Teo1904 is one of the best Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction speedrunners in the world. From the inception of D2’s speedrunning scene, he was there to help shape the strategies and techniques people still use to this day. At the peak of his career, he held over two dozen Diablo 2 speedrunning World Records, and even two years later, his past records remain among the top 10 on Speedrun.com. He seeks out the competitive element of any game he plays and is always willing to share his knowledge and experience with others. Playing through a Dungeon has many important roles in Diablo 4. On the first completion, most Dungeons unlock a Legendary Power at the Codex of Power. They also grant 20 Renown in the zone they are located in, Gold and Experience. Most Dungeons have a lot of Elite monsters, which translates into a ton of guaranteed item drops, making them a great place to improve your gear! To finish a Dungeon you have to go through several objectives and many have a challenging boss fight in the end. Let's take a look at what we know so far!
All information in this article is from the Press Preview Access of Diablo 4. The content presented here is subject to change, and will be updated as we learn more.
Dungeon Rewards
Similar to any other activity in Diablo 4, completing a Dungeon grants your character Experience and Gold. Dungeons have the second-highest Renown reward in the game: 20 points on completion. These 3 rewards make Dungeons a prime target for you to farm already, but there is more.
Most Dungeons unlock a Legendary Aspect in the Codex of Power, which you can put on a rare item. The imbued power can make a big difference to your characters' power, but is also costly to use. Focus on those that grant generic or class specific aspects that empower your build! 115 Aspects can be found across all Dungeons in Diablo 4:
| Dry Steppes | Fractured Peaks | Hawezar | Kehjistan | Scosglen |
| 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 |
Objectives & Boss Fight
Most Dungeons have 2-3 core objectives mixed with some quest steps that tell you to go to certain spots within. The majority of Dungeons finish in an epic battle against a Boss (more on them later). Here is a sample list of objectives we have seen in the Press Preview:
- Activate Gate Controls
- Free the Prisoners
- Collect Animus from certain monsters
- Find and return a Bloodstone
- Find and destroy Constructs
- Defeat all enemies in the area
- Activate the Levers
- Defeat the Boss
General Dungeon Information
Fractured Peaks has 24 Dungeons, only 23 were accessible in the press preview. Looking at the count of Legendary Aspects in the Codex of Power, there must be at least 115 Dungeons in Diablo 4. They also contain a ton of Elite monsters that are a great source for gear.
Dungeon Unlocks
Some Dungeons can only be entered once a Stronghold has been cleared. In Fractured Peaks, 1 is unlocked in Nostrava and 2 in Malnok. Others are placed in locked areas and become available once you have progressed through the main story far enough.
Monster Families
Dungeons have a specific set of 1-2 monster families that spawn within. If Vampires and Fallen spawned in it before, then you can bet it always does.
Shrines
There are always 2 Shrines per instance to help you clear it quickly. They are worth picking up because all of them grant +35% Movement Speed and various other powerful effects!
Side Quests
Some Side Quests lead you into specific ones for an objective. These are always within the area of the first 2 objectives. When a Side Quest brings you into a Dungeon, it is always worth completing it for the Renown points and Codex of Power entries.
Special Content
- Cursed Chest and Shrines
- These are Local Events inside a Dungeon. Until you complete the event's objective, you cannot open the chest or activate the Shrine.
- A broken Shrine
- Occasionally you come across a broken off tip of a Shrine. Take it with you and repair the broken Shrine that you will find.
3. SPOILER ALERT - DO NOT CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED!!
I am serious!
Nightmare Dungeons
Nightmare Dungeons are one of the many endgame systems in Diablo 4. You can craft Nightmare Sigils at the Occultist, which create an empowered version of certain Dungeons when activated with much harder enemies. The higher Tier you go, the harder they get. A sneak peek into the Achievement System tells us that only a small percentage are in the Nightmare Dungeon pool. Each Sigil tier has its own list of possible ones:
Common Sigils (Tier 1 - 10)
- Abandoned Mineworks
- Conclave
- Dark Ravine
- Defiled Catacomb
- Demon's Wake
- Earthen Wound
- Guulrahn Canals
- Steadfast Barracks
- Sunken Ruins
- Zenith
Sacred Sigils (Tier 11 - 20)
- Aldurwood
- Ancient's Lament
- Black Asylum
- Blink Burrows
- Conclave
- Crusader's Cathedral
- Guulrahn Canals
- Maugan's Works
- Maulwood
- Onyx Hold
- Shivta Ruins
- Steadfast Barracks
- Stockades
- Sunken Ruins
- Zenith
Ancestral Sigils (Tier 21 - 100)
- Abandoned Mineworks
- Ancient's Lament
- Champion's Demise
- Crusader's Cathedral
- Dark Ravine
- Defiled Catacomb
- Demon's Wake
- Deserted Underpass
- Earthen Wound
- Guulrahn Slums
- Immortal Emanation
- Jalal's Vigil
- Maugan's Works
- Maulwood
- Prison of Caldeum
- Raethwind Wilds
- Ritual Tower
- Shadowed Plunge
- Serpent's Lair
- Stockades
Summary
- Dungeons are one of the most important activities. They grant you 20 Renown points and access to legendary powers.
- 2-3 main objectives have to be completed to finish a Dungeon. You'll often face a Boss at the end.
- Later on, you can find the ultimate challenge in Nightmare Dungeons. Face your fears!
- Only 1-2 monster families can appear, which are static in each Dungeon.
- Some entrances are locked behind Strongholds or the main quest line.
Credits
Written by Teo1904
Reviewed by wudijo
Changelog
Article created from the Press Preview Access of Diablo 4. 
