Diablo 4 Season 9 has arrived, and with it comes a major overhaul to how players approach leveling — and thank the High Heavens (or the Burning Hells), it's faster and more rewarding than ever. Whether you're brand new to the world of Sanctuary or a returning demon-slayer looking to optimize your seasonal grind, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to go from level 1 to Torment 4 in just a few hours.

We're talking build selection, campaign routes, dungeon metas, forgotten wisdom, XP mechanics, and a streamlined progression plan to blast through the early game and dive deep into endgame farming. Strap in, Nephalem — let's get to work.

The Fast Track to Level 60: Key Concepts

Before we deep dive, here's the big picture of what's changed and how to take advantage of it:

· Leveling is faster than ever thanks to XP buffs and improved dungeon mechanics.

· Nightmare Dungeons and Forgotten Wisdom drops now provide enormous XP gains.

· Group play can double or quadruple your efficiency.

· Strongholds and campaign missions scale with your level, meaning strategic completion can yield massive XP late-game.

· Season 9 introduces new systems like Escalation that improve pacing and loot quality.

Step 1: Choose the Right Leveling Build

Choosing the right build early on is crucial — not just for power, but for fun. Fortunately, there are several strong leveling builds for every class this season. Here's a list of top-tier options you can't go wrong with:

Rogue

· Flurry: Fast and AoE-friendly.

· Quill Volley: Powerful and reliable.

· Dance of Knives: Fun DoT option for something different.

Sorcerer

· Blizzard: Great crowd control and AoE.

· Chain Lightning: Classic, high-damage, and bouncy.

· Hydra / Flame Wall: Burn your enemies with DoTs and zoning.

Druid

· Trample Slide: Shockwave-style mobility and power.

· Pulverize: Classic bear build, high burst damage, and survivability.

Necromancer

· Minions: Safe, passive, and great for solo.

· Blood Surge: Vampiric AoE powerhouse.

Barbarian

· Double Swing: Pure efficiency.

· Rend / Bleed builds (alternate options for solo leveling).

Pick one that matches your playstyle. All of these builds are tuned for fast leveling, and the differences in speed are marginal. If you want plug-and-play templates, check out guides on sites like eld.gg or buy Diablo IV gold.

Step 2: Campaign or Not?

When you log in and make your shiny new seasonal character, you'll be given the choice: Play the Vessel of Hatred campaign or skip it. Here's the breakdown:

Play the Campaign If:

· You haven't done the expansion before.

· You're leveling solo and want a structured progression path.

· You want to unlock all waypoints and aspects organically.

Zaramos, a top-tier speedrunner, cleared the campaign and hit Torment in under 3 hours. So it's efficient if you know what you're doing.

Skip the Campaign If:

· You're replaying the season or are already familiar with the story.

· You're joining friends or a leveling group.

· You want to immediately dive into dungeons and activities.

Step 3: Prepare Your Character for Maximum Efficiency

Once in-game, here's your pre-grind checklist to make sure you don't waste time:

Grab the Seasonal Quest

Seasonal power progression starts with a quest. Grab it early and knock out the first step so you can start collecting seasonal buffs and items.

Wardrobe & Cosmetics

· Apply your favorite transmog to look stylish while farming.

· Equip your pet (dog or cat) for looting perks.

· Skip the ugly starter gear — Diablo fashion is endgame.

Choose Your Spirit Boon (Druid) or Class Bonus

Make sure to unlock and activate your class mechanic by level 15. If it's bugged, log in with a previous seasonal character, then swap back.

Tempering and Aspects

· Add Close Damage (for melee) or Distant Damage (for ranged) tempers to gear.

· Focus on Max Life for defensive stats.

· Imprint critical aspects onto jewelry, not weapons (since weapons will get replaced often).

Step 4: Buff Up — Elixirs, Incenses & Sigils

Before you dive into the real grind:

· Craft an Elixir at the alchemist: +5% XP buff and minor stat boosts.

· Use Incenses once affordable for bonus XP and power.

· Collect or craft Nightmare Sigils by completing Helltide Whispers or via Enchantress.

Keep your buffs up constantly to Paragon 300.

Step 5: The Nightmare Dungeon Grind

This is where the magic happens.

Why Nightmare Dungeons?

Season 9 introduced Forgotten Wisdom orbs, which grant huge XP boosts in Nightmare Dungeons. The trick? These orbs spawn randomly, but drop more frequently in groups.

Pro Tip: Group leveling is twice as fast (or more) than solo thanks to group orb drops.

What to Do in Nightmare Dungeons:

· Kill everything: Don't skip trash mobs.

· Trigger all events: Extra XP and loot.

· Click every shrine: Massive XP and power boosts.

· Salvage Sigils and reroll for better modifiers: Target dungeons with Forgotten Wisdom.

Grind Nightmare Dungeons from level 1–50 (solo) or 1–60 (in group). This is your fast lane.

Step 6: Stronghold Cleanup After Level 50

Once you hit level 50, a hidden XP exploit unlocks: Strongholds.

Why? Because XP rewards from strongholds scale with level, so clearing them after level 50 is significantly more rewarding than doing them early.

How to Maximize Strongholds:

· Swap back to World Tier 1 to clear them easily.

· Use movement builds or speed elixirs.

· Stack strongholds back-to-back to rapidly push toward 60.

By the time you're done, you'll have unlocked tons of Nightmare Dungeon locations and be within reach of Torment tiers.

Step 7: Hit Level 60 and Transition to Torment

Congratulations — you've hit Level 60! Here's what to do next:

Swap to Torment Difficulty

· Equip better gear.

· Grab a midgame or endgame build and start organizing your Paragon boards.

Gear Check

· Imprint important aspects.

· Apply tempering to weapons and armor.

· Craft and reroll gear to fix weak spots.

· Target new gear in Nightmare Dungeons and Hell Tides.

Start the Pit Push

· The Pit is the ultimate endgame XP farm.

· Run Pits as high and fast as possible — ideally clearing tiers in under 3 minutes in groups.

· If it becomes too hard, fall back to Nightmare Dungeons for farming and materials.

Step 8: The Loop Begins: Endgame Cycle

Here's what your life looks like now at endgame:

1. Run The Pit for XP and glyph upgrades.

2. Farm Nightmare Dungeons for loot and Diablo 4 materials.

3. Grind Hell Tides & Whispers for boss summoning items.

4. Kill Uber Bosses for chase loot.

5. Repeat while optimizing your build.

Conclusion: Season 9 Makes Leveling a Blast

Leveling in Diablo 4 Season 9 isn't just faster — it's more fun. With new XP mechanics, smarter systems, better group incentives, and impactful builds, you can go from zero to demon-slaying hero in just a few hours.

Whether you're racing with friends, grinding solo, or casually exploring Sanctuary's haunted corners, this season rewards efficiency and experimentation. With the right build, a well-planned path, and a bit of grinding, you'll be in Torment 4 and pushing high Pit tiers before you even know it.