Diablo 4 is already out, and people are exploring every nook and cranny that the game has to offer.
Make sure you check out our complete Diablo 4 class guide.
Diablo as a series doesn’t really need an introduction, since it single-handedly created the ARPG or hack’n’slash genre. And while the genre in itself isn’t usually a complicated fare when directly compared to RPGs, there is a fair amount of complexity hiding beneath Diablo 4’s shiny exterior. When you want to move on ahead to the big leagues, take a gander at our Diablo 4 endgame content guide. Here are some tips that will help you out in your journeys across the world of Sanctuary.
Explore at your own pace
Sanctuary’s world is huge and can be explored however you choose. While the campaign will take you through most areas of the game, there is a ton of additional content to explore. This includes side quests, dungeons, and world events you will randomly encounter. But don’t be fooled, some of those world events can be pretty tricky to handle, especially if you want to complete the bonus objective that will net you more rewards.
Every town that you will come across has its own waypoint. But unlike other modern games, you must activate each waypoint if you want to use them later. This will help immensely as you progress through the campaign since you must backtrack to certain areas. And doing that on foot can mean a lot of trekking back and forth.
Pin your destinations
Most campaign quests will send you all across the map, sometimes in unexplored areas. To help you out, you can pin any location on the map by simply right-clicking. This will create a red line that will lead you straight to that pin. And this can also be handy when trying to find Altars of Lilith or certain dungeons.
Easy respecs for everybody
Even though you can opt to go for a meta build, a part of the fun for many players is coming up with their own builds for each class. And to help out with this, respec is free up to level 15. And even after that point, doing a full respec won’t be a huge burden on your wallet. This will allow you to experiment with various builds throughout the leveling process. So if you ever find yourself struggling, switching up your build is extremely handy and even advisable to fully understand a class.
Looting options
Grinding for loot is your bread and butter in Diablo 4, since it’s the only way to buff your character’s stats. The default settings for looting are that after 10 seconds have passed, loot that is still on the floor won’t be visible any longer. You can change this from the gameplay tab in your settings, and I highly recommend that you do. Some fights can take a while, well beyond that 10 second limit. Any loot that drops throughout the fight will become invisible, meaning you could pass by some great gear that is actually still there.
Aspects and Aspect Extraction
Aspects are an integral part of Diablo 4’s itemization. They are unique abilities that can be found in Dungeons scattered across Sanctuary and items. These can give your characters a huge spike in power, especially when aptly chosen to fit your build. They range from direct damage buffs to increases in attack speed or more specific bonuses to particular skills. Keep in mind that the Dungeon Aspects are separate from the item Aspects. Certain Aspects can only be found on items, meaning you will have to farm loot in order to gain access to them.
If you want to extract or add Aspects to items you will have to visit the Occultist NPC that can be found in Kyovashad. Extracting will cost gold and will destroy the item that you are extracting the Aspect from. Imprinting an Aspect on an item will cost gold as well as certain crafting materials. While the usage of Aspects is not that important when starting out, it becomes a crucial part of any efficient build once you get past level 50. So if you’re looking to create an efficient late-game build, making good use of Aspects is very important.
Dismantle gear unless you’re starving for gold
While selling all the gear you’re not using anymore will net you a good amount of gold, dismantling items for crafting materials is also an important aspect in Diablo 4. On top of these materials, you will also get the visual style of any new item you dismantle. You can access these from your wardrobe, enabling you to change the visual aesthetic of any particular item. So for those of you who want a stylish character, maybe don’t sell all those rares without giving it any thought beforehand.
Difficulty levels
Diablo 4 currently has four difficulty levels that you can access. The latter two are blocked behind a level requirement and a special Dungeon you need to complete. The first two are available from the start, but opting for the second difficulty level is somewhat of a trap. Even though you will get extra XP from every enemy you take down, the time spent killing them and the added chance of dying makes it not worth your time. So until you finish the campaign, you should stick to the first difficulty level.
Side quests and mounts
As already mentioned, every area in Sanctuary has a ton of side quests that are very reminiscent of MMORPGs. Alongside their own individual rewards that mostly consist of gold and XP, every area has its own renown system. Every quest you finish will net you a certain amount of renown. Reaching a certain break-point will net you an added reward of XP and skill points.
This doesn’t mean that you should solely focus on grinding side quests when starting out though. Since the new mount system is locked behind a quest that becomes available from Act 4, you’re better off waiting to get your mount before you start exploring side quests. Walking between each of those side quests will be a lot easier with the improved mobility that a mount will give you. If you’re undecided on what class you want to start with, our helpful Diablo 4 class guide might give you a few ideas.
