Diablo 4 Season 6 has arrived with the first major expansion, Vessel of Hatred. This season introduces significant changes and new content, some exclusive to the DLC and others available to all players. One of the major updates is the reintroduction of the Torment tiers, last seen in Diablo 3. The new system includes four Torment tiers alongside four regular difficulty levels. Increasing the difficulty will reward you with more gold and experience, but you must be well-prepared to face these challenges.
The new maximum level is set at 60, which you must reach before attempting any of the Torment tiers. Before reaching this level, you are limited to four difficulty options: Normal, Hard, Expert, and Penitent. Normal difficulty offers the base amount of XP and Gold, with each subsequent difficulty increasing these rewards by 75%, 125%, and 175%, respectively. These difficulties are loosely recommended based on the quality of loot you possess, with Expert suitable for players with a few legendary items and Penitent for those with multiple tempered legendary items.
If you are new to Diablo 4, it is advisable to start on Normal difficulty. This recommendation is not based on your skill level but rather on the limited number of abilities you start with. When creating a new character, Renown rewards are carried over, allowing returning players to start with several skill points and multiple abilities, making Hard difficulty more manageable. While there is no definitive way to determine when you are ready for higher difficulties, you can move to Expert around level 30 and to Penitent around level 45. These transitions are more dependent on the loot you have acquired, but you can change difficulties at certain towns at any time, allowing you to experiment with harder difficulties and revert if needed.
Torment levels are accessible only after completing The Pit at specific difficulty tiers. Torment levels operate differently, with increased gold and XP percentages. Entering Torment 1 unlocks Ancestral quality items, which have better affixes than standard loot. Additionally, the rate of high-quality loot drops increases with each Torment tier, though the exact percentages are not disclosed. Another significant challenge is the reduction in armor and resistances. On Torment 1, you lose 250 armor and 25% of your resistances, escalating to 1,000 armor and 100% resistances lost by Torment 4. This necessitates building your character to maintain sufficient armor and resistance percentages, or you will face frequent deaths. This does not account for the increased health and damage of enemies at higher tiers, requiring your damage output to be significantly high.
Fortunately, Diablo 4 ensures you are prepared for these new tiers by requiring you to complete a run in The Pit at the Torment level you wish to unlock before switching to the new difficulty. This effectively tests your build to ensure you are ready. The Pit is also where you upgrade your Paragon Glyphs, making multiple runs essential for powering up your Paragon board and progressing to the next difficulty tier.
