There are many endgame activities you should be actively participating in once you finish Diablo 4's main campaign. In general, they all complement each other and provide some level of bonus to your character, even if it isn't immediately apparent. Nightmare Dungeons, for example, play a significant role in your endgame stay in Diablo 4, and you should absolutely be doing them between the other activities. Here's everything you could possibly need to know about Nightmare Dungeons.
Nightmare Dungeons Diablo IV explained
Nightmare Dungeons are dungeons that continuously increase in difficulty the more you do them. These dungeons are the same dungeons you've already been doing throughout your playthrough of Diablo 4, with the twist of additional modifiers, called Affixes, and increased enemy power thrown into the mix. As mentioned, Nightmare dungeons are more difficult than your standard Diablo 4 content. They exist to be the challenge you endure as you continue to level up beyond 50 and progress your character's gear.
Related: How to get Coiling Wards in Diablo 4
In exchange for increased difficulty, Nightmare dungeons offer you Nightmare Sigil drops, a guaranteed high-quality end reward, and the ability to upgrade Glyphs in your Paragon Board at the end of the dungeon itself. Nightmare Sigils are what's more important here, as they allow you to progress to the next level of Nightmare dungeon.
How to get Nightmare Sigils
There are a couple of ways to get Nightmare Sigils. The main way, and the way you'll get your first one, is by opening a cache given to you by the Tree of Whispers. Regardless of which cache you choose, a Tier 1 Nightmare Sigil will be given to you once you open it. It is with this Nightmare Sigil that you can turn an ordinary dungeon into a Nightmare dungeon of the sigil's stated tier.
To turn a dungeon into a Nightmare dungeon, open your inventory and go to the Consumables tab. Any sigils you have, or will have in the future, will always go here. When you select a sigil, a window opens up showing you all the sigil's stats, its modifiers, what tier it belongs to, and what dungeon it will alter. The higher the tier, the harder the Nightmare Dungeon. Keep this in mind. Nightmare Sigils will also periodically drop from Nightmare Dungeons, usually of the same tier, but not always. Simply consume the Sigil to activate the Nightmare Dungeon. The dungeon in question will stay a Nightmare Dungeon until you complete it.
How hard are Nightmare Dungeons?'
The difficulty of a Nightmare Dungeon depends on the Tier and Affixes attached to it. In general, a Tier 1 Nightmare dungeon will be easy for those getting up with their level and gearing. A Tier 5 dungeon is significantly harder and requires you to be playing well to overcome. Regardless of the Tier of Nightmare Dungeon, you only have 12 Revives before you fail it, so minimize mistakes so that doesn't happen. Enemies tend to be at a higher level than you in Nightmare Dungeons, so keep that in mind going in as well.
Then there are the Affixes you need to really worry about. Some of these things are nasty. I had one where blood blisters spawned when I killed a monster. These blood boils didn't move but exploded if I didn't kill them. Having them explode absolutely devastated my health, and I found myself spamming health potions to stay alive. Needlessly to say, expect Affixes to hinder you if you're not paying attention.
What level should I attempt Nightmare Dungeons?
You can begin attempting Nightmare Dungeons right at level 50 if you want to. The more important thing is to make sure you have a decent build, and decent gear, before running one. At Tier 1, I doubt anyone will struggle with it because it is almost like running a standardized dungeon. It isn't until later Tiers that the difficulty really spikes up and you really have to pay attention.
For more useful guides and information relating to all things Diablo 4, check out Diablo 4 – Traveler’s Superstition Quest Guide and keep an eye on Pro Game Guides.
