Want to get into the endgame fast in Diablo 4 Season 13 or the Lord of the Hatred DLC? If so, I’ve got you covered with this guide.
Season 13: Season of Reckoning and the last DLC for Diablo 4, ‘Lord of the Hatred’, are finally here, and with that, we have many players who want to quickly level up the new Paladin and Warlock classes, while others focus on old ones first.
Irrespective of what class you play as, one thing that many Diablo 4 players look for is how to reach the max level and start farming the endgame content to mix-max builds.
And as a returning player myself, I decided to talk about my leveling strategy for Season 13 and the Lord of the Hatred DLC.
How to access Lord of the Hatred DLC
Season 13 and Lord of Hatred DLC leveling guide
Here’s a breakdown on how to level up fast in Diablo 4’s latest DLC and season:
Hire Varyana and Aldkin
The first step is to hire Varyana and Aldkin at The Den.
While it is not mandatory, hiring Varyana as the active Mercenary grants a massive boost to your Movement Speed, thanks to her Massacre Mercenary Perk.
Not only that, but leveling up Varyana also gives you access to Mobility Aspect and Masterworking Bartering upgrades, the latter giving you easy access to Masterworking materials and Obols.
Meanwhile, Aldkin will be the best choice for reinforcement, as you can make use of his Augmentation Bartering upgrade.
If you prefer Rahir’s upgrade, you can get him as reinforcement, too. But I would suggest going with Varyana as the main hire with Aldkin as the reinforcement.
Start Lord of Hatred Campaign
Once you’ve hired the Mercenaries, start the Lord of Hatred campaign in Normal difficulty.
Do not choose Hard, as it doesn’t increase the XP gained from the campaign quests and only affects the EXP obtained from mobs and such.
Now, of course, if you want a little challenge, you can start the Lord of Hatred campaign at a greater difficulty. But since this is a quick leveling guide, I won’t recommend it.
After you have started the Lord of Hatred campaign, progress through it until you reach Level 30 to 32.
Seasonal Ranks, Capstone Dungeons, and Class quests
If you followed the guide above, you must be at Level 30-32. Now, you must focus on your Seasonal Ranks and Capstone Dungeons too.
The first Capstone Dungeon for unlocking Rank 2 is suggested at Level 30.
However, if you are one or two levels above the suggested level, clearing it becomes much easier and faster.
Here’s a look at the Seasonal Ranks, their respective Capstone Dungeons, suggested level, and what they unlock.
| Season Rank | Dungeon Name | Suggested Level | Difficulty Tier | Unlocks | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 | Vault of the Crucible | 30 | Hard | Unlocks Rank 2 | 1 Skill Point Greater Ranking Cache |
| Rank 2 | Hellish Descent | 50 | Penitent | Unlocks Rank 3, Tower, Pit | 1 Skill Point Greater Ranking Cache |
| Rank 3 | Enclave of Darkness | 60 | Torment I | Unlocks Rank 4 | Paragon Points Greater Ranking Cache |
| Rank 4 | Den of the Apostate | 60 | Torment II | Unlocks Rank 5 | Paragon Points Greater Ranking Cache |
| Rank 5 | Breach of Sin | 60 | Torment III | Unlocks Rank 6 and Seasonal Pet | Paragon Points Greater Ranking Cache Seasonal Pet (Unlocked when you enter Rank 6) |
| Rank 6 | Clear Pit Tier 60 | – | – | – | – |
| Rank 7 | Clear Pit Tier 75 | – | – | – | – |
Remember, focusing on the campaign and doing the Captstone Dungeons.
Also, do not keep those Class quests pending. Focus on them as soon as they become available.
After you are done with the campaign, make sure to complete the additional endgame introductory quests for a ton of EXP.
Farming Whispers and Helltides
Assuming you have followed the above steps and cleared the Lord of Hatred DLC and a few Capstone Dungeons, or you haven’t bought the DLC and are just playing Season 13, you must focus on the open-world activities.
These are Whispers and Helltides. The PvP Whispers grant a ton of EXP; however, if you don’t like that, focus on the PvE Whispers and Helltides—the latter in particular.
Clearing Strongholds
Strongholds also serve as a great way to earn a ton of EXP for that final level push to 70.
Especially, the base game Strongholds, as they are quick and easy to complete.
That is it. If you follow the guide from start to end, you should be able to reach the max level in Diablo quickly 4 Season 13 and Lord of the Hatred DLC.
