Are you bored after reaching or grinding endgame in Diablo 4 with your Main Character? Are you interested in trying new classes and builds? Well you are in luck! In this Alt Character Leveling Guide we explain how to most efficiently level Alt Characters - 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and beyond.
These strategies involve Renown, the Codex of Power, Stashing Items, and saving Gold and other Materials on your Main, as well as how to accelerate item and level progression on your Alt. Make sure to complete the Campaign on your Main if possible, as that will save the most amount of time! Keep it fresh. Explore the countless build possibilities in Sanctuary!

Check out our Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, and Sorcerer Class Overviews for Alt Character inspiration!
Campaign
Completing the Campaign on your Main Character is the single most effective way to speed up the leveling of any New Characters (Alts). If you complete the Campaign once, it then becomes possible to skip the Campaign on all future characters. This even includes characters made in a different game mode! (Hardcore and Softcore)
The Campaign is not particularly monster dense, making leveling through the Campaign a slog compared to leveling in Dungeons or through Events. There are also unskippable cutscenes that further waste your time. Also, having the Campaign already finished allows you to focus on Renown, the next most effective way to speed up the leveling of your Alt Characters.
Renown
Reaching Tier 3 or even Tier 5 Renown Rewards in each of the 5 regions on your Main Character is massive for boosting the power of Alt Characters, making it far easier to level them. If you just want to make a new character and have not bothered completing these Renown objectives on your Main, at least complete the Campaign on your Main so that you can prioritize achieving Tier 3 Renown Rewards in each region on your Alt.
Note: Renown Progress in the Softcore and Hardcore game modes is separate; if you want to make an Alt in a different game mode, you will have to start over with all of your Renown Objectives.
Renown Rewards
+5 Potion Capacity, +10 Skills, and +20 Paragon Points right out the gate is no joke. If possible, achieve at least Tier 3 Renown Rewards in each region on your Main for the +5 Potion Capacity and +10 Skills you get on every character you make in the future. Available in World Tier III - Nightmare Difficulty, Tier 5 Renown Rewards provide a total of +20 Paragon Points for your Alts as soon as they reach Level 50.
Prioritize gathering Renown from the following activities in order:
- Altars of Lilith
- Exploration/Waypoints (Prioritize Region Hub Waypoints)
- Dungeons (Prioritize Codex of Power Aspects for Alts)
- Strongholds
- Side Quests (Pro-tip: Start as many Side Quests (!) as possible that you find near Waypoints BEFORE doing any Dungeons. This is so that you can double-dip on Dungeon and Side Quest Renown as much as possible in a given region.)

Check out our Renown Speedrun Guide for fast completion of Renown Objectives in each region.
Altars of Lilith
Gather all of the Altars of Lilith as you complete your Renown Objectives in each region. These provide base stat increases for your fledgling characters. 4 Paragon Points and 68 of every Stat are up for grabs, granting significant power boosts from Level 1.

Check out our Altars of Lilith Guide to locate every Altar of Lilith
Codex of Power
Target farm Codex of Power Legendary Aspects that your Alt Character Build benefits from by completing the required Dungeons. It is the most reliable way to power up your Alt's gear. This is preferably done on your Main while completing Renown Objectives to speed up the process of leveling your Alt, but can also be accomplished as you level in Dungeons on your Alt. These Legendary Aspects can be continually imprinted on Rares as you progress your new character.
Look up all Codex of Power Aspects and how to get them.
Example Aspects
Let's say you want to create a Ice Shards Sorcerer and want to power its gear up as fast as possible. The most effective way would be to complete the required Dungeons for the following Aspects on your Main:
Aspect | Dungeon |
Aspect of Piercing Cold | Dead Man's Dredge |
Aspect of Control | Sunken Library |
Aspect of Biting Cold | Forgotten Depths |
Storm Swell Aspect | Onyx Hold |
Snowveiled Aspect | Sarat's Lair |
Aspect of the Unwavering | Putrid Aquifer |
Prodigy’s Aspect | Witchwater |
Aspect of the Bounding Conduit | Komdor Temple |
The following Defensive and Resource Aspects can be useful for almost any Alt. Prioritize farming these if you can:
Aspect | Dungeon |
Aspect of Might | Dark Ravine |
Aspect of the Protector | Lost Archives |
Aspect of Disobedience | Halls of the Damned |
Aspect of the Deflecting Barrier | Lost Keep |
Aspect of the Umbral | Champion's Demise |
Example Imprinting
As you level your Alt, ideally you want to Imprint Codex of Power Aspects for your build onto your Rare Gear every increase of 100 Item Power or so. This allows you to continually upgrade your Alt's gear while maintaining build effectiveness. Re-imprinting Rare Items at the Item Power breakpoints of 150, 340, 460, 625, and 725 is especially impactful, as item stat ranges are boosted at these values. Also, make sure to upgrade your items at the Blacksmith, particularly your Weapon, as much as possible. See examples of re-imprinting the same Codex of Power Aspects onto progressively higher Item Power Fully Upgraded Rares below:
Saving Gold and Mats
Saving and stocking up materials on your Main makes it far easier to advance your Alt. Specifically, certain mats enable you to consistently Imprint Codex of Power Legendary Aspects, Upgrade Rares, and Craft Elixirs.
Material | Purpose |
Gold | Imprinting, Upgrading, Socketing, Elixir Crafting |
Rawhide | Upgrading Armor-type Items |
Superior Leather | Upgrading Armor-type Items |
Iron Chunk | Upgrading Weapons and Jewelry |
Silver Ore | Upgrading Weapons and Jewelry |
Veiled Crystal | Imprinting and Upgrading |
Coiling Ward | Imprinting and Upgrading Rare Armor-type Items |
Abstruse Sigil | Imprinting and Upgrading Rare Jewelry |
Baleful Fragment | Imprinting and Upgrading Rare Weapons |
Scattered Prism | Socketing Jewelry, Helmets, Body Armors, Pants, and Weapons |
Gallowvine | Elixir Crafting |
Refer to our General Farming Guide for how to efficiently farm these mats.
Stashing Items
Stashing items requires a bit of planning. If you already know what new builds you want to make after you reach endgame on your Main, you can stash items for your planned Alt(s) along the way. Keep in mind that the level requirement of an item or Legendary Aspect is based on the character level of the character that drops the item. This means that every 5-10 levels or so you can stash a batch of Rare Gear that you find on your Main which has optimal stats for your planned Alt. Also, as of Season 1, Sacred items have a level cap of 60 and Ancestral items have a level cap of 80, making it possible to save some really juicy items for later on. Smooth out the progression of your Alt with the help of reliable upgrades!
Hidden Monsters
Kill Hidden Rare Elites at different character levels for special, guaranteed Rare Item drops. For example, say you want to make a Bow Rogue after you finish getting your Necromancer to endgame. You can farm Renn Dayne in Hawezar at Levels 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 for incrementally higher Item Power Haunted Crossbows. This provides your Rogue with reliable weapon upgrades, boosting power significantly every 10 levels. You either farm these Rare Elites on your Alt or on your Main in preparation for a planned Alt.
Check out our Rare Elites Overview for in-depth information.
Gems
Stash Crude, Chipped, Regular, Flawless, and Royal Gems of each type so that you can socket them into your items as your Alt levels up. Gems have different level requirements, so it is important to keep lower-tier Gems as well as higher-tier ones.
Malignant Hearts - Season 1
Depending on the Heart Level (1-4), you can use Malignant Hearts at certain character levels:
- Level 1 Heart: Requires clvl 5
- Level 2 Heart: Requires clvl 5
- Level 3 Heart: Requires clvl 35 (Requires Tier III unlock)
- Level 4 Heart: Requires clvl 50 (Requires Tier IV unlock)
- Level 5 Heart: Requires clvl 65 (Requires Tier IV unlock)
Store these in your stash for really high Armor on your Jewelry for your Alts early on, in addition to their bonus effects!
Alt Leveling
Elixir
Chug an Elixir every 30 minutes for a perpetual 5% Experience Boost for your Alt. Iron Barb Elixirs, Precision Elixirs, and Assault Elixirs are easy-to-craft Elixirs that give most builds the biggest bang for their buck.
Group Play
Playing in a group is one of the best ways to level your Alt quickly. Accelerate your progression by taking advantage the 5% experience nearby player bonus and an additional 5% bonus if they are Partied. Clearing Events, Dungeons, and Strongholds tends to be much quicker in a group as well.
Solo Progression
If you want to do a solo playthrough on your Alt, and are skipping the Campaign (already completed on your Main) but have yet to do all your Renown or acquire your build's Codex of Power Aspects, you should acquire Renown (Up to Reward Tier 3 in each region until World Tier III - Nightmare Difficulty)/Codex of Power Aspects from regions in the following order:
Region | Approximate Alt Level Range |
Fractured Peaks | Levels 1-20 |
Scosglen | Levels 20-30 |
Dry Steppes | Levels 30-35 |
Hawezar | Levels 35-40 |
Kehjistan | Levels 40-45+ |
Power Leveling
If you already have completed the Campaign, Tier 5 Renown Rewards for each region, and have acquired all relevant Codex of Power Aspects for your Alt on your Main, you can take advantage of a couple of fast-leveling strategies. As of Season 1, you only truly benefit from killing monsters up to 10 levels higher. Beyond this, there are no significant benefits to your experience gain.
Strongholds
Level your Alt fast by running Strongholds, notably Kor Dragon, over and over. The key is to NOT KILL THE BOSS so that you can keep reloading the Stronghold. If you are doing this solo, you will have to level to 25-30 first elsewhere (see Dungeons just below).
Pro-tip: Completing the Capstone Dungeon for entering World Tier III Nightmare ASAP enables faster leveling in WT3 Strongholds with the 100% WT3 XP bonus. Stronghold monsters are always 2 levels higher than your character level no matter what, unlike the rest of Nightmare content which has a 55 monster level minimum. This makes them doable!
Dungeons
Certain Dungeons such as Domhainne Tunnels (Level 1), Sirocco Caverns (Level 20), and Uldur's Cave (Level 45) in World Tier II are maximally efficient for both loot and leveling on your Alt. If you farm these dungeons about 5 character levels lower than the minimum levels of the monsters, you can find AND use loot of higher Item Power Tiers than would otherwise be possible at your character level, hyper-accelerating your progression; this is while gaining experience quickly as well! Since the monsters are higher levels than you, a bit of pushback from the monsters is to be expected.
Legion Events
Gathering Legion Events provide massive monster density. They are a ripe opportunity for quick-leveling a character. Take advantage of them before they go live!
Boosting
Getting your Alt power-leveled by a high-level player can be optimal if you have already completed the Campaign, achieved all of your Renown Reward Tiers, and acquired all of your build's Codex of Power Aspects. As of Season 1, you only benefit from killing monsters up to 10 levels higher. Beyond this, there are no further benefits to your experience gain.
Specifically you can get the following boosts from high-level players:
- Capstone Dungeon - Boost to World Tier III Nightmare
- Capstone Dungeon - Boost to World Tier IV Torment
- Leveling 1-50 (high experience Strongholds such as Kor Dragon or fast, easy Dungeons such as Mariner's Refuge or Sarat's Lair)
- Leveling 50-70 (Strongholds or Nightmare Dungeons)
Summary
- Complete the Campaign on your Main if possible. This allows you to skip the Campaign on all future characters.
- Reach Tier 3 or even Tier 5 Renown in every region with your Main and collect all of the Altars of Lilith.
- Target farm Codex of Power Legendary Aspects on your Main that can be imprinted on items found by your Alt.
- As you level your Alt, re-imprint Legendary Aspects from the Codex of Power on solid Rares with every increase of 100 Item Power or so. Mind Item Power Breakpoints for the biggest bang for your buck!
- As you level your Main, stash optimal Rare Items that are useable on the class/build of planned Alt(s) if possible.
- Save as much Gold and as many Mats as possible on your Main before making an Alt Character to smooth out progression. Check out our General Farming Guide to learn how to quickly farm up Mats.
- Take advantage of fast-leveling strategies on your Alt involving Strongholds and Dungeons.
- Always keep an Elixir running!
Credits
Written by DarkHumility
Reviewed by Jymnasium