Diablo 4 has an amazing Difficulty System that rewards players for facing the challenges of the higher World Tiers.
Starting from Normal and working your way up to Torment IV can be quite the rollercoaster and the harder things get, the more rewards you will receive.
In Season 7 (Season of Witchcraft) some noticeable changes are worth mentioning, especially since the difficulty affects some of the Seasonal Content.
How To Unlock Difficulty Levels?
Normal and Hard will be unlocked with any new characters that you create and to unlock Expert, you will need to complete the Prologue.
Once you have completed the Original Campaign, the Penitent difficulty will be unlocked, and this provides you with even more challenges.
Unlocking Torment I up to Torment IV requires that you complete certain tiers of The Pit of the Artificer, which can be accessed in Cerrigar. (Scosglen)
The following tiers need to be completed in The Pit to unlock the different Torment difficulties:
- Torment I – Tier 20
- Torment II – Tier 35
- Torment III – Tier 50
- Torment IV – Tier 65
Seasonal Content Difficulty Changes
One of the things that were noticed right away with this season is that the difficulty that you are on will affect your chances of obtaining Forgotten Altars and Fugitive Heads.
Forgotten Altars Chance
Starting from the Torment I difficulty, there will be a chance for you to encounter a Forgotten Altar, but the chance is very slim.
Torment I up to Torment IV will provide you with 1% up to 5% at max for you to find a Forgotten Altar, which makes it necessary to get yourself a Draught of Whisper or to now and then.
Draught of Whispers doubles the chance for Forgotten Altars to appear, which makes it best to be on Torment IV for the highest chance when using it.
Fugitive Heads Chance
Each tier starting from Torment I up to Torment IV will provide you with a chance to encounter Fugitive Heads, which are tough enemies that can be defeated for rewards.
One of the rewards that they drop is an item called a Fugitive Head which is a requirement for crafting Occult Gems and many of them can be crafted to improve your builds.
Just like with Forgotten Altars, the Draught of Whispers provides you with a bonus chance to find Fugitive Heads which boosts the chance to encounter them by 50%
All Difficulty Levels in Season 7
Below we have listed down all the Difficulty Levels and their details, for Diablo 4’s Season of the Witch and these include loot drops, bonuses, and more.
Normal
- Standard Diablo IV Experience
Hard
- Monster kills grant 75% more Experience
- Monsters drop 75% more gold
Expert
- Monster kills grant 125% more Experience
- Monsters drop 125% more Gold
Penitent
- Monster kills grant 175% more Experience
- Monsters drop 175% more Gold
Torment I
- Monster kills grant 300% more Gold and Experience
- Common, Magic and Rare equipment is automatically salvaged
- Ancestral quality items become available
- Forgotten Witchcraft Altars have a 1% chance to appear in dungeons
- Fugitive Heads have a 4% chance to appear during Headhunts and inside Rootholds
- Your Armor is reduced by 250 and Resistance by 25%
Torment II
- Monster kills grant 400% more Gold and Experience
- Increased Legendary, Unique, and Mythic Unique items per Torment tier
- Forgotten Witchcraft Altars have a 2% chance to appear in dungeons
- Fugitive Heads have a 6% chance to appear during Headhunts and inside Rootholds
- Your Armor is reduced by 500 and Resistance by 50%
Torment III
- Monster kills grant 500% more Gold and Experience
- Increased Legendary, Unique, and Mythic Unique items per Torment tier
- Forgotten Witchcraft Altars have a 3% chance to appear in dungeons
- Fugitive Heads have an 8% chance to appear during Headhunts and inside Rootholds
- Your Armor is reduced by 750 and Resistance by 75%
Torment IV
- Monster kills grant 600% more Gold and Experience
- Increased Legendary, Unique, and Mythic Unique items per Torment tier
- Forgotten Witchcraft Altars have a 5% chance to appear in dungeons
- Fugitive Heads have a 10% chance to appear during Headhunts and inside Rootholds
- Your Armor is reduced by 1000 and Resistance by 100%
Verdict
Each difficulty level makes enemies more of a threat, but this also increases the rewards that you will be getting from enemies, chests, and activities.
Reaching Torment I and the higher World Tiers will provide you with a slightly newer experience full of challenges and even better items will start to drop.
Some of the endgame activities will only be available in certain Difficulties, making it necessary to grind before you can begin.
