The Infernal Hordes is an activity that was first introduced during the Season of the Infernal Hordes and has since become a permanent part of Diablo 4.
In this activity, players enter the Gates of Hell to battle relentless waves of demons, eventually facing the powerful Fell Council at the end.
After defeating the Fell Council, you can spend the Burning Aether you’ve collected on various reward chests, with better performance allowing you to get greater rewards.
How To Unlock The Infernal Hordes Activity?
Once you have unlocked Torment I, you will be able to obtain Infernal Hordes Compasses from a variety of endgame activities.
You can begin participating in the Infernal Hordes activity as soon as you acquire your first Infernal Compass, which will typically happen while you are progressing through Torment I and beyond.
Before Torment, you’ll mostly find Fleeting Hordes Compasses, which grant access to a similar but easier version of the activity.
How To Start The Infernal Hordes?
To begin the Infernal Hordes activity, you will need an Infernal Compass in your inventory, which will make the Gates of Hell active. (You can access this location at Kyovashad)
Instead of going to Kyovashad to reach the Gates of Hell, you can select The Infernal Hordes activity from your map to save time, which will take you directly into the activity.
Unlike the Fleeting Hordes that instantly take you into the activity, you will need to either go to the entrance of The Infernal Hordes or fast travel using your map.
The Infernal Hordes Walkthrough
1) Complete Waves to Earn Aether
Once you start The Infernal Hordes activity, you will begin by slaying the first Aether Fiend that you come across, and this will begin the first wave.
Multiple enemies will be coming to attack you, and depending on how fast you defeat them, a meter will fill up and cause an Aether Event will occur.
Completing an Aether Event will cause Burning Aether to drop, which is a currency in each session of The Infernal Hordes that you need to get your rewards.
The following are the different Aether Events:
- Aetheric Mass – A Large, bloody mass that deals damage in a cone shape that can easily be damaged by simply attacking it. (Drops 1 Aether)
- Soulspire – Remains in place with a round area marked, which requires you to stay within the range and defeat enemies to damage it. (Drops 5 Aether)
- Aether Fiend – Powerful enemies that can spawn randomly on their own or from events, which take longer to kill. (Drops 4 Aether)
- Hellborne – Enemies similar to the ones you face in the Helltide that appear randomly or after selecting certain Infernal Offerings. (Drops 1 Aether)
- Aether Lord – A towering monster almost equivalent to the bosses you face in dungeons, which can spawn randomly or after certain Infernal Offerings are chosen. (Drops 4 Aether)
- Infernal Demon – Known as the Burning Butcher, this enemy is similar to The Butcher that you encounter in Nightmare Dungeons, who appears after selecting the Stalking Devil Infernal Offer. (Drops 100 Aether
2) Choose Infernal Offerings
As you fight through each wave of enemies, you will need to select Infernal Offerings before the next one starts, which will provide you with certain boons and banes.
Boons and banes will determine what advantages you have, such as buffs and obtaining more Burning Aether from enemies or completing objectives.
The following are the different Infernal Offerings:
Common Infernal Offerings:
Infernal Offering | Bane | Boon |
The Burning Rain | Hellfire rains upon you | At the end of each wave, spawn 3-9 Aether |
| The Burning Hellborne | Hellfire now spawns Hellborne | Hellborne drop 2 additional Aether |
The Aether Rush | Normal monster damage +25% | Gathering Aether increases movement speed (8s) |
| The Exalted Hordes | Normal monsters damage +25% | Killing them spawns Aether Events +50% faster |
The Draining Spires | Soulspires drain Life | Soulspires grant +2 Aether |
| The Bursting Masses | Masses deal unavoidable damage | Wave start, spawn an Aetheric Mass |
The Gorging Masses | Slaying Aetheric Mass slows you (8s) | While slowed this way, you have unlimited resources |
| The Exalted Masses | Aetheric Mass damage +25% | Aetheric Mass grants +1 Aether |
The Exalted Elite | Elite damage +25% | Aether Fiends grant +2 Aether |
| The Summoned Hellborne | Hellborn are hunting you | Hellborn grant +1 Aether |
Rare Infernal Offerings:
Infernal Offering | Bane | Boon |
The Teeming Masses | Masses spawn an Aether Lord on death | Aether Lords grant +3 Aether |
| The Bursting Fiends | Elite damage +25% | Aether Fiends explode and damage foes |
The Surging Elite | Chance for Elite to spawn is doubled | Aether Fiends grant +2 Aether |
| The Unstoppable Elite | Elites are Unstoppable | Aether Fiends grant +2 Aether |
The Insatiable Spires | Soulspires require 2x kills | Soulspires grant 2x Aether |
| The Summoned Lords | Aether Lords now spawn | They grant +3 Aether |
The Exalted Hellborn | Hellborn damage +25% | Hellborn grant +1 Aether |
| The Invigorating Hellborn | Hellborn damage +25% | Slaying Hellborn invigorates you |
The Surging Hellborn | Hellborn damage when spawned | Hellborn grant +1 Aether |
Legendary Infernal Offerings:
Infernal Offering | Bane | Boon |
| The Enfeebled Wanderer | Potion Cooldown is increased by 2 seconds | Defeating Fell Council grants +15 Aether |
| The Exhausted Wanderer | Evade Cooldown is increased by 2 seconds | Defeating Fell Council grants +15 Aether |
The Withered Wanderer | -10% All Resistances | Defeating Fell Council grants +15 Aether |
| The Exalted Council | Fell Council damage +50% | Defeating them grants +15 Aether |
Unique Infernal Offerings:
Infernal Offerings | Bane | Boon |
| The Stalking Devil | An Infernal Demon has your scent | Slay it to gain +100 Aether |
3) Choose Final Encounter
After surviving all of the waves, you will be able to choose which portal you will be taking, which will have you fighting one of two types of bosses.
Choosing The Council Portal will have you fighting against the Fell Council as the boss for the activity, which is the most standard ending.
Selecting The Bartuc Portal will have you face off against Bartuc, Lord of Chaos, to get better rewards and even Chaos Armor (Season 10) when he is defeated.
Chaos Waves
Chaos Waves are started by selecting The Chaotic Offering, which has a chance to appear before some of the waves in the activity have started.
Choosing this will put you up against swarms of enemies and multiple Chaos Rifts appearing, but in return, you have the chance to gain an insane amount of Burning Aether.
Completing Chaos Waves is vital for obtaining enough Burning Aether to challenge Bartuc, Lord of Chaos, since this requires 666 Burning Aether.
The Fell Council
The Fell Council is a group of three demons who each have their own unique abilities, where one of them acts as a leader and is stronger with enhanced abilities.
You will need to defeat all of the members of the Fell Council to complete The Infernal Hordes if you have chosen them as the last encounter.
Defeating the last member of the Fell Council will result in loot being dropped, and afterward, you may spend Burning Aether to obtain rewards from the chests that appear.
Unlike with Bartuc, Lord of Chaos, you don’t have to spend any Burning Aether to challenge The Fell Council as a last encounter.
Bartuc, Lord of Chaos
Bartuc, Lord of Chaos, was added in Season 10: Season of Infernal Chaos and remains a boss throughout the rest of the other seasons.
Challenging Bartuc provides you with a chance to get more rewards that drop when he is defeated, and this is relatively important in Season of Infernal Chaos due to the Chaos Armor drops.
Defeating Bartuc in Torment I and II has a chance to reward you with Chaos Armor, along with other valuable items, while in Torment III and IV, Chaos Armor drops are guaranteed.
After defeating Bartuc, you can still access the rewards chests of The Infernal Chaos that appear after defeating the Fell Council.
The Infernal Hordes Rewards
Challenging the Fell Council is often the common choice, which provides you with drops from the group after the last member has been defeated.
Drops from the Fell Council often include Legendary Items, Crafting Materials, and Gold, while defeating Bartuc, Lord of Chaos, rewards even rarer items, including Unique Items.
Defeating Bartuc, Lord of Chaos, on Torment I and II may result in Chaos Armor being dropped, while in Torment III and IV, he is guaranteed to drop at least one.
At the end of either outcome, whatever remaining Burning Aether you have may be used to obtain rewards from the chests that appear when the activity is complete.
The Infernal Hordes Reward chests
The Infernal Hordes activity lets you choose from 3 main chests after defeating the Fell Council or Bartuc, Lord of Chaos.
Standard rewards for the Infernal Hordes include:
- Spoils of Greater Equipment – Costs 400 Burning Eather for Equipment and other items
- Spoils of Materials – Exchanges remaining Burning Ether for Obducite and Gem Fragments
- Spoils of Gold – Exchanges remaining Burning Aether for Gold
How To Get Burning Aether?
Obtaining Burning Aether is done by completing objectives and defeating enemies during The Infernal Hordes activity and these are reset with each run.
Certain Infernal Offerings will cause different enemies to spawn and alter the amount of Burning Aether they drop or the amount you get by completing objectives.
The best way to get Burning Aether would be to select Infernal Offerings that cause enemies to spawn and ones that increase how many they drop.
Your ability to quickly defeat enemies and complete objectives will determine how much Burning Aether you can get at the end.
A large amount of Burning Aether may be obtained during Chaos Waves, but these only start if The Chaotic Offering appears and is selected.
Special Enemies
1) The Fell Council
The Fell Council is a group of members that were first seen in Diablo 2 and have returned in Diablo 4 to face The Infernal Hordes activity.
Each member of The Fell Council has their own abilities, making it necessary to watch out for their attack patterns and keep clear of their attacks when necessary.
2) The Burning Butcher
The Burning Butcher is a rare spawn in The Infernal Hordes, and you can encounter him in two ways during the activity, where defeating him will provide you with a lot of Burning Aether.
Choosing the “Stalking Devil” Infernal Offering will cause The Burning Butcher to appear, but there is a chance he can randomly arrive during any wave.
3) Aether Lords
There are certain Infernal Offers that will cause Aether Lords to begin spawning with each wave, or, depending on completing an objective, such as destroying an Aetheric Mass.
Aether Lords are weaker variants of bosses that can be tough to defeat but will drop a lot of Burning Aether when defeated.
4) Aether Fiends
Aether Fiends will often spawn during The Infernal Hordes activity, and you can later choose boons that will alter their drops.
These enemies can be a great way to get Burning Aether as they come in large amounts during each of the ways during the activity.
5) Hellborne
You can later choose a boon called “The Summoned Hellborne,” and this will cause the Hellborne that you may have already encountered in the Helltide Events to appear.
These enemies will drop Burning Aether as well, but pose a threat since they can be difficult to defeat at higher tiers. But this should be easy with the right build and equipment.
6) Bartuc, Lord of Chaos
Summoned using 666 Burning Aether, which allows you to obtain even greater rewards if you come out successful against him.
Aside from rare equipment and items being dropped, Bartuc is also a main source for the Chaos Armor that was introduced and is exclusive to Season 10.
Verdict
The Infernal Hordes is a great way for you to get new Legendary and Ancestral gear to replace your current equipment, allowing you to perfect your buildings.
It is a good idea to upgrade your equipment via tempering and Masterworking at a Blacksmith, as well as upgrading your Glyphs through Nightmare Dungeons.
This activity is not only great for obtaining gear, but it also appears that The Infernal Hordes is now one of the best ones for you to max out your character’s level.
