Diablo 4 is set to launch with an endgame system called Helltide, which is much more important than most players realize. Helltide are one of the endgame-specific systems that players will have to unlock by achieving World Tier 3. This requires beating the main campaign and being around level 50, completing the capstone dungeon, and facing difficulty even at that level.

Once you enter World Tier 3, Helltide can start to spawn. Helltide represent Lilith and her armies taking over an entire region of the game. Diablo 4 is launching with five regions, so a fifth of the map will be taken over by this Hell Tide. The region will get dark, look completely different, and will be invaded by hordes of demons.

The enemies in Helltide are much more challenging than the normal ones in the difficulty level. However, this also means you get more loot than usual. The new currency players will obtain in Helltide is called cinders, which are used to open Hell Tide caches. You can earn cinders and Diablo 4 Gold by killing enemies, bosses, and completing events.

Each HellTide cache will give players a specific loot type, such as boots, two-handed weapons, or chest pieces. This means players can target farm-specific pieces of loot. However, if you die, you will lose half of your cinders, and you cannot retrieve them. Moreover, Helltide have a limited time, and once the Hell Tide in that specific region is over, players lose all their cinders.

Helltide are on for one hour and off for one hour. During the one hour, players have to farm up cinders, find the chests they want to use or the loot type they are looking for, and spend all their cinders before they die or before the HellTide ends.

Helltide will have new content within them, including new versions of all the open-world events that would be in that region. These events are much more difficult than normal events and award players with more cinders and additional loot. Players will also encounter roaming bosses, which are actual boss fights, making them very challenging. They are some of the best ways to get large amounts of cinders if players are strong enough to defeat them.

Players do not necessarily have to do everything themselves, though. They can group up with other players to fight enemies. However, since Helltide take place in an open-world area, anyone else in your instance in the area can help you fight enemies. Up to eight other people can be in a region at a time in the same instance, which makes it easier for players to tackle Helltide together.

The chests players can use their cinders on are randomly spawned in every new HellTide. Players have to explore the region to find the different HellTide chests and find the one they want to spend their cinders on. Overall, understanding the Helltide system is crucial for players who want to excel in Diablo 4's endgame.