Once you’ve selected your class by the campfire and customized your character’s appearance, you’ll be left to survive in the wilds. Whether you’ve faced the Lord of Terror in previous Diablo titles, or you’re new to the world of Sanctuary with Diablo 4, this list will prepare you to face the forces of evil.
From managing loot to navigating through dungeons and playing your class effectively, there are a lot of moving pieces in Diablo 4. Instead of diving deep into each of the game’s systems as they unfold, focus on these tips & tricks to hone your skills.
10 Pick Up Everything
The Diablo franchise is centered around collecting mounds of loot and continually upgrading your gear. Throughout your adventure, you’ll encounter items with colored text - white (Normal), blue (Magic), yellow (Rare), tan (Unique), and orange (Legendary). Pick them all up, as they each provide valuable resources.
In the early game, nearly every piece of gear you find can be an upgrade to your current loadout. You should frequently glance at your newly acquired loot to see if equipping anything will gain you an extra advantage in combat. If the gear isn’t an upgrade, bring it to town.
9 Salvage Instead Of Sell
When you return to town with an inventory full of junk, don’t sell your unused gear to a merchant for gold - salvage everything at the blacksmith. At the first major city, Kyovashad, the blacksmith is located to the southeast of the waypoint.
There are a plethora of resources in Diablo 4. Plants, ore, skins, monster parts, and salvaged materials are just a few of the things you’ll collect in Sanctuary. Luckily, most resources will accumulate in your inventory without much hands-on management, but it’s important to know they will all come into play at some point.
8 Don’t Spend Your Resources
The reason you should salvage everything instead of selling it for gold is that you’ll want the salvaged materials in the endgame. Although you can upgrade your gear, craft items, and make elixirs early on in your journey, save all of your materials for later.
Upgrading your early gear is a waste of resources because you’ll likely find an upgrade to that piece very quickly. Don’t spend materials upgrading a piece of gear until you know it’ll stick around for a while. Save all of your materials for upgrading legendary items and make the endgame easier.
7 Explore The Cellars And Dungeons
Along the beaten path, you’ll spot the occasional cellar or dungeon. These optional rabbit holes can be well worth your time. Cellars will be small areas with a boss, treasure chest, or another mystery to uncover. Dungeons are much more involved.
The dungeons in Sanctuary are a big part of the gameplay in Diablo 4. These claustrophobic caves are home to the deadliest monsters and the shiniest treasures. As you play through the main story, engage in some optional dungeons to get powerful rewards.
6 Use Your Potions Often
For many of the characters battling through the forces of evil, their only source of healing will be to take a drink from their potions. The default potion keybinding is L1 on PlayStation, LB on Xbox, and Q on PC. This button should always be on the top of your mind.
When you’re in a pinch, drink your potion quickly and run to safety. Potion refill charges drop on a regular basis, so don’t be stingy with your healing. Dying in Diablo 4 can be devastating, especially if you’re playing Hardcore. Use those potions early and often.
5 Upgrade Your Potions
In the city of Kyovashad, Veroka the Alchemist is prepared to upgrade the potency of your potions. As your health pool rises, the amount of HP healed by your potions will become less and less valuable. Upgrading your potions as you level up will help the amount it heals to scale with your needs.
Every 10 or 15 level-ups, make sure to visit the Alchemist. In Kyovashad, Veroka is located in a building directly south of the waypoint. If you’re at the proper level and have the required materials, Veroka will enhance your potions.
4 Focus On The Main Quests
If you find yourself lost with all the optional activities in Diablo 4, focus on completing the main story. When you open the map, look at the quest panel to see your active quests. The yellow icon indicates a main story quest, the most important and compelling content that you should tackle first.
Diablo 4 lets you play at your own pace. Quests and zones scale with your character, so you never out-level the content. This means that there’s no hurry to play through the content in a certain way. However, if you want to rush to the endgame, follow the yellow indicators and ignore the blue icons.
3 Frequently Check The Map
The zones and dungeons of Diablo 4 are twisting and turning mazes that can send you off in the wrong direction. Smaller dungeons can be linear, but the world of Sanctuary is huge and rich in exploration. When the mini-map isn’t enough, consult the map.
The map will be the most valuable companion in Diablo 4. Whether you want to run down the main story or explore the secrets and treasures hiding in the corners of the world, check the map regularly to stay on course.
2 Positioning Is Paramount In Battle
Once you get past level 15 or 20, the forces of evil will begin to challenge your resolve. Packs of enemies need to be evaluated for the best battle tactics. Rushing straight in isn’t always the best move. Ranged attackers and monsters who spawn minions should be eliminated first, while the brawlers can be left for last.
Make sure that you know your enemy's strategy and position yourself accordingly. Flank the low-health, high-threat ranged monsters while avoiding projectiles and melee attackers. Stack up monsters by circling their position or backing into bottlenecks. Then, hit them with area-of-effect spells and end the fight quickly.
1 Survival Should Be Your Goal
As you progress through the story and begin to reach higher levels, Diablo 4 will become increasingly more challenging. The boss fights provide unique encounters that’ll test your might. Instead of focusing on enemy health pools and doing the most damage, your primary focus should be to survive.
If you survive long enough, you’ll win any fight. Avoiding enemy projectiles is more important than landing an additional hit. Whether you’re fighting an early-game dungeon boss or Lilith herself, pay more attention to your health pool than theirs.