Infernal Horde Guide: Diablo 4’s New Season 5 Mode
A new horrifying new Diablo 4 Infernal Hordes game mode is waiting in the depths of hell in Diablo 4’s upcoming Season 5. A time-limited Horde-based game mode that revolves around choosing positive buffs that come with downsides similar to traditional Roguelikes or Gauntlet survival games like Vampire Survivors.
Even though it is set to be a Season 5 feature, you’ll be able to test it early in the upcoming PTR.
Although Season 5 features will be available on all platforms, the upcoming PTR will only be available on PC. It will not be available on Xbox, PS5, or PS4.
How Infernal Hordes Work
Like most mechanics in Diablo 4, Infernal Hordes will not be a strictly end-game-focused mechanic. You’re able to participate in Infernal Hordes as early as World Tier 3. World Tier 3 is when Infernal Compasses start dropping; these work similarly to Nightmare Dungeon Sigils. They’ll open up a Dungeon that you’ll enter to start an Infernal Horde.
- Infernal Hordes have time-limited waves that last 90 seconds each.
- After each wave, you’ll be given time to kill the remaining enemies and then be given a choice between three Infernal Offers. We’ll speak about these in the Infernal Offers section.
- During the wave, monsters will drop a new currency known as Burning Aether; this will be spendable at the end of a successful Infernal run.
- Once you’ve successfully finished all waves, you’ll advance to the boss stage, where you’ll meet the Fell Council. Once they’re defeated, you’ll be allowed to spend your Burning Aether.
Infernal Hordes Questline
Now, before you can enter the Infernal Hordes, you first need to complete the newly added Questline; this will also give you a free Infernal Compass.
The quest, The Eyes of the Enemy, can be found in the town of Zarbinzet in Hawezar; to finish it, follow the NPCs and the quest pointers.
Keep in mind that The Eyes of the Enemy Questline for Infernal Hordes must be started on World Tier 3.
Infernal Compass
Infernal Compasses can currently be obtained in a number of ways. The first place is the new Questline, but Compasses can also be found by defeating Endgame Bosses, Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons and Whispers.
An Infernal Compass is similar to Nightmare Dungeon Sigils; it will open up a portal for you to enter an Infernal Horde directly. Infernal Compasses start as either Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 and can be upgraded in Tiers with an Abyssal Scroll all the way up to Tier 8. Tier 8 is the maximum Tier a Compass can upgrade to
Abyssal Scrolls will drop inside of an Infernal Horde from the Spoils of Material chests and thus can be obtained early from Tier 1 Compasses.
Each Infernal Compass Tier will increase the number of waves in an Infernal Horde. Tiers 1 to 3 will consist of 5 waves, and every Tier after will add an additional wave to a maximum of 10 waves at Tier 8.
- Tier 1
- These will be available in World Tier 3.
- Tier 2
- These will be available in World Tier 4 and will start including bonus Affixes, which increase crafting materials, legendaries and Unique drop rates.
- Tier 3
- Tier 3 Compasses will be available at Level 100.
- They’ll include bonuses to Affixes as well as Spoils of Greater Equipment.
- Spoils of Greater Equipment will guarantee a Greater Affix
Infernal Offer
During a run, once you’ve defeated a wave, you’ll be presented with three offers. These offers will bestow one Boon and one Bane. These will inevitably increase the difficulty of your run but increase the rewards.
- Example Boon & Bane:
- Elite Damage Increased, and Elites grant increased Burning Aether.
Each completed wave will grant you an additional Infernal offer, and these will stack through the entirety of your run, so be sure to make the right choice!
Burning Aether
Burning Aether will be a new currency added in Season 5 for use in Infernal Hordes. It works similarly to Abberant Cinders. You’ll collect Burning Aether from slain Aether Friends, Aether Lords, Soulspires and Aetheric Masses, which are all found within an Infernal Horde.
Burning Aether is accumulated individually, so when playing in a party, you’ll have your own currency to spend on rewards at the end of a run.
Horde Bosses, The Fell Council
Once you’ve survived all the waves in an Infernal Horde run, you’ll be met by the Fell Council. Originally a group meant to protect us from the Prime Evil Mephisto during Diablo 2, they’ve since been corrupted and twisted to become Demons.
- There are five members of the Fell Council in total.
- Each member has its own unique abilities, so each one is distinguishably different.
- Every time you reach the Fell Council, you’ll fight 3 of the members at random. This allows for multiple varied encounters, totalling ten different encounters.
- Once you’ve inflicted enough damage on the Fell Council, they’ll become more frenzied in their attacks, increasing the difficulty of the fight.
- Once defeated, you’ll finally be able to spend your Burning Aether on some Spoils of Hell.
Spoils of Hell
After you’ve successfully completed a run and defeated the Fell Council, you’ll be given the option to spend your Burning Aether of Chests, which is similar to how you spend Cinders during Helltides.
There will be four different chests available, and the choice of what you open is completely yours; there’s plenty to choose depending on what you think you’ll need.
- Spoils of Equipment
- Spoils of Materials
- Abyssal Scrolls will drop from Material Chests.
- Spoils of Gold
- Spoils of Greater Equipment
- This Spoil of Hell guarantees an item with a Greater Affix.
I hope you’re as excited for Infernal Hordes as I am. I’m a huge fan of Roguelikes and games like Vampire Survivors myself, so this mode looks like it’ll be quite a bit of fun and, honestly, a nice change considering how similar Nightmare Dungeons and Pitts currently are.
Let me know what you guys think about Infernal Hordes and if there is anything you want to see done or changed in the upcoming game mode.
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