New to Diablo 4? This guide covers what you need before your first launch, how to pick a class, whether to make a Seasonal or Eternal character, which difficulty to choose and what to do in your first hours. It applies to PC (Battle.net and Steam), PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2 and reflects the game as of 19 October 2026: after the Lord of Hatred expansion, during Season 15 and on patch 3.2.3.
Before you start: internet, account and expansions
Diablo 4 requires an internet connection and a Battle.net account, even when you play completely solo. There is no offline mode. You can play on PC through Battle.net or Steam, on PlayStation and Xbox, and since 15 September 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2 as well.
The base game includes five classes and the campaign. The Vessel of Hatred expansion added the Spiritborn class and the Nahantu region, while Lord of Hatred (28 April 2026) added the Paladin and Warlock classes, the Skovos region and the War Plans endgame system. Buy Lord of Hatred and you get Vessel of Hatred with it. Prices and edition contents are covered in our editions and price guide. If you have Game Pass, the base game is included, but the expansions are not and have to be bought separately.
Supported languages include English, German, French, Spanish, Polish and several others, all of them with voice-over except Turkish. The full list is in our Diablo 4 languages overview.
Picking a class
There are eight classes. Each has its own resource and a unique class mechanic that you unlock through a class quest while levelling. What matters most is how you want to play: up close, at range, with summoned allies or by shapeshifting. Every class has its own in-depth guide:
| Class | Resource | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | Fury | base game |
| Sorcerer | Mana | base game |
| Rogue | Energy | base game |
| Necromancer | Essence | base game |
| Druid | Spirit | base game |
| Spiritborn | Vigor | Vessel of Hatred |
| Paladin | Faith | Lord of Hatred |
| Warlock | Wrath and Dominance | Lord of Hatred |
You won’t find meta builds or tier lists here. They change with every patch and you don’t need them for your first hours. Pick the class you enjoy and worry about builds once you reach the endgame.
Seasonal or Eternal character?
When you create a character, you pick a realm. A Seasonal character starts the current season from scratch: level 1, no Paragon and no gold. A season lasts roughly three months, has its own theme and rewards, and when it ends, Seasonal characters and their stash move to the Eternal realm. Mounts, cosmetics and transmogs are shared across your whole account, so you keep them.
An Eternal character keeps everything: gear, Paragon and gold. It gets base game updates and balance changes, but not the seasonal content and seasonal rewards. The Tower and the leaderboards are also Seasonal only.
One thing that matters for co-op: Seasonal and Eternal are separate worlds, so you can only play together in the same realm. Once you have finished the campaign at least once, you can skip it on later characters. Our seasons explainer goes into the details.
Difficulty: Normal to Penitent and Torment
Older guides talk about World Tiers 1 to 4. They no longer exist. They were replaced by the Normal, Hard, Expert and Penitent difficulties, with Torment I to XII above them.
| Difficulty | Unlocks | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | right away | your first ARPG, learning the game |
| Hard | right away | experienced players, or when Normal feels too easy |
| Expert | after the Prologue | not for a fresh character or a newcomer |
| Penitent | after the Prologue (since patch 3.2.1) | not for a fresh character or a newcomer |
| Torment I to XII | Torment I after clearing Pit Tier 10, higher ones step by step | endgame |
Start on Normal, or on Hard if you have played other ARPGs. Once enemies feel too easy, move up. Higher Torment means a bigger bonus to experience and gold and more Legendary, Unique and Mythic items, and Ancestral items start dropping from Torment I.
Besides difficulty you also choose Softcore or Hardcore. In Hardcore, death is permanent; in Softcore it carries no penalty. We don’t recommend Hardcore for your first character, and not at all on an unstable connection.
What to do in your first hours
Start with the campaign. It walks you through the world, unlocks the core systems and, along the way, your class mechanic. You get a skill point for every level from 2 to 70, with more coming from Season Ranks.
Since Lord of Hatred, the skill tree has six groups: Basic (from level 1), Core (from level 3), three class groups and Ultimate. Active skills have Modifier and Variant upgrades, and you pick only one from each choice. You can only have one Ultimate. Your first points will naturally go into Basic and Core, and the rest open up as you level.
The level cap is 70 since Lord of Hatred (it used to be 60, which older guides still assume). After that comes Paragon: points for Paragon boards with attribute nodes and Glyph sockets. Glyphs drop in Torment difficulties and you level them up in the Pit. Our levelling and Paragon guide covers the climb.
Finishing the Lord of Hatred campaign unlocks War Plans, a planner for endgame activities found at Tyrael’s table in the city of Temis. What comes next is in our endgame guide. You level faster in a group, and Diablo 4 has crossplay between PC, PlayStation and Xbox, so you can team up with friends on other platforms. Here is how crossplay and co-op work.
Join our Discord to find other Diablo 4 players for the campaign, the season or your first Torment run: Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
Normal if Diablo 4 is your first ARPG, otherwise Hard. Expert and Penitent unlock after the Prologue, but they are not meant for a fresh character or a newcomer. Move up once enemies feel too easy.
Go Seasonal if you want the current seasonal content and rewards and want to play the season with friends. Eternal suits you if you want a character that keeps everything for good. A Seasonal character moves to the Eternal realm when the season ends anyway.
They are gone. They were replaced by Normal, Hard, Expert and Penitent, with Torment I to XII above them. You unlock Torment I by clearing Pit Tier 10.
Yes, always. The game requires an internet connection and a Battle.net account even when you play solo.
Level 70 since the Lord of Hatred expansion. After that you progress through Paragon and spend points on Paragon boards.
Information verified on 19 October 2026. More guides are waiting in the Diablo 4 hub.