48 articlesIf you’re eager to reach the endgame of Diablo 4 quickly, you’ll need to progress through to Torment 12 difficulty.
Torment 12, also known as Torment XII, is the highest difficulty currently available in Diablo 4. It gives a massive buff to enemies, really putting your build to the test! It’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.
In this guide, I’ll give you various tips and guidelines to help you have a smoother progression through all Torment difficulties.
Leveling and Obtaining Paragon Points
First things first, you’ll need to reach Level 70 to be able to start tackling the Torment I difficulty.
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That said, you can also speed up leveling by taking advantage of the Helltides. For that, you’ll need to have the Hellmouth and Writhe and Rot perks unlocked for Helltides.
By having those unlocked, you’ll be able to encounter a massive amount of Hellwyrms during Helltides. You just need to get your Threat Meter to about halfway completion.
This is helpful because the Hellwyrms and their Maggots are a fantastic source of XP. So, start hunting them down once they spawn and you’ll be able to gain a massive amount of XP. You can use a community website, such as Helltides.com, to help you find their locations.
Now, this method isn’t just for XP! It’s also great for obtaining Paragon Points to progress your Paragon Board. This is key to progressing through the various Torment difficulties. So, make sure to use this method to power yourself up when you need to.
On that note, make sure to grab Legendary Nodes that fit your build in the Paragon Board and level up your Glyphs when possible. These are sources of massive power spikes, and you’ll need them as you go to higher Torment difficulties. Prioritize them over other parts of the board.
Unlocking Torment Difficulty
Once you’re at Level 70, get a full set of 850 Item Power gear and you should be ready to unlock Torment I difficulty.
You can do that by completing the Capstone Dungeons for Season Rank I and Season Rank II. The Season Rank page shows you the Capstone Dungeons and their location.
Completing Season Rank II’s Capstone Dungeon will allow you to enter The Artificer’s Pit. Access it from The Artificer’s Obelisk at Cerrigar (Scosglen) or Temis (Skovos), as shown above.
Your goal here is to clear up to Tier 10 of The Artificer’s Pit. Doing so will allow you to move up to Torment I difficulty, which you should do as soon as possible! It’s definitely harder, but it also has better rewards.
One of the most important benefits of higher Torment difficulties is that you can get Ancestral gear. This type of gear is some of the best in the game and becomes more common as you go higher on the Torment difficulties.
Now, gearing up is a process in and of itself at this point in the game. If you want more help with that, check out our Season 14 gearing guide. It tells you what type of content is best for gathering Ancestral gear.
The gist of it, however, is to focus on Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, Escalating Nightmare Dungeons, and the Glints of Hope reputation board. Purveyors of Curiosities are also a good source for higher Torment difficulties.
Unlocking Higher Torment Difficulties
Now, unlocking higher Torment difficulties works more or less the same as unlocking Torment I. That means that it’s all dependent on reaching higher tiers of The Artificer’s Pit.
To speed up your progress, make sure to use a build that is fit for quickly clearing through The Artificer’s Pit. For example, check out the Apocalypse Warlock build.
Speed is pretty important in The Artificer’s Pit, as you can unlock more tiers depending on how much time you have left at the end of a run. The more time you have left, the more tiers unlock at once, up to 3 tiers at 6 minutes or more left.
With that said, here are the Torment difficulties and when they unlock:
- Torment I – Tier 10
- Torment II – Tier 15
- Torment III – Tier 20
- Torment IV – Tier 25
- Torment V – Tier 30
- Torment VI – Tier 40
- Torment VII – Tier 50
- Torment VIII – Tier 60
- Torment IX – Tier 70
- Torment X – Tier 80
- Torment XI – Tier 90
- Torment XII – Tier 100
Realistically, even when you’re trying to rush it with a strong build, reaching Torment XII is going to take some time. Nonetheless, there are some things you can keep in mind to make things smoother.
Guidelines for Smoother Torment Progression
With 12 whole levels of Torment difficulty to go through in Season 14 of Diablo 4, there’s quite a lot to consider as you progress. Thankfully, you can somewhat simplify this by looking for certain key progression areas!
In the following table, I’ll list all of the Torment difficulties as well as specific milestones you should reach in them for smoother progression:
| Difficulty | Toughness Rating | Notes |
| Torment I | 30,000 | Starting difficulty, 850 Item Power and Level 70 should be enough early on. |
| Torment II | 50,000 | |
| Torment III | 80,000 | This is the point where you will notice the a big increase in Ancestral gear drop rates. Consider gearing up once hit this difficulty. Aim to level up your Paragon Board Glyphs to Level 25 by this point, but focus on Legendary Nodes you need first. |
| Torment IV | 125,000 | You should have 70-100 Paragon Points by this point. In this difficulty, aim for clear times of 3 minutes or less for The Pit 25. If you manage that, you’re ready for Torment V. |
| Torment V | 200,000 | |
| Torment VI | 320,000 | By this point, you should have a full Charm set. Either a 5-piece set or a 3-piece + 2-piece, depends on your build. Aim to level up Glyphs to around 50, but prioritize Legendary Nodes for the Paragon Board. Temper good gear and socket Jeweler Gems, but don’t overinvest. |
| Torment VII | 500,000 | |
| Torment VIII | 800,000 | Main thing to note at this stage is to make absolutely sure you have a proper loot filter set up for your build. |
| Torment IX | 1,300,000 | |
| Torment X | 2,000,000 | You should have 160 Paragon Points or more by this point. Glyphs should be level 80-100. Your gear by this point should mostly have your build’s required stats, with little fluff. This is a good point to really focus on Tempering and Masterworking gear. You should have a finalized Charm setup for your build. Torment X is also ideal for farming and gearing up so that you can prepare for XI and XII. |
| Torment XI | 3,200,000 | |
| Torment XII | 5,000,000 | Your build should be pretty much completely finalized, including having all 200 Paragon Points and finalized Paragon Board. If you still struggle on this difficulty after unlocking it, grind in lower Torments for what you need. |
Aside from these guidelines, also make sure to progress through the War Plans at every point. Other than that, what exactly you might need is build dependent.
Wrapping Up
Ultimately, trying to progress through to Torment 12 difficulty in Diablo 4 is quite a challenge, especially if you want to do it quickly.
Nonetheless, I hope the various tips and guidelines I’ve provided can help you better understand what you need at various key progression points.
That said, do note that reaching Torment XII is quite time-consuming, even if you’re rushing and getting lucky drops! Remember to pace yourself so that the grind doesn’t drive you insane, alright?
Found another tip?
Share your extra strategy, correction, or question below. Helpful comments can make this guide better for everyone.