When it comes to leveling a new character in Season One of Diablo 4, the debate between playing on World Tier 1 or World Tier 2 has been a topic of discussion. In this guide, we will explore the pros and cons of each difficulty and present the most efficient approach for leveling your character quickly. Keep in mind that your choice ultimately depends on your preferred level of challenge and playstyle.

• About Diablo 4 World Tier 1
• About Diablo 4 World Tier 2
• Understanding the Changes
• The Temple of Rot: The Optimal Leveling Zone
• Choosing the Appropriate Difficulty
• Leveling Strategy
• Alternative Strongholds and Comparisons
• Conclusion

↖ About Diablo 4 World Tier 1

World Tier 1 in Diablo 4 caters to players who prefer a more relaxed and accessible RPG experience. This difficulty setting offers several advantages that make it easier to progress through the game. Notably, enemies pose less of a threat, resulting in reduced aggression towards the player. This can be particularly beneficial for classes that lack high damage output or sustainment abilities.

In addition to less aggressive enemies, the bosses encountered during the campaign are notably easier to defeat. This means that players can overcome these challenging encounters with relative ease, even if their character may not possess substantial damage or sustainability capabilities.

World Tier 1 provides a more forgiving gameplay experience, allowing players to comfortably explore the game's mechanics, story, and world without feeling overwhelmed by difficult encounters. It is an excellent choice for those who prioritize a smoother progression through the game and wish to mitigate the challenges associated with certain character builds.

By opting for World Tier 1, players can enjoy a less demanding gameplay experience while still immersing themselves in the captivating world of Diablo 4.

↖ About Diablo 4 World Tier 2

World Tier 2 in Diablo 4 provides a heightened level of challenge for players seeking a more intense and rewarding gameplay experience. Unlike some higher-tier difficulties that unlock later in the game, World Tier 2 is available right from the start, allowing players to test their skills and tackle greater challenges from character level 1 to 50.

One of the defining characteristics of World Tier 2 is the increased difficulty of enemies. Compared to lower tiers, enemies in World Tier 2 are more formidable, posing a greater threat to the player. This elevated challenge encourages players to develop effective strategies, maximize their character's potential, and make use of advanced tactics to overcome the heightened opposition.

Choosing to play on World Tier 2 comes with its own set of rewards. Monsters encountered in this difficulty setting provide a 20% increase in experience points upon defeat. This means that players can level up their characters more quickly, accelerating their progression and unlocking new skills and abilities at a faster rate.

Additionally, monsters in World Tier 2 drop 15% more Diablo 4 gold compared to lower difficulties. This increased gold yield offers greater financial resources for players to invest in improving their equipment, acquiring valuable items, or exploring other in-game opportunities.

World Tier 2 presents a thrilling and challenging experience for players who crave more difficulty and seek greater rewards. By facing tougher enemies and reaping the benefits of increased experience and gold drops, players can test their mettle and reap the satisfaction of overcoming formidable foes in the world of Diablo 4.

↖ Understanding the Changes

With the introduction of Diablo 4 Season One, significant changes have been made to the game mechanics. Notably, players now start with a substantial number of low-level statues, granting additional points in ability damage, armor, and base stats. Furthermore, all characters that completed the Renown now begin with five skill points at level one, which is a considerable improvement over previous iterations.

↖ The Temple of Rot: The Optimal Leveling Zone

For efficient leveling, the Temple of Rot stands out as the best experience farm in Diablo 4. This stronghold ensures that enemies remain at a higher level than you throughout your progression. By comparison, enemies in regular dungeons will typically match your character's level, offering less experience. Remember, gaining experience from enemies higher level than you has always proven to be more rewarding.

↖ Choosing the Appropriate Difficulty

To determine the ideal difficulty setting for leveling in Season One, we need to consider the content we're farming. Initially, starting on World Tier 1 was commonly believed to be the better choice. However, with the increased power of characters due to the carried-over low-level statues and extra skill points, the discussion now includes World Tier 2.

↖ Leveling Strategy

Based on extensive testing, the leveling strategy we recommend involves starting on World Tier 1 and progressing to level 30. During this phase, focus on farming the Temple of Rot to take advantage of its enemy scaling mechanics. Since enemies in the Temple of Rot can be several levels higher than you, the experience gain is maximized.

Once you reach level 30 and catch up to the enemies' scaling, it becomes beneficial to switch to World Tier 2. This higher difficulty setting allows you to farm more efficiently, taking advantage of the increased experience gains while maintaining a reasonable challenge. By this point, you should have your build online, acquired some legendaries, and be well-prepared to tackle World Tier 2 content.

↖ Alternative Strongholds and Comparisons

While other strongholds scale up to level 40 or 45, our testing revealed that the Temple of Rot remains the superior choice for experience farming. The enemy density, elite encounters, and overall efficiency of the Temple of Rot, even when enemies are only slightly higher leveled, make it the most effective stronghold for leveling.

↖ Conclusion

In summary, if you're playing solo and seeking the fastest leveling experience in Season One of Diablo 4, we recommend playing on World Tier 1 until approximately level 30. At this point, transition to World Tier 2, where you can fully capitalize on your character's strength, gear, and experience bonuses. Should you find yourself unable to farm efficiently on World Tier 2, the experience gain will be significantly lower, making World Tier 1 the better choice.