In the world of Diablo 4, making the right choices can significantly impact your gaming journey. Unfortunately, it's all too common for players to fall into some traps, especially during the first season. This guide highlights common mistakes in Season 1 of Diablo 4, helping you navigate your journey more effectively.

 

• Defeating the Echo of Vashan
• Farming Raffle Hearts
• Stash Management
• Season Blessings Management
• Skipping the Seasonal Quest at the Start
• Not Completing Varshan Early
• Focus on Defense Early On
• Salvage Rares, Salvage Legendaries
• Don't Ignore Gems
• Embrace the Rogue and Build Development
• Misunderstanding the Role of Smoldering Ash
• Understanding Caged Hearts and Their Types
• How to Get Wrathful Hearts
• Be Wise with Heart Usage
• Farming Hearts Too Early
• Hoarding Hearts
• Not Knowing Where to Get Wrathful Hearts
• Swapping Caged Hearts as You Level Up
• Don't Hoard Caged Hearts
• Utilize Caged Hearts for Increased Armor
• Target Farming Specific Caged Hearts

 

 

↖ Defeating the Echo of Vashan

To unlock incredible rewards and access higher-level versions of Echo of Vashan, you must first defeat him in World 2 tiers 1 or 2. After completing the required quest in the main story, locate the six malignant tunnels on the map. Three of these tunnels contain the Echo of Vashan spawn. To fight higher-level versions of Echo of Vashan, craft the necessary invoker items using the looted materials from defeating him in the tunnels.

 

↖ Farming Raffle Hearts

Raffle Hearts come in different levels, and the higher the level, the better the stats it provides. It's recommended not to farm them too early, as the best ones are found in World tier 4. You can farm Raffle Hearts by repeatedly doing the final boss of the campaign and reloading the dungeon. Alternatively, craft uncertain invokers and find specific invoker events in the malignant tunnels to guarantee Raffle Heart drops.

 

↖ Stash Management

The large amount of space Raffle Hearts take up in the stash can become a problem. Salvaging lower-level hearts can free up space while providing materials for crafting specific hearts. The developers are looking into improving stash management, but for now, actively managing your stash is crucial.

 

↖ Season Blessings Management

Remember to manually claim your Smoldering Ashes in the battle pass to receive your rewards. Prioritize leveling up Earn of Aggression for XP bonuses and Earn of Malignance to improve the chance of powerful Raffle Heart drops. Adjust your blessings as you progress through the game.

 

↖ Skipping the Seasonal Quest at the Start

One of the first mistakes players make is skipping the initial seasonal quest. This might occur if you've started your seasonal character and decided to skip the campaign. When you spawn in Kyovichod, a seasonal quest will be available next to the waypoint. Ignoring this quest means you won't be dropping malignant Hearts worldwide, which is an essential part of the gameplay. Therefore, initiating this quest is crucial before diving into your levelling process.

 

↖ Not Completing Varshan Early

Another common misstep is neglecting to complete Varshan while leveling. To fight Varshan, you need to reach the end of a malignant tunnel. After finishing the seasonal quest line, you only get the recipe to craft an invoker of Varshan. It's essential to unlock more recipes for the invoker of Varshan as you progress through the world tiers. The base-level invoker of Varshan can only be used in World Tier one or two. Once you reach World Tier three or four, you'll need a foul invoker of Varshan or a tormented invoker of Varshan, respectively.

 

↖ Focus on Defense Early On

Survivability is crucial in Season One, especially due to nerfs to healing options. You'll need to stay alive longer, making damage reduction and mitigation important. Focus on damage reduction effects when accessing your Paragon, as they provide significant benefits. Aim for Glyphs and Gear that offer damage reduction from various sources, such as vulnerable enemies or close combat foes.

 

↖ Salvage Rares, Salvage Legendaries

Balancing Diablo 4 gold and crafting materials is crucial as you progress. To optimize your resources, sell rares for gold and salvage legendaries for crafting materials. This method ensures a steady income of gold while still accumulating essential materials for enchanting and imprinting aspects later in the game.

 

↖ Don't Ignore Gems

Although skulls are no longer slotted into jewelry, don't overlook gems. Pick up emeralds and topaz, as they are widely used in many builds. While inventory space may be limited, make room for these gems to enhance your weapons and armor.

 

↖ Embrace the Rogue and Build Development

Stay tuned for a video showcasing the Rogue class in Season One. Learn about effective build development to optimize your character's performance and progress through the end game.

 

↖ Misunderstanding the Role of Smoldering Ash

Smoldering Ash is a reward you obtain from the battle pass that allows you to unlock Seasons blessings. These blessings provide bonuses like extra XP from Monster kills, more gold from vendors, and better malignant heart drops. Unfortunately, some players fail to notice these rewards or how to use them. Moreover, smouldering ashes have level requirements, which means you won't unlock them all at once but progressively as you level up.

 

↖ Understanding Caged Hearts and Their Types

Caged Hearts are special items that drop from Malignant enemies found throughout the game world and within Malignant Tunnels. There are four main types of Caged Hearts, each providing different benefits:

• Vicious Hearts (Red): These offer offensive powers to boost your damage-dealing capabilities.
• Brutal Hearts (Blue): These grant defensive powers, enhancing your survivability.
• Devious Hearts (Purple): These provide utility-based effects, aiding your character in various ways.
• Wrathful Hearts (Rare): The most powerful Caged Hearts, capable of fitting into any socket, making them extremely valuable.

 

↖ How to Get Wrathful Hearts

While Wrathful Hearts are rare, there are ways to acquire them. Look for Wrathful Malignant enemies to defeat and obtain Wrathful Caged Hearts. Additionally, you can craft Caged Heart caches at Corman's Workbench, located in Kiovashat or Ked Bardu. The "Uncertain Invoker Cache" can yield Wrathful Invokers, which, when used at the end of a Malignant Tunnel, will grant Wrathful Caged Hearts.

 

↖ Be Wise with Heart Usage

While Hearts can offer impressive bonuses, be mindful of their usage. Don't use invokers early on to farm specific Hearts. As you level up, you'll find more valuable Hearts in World Tier 3 and 4. Wait to use invokers until you have access to these higher-tier Hearts for better results.

 

↖ Farming Hearts Too Early

Many players farm their malignant Hearts too early in their level progression. However, these hearts grow in power alongside your character and the world tier you're on. Hence, pushing through to at least World tier three before farming these hearts is beneficial, as they will offer more value.

 

↖ Hoarding Hearts

While collecting hearts might seem like a good strategy, hoarding too many can be detrimental. Many hearts are easily obtainable, and you only need so many for crafting. Therefore, don't hesitate to salvage the hearts you've got, especially the lower-level ones, as salvaging these hearts will provide you with essential seasonal materials.

 

↖ Not Knowing Where to Get Wrathful Hearts

The last common mistake is not knowing where to get wrathful hearts. These hearts drop from wrathful malignant elites, so you can farm them by finding and defeating these elites. Alternatively, you can craft random hearts or invokers, which may result in wrathful hearts or invokers.

 

↖ Swapping Caged Hearts as You Level Up

As you level up and find higher item power gear, your Caged Hearts' power will increase as well. Swap in new Caged Hearts to benefit from the higher item power and stronger effects. This will help you stay competitive and deal more damage as you progress.

 

↖ Don't Hoard Caged Hearts

It's tempting to hoard Caged Hearts, but it's not necessary. Focus on the ones that suit your build and playstyle, and salvage the rest for materials to craft more Caged Heart caches. This way, you'll always have enough resources for upgrades when needed.

 

↖ Utilize Caged Hearts for Increased Armor

Caged Hearts provide additional armor, making them more valuable than regular skulls. Always have Caged Hearts equipped in your gear slots to benefit from this armor bonus, improving your overall survivability.

 

↖ Target Farming Specific Caged Hearts

If you're looking for specific Caged Hearts, such as Vicious, Brutal, or Devious, you can use Corman's Workbench to craft them. Keep in mind that this method can be resource-intensive, so plan accordingly. Focus on obtaining the Wrathful Caged Hearts through Uncertain Invoker Caches, as they have a chance to grant the most powerful Caged Hearts in the game.

 

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can ensure your journey through Season One of Diablo 4 is as smooth and rewarding as possible. Remember to engage with the seasonal quest from the start, take on Varshan early, understand the role of smoldering ash, farm hearts at the right time, avoid hoarding hearts, and learn how to get wrathful hearts.