The Dark Citadel

The Vessel of Hatred Expansion for Diablo IV is going to come with a new Co-Op Dungeon called the Dark Citadel, a PvE End-Game Co-Op activity that pushes you to your limits. Ruled by the First Khazra, the Dark Citadel aims to do experiments on unlucky villagers and sacrifice their souls. Now it's up to you to stop them and prevent all the evils taking place. All of the challenges inside are based on you working together with your party members to make it through these dangerous puzzles and boss fights and to come out triumphant on the other side!

The Dark Citadel becomes unlocked once you reach the Endgame and requires completing an Introductory Quest, which only needs to be completed once per account. The Dark Citadel is gated behind the new Torment 1 Difficulty, which requires completing a certain Pit Level in order to unlock. (Was stated to be Level 15 or 20 during interviews. Will clarify once precise information has been given.)

Inside the Dark Citadel

The Dark Citadel is composed of three Wings, each with its own puzzles and secrets. Brute force alone is not enough to get you through each Wing and to the Boss Fight available after. Additionally, you don't have to do the whole Citadel in one go - you can take a break if you need it. Especially since it's supposed to take a few hours to make it through the whole thing!

The difficulty level of the Citadel scales with the Difficulty level you're in. So if you find the Dark Citadel too easy on Torment 1, try Torment 2. The Dark Citadel has no difficulty scaling of its own.

Cooperative Play

The mechanics inside the Dark Citadel focus on cooperation. For example, in a boss fight, there's a mechanism where you have to hit a sphere to reflect the boss's attack at just the right moment. Your party also has access to the new Marker system to indicate when you plan to go for the sphere to coordinate with your teammates and make sure that every attack is countered and that you're working seamlessly together.

There are other types of puzzles, like standing on pressure plates to open doors to go forward. While primarily intended for 4 players, it can be completed with as few as 2.

Rewards

The Rewards from the Dark Citadel can be bought with Citadel Coins, earned through running the Citadel. While the rewards are primarily Cosmetic, you can also buy Scrolls and other helpful items that make your successive runs easier. Additionally, every week you receive a Weekly Cache the first time you complete the Dark Citadel that week. These Caches offer you items exclusive to the Dark Citadel! Like the dungeon difficulty, the rewards for completing it scale with the difficulty level you selected.

Scrolls & Elixirs

You can purchase various Scrolls and Elixirs that buff your future runs by providing helpful effects to you and your teammate. Stock up on these before you run!

Cosmetics

Each class can earn a set of Armor Cosmetics, designed to make your character look as if they're stealing the armor of the monsters inside!

Summary

• The Dark Citadel is a complicated co-op endgame activity designed for 4 players and introduced in the Vessel of Hatred Expansion.
• Navigate three Wings and a final boss fight in order to win prizes, including a weekly cache.
• Earn exclusive cosmetics based on the monsters from the Citadel through these victories!

Credits

Written by ehtoka
Reviewed by wudijo, Dredscythe