In Diablo 4, Nightmare Dungeons is a type of endgame activity that presents an interesting twist on a typical ARPG Dungeon-crawling experience. Nightmare Dungeons put the players up against a wide range of obstacles and monsters that scale in difficulty and vary in terms of challenging modifiers.
In this article, you'll learn everything about Diablo 4 Nightmare Dungeons and the rewards you can earn. Read on for the full list of possible Nightmare Dungeon modifiers, as well as strategy tips to keep in mind while diving deeper into the mechanic.
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Nightmare Sigils
Nightmare Sigils are your tickets for the Diablo 4 Nightmare Dungeons. They can drop from the content in the open world (such as Tree of Whispers and the World Boss) starting from the World Tier 3 Nightmare Difficulty. Remember, to enter the Tier 3 you need to complete the Capstone Dungeon in Kyovashad that becomes available after the campaign.
As you progress further into the game, you will gather an abundance of Sigils - and they will also start dropping from the Nightmare Dungeons themselves so you can seamlessy chain them together. Additionally, you can craft Sigils at the Occultist by spending Gold and special currency called Sigil Powder. You can get the latter as a random drop and by disenchanting Sigils you don't want to use.
Nightmare Sigils are stored in your Inventory under the 'Consumables' tab and they can also be placed in your Stash. Right click on the Sigil to activate it - it will transform the regular Dungeon on the map into a Nigtmare Dungeon, and you can ride your mount there to enter it.
Note: Diablo 4 Devs have recently announced that in the future update, Nightmare Sigils will teleport players straight into Dungeons!
Dungeon Tiers
Diablo 4 Nightmare Dungeons have their own way of scaling - the Tier system. The Tier determines the level of the monsters and the difficulty of the Dungeon Affixes (more - below).
Currently there are a total of 100 Tiers of Nightmare Dungeons. Tier 1 through 20 are opened by Sacred Nightmare Sigils that drop in World Tier 3. The rest of them, Tier 21-100 are accessible only after you enter the World Tier 4 - Torment difficulty - by beating another Capstone Dungeon.
Tier 1 Nightmare Dungeon will have level 55 monsters, and the scaling remains linear throughout. It means, if you want to quickly determine what monster level you will encounter in the area, add 54 to the Tier number that is specified on the Sigil (ex. Tier 33 Dungeon will have 33+54=87 level monsters).
Note that not every Dungeon in the game can be transformed into its Nightmare version. Instead, only a certain pool of possible Nightmare Dungeons exists, and it slightly differs depending on whether you're in World Tier 3 (Sacred Nightmare Sigils Dungeon Pool) or in World Tier 4 (Ancestral Nightmare Sigils Dungeon Pool).
Dungeon Mechanics and Affixes
Just like a regular Dungeon in Diablo 4, its Nigthmare version will have a set of objectives you will need to achieve. For example, the Blind Burrows Nightmare Dungeons requires you to find and slay specific Elite monsters called Infested Villagers. After that preliminary objective is done, you will usually be required to enter the arena and defeat the Boss.
What makes the Nightmare Dungeon experience different is the random modifiers that affect the area and the player, which can be both positive and negative. There is always at least one positive affix and up to five negative afflictions - the number of negative ones scales with the Tier of the Dungeon. Additionally, each modifier has three degrees of magnitude - denoted as Magic, Rare and Legendary in the tables below.
Positive Affixes
| Quick Killer | Magic: Killing a monster grants 1.0% Attack and Move Speed. Stacking up to 10%. Rare: Killing a monster grants 1.5% Attack and Move Speed. Stacking up to 15%. Legendary: Killing a monster grants 2.0% Attack and Move Speed. Stacking up to 20%. |
| Reduce Cooldowns on Kill | Magic: Killing a monster reduces your cooldowns by .15 seconds. Rare: Killing a monster reduces your cooldowns by .2 seconds. Legendary: Killing a monster reduces your cooldowns by .25 seconds. |
| Battle Hardened | Magic: Gain 4% damage reduction for every 10% Health you are missing. Rare: Gain 5% damage reduction for every 10% Health you are missing. Legendary: Gain 6% damage reduction for every 10% Health you are missing. |
| Poisonous Evade | Using Evade leaves a pool of Poison behind that damages enemies. |
| Nudging Evade | Using Evade pushes enemies back. |
| Fire Damage | Magic: You deal 5% more Fire damage. Rare: You deal 10% more Fire damage. Legendary: You deal 15% more Fire damage. |
| Frost Damage | Magic: You deal 5% more Frost damage. Rare: You deal 10% more Frost damage. Legendary: You deal 15% more Frost damage. |
| Gold Find | Magic: You find 10% more gold. Rare: You find 20% more gold. Legendary: You find 30% more gold. |
| Increased Critical Strike | Magic: Your Critical Strike chance is increased by 3%. Rare: Your Critical Strike chance is increased by 6%. Legendary: Your Critical Strike chance is increased by 9%. |
| Increased Healing | Magic: Your Healing Received is increased by 5%. Rare: Your Healing Received is increased by 10%. Legendary: Your Healing Received is increased by 15%. |
| Lightning Damage | Magic: You deal 5% more Lightning damage. Rare: You deal 10% more Lightning damage. Legendary: You deal 15% more Lightning damage. |
| Magic Find | You find more items from enemies. |
| Lightning Caller | You occasionally call down lightning strikes that damage nearby enemies. |
| Physical Damage | Magic: You deal 5% more Physical damage. Rare: You deal 10% more Physical damage. Legendary: You deal 15% more Physical damage. |
| Poison Damage | Magic: You deal 5% more Poison damage. Rare: You deal 10% more Poison damage. Legendary: You deal 15% more Poison damage. |
| Shadow Damage | Magic: You deal 5% more Shadow damage. Rare: You deal 10% more Shadow damage. Legendary: You deal 15% more Shadow damage. |
| Control Impaired Explosions | Being hit by Control Impairing Effects creates an explosion around you. |
| Thorns | Magic: Your Thorns are increased by 112. Rare: Your Thorns are increased by 249. Legendary: Your Thorns are increased by 491. |
Negative Affixes
| Avenger | Killing a monster enrages monsters near it, making them dealing more damage. |
| Blood Blister | Killing a monster has a chance to spawn a Blood Blister. After a short time, it explodes, dealing heavy area damage. |
| Death Pulse | Killing a monster releases a deadly lightning pulse after a short delay. |
| Drifting Shade | Drifting Shade chases players. Upon reaching them, it explodes for heavy damage and creates a Nightmare Field that Dazes victims. |
| Empowered Elites - Shock Lance | Elites always have the "Electric Lance" affix. |
| Empowered Elites - Cold Enchanted | Elites always have the "Cold Enchanted" affix. |
| Empowered Elites - Poison Enchanted | Elites always have the "Poison Enchanted" affix. |
| Empowered Elites - Shadow Enchanted | Elites always have the "Shadow Enchanted" affix. |
| Empowered Elites - Suppressor | Elites always have the "Suppressor" affix. |
| Empowered Elites - Teleporter | Elites always have the "Teleporter" affix. |
| Lightning Storm | Lightning gathers above the player. Get into the protection dome to avoid severe outcomes. |
| Nightmare Portal | While in combat, Nightmare Portals open randomly near players, pouring out dangerous monsters. |
| Stormbane's Wrath | Stormbane's Wrath chases players around, releasing deadly pulses when reaching a player. |
| Volcanic | While in combat, gouts of flame periodically erupt near players. |
| Monster Crowd Control Resist | Magic: Crowd Control duration vs monsters is reduced by 20%. Rare: Crowd Control duration vs monsters is reduced by 30%. Legendary: Crowd Control duration vs monsters is reduced by 40%. |
| Monster Critical Resist | Magic: Monsters take 30% less damage from Critical Strike. Rare: Monsters take 45% less damage from Critical Strike. Legendary: Monsters take 60% less damage from Critical Strike. |
| Monster Overpower Resist | Magic: Monsters take 30% less damage from Overpower. Rare: Monsters take 45% less damage from Overpower attacks. Legendary: Monsters take 60% less damage from Overpower attacks. |
| Monster Vulnerable Resist | Magic: Duration of Vulnerable Effects vs monsters is reduced by 30%. Rare: Duration of Vulnerable Effects vs monsters is reduced by 45%. Legendary: Duration of Vulnerable Effects vs monsters is reduced by 60%. |
| Backstabbers | Magic: Monsters near the player deal 50% more damage when attacking from behind. Rare: Monsters near the player deal 100% more damage when attacking from behind. Legendary: Monsters near the player deal 150% more damage when attacking from behind. |
| Monster Attack Speed | Magic: Monsters attack 15% faster. Rare: Monsters attack 20% faster. Legendary: Monsters attack 25% faster. |
| Monster Barrier | Magic: Monsters gain 20% of their Maximum Life as a Barrier. Rare: Monsters gain 25% of their Maximum Life as a Barrier. Legendary: Monsters gain 30% of their Maximum Life as a Barrier. |
| Barrier Breakers | Magic: Monsters deal 50% more damage to Barriers. Rare: Monsters deal 75% more damage to Barriers. Legendary: Monsters deal 100% more damage to Barriers. |
| Slowing Projectiles | Magic: Monster attacks from a distance have a 30% chance to slow targets. Rare: Monster attacks from a distance have a 40% chance to slow targets. Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance have a 50% chance to slow targets. |
| Resource Burn | Magic: Monster attacks from a distance burn 8% of your Primary Resource. Rare: Monster attacks from a distance burn 12% of your Primary Resource. Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance burn 16% of your Primary Resource. |
| Monster Bleeding Damage | Magic: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Bleeding over 5 seconds. Rare: Monsters deal an additional 22% of their Physical damage dealt as Bleeding over 5 seconds. Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 30% of their Physical damage dealt as Bleeding over 5 seconds. |
| Monster Burning Damage | Magic: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Burning over 5 seconds. Rare: Monsters deal an additional 22% of their Physical damage dealt as Burning over 5 seconds. Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 30% of their Physical damage dealt as Burning over 5 seconds. |
| Monster Cold Damage | Magic: Monsters deal an additional 10% of their Physical damage dealt as Cold. Rare: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Cold. Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 20% of their Physical damage dealt as Cold. |
| Monster Shadow Damage Over Time | Magic: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow over 5 seconds. Rare: Monsters deal an additional 22% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow over 5 seconds. Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 30% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow over 5 seconds. |
| Monster Fire Damage | Magic: Monsters deal an additional 10% of their Physical damage dealt as Fire. Rare: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Fire. Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 20% of their Physical damage dealt as Fire. |
| Monster Lightning Damage | Magic: Monsters deal an additional 10% of their Physical damage dealt as Lightning. Rare: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Lightning. Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 20% of their Physical damage dealt as Lightning. |
| Monster Poison Damage | Magic: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Poison over 5 seconds. Rare: Monsters deal an additional 22% of their Physical damage dealt as Poison over 5 seconds. Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 30% of their Physical damage dealt as Poison over 5 seconds. |
| Monster Shadow Damage | Magic: Monsters deal an additional 10% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow. Rare: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow. Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 20% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow. |
| Monster Life | Magic: Monsters gain 20% extra life. Rare: Monsters gain 25% extra life. Legendary: Monsters gain 30% extra life. |
| Monster Regen | Magic: Non-boss monsters regen 1.5% Maximum Life per second. Rare: Non-boss monsters regen 1.5% Maximum Life per second. Legendary: Non-boss monsters regen 1.5% Maximum Life per second. |
| Monster Bleed Resist | Magic: Monsters take 30% less Bleeding damage. Rare: Monsters take 45% less Bleeding damage. Legendary: Monsters take 60% less Bleeding damage. |
| Monster Burning Resist | Magic: Monsters take 30% less Burning damage. Rare: Monsters take 45% less Burning damage. Legendary: Monsters take 60% less Burning damage. |
| Monster Cold Resist | Magic: Monsters take 20% less Cold damage. Rare: Monsters take 30% less Cold damage. Legendary: Monsters take 40% less Cold damage. |
| Monster Shadow Damage Over Time Resist | Magic: Monsters take 60% reduced damage from your Shadow damage over time effects. Rare: Monsters take 60% reduced damage from your Shadow damage over time effects. Legendary: Monsters take 60% reduced damage from your Shadow damage over time effects. |
| Monster Fire Resist | Magic: Monsters take 20% less Fire damage. Rare: Monsters take 30% less Fire damage. Legendary: Monsters take 40% less Fire damage. |
| Monsters Lightning Resist | Magic: Monsters take 20% less Lightning damage. Rare: Monsters take 30% less Lightning damage. Legendary: Monsters take 40% less Lightning damage. |
| Melee Defenders | Magic: Monsters take 20% less damage from close targets. Rare: Monsters take 30% less damage from close targets. Legendary: Monsters take 40% less damage from close targets. |
| Monster Physical Resist | Magic: Monsters take 15% less Physical damage. Rare: Monsters take 22% less Physical damage. Legendary: Monsters take 30% less Physical damage. |
| Monster Poison Resist | Magic: Monsters take 30% less Poison damage.Rare: Monsters take 45% less Poison damage.Legendary: Monsters take 60% less Poison damage. |
| Ranged Defenders | Magic: Monsters take 30% less damage from distant targets. Rare: Monsters take 45% less damage from distant targets. Legendary: Monsters take 60% less damage from distant targets. |
| Monster Shadow Resist | Magic: Monsters take 20% less Shadow damage. Rare: Monsters take 30% less Shadow damage. Legendary: Monsters take 40% less Shadow damage. |
| Monster Life Steal | Magic: Non-boss monsters gain 10% Life Steal. Rare: Non-boss monsters gain 12% Life Steal. Legendary: Non-boss monsters gain 15% Life Steal. |
| Dodge Breakers | Magic: Monster attacks from a distance reduce dodge chance by 8% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 40%. Rare: Monster attacks from a distance reduce dodge chance by 10% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 50%. Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance reduce dodge chance by 12% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 60%. |
| Potion Breakers | Magic: Monster attacks from a distance have 20% chance to disable healing potion for 2 seconds. Rare: Monster attacks from a distance have 25% chance to disable healing potion for 2 seconds. Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance have 30% chance to disable healing potion for 2 seconds. |
| Resistance Breakers | Magic: Monster attacks from a distance reduce resistance by 6% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 30%. Rare: Monster attacks from a distance reduce resistance by 8% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 40%. Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance reduce resistance by 10% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 50%. |
| Monster Thorns | Magic: Monsters reflect 4% of Non-Physical damage. Rare: Monsters reflect 6% of Non-Physical damage. Legendary: Monsters reflect 8% of Non-Physical damage. |
| Armor Breakers | Magic: Monster attacks from a distance reduce your Armor by 5% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 25%. Rare: Monster attacks from a distance reduce your Armor by 6% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 30%. Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance reduce your Armor by 7% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 35%. |
| Unstoppable Monsters | Magic: Monsters become Unstoppable when life drops below 15%. Rare: Monsters become Unstoppable when life drops below 22%. Legendary: Monsters become Unstoppable when life drops below 30%. |
Nightmare Dungeons Rewards
In Diablo 4, Nightmare Dungeons is one of the most rewarding endgame activities. It rewards great experience and loot, including Unique and Legendary Sacred and Ancestral items, but it is also the only way to level up your Paragon Glyphs.
- Experience
As of time of writing this article, the best way to get character XP is to run regular Dungeons, not Nightmare Dungeons. However, in the recent interview, the developers announced the plans to make Nightmare Dungeons more rewarding in terms of raw experience by the end of the Pre-Season. As such, starting from Diablo 4 Season 1 (mid-July 2023) and onwards, Nightmare Dungeons will be a meta way to level up quickly.
- Loot
Nightmare Dungeons boast one of the best drop rates for highest quality items in the game. According to the developer info, the chances to get Sacred and Ancestral Legendaries and Uniques are higher in Nightmare Dungeons as opposed to their regular versions.
In addition to random drops from Elites and Bosses in the area, the player also gets at least two Legendaries as a bonus reward upon the Dungeon completion - directly into their Inventory.
- Glyph Experience
After you finish a Diablo 4 Nightmare Dungeon run, the special totem will appear - click on it to open an interface for upgrading your Glyphs. The amount of XP you can allocate depends on the Tier of the Dungeon. Level up Glyphs to upgrade their direct bonuses. Reach level 15 with a Glyph to increase its radius of effect on the Paragon Board - for a further huge spike of power!
Nightmare Dungeons Tips and Tricks
- Immediately after using a Nightmare Sigil, open the map - it will be centered to the Nightmare Dungeon's location which you can pin for easy navigation.
- For optimal XP, run Diablo 4 Nightmare Dungeons with monsters that are exactly three levels higher than you.
- To quickly determine which Tier is best for your character, substract 51 from your level. Ex: you are level 62, meaning the optimal Tier to run is 62-51=11.
- Disenchant Sigils at the Occultist that have too low of a Tier for your character, as well as those with modifiers that your build can't run.
- Once you have enough Sigil Powder, use Occultist to craft several Sigils of an appropriate Tier.
- To optimize for time efficiency, group your Dungeon runs by Regions (using the sort button in your stash will sort Nightmare Sigils based on the Region the Dungeons are located in). For example, pick several Dungeons located in Fractured Peaks and do them one after another (if you have several Sigils of the same dungeon - even better). Next, pick your Scosglen Sigils and so on. Note that once the Sigil teleport feature goes live, this tip becomes irrelevant.
