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D4 Leveling Guide for ALL CLASSES

If you need to tips on how to Level up in Diablo 4, for EVERY CLASS - you've come to the right place. I have a bunch of info here to help navigate the wheres, what's, and hows of the D4 leveling process.

This guide is meant to be used alongside the class-specific leveling guides:
D4 Leveling Guides & Builds for: Barbarian | Druid | Necromancer | Rogue | Sorcerer

Recent Changes (Jun-16-23'): Improved the notes down there for leveling process. Added links to new Fresh Level 50 Guide. Some notes still a little rough for campaign.

The two main data points of this guide are Campaign Quest guidance, and for (seasonal, or first-time) general leveling tips down there - which are VERY important to learn.

If you're done with this part, generally meaning done with the main campaign) - you'll want to check out the Fresh Level 50 Guide.

D4 Leveling Notes per Campaign Quest

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You've probably seen harvesting and mining nodes - just pick up whatever you can without going out of your way. Hopefully you're using the class-specific leveling guides! You'll find great builds there!

  • Dusk on the Mountain : -
  • Darkness Within : Grats on Level 2! Heh. Press P for the Skill Tree!
  • A Heros Return : After the first demon boss, take the rope upwards on the left side of the arena.
  • A Heros Reward : -
  • Prayers for Salvation : -
  • In Search of Answers : Just keep going North and East until you find a clearing, can't miss it. You'll find your first Altar of Lilith along the way.

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You get your first priority quest here. It's to unlock Waypoints! From here on, keey an eye on and do Priority Quests ASAP as they unlock new types of systems and content.

  • Rite of Passage : Make your way to the city. What you answer the guard doesn't matter don't worry! You'll enter Kyovashad here. Unlock the Waypoint asap! Your first priority quest is basically that.
  • Missing Pieces : For the amulet, click on it on the countertop, if you're wondering. Your questline actually "breaks" here and you have to manually walk to "Ill Tidings".

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If you got both Yelesna and Margrave waypoints, then you're good to go!

  • Ill Tidings : -
  • Tarnished Luster : Exirt east (or SE) and head south to unlock Margrave waypoint first, then go right to Yelesna. Again, right click the quest marker to track them and auto-generate a path!
  • The Knight and the Magpie : -

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The event can be a little tedious to complete if you're underleveled or weak! DONT WALK OUT OF THE DUNGEON. Teleport! Use tab, then check the lower left...

  • Undertaking : -
  • Below : -
  • In her Wake : -
  • Storming the gates : -
  • The Cost of Knowledge : One finished, teleport back to Yelesna, it's the fastest way to the next quest.

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The first "boss" you'll be facing! This is a good measuring stick to see what your build is lacking, so you can adjust a bit.

  • Wayward : Teleport to Yelesna, if you're still in the dungeon.
  • Shroud of the Horadrim : I've leveled many characters and the exit is somewhat randomly placed (from a pool of possible ones).
  • Fledgling Scholar : After the boss, there's a 'gate' you can take to see Neyrelle. Once finished, teleport to Kyovashad to take Lights Guidance campaign quest

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Make sure you have the Beast Tribe Refuge waypoint before going ahead!

  • Lights Guidance : Your questline "breaks" here, and you have to go to Kyovashad to pick up this quest "manually".
  • Kor Valar : Before going to Kor Valar unlock the Beast Tribe Refuge. Exit east of Kyovashad, and unlock Bear Tribe Refuge waypoint before going to Kor Valar.
  • Pilgrimage : Remember to GET the idols before walking to the next objective. After Pilgrimage, teleport to the Bear Tribe Refuge to get to Kor Valar faster.
  • Lights Protection : Once done talking to Prava, Teleport to Bear Tribe Refuge or Yelesna and head towards the next quest (Go the path where the map is LESS revealed so you can unlock some locations while walking)

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Lilith's Lament is pretty cool, right? You got this! To teleport out of these "dungeons" press tab to access the map and see the lower left.

  • Crossing Over : Teleport to either Yelesna or preferably Bear Tribe Refuge (so you can reveal more map). Remember right clicking for advanced quest tracking!
  • Descent : Some classes and builds might have problems with the boss Lilith's Lament. See the class specific leveling guides for help. Once finished, teleport to Yelesna to get out of here and take the next quest.
  • Lights Resolve : Upon taking the quest, it triggers the end of the current beta questline! Good job!

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From here you have 2 realistic choices. Encroaching Shadows (do this first), and Feral Nature.

  • An Unforeseen Visit : FInally made your way to, Scogsglen ey? GJ!
  • Dark Omens : Firebreak Manor Waypoint can now be unlocked, it's on your right!

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This completes this quest branch. Make your way to Feral Nature next!

  • Encroaching Shadows : While Walking, you can unlock Cerrigar Waypoint along the way. And finally, once you get there, you unlock Braestaig Waypoint! Three in one!
  • Exhuming the Forgotten : -
  • Harrowed Lament : Theyre actually marked on the map, haha.
  • Apex of Misery : BOSS Teleport to Braestaig after.
  • Parting Embers : -

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This completes this quest branch, and these will mergo into Buried Secrets.

  • Feral Nature : Right click and track this, as its likely far away. You'll end up at the Trimair Waypoint.
  • The Beast Within : -
  • The Path of Rage : The objectives to break the barrier are marked on the map.
  • Fangs of Corruption : -
  • Stemming the Flow : (I'm unsure if this quest existed, gonna double check on my 2nd run through)
  • :

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  • Buried Secrets : Teleport to Firebreak Manor, it's a long way back if you don't have this Waypoint.
  • In Ruins : -
  • Entomed Legacy : -

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!!! Notes Incoming

  • Shadows over Cerrigar : If the quest name didnt clue you in, Cerrigar in Scogsglen is the waypoint to go to.
  • As the World Burns : BOSS

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!!! Notes Incoming

  • The Spreading Darkness : Farobru Waypoint on the way. You end up at Ked Bardu Waypoint. This splits into two questlines... Whittling Sanity and Suffering Disquiet.
  • Whittling Sanity : The clue is the notebook at the very first entrance to the "house". BOSS dobol
  • Suffering Disquiet : Teleport back to Ked Bardu when you're done!

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!!! Notes Incoming

  • Brought Low : To "enter" Guulrahn you need to climb down the ladder at the cliff.
  • The City of Blood and Dust : This place is kinda huge. Once you get to the prison, unlock the gate by going to the right first.
  • Small Blessings : -

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I think I missed one quest here...

  • Through the Dark Glass : -
  • Descent Into Flame : This boss htis pretty hard.

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!!! Notes Incoming

  • Oasis of Memories : Make sure to get the Tarsarak Waypoint here.
  • Flesh from Bone : -
  • Beneath the Mask : -
  • Piercing the Veil : -
  • Exhumed Relics : -

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!!! Notes Incoming

  • The Prying Eye :
  • A Master's Touch : Can't find the quest marker? It's all the way back at the Church in Kyovashad!
  • Lost Arts : This quest is where I got my mount. I have a feeling mounts are tied to this quest, and not to a level.Teleport to Yelesna, it's the closest Waypoint.

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Waypoint to Tarsarak and make your way over to the next quest.

  • Meeting of the Minds : -
  • Anguish Incarnate : BOSS
  • Eye of the Storm : -

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After getting the waypoint, consider doing side activities if you're feeling weak.

  • The Path Divided : Unlock Zarbinzet Waypoint just here. Quest splits into two paths again here.

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From here you can continue to Witch of the Wastes or Tainted Flesh.

  • :
  • Secrets of the Zakarum : Choose this one first as it unlocks a Waypoint. There's a bunch of dungeons here, you don't need to enter them (yet). Read the quests! Haha.
  • Entomed Hatred :
  • Swamp Hospitality : Wejinhani Waypoint - get it.

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And you're done with this whole branch of quests. Time to take on the other half, Tainted Flesh.

  • Witch of the Wastes : Go to the northern part of the quest area to continue. YOU CANNOT TELEPORT BACK TO TOWN AFTER PICKING UP THE VIAL! I don't know if this is a bug, or intended, but it is what it is.
  • Encumbered Mind :
  • The Cage of Grief :
  • One Step Forward :

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!!! Notes Incoming?

  • Tainted Flesh : Timue is on the eastern side of the quest area.
  • Wrack and Ruin : The "village" is a ruin around the upper left ish side of the quest area. Do not interact with the stone door while mounted, it caused my game to hang.
  • Cold Blood : At the end of the "dungeon" climb the rope that spawns on the right.

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!!! Notes Incoming

  • Judgment of the Swamp :
  • The Serpentine Path : The quest marker here isn't useful... go left / up. There's a "hidden" path there. Keep going left and up follwing the snake body.
  • Dirge of the Mire : Exit is on the southeast. A marker shows up once you're near.
  • The Slow, Beating Heart : Before you head out, unlock the Tree of Whispers Waypoint on the left.

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!!! Notes Incoming

  • A Cold and Lifeless Shore : -
  • Picking Through the Bones : -
  • Beneath the Wine-Dark Sea : If you played Ori, you'll get stressed for a hot second here...
  • Fragments of Mortality : Where to burn the finger? Just wait.

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Here's hoping you took my earlier advice and took the Tree of Whispers Waypoint.

  • On the Precipice : -
  • Knee-Deep in Filth : -
  • A Chorus of Voices : This quest marker was buggy for me. Lorath is on the right of the waypoint. Teleport all the way to Tree of Whispers, and get to it.

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The next area is rough, and has a listed level recommendation of 45...

  • Evil Stirs in Kehjistan : -
  • The Jewel of the East : You enter the quest area from the right side of it. Take the exit from the encampent that points northwest.
  • The Scouring of Caldeum :
  • The Walls Shake : BOSS: Lots of unavoidable damage. You might need to add some defensives to your build if you're struggling, especially with longterm self-healing.
  • Turning the Tide : Unlocks the Imperial Library Waypoint right here.

Both controls at the top and bottom mirror each others functionality. Once initialized, it only shows the current, previous, and next "chunk" of the current campaign quest you're in.

D4 Leveling Notes per Level

Welcome to D4! I suppose I can some important things here in the future, but for now - get hyped for your journey!

Very important systems! both of these priority quests are available in Kyovashad. Potion Upgrading requires herbs you find lying around so try to pick them up when you can. If it wasn't obvious already, the potion upgrade gives you more HP per pot, and it's a pretty impactful upgrade.

In case you haven't noticed, gems now drop for you! Socketing these into gear gives you various bonus stats depending on the gem type and where you socket it into. Sounds familiar right?

Both in Kyovashad as well, Gem "Crafting" allows you to combine gems into higher tiers.

By now you'd have gotten some Obols. Spend them whenever you're about to be capped! Use them to gamble on gear upgrades (usually weapon), or buy keys!

(I have a feeling this is tied to the Campaign Quest Lost Arts instead of level...) The quest Mount: Donan's Favor at Kyovashad will unlock Mounts. Finally. Press Z to get on, Space to speed up, and each class has a special mounted attack.

You might not get the materials for this ASAP, but check the alchemist every so often...

Around this time, depending on Renown levels, you'll be getting your Key Passive. It's an extremely powerful point to spend. You can even consider completely respeccing your build to fit around it. Experiment!

Expecting it at 40, weren't ya?

This is the max level (for now). Grats! Thankfully, the road ain't over yet. Paragon, refining your build... these guides will come soon as well!

Important Notes for Leveling any Class in D4

The next segments are all focused on one thing: important chunks of info for you to keep in mind when leveling up in Diablo 4, regardless of your class. This goes over a bit of a wide array of topics, so I try to clump them up together best I could. While I try to be as complete as I can, I suppose let's start out with the absolute most important notes first.

"How" to level up in D4?

This is a big one. Look, there's many valid ways to play the game and It's easy to get caught up in what's "best". But this is truly unique to each individuals goals. I'll try to give my bit of wisdom on this topic, but I feel I should have a separate guide on this alltogether...

  • Campaign Quests: should be your highest priority, especially if it's your first time leveling in D4. They unlock new areas, systems, priority quests, and I'm guessing will still be important for alts as well. While you can "grind" for EXP, I feel it's not worth it while you still have campaign quests going.
  • Priority Quests: These unlock usually by level. Get them done asap as they introduce and unlock new systems and content for you! They're called priority for a reason.
  • Renown: This is related to the next point about pacing. I highly suggest NOT going full ham completion mode for Renown farming on your first go. TLDR: Get high impact things like Lilith Statues, Strongholds, and good Aspects from some dungeons - save the completion for another "task".
  • Pace? Completionist, or Rush to Endgame?: This is another huge discussion. I'll try to summarize my thoughts here. Do the most impactful things as you level up - and this might be different per person! Get the good aspects from a dungeon here and there, get Strongholds that have waypoints. Honestly prioritize your fun. Going full on completionist on your first ever character is something I DO NOT RECOMMEND - but don't let me stop you. Full on race to endgame is a little iffy as well. Somewhere in between is where most people will be happy!

The Right Build, Respeccing on the Go

Have a balanced build "template" You want a build with all the most "impactful" and synergistic skill point investments first. Good damage, and small but meaningful investments into survivability and mobility are hallmarks of a great generalist leveling build. Thankfully, that is exactly how I setup the leveling builds in each class-specific leveling guide.

Respec as you need it. This is "optional", but a few adjustments to your build can really cover your weakspots. Got too much DPS but are dying? Invest into some defense. Steamrolling? Get some speed. Boss getting the best of you? ADJUST!

In the class-specific leveling guides I talk about options you can have with your build. A little experimentation goes a long way, since I can't know your exact situation. Same goes with respeccing, for example, Sorc Enchantments, Rogue Specialization, or Druid Boons are another thing you can change to help out where you're lacking.

Best Aspects for Leveling

The codex of power, gives us access to quite a few aspects. While a little more useful for alts, your first character can even benefit from these.

The holy trinity of general all-class Aspects Okay, so there's a concept I have that everyone should follow. Have"three of your best generic aspects, on Amulet > Ring > Ring - and You can share them on all characters you'll level up" . Let's disect this a bit. Which aspects am I talking about, and why on Amulet and Rings?

So what are the three best generic aspects for leveling up? (these are in the Codex!)

  • Edgemaster's Aspect: Skills deal up to X% more damage based on how much primary resouerce you have when cast. Max benefit when it's full.
  • Aspect of the Expectant: Basic skills increase the damage of your next Core skill by X%, stacks 5 times.
  • Rapid Aspect: Basic skill gain X% more attack speed. (This is the most replaceable one I suppose)

These three synergize amongst themselves amazingly. I can name a few more, but these three stand out by being useful for ALMOST all builds out there while leveling up. I'd struggle to imagine a setup that wouldn't want these three, at such a low cost of accessory slot stats!

Why amulet and rings?(and possibly gloves) Two main reasons:

  • Can be used on all classes: Amulets and rings have no class restrictions!
  • Negligible stat loss: Rings, "basically" give intrinsic resists, and the usual stats. It's not like you're losing huge chunks of armor or weapon damage by using low level accessories. Yeah, resists are important, but having these while leveling up is probably better.

Basically, always try to have your best aspects (that can be imprinted on Amulet / Rings) on them at all times. It may not always be X on Amulet and Y/Z on rings for all classes and builds, but you always want your best one on the amulet, and your next best 2 on your pair of rings. If all else fails, falling back to the "holy trinity" of leveling aspects will always be giga value of heavens.

Class Specific aspects? Of course every class may have a few general aspects (or the SPECIFIC build you're on) that might beat out the above mentioned trio. Feel free to use those as a replacement or ON TOP OF the trinity! I don't go into it here, but it's something I talk about in the class-specific leveling guides.

Gloves - the possible 4th slot: You can fit another offensive aspect on a non-weapon slot, and that's gloves. Although the stat-loss is a little heavier. I honestly cannot recommend any general power from the codex right now as the 4th, but there are almost endless possibilities for a great class-specific aspect for this slot.

Leveling Stats and Gear? What's important?

You'll be getting a bunch of gear upgrades in your leveling journey - but how do you know when to change gear?

Armor and Weapon Damage - the big ones: These are your most important stats, and they impact your general power the most. If a weapon has higher damage, it's USUALLY better (check the damage on your skills to be sure). Higher armor value on armor is USUALLY better. If the difference is big, just switch gear right away. If it's a small increase, then you have to look at SUBSTATS.

Substats - good to have: Each class and build combo has substats that are amazing. Don't replace gear as easily if they have a ton of great substats. For example, a +10 weapon damage won't overcome +25% melee damage if you're a melee build. However, don't spend too much time and get bogged down over all the substats. Sometimes you just have to make a decision between replacing a piece of gear or not. If you make a "wrong" decision, who cares - you'll get a new upgrade soon anyway.

Legendaries and Aspects: some aspects are too good to have even if the gear gets old. Sometimes you just have to suck it up, or extract / imprint. This gets rough when your amazing aspect is on your main weapon (which is why you should avoid this scenario by imprinting onto smaller items).

While gear is important and you'll see a lot of it, you shouldn't stress out over choosing the best upgrades each time. Don't unnecessarily stress yourself over it as you're still leveling up anyway!

Summary & Closing

Hopefully our guide about leveling up any class in Diablo 4 gave you some (or hopefully a lot) of useful knowledge. This guide covers quite a bit of info regarding leveling up, but thankfully it's not something you need to read often! Learn the ways once and check back every so often for new tidbits!

Done with D4 General Leveling Guide? Other useful related Links:

This guide is meant to be used WITH the D4 Class specific Leveling Guides:

Finished the leveling process? See:
Transitioning to endgame (Fresh Level 50 character) guide.

That's about it for now, I'll add more to this as time goes by, but here's hoping you find this useful! GL leveling up in Sanctuary!