Diablo 4 endgame guide: War Plans, Pit, Helltide, bosses

The Diablo 4 endgame starts at level 70, and since the Lord of Hatred expansion War Plans tie it all together. This guide covers every major activity, how it unlocks and what you get out of it: War Plans, the Pit, Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, Infernal Hordes, Kurast Undercity, Lair Bosses, Echoing Hatred and more. It applies to PC and console as of 19 October 2026 (Season 15, patch 3.2.3) and contains no builds or tier lists.

How the endgame fits together

The endgame rests on three pillars. The first is difficulty: you start on Normal to Penitent and work your way into Torment I to XII through the Pit. Higher Torment means a bigger experience and gold bonus and more Legendary, Unique and Mythic items, with Ancestral items dropping from Torment I. The second is Paragon and Glyphs, which you upgrade in the Pit. The third is War Plans, which give you an order to play activities in and a reward for finishing them.

How to reach level 70 and how Paragon boards work is covered in our leveling and Paragon guide.

War Plans: a playlist of endgame activities

War Plans arrived with Lord of Hatred. They unlock once you finish its campaign, at a table next to Tyrael in the city of Temis in Skovos. A War Plan is essentially a playlist of activities: Tree of Whispers, Nightmare Dungeons, Helltide, Undercity, Lair Bosses, Infernal Hordes and the Pit. Each activity has its own upgrade tree, which you fill by playing it inside the active War Plan. Complete the whole plan and you get a reward chest.

Since Season 15, War Plans progress is shared between characters on your account within the same partition: Eternal or Seasonal, Normal or Hardcore, Normal or Solo Self-Found. Each character still spends its points separately. Some data sites still say progress is not shared; the official Season 15 patch notes take priority.

The main activities at a glance

Activity	What you do	How you get in	Why play it
The Pit	timed dungeon with 150 tiers and a boss	progress shared across the realm	Glyph upgrades, Torment unlocks
Helltide	infernal open-world event	zones on the world map	Aberrant Cinders for Tortured Gifts chests
Nightmare Dungeons	harder versions of dungeons	Nightmare Sigil, the first from the Tree of Whispers	Masterworking material
Infernal Hordes	enemy waves and a final boss	Infernal Compass from Torment difficulties	Burning Aether, the Fell Council
Kurast Undercity	timed multi-floor dungeon	requires Vessel of Hatred	rewards based on Attunement and Tributes
Lair Bosses	boss fights up to Mephisto	free to challenge, loot needs a Boss Lair Key	loot chest (Hoard)
Echoing Hatred	horde mode, enemies keep scaling	added with Lord of Hatred	the longer you last, the better the reward

The Pit

The Pit (Pit of the Artificers) is 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 have plenty of time left. Progress is shared by all characters in the same realm. The Pit is also your gateway to Torment: Torment I opens after you complete Pit Tier 10. We do not quote the timer length, as the data sites disagree.

Helltide

A Helltide is an infernal event that takes over part of the open world. Enemies drop Aberrant Cinders, which you spend to open Tortured Gifts chests. Helltides also have a Threat meter.

Nightmare Dungeons

Nightmare Dungeons are harder versions of regular dungeons. You open them with a Nightmare Sigil, and your first Sigils come from the Tree of Whispers. Besides loot, they are a source of Obducite, the material for Masterworking. How Masterworking and other gear upgrades work is explained in our crafting guide, while gems and sockets are covered in the jeweler guide.

Infernal Hordes

Infernal Hordes is a wave-based activity. You enter with an Infernal Compass, which drops on Torment difficulties. Each wave lasts 60 seconds and you collect Burning Aether as you go. Between waves you choose an Infernal Offer, a bonus that comes with a drawback. A boss waits at the end: the Fell Council.

Kurast Undercity

Kurast Undercity requires the Vessel of Hatred expansion and opens up around level 20, so you can meet it while leveling. It is a timed dungeon spread over several floors, and you extend the timer by killing marked enemies. Rewards depend on Attunement and the Tributes you bring into the run.

Lair Bosses

Lair Bosses form a Boss Ladder. Challenging them is free, but the loot chest (Hoard) only opens with a Boss Lair Key. Above the regular bosses sit the Greater Lair Bosses, and at the top is the pinnacle boss Mephisto.

More endgame content

• Echoing Hatred (Lord of Hatred): a horde mode where enemies keep getting stronger until they overwhelm you. The longer you survive, the better the reward.
• Dark Citadel (Vessel of Hatred): a cooperative endgame dungeon for groups.
• The Tower and leaderboards: only on the Seasonal realm, with leaderboards still in beta.
• Waking Nightmares: Season 15 content in three forms, from large Capstone dungeons to open-world dungeons and rooms. Treat it as seasonal rather than a permanent part of the game.

The difference between the Seasonal and Eternal realms, and what carries over after a season, is explained in our seasons guide. For group play, check the crossplay and co-op overview.

Where to start

1. Finish the Lord of Hatred campaign to unlock War Plans and the Horadric Cube.
2. Pick a War Plan and play its activities, filling the upgrade trees and the chest at the end.
3. Push the Pit to Tier 10 alongside it and switch to Torment I.
4. On Torment you start finding Infernal Compasses and Glyphs, which opens up the rest of the endgame.

Complete newcomers will find the basics in our beginner’s guide.

Join our Discord to team up for Helltides, the Pit and Infernal Hordes with other players. Drop by the GamersTogether Discord and find a group.

FAQ

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