How to unlock Infernal Hordes in Diablo 4 Season 5
Infernal Hordes is the major new feature added in Diablo 4 Season 5, and while it’s mostly front and center, it may not be clear how to unlock it. As a new endgame mode, you’ll want to participate in Infernal Hordes for the greatest seasonal return, so here’s how you can access it.
How to Access Infernal Hordes in Diablo 4 Season 5
To unlock and gain access to the Infernal Hordes endgame activity, you must first reach Level 50 and enter World Tier 3 for the first time. Doing so will give you access to the ‘The Eyes of the Enemy’ questline, which will allow you to participate in Infernal Hordes upon completion. The Eyes of the Enemy begins within Hawezar, technically the final main region of base Diablo 4. If you’re not sure where to find it, look south of Fractured Peaks on your map. From there, head to Zarbinzet and investigate the disturbance occurring in the main plaza area.
How to begin an Infernal Horde in Diablo 4 Season 5
Once you have the Infernal Horde feature unlocked following the quest completion of To the Edge of the Abyss, you should have gained access to an Infernal Compass. An Infernal Compass is required to begin an Infernal Horde, and they function similarly to Nightmare Sigils. To start an Infernal Horde, simply consume an Infernal Compass in your inventory.
Infernal Compasses are a finite resource, so you’ll need to gather more if you want to do more Infernal Horde runs. Thankfully, they are super easy to obtain as a large majority of your standard endgame activities often reward you with these hellish compasses. Infernal Compasses are tiered, again similarly to Nightmare Sigils, and require Abyssal Scrolls to upgrade them.
I’ve personally found them most commonly through opening Helltide Chests amid an active Helltide. Helltides are such a simple activity that only requires you to farm within the small area it’s active, so I’ve found this to be the easiest way to get them in bulk. You can also obtain Infernal Compasses via the Tree of Whispers or just crafting them at the Occultist in a very identical way you would Nightmare Sigils. Regardless of which method you use, you’ll find Infernal Compasses very easy to obtain.
How do Infernal Hordes work in Diablo 4 Season 5?
The Infernal Hordes activity itself is similar to Helltides in that you’ll be facing large numbers of Hell’s denizens constantly. However, unlike Helltides, it is structured around wave-based combat, where you must fend off multiple waves of demons, each wave lasting roughly 60 seconds. To add to the challenge, you can activate Infernal Offers, modifiers that increase both the difficulty and the potential rewards. After successfully surviving all the waves, you must defeat a boss (or bosses) for the final rewards of the activity.
Infernal Horde Rewards
Participating in Infernal Hordes offers several rewards, most notably Burning Aether. This resource can be used to open Spoils of Hell, which contain a variety of valuable items, including potential Legendary/Unique items and Masterwork crafting materials.
The activity is one of the most lucrative and rewarding events you can do in Diablo 4, and is certainly worth your time if you’re looking for a new way to farm high-end loot. The best part about Infernal Hordes is that they are not locked to Seasonal Realms. That’s right. Eternal Realm players can also participate in Infernal Hordes as of the Season 5 update. Thanks to this, it’s reasonable to expect this mode to be actively updated as Diablo 4 gets new content.