Diablo 4 Highest Tiers Of Difficulty Are Locked Behind A Whole Bunch Of Tasks

Diablo IV has eight levels of difficulty, but the highest four are locked when you begin the game. If you are jumping into Diablo because of Vessel Of Hatred, and wondering how you’res supposed to access this higher tier, here is how you unlock Torment difficulty, where the endgame begins.

What Is Diablo 4’s Torment Difficulty?

Screenshot: Blizzard / Kotaku

While every difficulty level below Torment increases the power of enemies and the experience gained from defeating them, Torment adds unique aspects not found at simpler tiers.

Starting in Torment 1, Ancestral items (even more powerful than Legendary items) can be obtained. New activities and items become available, and the drop rate of Legendary, Unique, and Mythic Unique items is increased. All these elements increase as you push the difficulty further to Torment 2, 3, and 4. Torment 4 is the highest difficulty currently available for the open world.

Screenshot: Blizzard / Kotaku

Starting at Torment 1, your Armor and Resistances are reduced. This also increases in the run up to Torment 4, which reduce your Armor and Resistances all the way down to 0. Given how difficult it can be to stay alive even in lower difficulties, this difficulty level is meant for those who want to demonstrate their mastery of Diablo IV’s systems, mechanics and their character class.

Difficulty levels can be changed before starting the game, and while you are in-game, by visiting the statues found in Cerrigar (Scosglen), Kyovashad (Fractured Peaks), Kurast Bazaar (Nahantu), and others.

How Do I Unlock Torment Difficulty?

Screenshot: Blizzard / Kotaku

The highest difficulty available before unlocking these Torment levels is ‘Penitent.’ If that isn’t enough for you, you’ll need to do the following to unlock Torment 1 difficulty:

Screenshot: Blizzard / Kotaku

The Pit of the Artificer is a repeatable, timed dungeon located in Cerrigar (Scosglen). You’ll find the Artificer’s Obelisk (Portal Activator) just northwest of the Cerrigar Waypoint.

If Penitent is legitimately too easy for you, you can certainly cut to the chase and do Tier 20 as your first run. If you’d prefer to start at easier tiers, you’ll still gain rewards that will help you push your power further, and you’ll be able to tackle Tier 20 in no time.

Screenshot: Blizzard / Kotaku

The three Artificer’s Stones you’ll need to activate The Pit of the Artificer can be obtained by completing the following activities, so you’ll need to gather them first:

Now that you have all the information you need to unlock Torment difficulty, get out there and get those Ancestral items. Happy hunting!