Should You Play on World Tier 1 or 2 in Diablo 4? – Answered

Choosing your difficulty in any video game, including Diablo 4, is just as important as picking a build. After all, deciding whether to fly through with an easier difficulty or challenging yourself to the highest option possible will completely change how you play! These thoughts raise one crucial question: is playing on the first or second world tier better? Should you choose Adventurer or Veteran, and should you climb your way up the Nightmare and Torment? If you are curious, continue reading to discover whether you should pick world tier one or two in Diablo 4.

Should You Pick Difficulty World Tier 1 or 2 in Diablo 4?

The answer to this depends on your preferences, but there is a quick and easy way to answer this: If you are looking to progress through the story quickly, pick World Tier 1. If you want to farm experience and gold and are looking to upgrade to higher tiers later, stick to Tier 2. You can swap between the two at any point through the character selection menu or World Tier Statues in-game.

You can change Diablo 4’s difficulty at any point if the game is too challenging or easy, or if you’re trying to unlock a new tier. Accessing Nightmare requires you to complete the campaign and the Cathedral of Light Capstone dungeon as a World Tier 2 Veteran player; if this is your goal, you’ll have to finish this dungeon at that tier. However, during the campaign, you can swap to Adventurer, the first tier, if regular enemies are too difficult or you just want to fly through it quickly.

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As well, if you want to relax and enjoy the game without stressing about your health and builds, picking the first tier is the best option. If you prefer a challenge or want to gain experience and gold faster, you’ll benefit from Veteran’s increased experience and gold drop rates. The same can be said for the third and fourth-tiers once you unlock them!

From my personal experiences, playing Adventurer difficulty on your first Diablo 4 character for the first 15-20 levels or so is a great way to ease yourself into the game without getting overwhelmed. I ended up swapping to Veteran after hitting around level 25, giving me plenty of time to relearn the game after going a few months without playing the beta. However, if you’re already familiar with the game, you can start on Veteran immediately and swap back to Adventurer if you need to.

All World Tiers in Diablo 4 Explained

There are four world tiers in Diablo 4 that change enemy strengths, experience, and gold drops. As you advance to later levels, exclusive perks, items, and events will appear that you can participate in.

With that said, below is a list of all four tiers, their unlock requirements, and enemy details:

Adventurer

• The easiest difficulty. Enemies are easy to defeat, and you gain no buffs to drop rates.

Veteran

• Enemies are more challenging.
• Monsters give 20% increased experience
• Monsters drop 15% more gold

Nightmare

• Requires completing the campaign and Cathedral of Light Capstone Dungeon as a World Tier 2: Veteran player
• Recommended for levels 50-70

New

• Sacred and Unique items can drop
• Nightmare Sigils can drop that unseal Nightmare Dungeons
• Helltides can appear across Sanctuary
• Champion monsters with damage resistance auras can appear

Enemy Details

• Enemies are more challenging than those in Veteran
• Monsters give 100% increased experience
• Monsters drop 15% more gold
• Monsters overcome 20% Resistance

Torment

• Requires completing the Fallen Temple Capstone Dungeon as a World Tier 3: Nightmare player
• Recommended for levels 70 and higher

New

• Ancestral items and new Unique items can drop

Enemy Details

• Enemies are more challenging than those in Nightmare
• Monsters give 200% increased experience
• Monsters drop 15% more gold
• Monsters overcome 40% Resistance

Related: What is the Max Level in Diablo 4?

As you progress through each tier, you’ll gain more experience and access to stronger gear but face much harder enemies that can wipe you out in just a few attacks. If the challenge sounds interesting to you, though, it may be worth climbing the ranks and reaching the top!

Diablo 4 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. To learn more about the game, check out how to get crushed beast bones in Diablo 4, or click the Diablo IV tag below to explore our entire content collection!