Diablo 4 Season 9 PTR Summary: How Does It Compare To Other Seasons?

As a Diablo 4 player, you're probably familiar with the similar game, Path of Exile 2. Especially after playing Lord of Hatred Expansion for a while, you'll likely be curious about the upcoming Return of the Ancients in PoE 2.

Due to their similar genres, players of these two games frequently discuss their differences and, of course, debate which is better. Among the most discussed topics is the endgame experience in both games.

Let me now provide a detailed overview of player opinions on the endgame experience of these two games.

Endgame Barrier

Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred

Let's look at Diablo 4 first. In this game, players can choose to skip the story and directly enter the endgame gameplay after creating a new character.

Specifically, after skipping the story, you can find the command table next to NPC Skovos to activate War Plans system. This system acts like a task list, linking a series of endgame activities into a quest chain.

You simply need to complete the tasks in order; the system can even teleport you directly to the next quest location. The entire process requires almost no thought.

PoE 2: Return of the Ancients

Now let's look at PoE 2. In this game, to access the endgame content, you must first complete the entire story. Because the game has many chapters, even a very experienced player might spend over 40 hours completing the entire story, and for beginners, it will take even longer.

Moreover, the real challenge begins after you finally complete the game. You will enter a place called Atlas, which is the hub of Endgame gameplay in PoE 2.

When you first open Atlas, your initial reaction is likely to be, "What is all this?" - because Atlas is an infinitely expanding large map containing several smaller maps, each with a different layout, monsters, bosses, treasure chests, and more. Some maps even include additional special events… This in itself is a very complex gameplay mechanic.

In Patch 0.5.0, this gameplay was further expanded, and instead of a tutorial, only a guiding storyline was added. This made PoE 2 endgame gameplay extremely difficult to master.

Therefore, many players find Diablo 4's endgame gameplay easier to learn.

Endgame Gameplay

Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred

Let's look at Diablo 4 first. In Lord of Hatred, the endgame gameplay is more like a wallpaper-worthy "railway." Players will complete War Plans sequentially: first, farm Helltide, then Nightmare Dungeons, then The Pit, and finally Lair Bosses.

To tackle increasingly difficult dungeons and participate in more challenging gameplay, players need to collect and craft Uniques to complete their builds.

While some players feel that Diablo 4's endgame lacks a clear "end," with all gameplay seemingly an endless loop where the only goal is to challenge increasingly difficult dungeons and bosses, some players stop playing after experiencing most of the endgame's mechanics.

PoE 2 Return of the Ancients

In contrast, PoE2's endgame is a massive sandbox with a very high degree of freedom. Various gameplay mechanics will be randomly generated on your Atlas, including but not limited to Ritual Altar, Breach, Deliriumr, and Expedition, each offering different challenges and rewards.

Furthermore, PoE2's Atlas has a clear ultimate goal: defeating Pinnacle Boss hidden deep within

To achieve this, you need to collect a specified number of Citadels within Atlas and defeat certain bosses to qualify for Pinnacle Boss challenge. This process provides players with a strong sense of accomplishment.

In addition, Patch 0.5.0 further expanded the gameplay and mechanics of Atlas, allowing players to craft their own unique endgame gear, further increasing the game's freedom.

Punishment and Feedback

Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred

Let's start with Diablo 4. In the game, you will almost never suffer any negative penalties.

Your death cost is minimal, requiring only a small amount of gold to repair equipment; you don't need to worry about junk equipment, as it can be easily dismantled into materials; and you can save and switch your build completely free.

In terms of equipment acquisition, Diablo 4 adopted a Target Farm design: you know which boss drops which unique item, and you also know which boss drops which items. This design is highly transparent and efficient.

For many busy players, this efficient and clear endgame gameplay is exactly what they want - after all, most players have very limited time to spend playing games each day.

PoE 2: Return of the Ancients

In this respect, PoE 2 is much stricter. First, you only have one chance per map node. If you die on a map, not only does the map become invalid, but all content attached to the map (bosses, gameplay mechanics, etc.) is also lost.

Second, there is an experience penalty of death; you will lose a portion of your experience points. For high-level players, a single death can mean several hours of effort going to waste

This penalty mechanism and low feedback create significant pressure for players, forcing them to spend more time figuring out how to plan their endgame career, which is a considerable burden for most players with limited playtime.

This concludes my discussion among Diablo 4 and PoE 2 players regarding the endgame gameplay of the two games. It seems that if you're seeking a more free and complex gaming experience, PoE 2 is more suitable, while Diablo 4 is better for those seeking a clearer and more straightforward experience.

Overall, however, I believe Diablo 4's endgame design is more suitable for the average player, since only a small minority of players have ample time to dedicate to the game and delve into complex gameplay mechanics.

Capstone Dungeons, a special type of Dungeon in Diablo 4, are not like regular or Nightmare Dungeons with randomized content. Instead, ir difficulty, layout, enemies, and objectives are all fixed. They are designed by the game developers to test whether players have the strength to challenge higher difficulty content.

Although Capstone Dungeons were removed in previous seasons because of their excessive difficulty, they have returned with the introduction of Paladin, the strongest class in Diablo 4’s history. However, they are no longer tied to difficulty levels, but are used to unlock higher seasonal ranks and reward skill points and Paragon points.

This guide will introduce the six Capstone Dungeons in Diablo 4 Season 11 and guide you on how to complete them.

Vault of the Crucible

Vault of the Crucible is located in Kehjistan and is a prerequisite for unlocking Season Rank 2. Here is its basic information and completion rewards:

Requirement:

• Hard difficulty

Monster Level:

• 30

Unlocks:

• Season Rank II

Objectives:

• Enter Gateway
• Collect Animus from Animus Carriers
• Deposit Animus into Animus Urn
• Defeat Demonic Automaton
• Travel to Scorching Furnace
• Slay Barrier Wardens x3
• Travel to Besieged Vault
• Slay Enemies
• Travel to Curator’s Forge
• Defeat Curator

Rewards:

• Skill Points x2
• Smoldering Ashes x1
• Seasonal Rewards

Vault of the Crucible is the first Capstone Dungeon in D4S11. It looks similar to other dungeons. However, when you approach Scorching Furnace, you will receive a warning that “the area is swelteringly hot” and will continuously take heat damage.

To counter this mechanic, you need to go to Ice Aegises to be protected from heat damage. To ensure player safety, Ice Aegises will continue to protect you for 10 seconds after you leave. Of course, if your Life on Hit or Life on Kill attributes are high, you can ignore the heat damage and continue.

To complete Vault of the Crucible, you must defeat the dungeon’s final boss, Curator. It attacks with a large scythe, and when its health is reduced to half, it will summon a Demonic Automaton to assist it.

However, there are two Ice Aegises in Curator’s room, so this fight is not very difficult. Defeating Curator and Demonic Automaton will complete this Capstone Dungeon.

Hellish Descent

Hellish Descent is located in Wailing Hills of Scosglen. It is a prerequisite for unlocking Season Rank 3. Here is its basic information and completion rewards:

Requirement:

• Penitent difficulty

Monster Level:

• 50

Unlocks:

• Season Rank III
• Pit
• Tower

Objectives:

• Slay Door Wardens: x3
• Defeat Hellfire Adherent
• Travel to Hunting Ground
• Charge Sacrificial Altars: x3
• Find and Enter Summoned Hell Breach
• Destroy Demonic Corruption: x3
• Travel to Sanctum of Hatred
• Defeat Xol’noct
• Defeat Tordak

Rewards:

• Skill Points x2
• Smoldering Ashes x1
• Seasonal Rewards

Before entering Capstone Dungeons, Burning Butchers will continuously spawn on the map, and you will be constantly attacked by them. To fill the altars, you need to lure enemies into the red circles and kill them; otherwise, it won’t count towards your progress.

When you reach Hellish Descent, continuous meteor showers will inflict fire damage, so it’s best to increase your fire resistance before entering. The final boss of this level is Elias. After defeating him, you can unlock Season Rank 3 and subsequent Capstone Dungeons.

Enclave of Darkness

Enclave of Darkness is located in Westering Lowlands of Scosglen. You can reach it by walking from Firebreak Manor to Donan’s Storehouse, or by using the season rank tab. This level is a prerequisite for unlocking Season Rank 4. Below is its basic information and completion rewards:

Requirement:

• Torment I difficulty

Monster Level:

• Pit Tier 15

Unlocks:

• Season Rank IV

Objectives:

• Travel to First Khazra Outpost
• Destroy Sacrificial Flesh x3
• Defeat Malgoth
• Enter Unknown Portal
• Slay Door Wardens x3
• Travel to Bastion of Darkness
• Charge Soul Siphons x3
• Slay Khazra Defenders x3
• Travel to Coliseum of Shadows
• Defeat Entwined Souls

Rewards:

• Paragon Points x4
• Smoldering Ashes x1
• Seasonal Rewards

Due to the pitch-black darkness inside Enclave of Darkness, navigation is very difficult. To see your way forward, you need to interact with the illuminators in different areas of the map. They are usually blue, but only provide light for 20 seconds.

In the final battle, you will encounter Dorfnast and Telsyan. Their room has three lights, which you need to light simultaneously to see and attack them. Upon completing this dungeon, in addition to the regular rewards, you will also receive Season Rank Laurel.

Den of the Apostate

Located in Southern Expanse of Kehjistan, Den of the Apostate is a prerequisite for unlocking Season Rank 5. Below is its basic information and completion rewards:

Requirement:

• Torment II difficulty

Monster Level:

• Pit Tier 30

Unlocks:

• Season Rank V

Objectives:

• Destroy Tempest Altars x3
• Travel to Tempest’s Respite
• Defeat Enthralled Specter
• Travel to Perilous Passage (aka Chaotic Passage)
• Slay Barrier Wardens x3
• Travel to Perilous Passage (aka Balfour’s Den)
• Slay Tormented Druids x3
• Travel to Profaned Altars
• Defeat Balfour, Disciple of Airidah

Rewards:

• Paragon Points x4
• Smoldering Ashes x1
• Seasonal Rewards

This Capstone Dungeon doesn’t have any special mechanics compared to the previous ones; you simply fight Rift Fiends and Warp Hounds. As long as your equipment is properly configured, you can easily defeat them. However, the ultimate boss is Balfour, Disciple of Airidah, located in a room with 3 Tempest Altars.

Every time you reduce Balfour’s health by one-third, the altar will release 2 Tormented Druids and a Chaos Bringer. Defeating these elite and champion monsters weakens the altar’s energy. To successfully complete this dungeon, you must defeat both Balfour and all three altars simultaneously.

Upon completing Den of the Apostate, you will also receive Paragon Points and a Smoldering Ashes, which can be used to enhance your character’s abilities.

Breach of Sin

Breach of Sin is located in Southern Expanse of Dry Steppes. Completing this quest will grant you Season Rank 6. Here is its basic information and completion rewards:

Requirement:

• Torment III difficulty

Monster Level:

• Pit Tier 45

Unlocks:

• Season Rank VI

Objectives:

• Destroy Demon Gates x3
• Travel to Dominion of Sin
• Destroy Demon Gate
• Defeat Azmodan

Rewards:

• Paragon Points x4
• Smoldering Ashes x1
• Seasonal Rewards

In this Dungeon, you must destroy 4 Demon Gates before facing the final boss, Azmodan. During this time, you can ignore the enemies blocking your path to Demon Gates, as damaging them does not count towards the quest objectives.

When you destroy the last Demon Gate, Azmodan will appear and unleash large fire effects, attacking you with its legs. Therefore, you must keep moving and deplete its health as much as possible. Defeating it completes Breach of Sin.

Echo of Hatred

Echo of Hatred is located in Fractured Peaks. You can find it near Nevesk Waypoint in Desolate Highlands of Fractured Peaks. Here is its basic information and completion rewards:

Requirement:

• Torment I difficulty

Objectives:

• Approach Throne
• Defeat Echo of Lilith

Reward:

• Resplendent Spark

Echo of Hatred is one of the most difficult Capstone Dungeons in Diablo 4 Season 11. Before challenging it, you need to enhance your movement speed and immunity attributes to be fully prepared.

When entering Echo of Hatred labyrinth, you must first head north and cross several bridges to find the throne room, where you will face the ultimate boss, Lilith. She is the ultimate enemy in Diablo 4, possessing immense attack power and health. You will need to defeat her in two phases to overcome her.

In the first phase, Lilith will create Blood Blisters and generate Blood Orbs around them. You must avoid these Blood Orbs, as they will inflict debuffs on you. Towards the end of this phase, Lilith will summon Oppressors to assist her, but these Oppressors have low health, so defeating them shouldn’t be a problem.

In the second phase, Lilith will generate four Blood Pools, which will continuously produce Blood Orbs. Besides avoiding these Blood Orbs, you must also dodge Lilith’s various attacks. At this point, movement speed bonuses become very important. While constantly moving, you need to continuously attack Lilith until you defeat her.

Defeating Lilith for the first time with a character will reward you with a Resplendent Spark, which is crucial for crafting Mythic Uniques. 

With this, you have completed all Capstone Dungeons in Diablo 4 Season 11. We hope this guide has been helpful to you in the game.

Diablo 4 Season 11 is already in its mid-to-late stages, and many players are building stronger builds to level up and earn rewards more effectively. In my gaming experience, Zenith Paladin is definitely the most satisfying Paladin build this season. Although many players might overlook its potential because of its less aggressive skill casting rhythm, its actual capabilities are undeniable.

Zenith Paladin in Diablo 4 can hit multiple targets, triggering chain reactions and allowing for efficient clearing of entire areas and bosses in a short time. It can also reset its own cooldowns, enabling a near-continuous damage output cycle, greatly improving the continuity and rhythm of combat.

This build demands a high level of player skill. Once you delve into and master its core gameplay mechanics, you’ll find that this build excels in map clearing efficiency, monster clearing speed, and dungeon progression.

Mastering Zenith Paladin will allow you to achieve higher levels and more rewards by the end of the season. So, how do you build this build? This guide will tell you.

Core Build

Zenith Paladin’s configuration is simple and easy to obtain. Every piece of equipment and skill revolves around the burst damage and sustained combat capabilities of Zenith skill, ensuring efficient monster clearing speed against Helltides or final bosses. Below are the required items.

Gear

• Helm: Heir of Perdition
• Chest armor: Shroud of False Death
• Gloves: Revelator’s Runic Gloves
• Pants: Runic Leggings of the Indomitable
• Boots: Flickerstep
• Weapon: Griswold’s Opus
• Amulet: Ocelot’s Eye of Zealot’s Covenant
• Ring 1: Soulwatch Hoop of Utmost Glory
• Ring 2: Soulwatch Hoop of Jacques’ Fervor
• Offhand: Bone Shield of Apogeic Furor

It’s worth noting that the boots option can be diversified; any will do. However, if you want your build to have the shortest cooldowns and continuously deal damage to monsters, Flickerstep, which reduces cooldowns, is essential.

However, these boots are obtained through boss battles. If you don’t have Flickerstep yet but want the complete build, you can buy Diablo 4 Items from EZG.com to complete your equipment.

In addition, choosing different upgrade skills can also change how Zenith Paladin operates. Here, I recommend Empyrean Edge, which automatically weakens enemies and provides you with a greatly increased critical hit chance, allowing you to concentrate fire and eliminate key targets in a short time.

Skill Trees

Besides some basic skill configurations, I also want to emphasize some more special skills. First is Aegis, which provides 100% block rate for 4 seconds. If your current block rate isn’t very high, you can use this skill to enhance the effect of Aspect of the Indomitable.

Another skill is Falling Star. If Aegis is on cooldown and you want to escape a difficult situation, this skill is a great auxiliary movement skill.

In addition, you need to unlock the following skills:

• Zealot
• Defiance Aura
• Fanaticism Aura
• Holy Light Aura
• Zenith

Paragon Board

Paragon Board is only unlocked after the player reaches level 60, so make sure your level is already 60. We don’t have many changes here; the following are the 5 panels you need to use:

• Start (Spirit): Increases critical hit damage against enemies by 4.4%
• Castle (Chip): Increases damage taken by enemies by 1%-15%, lasting up to 15 seconds
• Relentless (Feverous): Increases damage dealt by 5%
• Preacher (Outmatch): Adds a 60% bonus to all nodes in the area
• Shield Bearer (Honed): Increases critical hit skill damage by 7.1%

Usage Scenarios

Based on Zenith Paladin’s exceptional mobility, this build’s flexibility in Diablo 4 Season 11 is far superior to other Paladin builds, and even more advantageous in certain scenarios. It can not only efficiently clear maps but also utilize frequent movement to avoid damage in boss battles.

The above are the core build and usage scenarios for Zenith Paladin. This build not only has consistent output capabilities but can also unleash a large amount of damage in a short time.

Most importantly, its movement is extremely fluid, allowing for higher damage hit rates. If you want to better control the pace of combat in the game, then this is a build you must try at the end of the season. Use it in the game and experience a different kind of smooth gameplay!

In Diablo 4 Season 11, Barbarian, a brutal and powerful warrior with unparalleled strength, is one of the most beloved classes among players.

However, due to the significant nerf to Rage of Harrogath in Season 11, Barbarian gameplay has undergone a major change, fundamentally altering how many builds function. The once dominant Rupture build has seen a substantial decline in strength.

Therefore, Barbarian players need to shift towards a playstyle that focuses more on sustained damage and consistency. Here, we recommend a Bleed Barbarian build that no longer relies on Rage of Harrogath, but instead uses Shattered Vow, combined with Flay skill, to generate excess damage.

Next, I will introduce all the information about this Bleed Barbarian build.

Suitable Scenarios

This build is ideal for challenging content, easily handling Belial and performing exceptionally well in the following scenarios:

• Helltide;
• Nightmare Dungeons;
• Infernal Hordes;
• The Pit.

As long as we hit the target, it almost instantly dies, allowing for consistent damage output and easy mob clearing.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages:

• Outstanding defense;
• Extremely high damage output;
• Simple and stable gameplay.

Disadvantages:

• Slightly delayed boss death rate;
• Slightly slower clearing speed.

Bleed Barbarian boasts very high damage output. It's also one of the most durable Barbarian builds, offering good self-healing, sustained defense, and strong damage reduction. While its clearing speed is slightly slower when facing large groups of enemies, its damage output remains very high.

The only thing to note is that because we're using a Bleed build, our damage is continuous; monsters don't die instantly. This slight delay in death might be slightly uncomfortable for players accustomed to one-hit kills.

Build Core

For Bleed Barbarian build, our primary core is Flay + Shattered Vow.

Flay, as a Barbarian skill, deals 5.5% damage to enemies and inflicts 115% bleed damage over 5 seconds. This skill needs to be paired with an execute weapon, and since Bleed build requires a passive, continuous damage mechanism, we choose Shattered Vow.

Shattered Vow, as an Ancestral Mythic Unique Polearm, deals significant damage continuously, perfectly complementing our build core. It also provides consistent damage without cooldown limitations, allowing us to perform well even in high-difficulty dungeons.

Gear

• Helm: Harlequin Crest;
• Chest: Rage of Harrogath (still useful, but no longer a core item);
• Gloves: Aspect of the Moonrise;
• Pants: Aspect of the Iron Warrior;
• Boots: Hooves of the Mountain God;
• Weapons: Shattered Vow (essential), Crystal Greatsword;
• Rings: Ring of Starless Skies, Bold Chieftain's Aspect;
• Amulet: Aspect of Adaptability.

These are Diablo 4 items we need to equip for this build. The rarest is Harlequin Crest, a Mythic Unique Helm with a relatively low drop rate in the game.

You can try farming it by summoning high-level bosses, but the drop rate is quite random; you can also craft it using 2 Resplendent Sparks; or if you have enough Obols, you can try gambling at Purveyor of Curiosities, but the drop rate is even lower.

Skill Tree

First, we need to unlock Flay skill to Battle Flay, then Tempered Fury and Endless Fury, maximizing the damage of our Fury skill.

Next, you need to unlock Strategic Ground Stomp, our Upgrade Barbarian Skill, which reduces the cooldown of Ultimate Skill based on the number of enemies hit by Ground Stomp.

While increasing damage, we also need to increase our defense, so we need to unlock Imposing Presence and Martial Vigor, increasing the character's maximum health and the debuffs inflicted on enemies.

In addition, you also need to unlock:

• Belligerance;
• Enhanced Iron Skin;
• Challenging Shout;
• Swiftness;
• Aggressive Resistance;
• Booming Voice;
• Enhanced War Cry;
• Pit Fighter;
• Slaying Strike;
• No Mercy.

In general, you can focus your skill tree unlocks on increasing critical hit chance, damage over time, and defense.

Paragon Board

Paragon Board unlocks at player level 60, so make sure you're level 60. Combining this with the build content, you'll need to unlock five panels:

• Starting Board (Marshal): Provides a buff to all magical nodes within range;
• Flawless Technique (Wrath): Increases critical strike chance by 50%;
• Hemorrhage (Executioner): Increases weapon damage;
• Blood Rage (Challenger);
• Carnage (Ire): Increases attack speed when the character lands a critical strike.

These panels work together to maximize the build's advantages, making you faster and more lethal in combat.

With all the gear equipped, this is the most complete Bleed Barbarian build for Season 11. The character has extremely high tankiness and can even challenge high-level The Pit, defeating layer after layer of bosses. This build can handle almost everything in the game, and it's incredibly easy to play. The addition of Shattered Vow makes the game even more fun. The only downside is the nerf to Rage of Harrogath.

If you want a super-defensive Barbarian in Diablo 4 Season 11 that can easily handle all high-difficulty matchups, then this Flay + Shattered Vow Bleed Barbarian Build is the perfect choice. Good luck completing the game!

Resources of different attributes are a crucial part of Diablo 4 Season 11 game mechanics, essential for character building, upgrades, and power adjustments.

However, not all items in the game are used. The most sought-after items are often important materials and commonly used currencies. Therefore, Season 11 places great emphasis on resource management, as crafting, sanctification, tempering, and gambling all consume significant resources.

Thus, understanding which resources are essential and how to efficiently stockpile them is more important than blindly playing. Below, I will introduce some essential materials in Diablo 4 and their best acquisition methods.

Important Materials

1. Heavenly Sigil

Sanctification is a new item upgrade system introduced in Season 11 of Diablo 4. This process allows you to re-scalp or upgrade your Mythic gear. However, to perform sanctification, you need to prepare Heavenly Sigil, a unique consumable. Therefore, Heavenly Sigil is essential if you want to upgrade your equipment to the highest level in the game. Heavenly Sigil can drop from the following sources:

• World Bosses;
• Bartuc from Infernal Hordes;
• Dark Citadel caches;
• Kurast Undercity runs;
• Helltide Tortured Gifts;
• The Pit of Artificer;
• Resplendent Chests.

It's worth noting that in the early game, it's most commonly obtained from various chests and gifts. Later in the game, you'll get more from World Bosses, and the higher the difficulty level, the greater the drop rate and quantity.

2. Obducite

Obducite is an equipment upgrade material in D4S11. It can be used in Masterworking to upgrade equipment from level 1 to level 4, thereby improving the equipment's attributes and strength. It can also be used with Neathhiron for a roll effect.

These are reliable sources of Obducite:

• Loot from Infernal Horde;
• Treasure Breach Nightmare Dungeons;
• Defeat bosses in Undercity of Kurast.

Treasure Breach Nightmare Dungeons are a large source of Obducite, and even have a chance to drop some rare runes. However, be aware that there's a limit to the amount of Obducite you can obtain. If you accumulate too much, it will fill your entire screen and prevent you from seeing other items, so be careful not to let it reach the limit.

3. Runes

Runes are special items in Diablo 4 Season 11 that can be used on socketed equipment and armor to provide enhancements. You can also trade them with other players, and most importantly, you can use them to craft Mythic Uniques.

To obtain runes in the game, you must first complete Vessel of Hatred quest. Then acquire different runes through other means:

• Defeat Main Campaign Bosses;
• Complete Kurast Undercity;
• Defeat World Bosses;
• Clear Strongholds for the first time;
• Whisper Caches.

Runes are a coveted resource for every player. However, note that a single rune is ineffective; only by linking two runes to form Runewords can they work synergistically to trigger the desired effect.

4. Scattered Prism

Since runes can be equipped in equipment slots, it's important to consider that each piece of equipment has a limited number of slots. If players want to add additional runes or gems to their Ancestral Gear, they must use Scattered Prism at Jeweler to add extra slots.

Scattered Prism is a Legendary Crafting Material, quite rare in the game, and obtainable only through a few methods.

• It has a chance to drop from World Bosses;
• Hunting Treasure Goblins.

Note that shoes and gloves cannot be socketed using Scattered Prism.

5. Scroll of Restoration

Scroll of Restoration is one of the most important rare consumables in Season 11. It allows you to perfect your gear in the endgame, resetting and reforging it if you're not satisfied with Tempering effect.

Therefore, Scroll of Restoration is especially important in the late game, and its acquisition methods are limited:

• Farming Infernal Hordes;
• Clearing Dark Citadels (exchanging them for Citadel Coins).

Both methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive, so you must have sufficient patience.

6. Neathiron

Neathiron became a top-tier gear enhancement material in Season 11. Used in conjunction with Obducite, it affects Masterwork. If you don't get Greater Affix you want, you can use Neathiron and Obducite to re-roll.

Neathiron returned as a Masterworking material in Season 11, with increased drop difficulty:

• It has a chance to drop from defeating World Bosses;
• It can also be obtained by farming goblins in Treasure Breach dungeon.

Common Currencies

1. Obols

Obols are gambling currency in Diablo 4. You can use them at Purveyor of Curiosities, who reside in the main cities of Sanctuary. Obols can be exchanged for random gear or armor. Essentially, it's gambling, as you never know whether you'll end up with something valuable or junk.

One positive aspect is that Obols are relatively easy to obtain; most can drop from random events:

• World Events;
• The Gathering Legions Zone Events;
• Events in Dungeons and Cellars;
• Murmuring Caches from Side Quests;
• The Pit of Artificers;
• Curious Murl (Murmuring ObolsTreasure Goblin).

Players initially can only hold 500 Obols. To increase this limit, players can visit Altars of Lilith, which contain 20 altars, each increasing capacity by 5 points.

2. Grim Favors

Grim Favors are obtained after completing Whispers of the Dead. Collecting 10 Grim Favors allows players to exchange them for a cache at Tree of Whispers, which includes gold, materials, various runes, and even a chance to obtain a Mythic Unique.

Therefore, if you're aimlessly wandering the game and don't know what to do, completing Whispers is definitely your best choice, maximizing your return on investment in time.

The fastest way to farm Grim Favors is to combine Whispers of the Dead with other events, such as Helltides and Seasonal Events. Completing Whispers in Seasonal Events or Helltides will yield more XP and rewards, significantly increasing your acquisition efficiency.

3. Gold

Gold is arguably the most common and prevalent currency in the game, but it's also an essential resource. You can use Diablo 4 gold to trade with NPCs for desired items, and you'll also need to spend a certain amount of gold when crafting equipment.

There are many ways to acquire gold in the game:

• Kill Monsters;
• Complete Whispers;
• Complete Events;
• Complete Side Quests;
• Complete Infernal Hordes;
• Open Chests;
• Search Corpses and Scenery;
• Kill Treasure Goblins, etc.

Diablo 4 Season 11 encourages players to play with purpose and planning, rather than blindly and simply grinding for resources. By understanding the role of key materials in the system and how to acquire them, you can reduce unnecessary time wastage and maintain a stable game pace throughout the season.

Diablo 4 Season 11 is in its later stages, and many players have reached higher levels, challenging more tough bosses and seeking better loot. Currently, most players are focused on creating more powerful builds to enhance their gameplay.

Today, we’re introducing a very powerful skill build: Walking Simulator Paladin build. With this build, as long as you don’t perform any unusual actions, you can practically forget about everything else in the game. It’s so powerful it can instantly kill everything, automating monster farming-it’s practically designed for grinding.

Moreover, its construction is very simple. You only need about 200 Paragon points and some readily available Items from your inventory to obtain it.

Construction Method

Walking Simulator Paladin build is based on Paladin class, so before building this, make sure you’ve pre-ordered the new DLC to unlock this class.

First, of Paladin’s four Oaths, choose Judicator. It deals with the most damage among Oaths and provides more resolve stacks, reducing damage taken in the later stages of the game.

Gear

For gear equipment, if you have Mythics, Shroud of False Death is definitely the best choice. It provides a high Critical Strike Chance, eliminating the need for Masterworking to obtain stronger attributes and further enhancing your offensive capabilities. This also means you don’t have to worry about the order of skill point allocation, as it’s powerful enough to compensate for any minor losses.

If you don’t have Mythics, don’t worry. You can use Judicator’s Glaivehelm or Aspect Of Firm Decree. The former enhances your Adjudicator skills, while the latter provides additional armor. If you’re concerned that these two pieces of equipment won’t give you a 100% critical strike chance, you can also use potions that provide additional critical strike chance.

The core mechanism of Walking Simulator Paladin build is a Holy Light Aura. When you wear a specific pair of gloves, Holy Aura will burn surrounding bosses.

Regarding glove selection, since there aren’t many pieces of equipment in the game that provide fire damage, we choose Dawnfire. Dawnfire converts our Holy damage into fire damage. Therefore, to utilize Holy damage more efficiently, we directly choose Dawnfire with the highest attributes. This gives you the double benefit of Holy Light and Dawnfire. For pants, we choose Aspect of the Indomitable, which has a chance to provide us with up to 100%-140% armor, just in case.

After choosing our gear, we can enchant some defensive stats, such as Aspect of the Northern Guard, which has a chance to freeze enemies for 3 seconds, increasing our survivability after being attacked. Griswold’s Opus is also a must-have; it increases your critical strike damage and allows you to continuously attack enemies.

If you have Seal of the Second Trumpet, remember to equip this item as well; your Judgment skill has a chance to deal double damage with it.

Herold Zoom also increases damage, but its bonus effect isn’t as significant as it appears. While it performs well in terms of survivability, if you want to challenge higher-difficulty dungeons like level 100, this item becomes less important.

Skill Tree

I’ve also made some adjustments to the skill tree. First, you need to max out all 11 free auras. This skill not only surrounds you with auras but also allows the pack of wolves summoned by Nagu+Vex and your mercenary ally to have auras and help you fight enemies. With such a powerful team, you’ll be almost invincible on the battlefield.

Next, we choose Blessed Hammer, which allows you to judge and sweep through enemies. Then there’s Falling Star, which allows for more agile movement. I usually put two points into it, which not only increases the critical strike chance against vulnerable enemies but also activates Fanaticism Aura skill.

You can also use Falling Star as a defensive skill; it can resist some smaller bosses, but this is more difficult to execute.

Our modified build is quite good. Now you need to add 2 skill points to Sacred Arms, giving you a 10% chance to completely negate damage, unlike Dodge, which only avoids attacks.

Finally, max out all the passive skills of the skills we mentioned above. For the key passive skill, we choose Judgment Day, which provides more comprehensive damage.

Paragon Board

So far, we’ve only modified the gear equipment and skill tree. Paragon Board remains perfect with its original configuration. However, I still want to briefly introduce you to a few functions on the panel.

First is Spirit Beacons, which releases enemies and grants you extra critical hit damage. Although it shows 0 on the panel, trust me, it will definitely bring you a lot of loot.

Also worth noting is Shield Bearer, which adds extra damage to our block chance, potentially increasing the block chance to as high as 110%.

Finally, we enter Castle with Judicator. Castle is the most powerful and unlimited node on Paragon Board. When combined with Diablo 4 items though Sanctified , it can deal massive damage output. So, if you don’t have a high Paragon level, you can go to Castle to level up and farm monsters first.

Farming Bosses

Except for the most hard part of Diablo 4, Capstone Dungeons, which require you to constantly pay attention, Walking Simulator Paladin build is practically invincible in other parts of the game. You just need to walk up to the enemies, and you can instantly kill them indiscriminately.

Moreover, this build is very suitable for farming Infernal Horrors. You just need to stay in place, and the approaching enemies will automatically fall under your powerful skills, allowing you to obtain many Goblin Rifts. Completing an Infernal Horrors run will reward you with a Resplendent Spark, which can be used to obtain special Mythic items.

However, whether this Walking Simulator Paladin build will survive the nerf in the next season remains to be seen, but the fact that it was created is already a great thing. This means that players can create the first build in Diablo 4 purely for supporting the team, which is a tremendous breakthrough.

The above is all the information about how to build Walking Simulator Paladin build and its powerful functions. Hopefully, the developers will keep this build in the next season so that players can create even more gameplay possibilities.