How to Unlock Torment 1 Difficulty in Diablo 4

After the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred DLC update, the old World Tier system is replaced by a new difficulty setup that splits the game into two sections: the early-game climb and the endgame gauntlet. While leveling, you’ll move through the usual suspects, including Normal, Hard, Elite, and Penitent, but once after the best loot and good challenges, you’ll need to get access to Torment. Torment 1 is where you get Ancestral gear, your build starts to matter, and enemies stop playing easy. But unlocking Torment 1 in Diablo 4 requires a strong build, strategy, and a successful run through the all-new Pit of the Artificer.

What is Torment 1 Difficulty in Diablo 4?

As told above, Ancestral gear starts to drop a lot after Torment 1, and that alone makes it worth the grind. This gear tier is above Sacred, comes with Greater Affixes, which are beefed-up versions of regular affixes that give you a 50% stat boost. These are essential for pushing late-endgame content and optimizing your build. Torment 1 also gives access to the game’s core endgame systems. For example, you won’t get items like Infernal Hordes or The Dark Citadel until you’re in at least Torment 1.

But it’s not only “harder mobs for better loot.” You get hit with gnarly stat debuffs when you switch into Torment. Specifically, you lose 250 Armor and 25% to all resistances, flat. Mobs damage more and hit harder, you’re squishier, and any weaknesses in your in-game build get exposed fast. But the upside is that XP and Gold gains go way up, and gear quality overall improves across the board, even Legendary and Unique drops get more frequent. If you want the best loot in the game, Torment 1 is where it starts.

• Related: What is Summoning Damage in Diablo 4?

How to Unlock Torment 1 in Diablo 4

First things first, get your character to level 60. If you’re not there yet, don’t worry about anything Torment-related — simply grind through Whispers, Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, or seasonal content until you reach that level. The power spike from Paragon points starts around this time, too, so even just a few levels past 60 will make a big difference.

After unlocking level 60, you’ll get a priority quest for The Pit of the Artificer in your journal. This is a new endgame dungeon system that works like Greater Rifts from Diablo 3; it’s timed, random, and scaled by difficulty. To enter it, gather three Artificer’s Stones, which you can get from Helltide chests, Tree of Whispers caches, Legion events, World Bosses, Nightmare Dungeons, Infernal Hordes, pretty much all the standard late-game content.

The goal is to clear a Tier 20 Pit dungeon within the 15-minute timer. That means killing enough enemies to spawn a boss portal and then beating the boss before the timer runs out. Once you do that, Diablo 4 Torment 1 unlocks for your character (and possibly for your account).

You don’t need Ancestral gear to beat Pit 20, either. If you have solid 750+ item power gear, a few decent Tempered items, and a build that’s doing work, you can clear it.

Tip: You can jump straight into Tier 20 without needing to climb one tier at a time. It’s risky, but it saves you time if your build is already powerful enough.

After that, head to one of the Difficulty Statues (Cerrigar, Kyovashad, Kurast Bazaar), bump the difficulty to Torment 1, and get to farming the Ancestral loot. Be ready to adjust your build as the -250 Armor and 25% resist hit is not simple to ignore if you are still wandering with low-level gear or skipping defenses.

Torment Difficulty Tiers

Each higher Torment Tier is unlocked by pushing further into the Pit. Here’s the breakdown:

The scaling is brutal, especially by Torment IV. You’ll need optimized builds and Ancestral gear with Greater Affixes and perfect rolls.