next: Paragon boards, Glyphs and the Pit. No builds, just the system shared by all eight classes. Everything reflects the state of the game on 19 October 2026 (Season 15, patch 3.2.3).

Level 70 and what changed with Lord of Hatred

Lord of Hatred launched on 28 April 2026 and raised the level cap from 60 to 70. Blizzard shipped the higher cap as part of a free update, so it applies even if you never bought the expansion. The same release rebuilt the skill tree for every class and replaced the old World Tiers with Normal to Penitent plus Torment I to XII. Guides that mention level 60 or World Tier 3 describe the pre-April 2026 game.

You get one skill point for every level from 2 to 70, which is 69 points in total. Season Ranks, the seasonal account goals, add more on top. In Season 15 they give up to 14 extra points.

Campaign or straight into the season

Once you have finished the campaign at least once, you can skip it on new characters. A Seasonal character then goes straight into the seasonal content. On an Eternal character you choose the campaign state: base game, expansion, or straight to endgame if you have completed the expansions. The difference between the two realms is covered in our seasons guide.

The skill tree while leveling

Since Lord of Hatred the skill tree has six groups that unlock as your character levels up. By level 19 every skill type is open:

Skill group	Unlocks at level
Basic	1
Core	3
first class group	4
second class group	8
third class group	13
Ultimate	19

An active skill takes up to 15 points. Each skill has two pairs of Modifier upgrades, and you pick one from each pair. On top of that come Variant upgrades: two exist in the base game, Lord of Hatred adds a third, and only one can be active. You can only run one Ultimate. Every class also has its own mechanic, unlocked through a class quest while leveling. Class guides such as the Barbarian guide, explain how each one works.

Difficulty and leveling speed

Difficulty has the biggest effect on how fast you level. Normal and Hard are available right away. Since patch 3.2.1 (Season 15), Expert and Penitent unlock after the Prologue; Penitent used to require the full campaign. Torment difficulties are unlocked through the Pit: completing Pit Tier 10 opens Torment I.

Difficulty	How it unlocks	What it gives
Normal, Hard	available from the start	good for a first character and new players
Expert, Penitent	after the Prologue (since 3.2.1)	for experienced players, not a fresh character
Torment I	clear Pit Tier 10	experience bonus, Ancestral items
Torment II to IX	higher Pit tiers	bigger XP and gold bonus, better loot
Torment X, XI, XII	higher Pit tiers	+1,300%, +1,500% and +1,700% experience

The Torment X to XII values apply after patch 3.2.1. If this is your first ARPG, start on Normal and move to Hard once enemies feel too easy. Expert and Penitent are not a good starting point for a fresh seasonal character or a newcomer, even though they unlock early. On Hardcore, death is permanent, so avoid it on an unstable connection.

You level faster in a group than on your own. How to team up across platforms is explained in our crossplay and co-op guide.

Paragon: what comes after level 70

Progression does not stop at 70. Next comes Paragon: you spend points on Paragon Boards, which contain:

• regular nodes that add +5 to an attribute,
• Rare and Legendary nodes with stronger bonuses,
• Glyph sockets for your Glyphs,
• Board Attachment Gates that connect another board.

You can attach at most four more boards to your starting board. Paragon points do not only come from playing: in Season 15, Season Ranks grant up to 42 of them. We deliberately do not state a Paragon cap here, as no two independent sources have confirmed one after Lord of Hatred.

Glyphs and the Pit

Glyphs drop on Torment difficulties and go into the Glyph sockets on your Paragon boards. You upgrade them in the Pit (Pit of the Artificers), a timed dungeon with 150 tiers. Kill enough enemies and a boss appears; finish within the time limit and you can upgrade a Glyph and unlock further tiers, several at once if you finish with plenty of time to spare. Pit progress is shared by characters in the same realm.

So the Pit matters twice: it powers up Glyphs and opens higher Torment levels. We do not quote the timer, as data sites disagree on it.

What to do while leveling and after

1. Pick a difficulty that matches your experience. Normal or Hard for a first character, then move up once the game stops pushing back.
2. Finish your class quest. It unlocks your class mechanic, and the character does not play at full strength without it.
3. Keep an eye on Season Ranks. On a seasonal character they hand out skill points, Paragon points and materials.
4. At level 70, focus on the Pit. Pit Tier 10 opens Torment I, and with it Glyphs and Ancestral items.
5. Then move on to endgame activities. War Plans, Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons and more are covered in our endgame guide.

New to Diablo 4? Start with the beginner’s guide.

Join our Discord to find players who are leveling a seasonal character right now or looking for a Pit partner. Come over to the GamersTogether Discord and ask about whatever is slowing you down.

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Information verified on 19 October 2026. More Diablo 4 guides are waiting in our Diablo 4 hub.