Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred - War Plans Explained
30.04.2026 - 07:48:48
Diablo 4 , Game Guides
Ever since Diablo 4 was released almost three years ago, many players have felt that the endgame is a bit lacking. Sure, S11 enticed players to enjoy the game longer because of the Sanctification Gear System, but the whole approach only lasted a full season, and it went downhill again in S12.
The good thing is that the developers are aware of this problem, and they are trying to address it in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred in the form of the War Plans. What exactly are the War Plans, and should you engage with them? Read further to learn more.
Do you have plans to start D4 Season of Reckoning very soon? If so, you may want to skip the grind by going to our D4 Store, where we have items, runes, and various services on offer to help you reach the endgame much faster!
What Are War Plans in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred?
The War Plans are an endgame feature in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred that lets you select a number of activities that can be run in a sequence. These activities are:
- Helltides
- Nightmare Dungeons
- The Undercity
- Infernal Hordes
- Lair Bosses
- Tree of Whispers
- The Pit
When you have selected an activity that requires keys to enter (such as Nightmare Dungeons, The Undercity, and Infernal Hordes) and you don’t have any, the War Plans will gladly provide you with a basic key for each of them so that you can enter those activities without a hitch!
Once you have created your War Plans, a message will show up on the screen that will ask you whether you want to initiate the playlist right now or at a later time.
If you decide to do something else for the time being (like getting the best D4 items before heading out), don’t worry. The option to teleport to the first activity on your War Plans playlist is visible at the bottom-left portion of the map screen.
Now, I just want to be clear with one thing here, as there seems to be some misconceptions about the War Plans feature. You see, the activities that are presented to you when you interact with the War Plans Command Table are already pre-determined for that particular playlist. This means that you can only choose from that specific set of activities, and that you’re not able to create a playlist from scratch.
How to Unlock War Plans
The War Plans feature is unlocked after completing the main campaign of LoH. When you’ve finished the campaign, head back to Temis to find the War Plans Command Table, which is situated near the center of the city. This will serve as your “base of operations,” where you can create your own War Plans playlist.
You are going to begin your War Plans progression with only two activities to choose from. You can unlock more nodes as you continue to complete more activities in a playlist. Eventually, you’ll be able to select five activities in a playlist as shown in the screenshot above.
How the War Plans System Works
Completing a particular activity within the War Plans playlist grants EXP toward the progression of that activity’s tree. For example, finishing a Helltide run within the playlist gives you experience points for the Helltide Activity Tree.
There are seven different trees that correspond to each of the endgame activities mentioned earlier. Additionally, each activity tree can be leveled up to Level 7, which means that you only have seven points to spend per tree. That’s why you must choose your nodes wisely for the most optimal farming experience.
War Plans Rewards Explained
So, what can you get from completing a War Plans playlist? Well, aside from experience points (for you and your WP progression), you will also receive any of the following:
- Weapons
- Equipment
- Crafting Materials (like Obducite)
- Cube Spoils (Horadric Cube materials)
- Gems
You will actually see a glimpse of the rewards you can obtain just by hovering over an activity in your War Plans playlist.
With the introduction of the War Plans, you should never do activities outside of the said feature anymore because you’re actually not getting the most out of your experience playing Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred!
So, if you want to farm Obducite from The Undercity or Nightmare Dungeon, only do these activities from the War Plans!
Best Nodes on War Plans Activity Trees
In this section, I will go over some of the nodes that you should allocate for each of the War Plans Activity Trees.
Helltide Activity Tree
Ashes to Ashes
Aberrant Cinders are a type of currency that you can only get by defeating monsters in Helltides. These are used to open the Helltide Chests (aka Tortured Gifts), which are required to further your progression in the Season of Reckoning.
That said, Ashes to Ashes is a node on the Helltide Activity Tree that allows you to gain 10 additional Aberrant Cinders for every 100 cinders you obtain during the said activity. You just have to make sure that you won’t die until the completion of the Helltide. Otherwise, you will lose all of your Aberrant Cinders as a result (rather than just 50%).
Wretched Vermin
If the previous node is too high risk for you, then the Wretched Vermin is a very good alternative. This node will make Demonic Rats spawn frequently in your Helltide runs.
Why are they special? Well, the Demonic Rats drop a ton of Aberrant Cinders when killed, allowing you to easily open many Tortured Gifts in a single Helltide!
The Undercity Activity Tree
Finely Tuned
Tuning Prisms are a necessary material for endgame gearing in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. These are used as an optional item in Horadric Cube Recipes to narrow down the affixes that a piece of gear could get.
Having said that, you will need plenty of Tuning Prisms in the endgame. Hence, you should allocate the “Finely Tuned” node from The Undercity Activity Tree. This node not only allows you to acquire additional Tuning Prisms by the end of the run, but it also ensures that enemies have +1 Monster Power.
Although the increase in Monster Power makes enemies considerably stronger, you will get more lucrative rewards in return.
Jade Epiphany
Jade Epiphany is another node worth talking about. Aside from increasing The Undercity monster power by one, experience orbs will appear every time you achieve a higher attunement level inside the dungeon. This is great if you are still leveling up your Paragon Board.
Nightmare Dungeon Activity Tree
Goblinfall
Treasure Goblins spawn in Nightmare Dungeons from time to time. When you have the “Goblinfall” node allocated, however, not only will a random Treasure Goblin spawn in an NMD run guaranteed (inside the War Plans), but it also provides a small chance that killing that pesky goblin rewards you with a key that has the “Treasure Breach” affix on it.
For those who don’t know, the “Treasure Breach” is an NMD-only affix that pretty much ensures you will encounter multiple Treasure Goblins inside that particular Nightmare Dungeon. So, if you are dying to get tons of crafting materials, then you should definitely take Goblinfall as soon as you advance your progression in the Nightmare Dungeon Activity Tree!
Greed is Good
What is better than the Treasure Breach affix? Well, a portal that transports you to the Goblin’s Retreat, of course! The said place is literally a dungeon that is riddled with Treasure Goblins! If you want to have a chance to visit there, make sure to allocate the “Greed is Good” node on the Nightmare Dungeon Activity Tree.
Waking Spoils
Just finished the campaign, but you’re not fully geared yet? Waking Spoils will help you address that! Waking Spoils is a node that makes a War’s Bounty Chest spawn at the end of a Nightmare Dungeon run. This treasure chest contains a lot of goodies, including gear, gems, and the occasional talismans.
Lair Boss Activity Tree
Lair of Runes
Lair Bosses are a bit daunting to defeat in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, especially if you are not fully decked out with the best gear for your build. However, if you’re powerful enough to kill them with just self-found gear, I highly recommend that you take the Lair of Runes.
The Lair of Runes is a node that significantly raises the chance for runes to drop after slaying a Lair Boss. The runes that actually drop here are those that are highly valuable in the endgame, such as Bac, Igna, Jah, Vex, and so much more.
The Pit Activity Tree
Choron’s Blessing
Glyphs provide you with incredible power, especially if you are able to level them up to their max rank. Every time you complete a single run of The Pit, you only have five chances to upgrade your Glyph (this is reduced to four if you die in the same run).
To increase those chances, you can get Choron’s Blessing—a node on The Pit Activity Tree that effectively increases your glyph upgrade chance by one. While you’re at it, you might as well upgrade the “Urn of Glyphs,” which is a season blessing that also grants an additional glyph upgrade chance (for a total of seven in a flawless run).
Choron’s Haste
If you are playing a very powerful D4 build, then you can allocate Choron’s Haste as well. This node grants an additional glyph upgrade chance for every five minutes left on the timer.
Realistically, this adds two more upgrade chances if you are able to complete The Pit in several minutes! And oh, did I mention that you can combine this with Choron’s Blessing as well?
Tree of Whispers Activity Tree
Tree of Plenty
When you have 10 Grim Favors from completing Tree of Whispers objectives, you’ll be able to select one out of three possible rewards. The “Tree of Plenty” node effectively increases the rewards to four, which may result in an “Ancestral Whisper Cache” if you are lucky.
Resplendent Favor
Resplendent Spark is an endgame crafting material that lets you craft Mythic Items. By allocating the “Resplendent Favor” node, you will have a chance of obtaining a Resplendent Spark when you open a Tree of Whisper Cache. This is actually quite powerful, especially considering that you don’t get Resplendent Sparks that often in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred.
Infernal Hordes Activity Tree
Council Coffers
The new talismans introduced in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred will help unlock the true potential of your build. If you are still looking for talismans to complete your set bonuses, for example, then taking the “Council Coffers” node is a no-brainer.
After defeating either the Fell Council or Bartuc in the Infernal Hordes, a new “Chest of Talismans” will spawn, which drops a ton of random talismans when opened.
FAQ
What Are War Plans in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred?
War Plans are a new endgame feature that lets you select up to five different activities that will be run one after another. You can only select activities from a pre-determined set, which means that you’re unable to create a curated playlist from scratch.
How Do You Unlock the War Plans?
The War Plans become accessible once you have completed the Lord of Hatred campaign. It is located in Temis near the center of the city.
Are War Plans Repeatable?
Of course! In fact, you are encouraged to do War Plans as many times as needed in order to complete all of the Activity Trees.
Is Your War Plans Progression Account-Wide?
No. War Plans progression is tied to a single character. So, if you create alts in the future, you’ll have to finish the nodes once more.
Can I Allocate All Nodes Inside an Activity Tree?
No. You only have seven points to spend on each of the activity trees. Choose your nodes wisely!
Can I Complete War Plans with a Group?
Yes. However, progression only counts toward the member that initiated the War Plans playlist.
Should I Complete War Plans Activities in Order?
Yes. If you do not finish War Plans activities in succession, you will not be able to complete the playlist.
Are War Plans the Only Viable Way to Enjoy the Endgame?
Yes! Never do individual activities outside of the War Plans playlist ever again! Otherwise, you’ll miss out on incredible rewards!