Diablo 4 Season 4 Turned The Tables on Helltides

The latest seasonal update to Diablo 4 brings with it a slew of improvements to Blizzard’s ARPG. In particular, the “Loot Reborn” changes arriving as part of Diablo 4‘s Season 4 completely change the endgame for the better, making similar steps toward improving player retention and perception as Diablo 3 did years prior with its Loot 2.0 update. As is typically the case with live-service games, each of the core activities players can participate in throughout Sanctuary receives some overhauls as a result of the arrival of a new season, and no other single activity in Diablo 4 has received as much of a Season 4 “glow-up” as Helltides.

In the span of just a few seasons, Helltides went from a new and challenging endgame activity to something that many players viewed as not worth the time or effort. Season 3 saw Helltides reach their lowest point yet, with both the time necessary to invest and the challenge they provided not equating to worthwhile rewards. Diablo 4‘s Season 4 has completely revamped Helltides almost overnight, taking them from something most seasonal players were avoiding to one of the game’s best and most rewarding activities while introducing new mechanics that make them easier to game.

Helltides Combine With New Tweaks to XP Gain to Become Diablo 4’s Best Leveling Activity

One of the more noticeable changes in Helltides are their value as a quick leveling activity. The rate at which players gain experience and level up in Diablo 4‘s seasons has been a bit of a contentious topic, with Season 1 forcing players through an arduous grind and player dissatisfaction forcing Blizzard’s hand to make regular tweaks and balancing updates. One of the best changes arriving in Season 4 is the XP gains players can get from participating in Helltides, making them one of the more efficient ways to bring a new character to level 100 in no time.

Even though players won’t be able to farm endgame materials for tempering and enchanting gear in the lower world tiers, Helltides still provide significant XP bonuses on Adventurer and Veteran. This makes them an ideal activity to jump right into after rolling a new seasonal hero, and it’s entirely feasible to go from level 1 to 35 in roughly two hours of play on Tier 2 just from running Helltides. In terms of an efficient and solo-friendly path to reaching the endgame, Helltides are currently a player’s best bet.

Diablo 4’s Overhaul to Helltides Makes Them Both More Exciting and Worthwhile

Prior to the changes introduced in Season 4, Helltides were exclusive to World Tiers 3 and 4, making their overhaul one of the best inclusions in Diablo 4‘s newest seasonal update. Aside from them now being available right from the get-go in lower World Tiers and being an excellent way to efficiently level up, Helltides are now more exciting and dynamic thanks to the introduction of the new Threat Meter. The longer players spend in the Helltide, the more likely it is that higher-level threats will begin to show up, dropping some of the greatest potential rewards in the game.

This Threat Meter mechanic present in Helltides indicates the frequency and difficulty of enemy mobs. Players can increase this meter simply by defeating enemies and opening chests using Aberrant Cinders, giving way to greater challenges but better rewards.

Helltides are now just as useful for farming legendary loot as they are for efficient leveling. On higher World Tiers, summoning the Helltide boss (the Blood Maiden) provides players with guaranteed Unique Items and Temper Manuals. Thanks to these small but meaningful changes, Helltides have gone from too much risk for too little reward to one of Diablo 4‘s most impactful activities.