A full Diablo IV guide for the Lord of Hatred era: picking a class, leveling fast, the Season 15 "Hell's Legacy" mechanics, the endgame (War Plans, Torment tiers, lair bosses, the Horadric Cube), crafting order, and current top builds.
Researched September 2026 — current as of Season 15 "Season of Hell's Legacy" (launched September 15, 2026) on the Lord of Hatred expansion. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Expansion | Lord of Hatred (April 28, 2026). Includes Vessel of Hatred. |
| Season | Season 15: Hell's Legacy (September 15, 2026), celebrating Diablo's 30th anniversary |
| Previous seasons | S12 Season of Slaughter (March 2026), S14 Season of Death Awakening (June 30, 2026) |
| New region | Skovos Isles, hub city Temis |
| Recent systems | Mythic Uniques rework (S14), the Tower (official launch in S14), Party War Plans, Solo Self Found, higher currency caps |
| Class | Fantasy | Good first pick? |
|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | Weapon swapping, shouts, Whirlwind | Yes. Tanky and simple. |
| Druid | Shapeshifting, storms, companions | Medium |
| Necromancer | Minions, blood, bone | Yes, especially minion builds |
| Rogue | Fast ranged or melee, poison and traps | Medium |
| Sorcerer | Elemental casting | Yes, but fragile |
| Spiritborn | Jungle spirits, counters | Yes. Currently has top-tier builds. |
| Paladin | Holy shield-and-weapon warrior | Yes |
| Warlock | Demonic caster | Yes. Holds two of the top endgame builds this season. |
The lost soul of Deckard Cain returns. You defeat echoes of the Prime Evils in reimagined locations:
Each fight grants a Splinter of Evil. You bear one at a time, and switching happens at the largest Waking Nightmares.
| Splinter | Iconic Power | What it does | Activities it modifies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diablo's Splinter of Terror | Flames of Metus | Periodically unleashes lines of Fire, with damage over time | Helltide, Infernal Hordes |
| Baal's Splinter of Destruction | Ice of Excidium | Periodically bursts ice, plus smaller Cold projectiles | Kurast Undercity, Lair Bosses |
| Mephisto's Splinter of Hatred | Ghosts of Odium | Periodically releases Physical-damage ghosts | The Pit, Nightmare Dungeons |
Each splinter has its own reputation track, with eight activity modifiers and six Iconic Power upgrades. All three modify Tree of Whispers activities. While bearing a splinter, you are vulnerable to that Prime Evil.
How to choose: Pick the splinter whose activities you farm most. Undercity and boss farmers want Baal. Pit pushers want Mephisto. Helltide and Infernal Hordes grinders want Diablo.
A seasonal gem-like item family tied to demons and artifacts: Andariel, Azmodan, Belial, the Black Soulstone, Duriel, Lilith, Na-Krul, and Skarn. They offer big boons with a liability attached. You can equip up to three across your jewelry slots. They drop at Magic, Rare, Legendary, and Unique rarity, and they upgrade through Amalgamation in the Horadric Cube.
Nine ranks with 125 objectives. Total rewards: 14 Skill Points, 42 Paragon Points, 10 Resplendent Sparks, 5 Mythic Unique caches, the Dark Wanderbear pet, a Banner of the Three mount trophy, and materials.
Normal, Hard, Expert, and Penitent come before the Torment tiers. Current endgame guides reference tiers up to Torment 12. Higher Torment raises monster power and loot quality, and activity experience in War Plans scales from 25 on Normal to 150 on Torment 12.
Unlocked after the Lord of Hatred campaign by talking to Tyrael in Temis. You build a playlist of up to five activities from:
Each activity has a seven-level skill tree fed by Activity Experience, and the trees add modifiers to that activity. War Plan ranks run from 0 to 10, and higher ranks give better loot rarity: Magic, Rare, Legendary, and Mythic. Party War Plans, added in Season 14, extend the system to groups.
Practical setup: Put your farming target (for example Helltide for keys) in the plan with modifiers that boost it. Maxroll's farming guide lists "Helltide with Writhe and Rot War Plans" as the top Boss Lair Key method, and "Nightmare Dungeon (Nemesis + Fearless Conviction War Plans)" for Horadric Cube materials.
All need Torment 1+.
| Tier | Bosses | Summon cost |
|---|---|---|
| Initiate | Echo of Varshan, Grigoire the Galvanic Saint, The Beast in the Ice, Lord Zir, Urivar | 1 Lair Key |
| Greater | Duriel King of Maggots, Andariel, Harbinger of Hatred, The Butcher | 1 Greater Lair Key (from Initiate kills) |
| Special | Astaroth (Escalation Sigil), Bartuc (Infernal Hordes Compass), Belial Lord of Lies (Superior Lair Key) | Varies |
Iconic Mythics like Andariel's Visage, Harlequin Crest, and Tyrael's Might can drop from any of them.
| You need | Best source |
|---|---|
| Boss Lair Keys | Helltide with key-focused War Plans. Then Key Spoils, then Bartering. |
| Obducite | Horadric Strongrooms (tier 6 rewards at Torment 12), or Kurast Undercity with Greater Tribute of Refinement |
| Iron Chunk, Rawhide, Veiled Crystal | Greater Material Cache from Tree of Whispers, Legion events, the Pit |
| Baleful Fragment, Forgotten Soul | Tree of Whispers caches. Salvage Ancestral Legendaries. |
| Cube materials | Nightmare Dungeons with Elite-heavy War Plans |
| Gem fragments | Escalating Nightmare Dungeons with Gem Reserve |
Found in Temis after the campaign. Its main recipe families:
It runs on Primordial Dust variants and Tuning Prisms. Upgrade to Mythic converts a 900 Item Power Ancestral Unique into a Mythic, keeping its stats and Greater Affixes, for 5 Resplendent Sparks. Season 15 adds "Upgrade Direct Item to Mythic". It gives the item a "Crafted" tag, and you can only equip one Crafted item.
Lord of Hatred's Talisman holds charms that unlock set bonuses. The Horadric Reroll recipe can fully randomize a Talisman's base affixes while keeping its charm bonuses and mythic powers. Aim for set bonuses that support your core skill, and reroll charms with the Cube.
S tier (endgame):
| Class | Build |
|---|---|
| Warlock | Blazing Scream |
| Spiritborn | Counterswarm |
| Necromancer | Blood Wave |
| Warlock | Apocalypse |
| Spiritborn | Stinger |
| Barbarian | Whirlwind |
| Rogue | Poison Penetrating Shot |
| Paladin | Shield of Retribution |
| Sorcerer | Firewall |
| Rogue | Dance of Knives |
A tier highlights: Paladin Divine Lance, Druid Lacerate, Barbarian Rend, Paladin Shield Charge, Druid Storm Strike, Barbarian Flame Charge, Warlock Lunatic, Necromancer Bone Spirit.
Choosing: Every class has an S-tier build this season except Druid, whose best builds sit in A tier. Pick the class you enjoy. Blazing Scream Warlock and Counterswarm Spiritborn are the safest "top of the list" picks.
What season is Diablo IV in? Season 15, "Season of Hell's Legacy", which launched on September 15, 2026.
Do I need Lord of Hatred? Not to play the season, but Paladin, Warlock, Skovos, War Plans, the Horadric Cube, and about 15% of Season Rank objectives need it. Lord of Hatred includes Vessel of Hatred.
What is the best class right now? Warlock (Blazing Scream, Apocalypse) and Spiritborn (Counterswarm, Stinger) lead Maxroll's list, but every class except Druid has at least one S-tier build.
How do I get Mythic Uniques? From Greater and special lair bosses, Season Rank Mythic caches, War Plan high-rank rewards, and the Cube's "Upgrade to Mythic" recipe (5 Resplendent Sparks plus a 900 IP Ancestral Unique).
Which Splinter of Evil should I use? Match it to your farming: Baal for Undercity and bosses, Mephisto for the Pit and Nightmare Dungeons, Diablo for Helltides and Infernal Hordes.
Was Diablo IV free to play? Only temporarily. A free trial of the base game, up to level 30, ran on Steam until September 21, 2026.