Diablo 4 War Plans Guide: Unlock, Best Routes, & Rewards

Ben Author

Created - 11.07.2026 Updated - 11.07.2026

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War Plans in Diablo 4 is an endgame feature that shows you a bunch of activities found in the game that you can do in succession. These activities include Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, The Undercity, Lair Bosses, Infernal Hordes, and The Pit.

The reason for doing War Plans rather than running those activities by themselves is that you can customize your experience via the nodes that are unlocked by doing them. Of course, some nodes are better than others, which is what we aim to give you in this article.

This is our D4 War Plans Guide, where we teach you how to unlock War Plans and the best nodes to take to give you the ultimate experience.

How to Unlock War Plans in Diablo 4

To unlock the War Plans in Diablo 4, you have to purchase the Lord of Hatred expansion. Even the Standard Edition will do. After that, simply finish the entire campaign.

The War Plans exist because Hell’s forces are still present after the conclusion of the campaign. Hence, this feature is only available immediately after beating the campaign, which takes you anywhere between 5 and 8 hours, depending on how quickly you accomplish the campaign’s objectives.

Best War Plans Nodes in Diablo 4

With the War Plans already unlocked, what should you do next? Well, interact with the War Plans Command Table right next to Tyrael in Temis to get started.

Initially, you will only be given a couple of activities to accomplish. As you continue to do the activities, you will gain experience for those activities, and they eventually level up. Go to your character screen and click the last icon to find the War Plans Activity Trees.

Having said that, what are the best nodes to take for War Plans in Diablo 4? Here are our recommendations:

Helltides

Helltides are the best in Diablo 4 right now. They provide a ton of EXP, and are the go-to activity if you want to reach Paragon Level 300 as soon as possible.

Here are the nodes that you should take for the Helltide Activity Tree in order:

1. Hellmouth: This “supercharges” Hellywyrms in Helltides by spawning Chaos Rifts, Bloodseekers, or Maggots every time they emerge. You definitely want the Maggots because they drop Experience Orbs when killed, which grant huge amounts of EXP.
2. Writhe and Rot: This will force Hellwyrms to only spew out Maggots instead of creating Chaos Rifts or spawning Bloodseekers. Occasionally, a Pang of Duriel will spawn and drop Lair Keys when slain.
3. Bursting Brood: Taking this node will have Maggots and Pangs of Duriel drop Boss Trophies, which should help you gear up your character pretty quickly.
4. Tainted Shrines: Search for shrines when you have this node because it will double the amount of threat you gain from defeating enemies. The higher your threat level is, the more frequent Hellwyrms emerge in Helltides.
5. Hated Foe: Increases monster power by one, making it harder, thus granting more EXP.
6. Meat Brothers: Butchers will spawn in Helltides that have a chance to drop Profane Mindcage when killed. The Profane Mindcage is a consumable item that increases the monster power of enemies in the overworld by one when used.
7. Night Terrors: Makes Hellborne spawn in Nightmare Dungeons. They have a small chance of dropping the Profane Mindcage.

Nightmare Dungeons

Nightmare Dungeons are a close second when it comes to popularity among War Plans activities in Diablo 4. So, which nodes should you take?

1. Waking Spoils: Spawns a War’s Bounty Chest after killing the boss, which drops D4 items when opened.
2. Dread Revival: Grants a small chance for Nightmare Dungeon bosses to be revived. This is another good way to get gear early on in your endgame progression.
3. Recurring Nightmare: Gives a small chance for bosses to drop an Escalation Sigil when killed. Recurring Nightmare also increases the monster power of NMD bosses by one.
4. Branching Pathways: Since the current season of D4 now has Escalation Nightmare Dungeons on the War Plans, this is a must-take for sure. Branching Pathways now makes 2 additional Horadric Portals appear when defeating the first three bosses in an Escalation Sigil. This gives you more choices for rewards you want to get in the next dungeon in sequence.
5. Goblinfall: Treasure Goblins inside NMDs have a small chance to drop a Nightmare Sigil with the “Treasure Breach” affix. When you run this particular Nightmare Sigil, a bunch of Treasure Goblins of various kinds will spawn in the area for you to kill.
6. Horadric Hunter: Every time you kill 25 elite monsters in Nightmare Dungeons, a Horadric Altar will appear. Interacting with it may result in summoning more elites, treasure goblins, or The Butcher, among others.
7. Greed is Good: Killing a Treasure Goblin in NMDs will spawn a portal that takes you to a land full of Treasure Goblins (called the Goblin’s Retreat). This is quite a rare occurrence, so set your expectations accordingly.

Lair Bosses

Lair Bosses are a great source for Diablo 4 unique items. If you are farming for uniques, here are the Lair Boss nodes you should take for your War Plans:

1. Lair of Runes: Increases the monster power of Lair Bosses by one. This node grants Lair Bosses a relatively high chance of dropping rarer runes as well.
2. Lair of Plenty: Spawns another hoard chest after killing the Lair Boss. This is great if you have a lot of spare keys (and for gearing your character in the endgame).
3. Out of the Cold: The Beast in Ice will occasionally spawn in Nightmare Dungeons. Defeating it in the dungeon forces it to drop some of the unique items from its drop pool.
4. Dog of Astaroth: Astaroth’s dog companion, the Amalgam of Rage, will occasionally spawn along with the Nightmare Dungeon boss. When it does, killing it drops some of the unique items from Astaroth’s boss loot table.
5. Two by Two: Opening a hoard chest can sometimes spawn a Nemesis Lair. Inside the Nemesis Lair are two random Lair Bosses that drop a significant amount of loot when defeated.
6. Greater Nemesis: Defeating the bosses in the Nemesis Lair may sometimes open another portal. This time, to the Greater Nemesis Lair. As the name implies, this area only spawns Greater Lair Bosses, including Andariel, Duriel, the Harbinger of Hatred, and The Butcher.
7. Ultimate Nemesis: Sometimes, killing all the bosses inside the Greater Nemesis Lair spawns the Call of Evil. Sacrificing 3 Superior Lair Keys opens a portal to the Ultimate Nemesis Lair, where you have to fight Azmodan, Andariel, and Duriel at the same time, with Belial providing support fire. Only attempt the Ultimate Nemesis Lair if you are sure that your D4 build can handle all four of their might combined.

The Undercity

The Undercity is still popular in the current season of Diablo 4, whether you are leveling up your character or gearing it up for the endgame. Here are the best Undercity nodes to take in succession:

1. Jade Epiphany: Drops Experience Orbs when you gain an attunement level (max 4 per run). Experience Orbs help you level up your Paragon, though the experience they provide dwindles after Paragon Level 250.
2. Endless Swarm: Invasion Portals will now appear when this node is taken. Various monsters can spawn from these Invasion Portals, which makes it easier for you to gain attunement in your Undercity runs.
3. Unfortunate Souls: Invasion Portals now spawn Wisps that attach to you until the end of the run. After defeating the Undercity boss, these wisps reward you with Forgotten Souls and crafting materials, which are useful in upgrading your gear through Tempering and Masterworking.
4. Gutter Filth: Activating a beach on the Undercity has a chance to summon a Portal Prankster. Killing this rare treasure goblin grants additional rewards after killing the Undercity boss.
5. Last Gasp: Killing enemies in the Undercity with less than five seconds remaining will double the amount of time you earn. This does not matter much when you are using a relatively fast build, though it does help in certain situations.
6. Bauble Day: If you kill a Portal Prankster, a Cabochan Merchant will appear after killing the Undercity boss. This merchant sells runes and gems for D4 gold, which is good if you are still looking for the right runes for your build.
7. Idols of War: Taking this node will make Greater Tributes of Armament spawn more frequently when doing other activities in Diablo 4. Put five of these tributes in the Horadric Cube to craft a Mythic Tribute of Armament, which significantly increases your chance of obtaining Mythic Uniques.

The Pit

The Pit is always an important activity in Diablo 4 because it is the only avenue where you can get glyphs and upgrade them in the game. Here are the best nodes for The Pit:

1. Choron’s Haste: Grants two glyph upgrade chances if you finish The Pit in less than five minutes.
2. Choron’s Blessing: This node straight-up increases your glyph upgrade chance by one; no conditions needed.
3. Heart of Stone: An item you can pick up called the Heart of Stone is available near the spawn point in The Pit. Carrying the Heart of Stone with you will force enemies to sometimes drop bonus Progress Orbs when killed, thus making your Pit runs a lot faster.
4. Pit Butcher: The Butcher will sometimes hunt you down inside The Pit. He is considered a guardian, so killing him successfully completes the run. Taking this node is good because The Butcher can occasionally spawn within two minutes while you’re in The Pit, causing you to finish the activity in record time.
5. Choron’s Favor: This node causes The Butcher to spawn more regularly at higher Pit Levels. The Butcher spawns more prevalently at Pit Levels 80 and above with Choron’s Favor allocated.
6. Damned Thieves: Spawns Orb Thieves when you are in The Pit. These drop progress orbs when killed, which could help you finish The Pit very quickly. You can even take this node first before Choron’s Favor if you want.
7. Choron’s Soul: After defeating the boss inside The Pit, Choron’s Soul will spawn alongside the Awakened Glyphstone. You can sacrifice a glyph upgrade chance to get Progress Orbs, which now grant experience when picked up.

Infernal Hordes

Among the many War Plans activities in Diablo 4, the Infernal Hordes are the least favorite. This is because of the time investment it requires from you in every run.

Be that as it may, here are the nodes you should take if you like to do Infernal Hordes as part of your War Plans strategy:

1. Exalted Council: Increases the monster power of the Fell Council and Bartuc by one. This node also causes these bosses to drop additional loot when killed, which is good for early endgame gearing.
2. Method and Madness: This is a travel node only because its effect is not that noteworthy at all. But in case you’re interested, this makes Infernal Offerings share a category with your previous choice.
3. Total Chaos: Makes Chaos Waves appear more often, though your Infernal Offering is reduced by one. Having only two Infernal Offerings is not bad because Infernal Hordes is a very easy activity anyway.
4. Council Coffers: A new reward chest called the Chest of Talismans will spawn when you defeat the Fell Council or Bartuc. This is great if you are still looking for the right talismans for your D4 build with perfect stats.
5. Infernal Hoard: A new reward chest called the Hoard of Greater Equipment will spawn at the end of the run. This chest contains tons of D4 items, including gear, gem fragments, and keys.
6. Bedlam: Upon entering a Chaos Wave, you gain 50 Burning Aether right off the bat, and all monsters that you encounter gain one monster power. The effect of this can be truly felt when the Chaos Wave spawns treasure goblins.
7. Cult of Annihilation: Doomsayers will start to appear during Infernal Hordes runs. They are dangerous enemies, but they drop Burning Aether when killed. For a 6-Wave Infernal Hordes run, the Doomsayers could help you get to 666 aethers to fight Bartuc.

Tree of Whispers

The Tree of Whispers gains experience whenever you turn in 10 Grim Favors. This should be easy if you are diligent in running your War Plans.

That said, here are the best Tree of Whisper nodes to take for your D4 War Plans:

1. Tree of Plenty: Adds a fourth Whisper Cache choice every time you turn in 10 Grim Favors.
2. Fortune or Famine: This increases the likelihood of Greater or Ancestral Caches to appear from the Tree of Whispers, though it also makes junk appear among the choices on occasion.
3. Grim Mysteries: Replaces Collection of Chaos with Collection of Mysteries, which can drop any item in the game. This only affects the Collection of Chaos every time it spawns.
4. Resplendent Favor: Opening Tree of Whisper Caches can sometimes drop a Resplendent Spark. Take note that this is a rare occurrence, so if you are not getting sparks despite opening a bunch of caches, then you could forgo this one in favor of another node.
5. Corrupted Roots: Corrupted Roots will sometimes be offered by Whisper Caches. You can plant these roots in Helltides or Nightmare Dungeons, and they drop loot when they fully mature.
6. Roots of Power: This node makes Corrupted Roots yield double rewards when planted in Helltides. Enemies that are drawn to the roots gain one monster power as well.
7. Headrotten Feast: Headrotten bosses that spawn and are drawn to the roots have one monster power, and drop a Whisper Cache when slain.
8. Bonus: Grim Retribution: Take this node if you don’t like Resplendent Favor. Grim Retribution causes a “Whisper Ambush” to occur when completing a Whisper. Killing enemies from this supposed ambush causes them to burst out items from a Collection of Chaos, which may contain gear, crafting materials, and keys.

FAQ

What are the Current Best War Plans Activities in Diablo 4?

First place goes to Helltides, second is Nightmare Dungeons, and third is Lair Bosses.

Which Activity Should I Choose for Fast Leveling?

Helltides, especially with the first two nodes in the center of the activity tree allocated. The maggots that the Hellwyrms spawn create Experience Orbs that grant a ton of EXP.

Do I Need to Have the Lord of Hatred Expansion to Get War Plans?

Yes. This is because the War Plans are only accessible after beating the LoH campaign.