Diablo IV Nightmare Dungeons Guide

Mowing your way through many dungeons has always been a key part of the Diablo franchise, and this is still the case in Diablo IV. Nightmare Dungeons are a new type of endgame content that tasks you with taking on increasingly difficult dungeons for better and better rewards. Follow our Diablo IV Nightmare Dungeons to find out how this works. 

Check out our guides on Helltide, and Whispers of the Dead to find out more about Diablo IV's endgame content. We also cover how you should be upgrading your gear and the Paragon system.

How to Unlock Diablo IV Nightmare Dungeons

Before starting to unlock Nightmare Dungeons, you must first reach World Tier 3. This is only available once you complete the main story on a character, or by leveling up enough when using an alt character that you've skipped the main story on. Once in World Tier 3, you can start doing the repeatable Whispers of the Dead quest, which has a chance to drop Sigil Dust and Nightmare Sigils.

Diablo IV Nightmare Sigils

Nightmare Sigils are what you need to turn regular dungeons into their nightmare variants. They're stored in the "Consumables" tab of your inventory, alongside elixirs and other items. The dungeon they change will be in the Sigil's name (i.e. the Shadowed Plunge Nightmare Sigil will convert the Shadowed Plunge dungeon), and in the item description. The description will also show other relevant stats that are worth paying attention to:

• Tier - Nighmare Sigils come in a number of Tiers, ranging from 1 to 100. This indicates the difficulty, with higher tier Sigils only available in World Tier 4.
• Revives Allowed - Nightmare Dungeons only allow for a certain amount of deaths across your party before they fail. This starts off at 12, with higher tier Sigils lowering the amount.
• Dungeon Affixes - A number of modifiers that will apply to the dungeon. Affixes in green are positive effects, while normal text is negative. More information on what each affix does can be found when hovering over the Nightmare Dungeon's icon on the world map.

The affixes are the main change between regular and Nightmare Dungeons. They can give enemies buffs when their allies are slain, or cause lightning strikes to target you periodically. Low tier Nightmare Dungeons will only have 3 affixes, with later tiers adding on even more. 

Nightmare Sigils come in 2 Tiers, Sacred and Ancestral. Sacred Sigils can drop in World Tier 3 and have a cap of Tier 20, while Ancestral Sigils drop from World Tier 3 and can go all the way to Tier 100. Enemies can drop Sigils in Nightmare Dungeons, which can potentially be a few tiers higher. This is the cheapest way to get higher tier Sigils, though you eventually unlock the option to craft them.

How to Craft Diablo IV Nightmare Sigils

Upon reaching level 54, you'll unlock the Priority Quest "Sigil Crafting". By following this quest, you'll unlock the option to craft Sigils at Occultists in the main towns. Crafting Sigils costs Sigil Dust, obtained by completing Whispers of the Dead, Nightmare Dungeons, or by destroying unneeded Nightmare Sigils. Crafting higher tier Nightmare Sigils costs progressively more Sigil Dust and Gold.

Nightmare Sigil Crafting List

Diablo IV Nightmare Dungeons Rewards

Upon completing a Nightmare Dungeon, you'll obtain Experience, Gold, and some equipment. You'll also be able to allocate XP to Glyph, items that you place into your Paragon Board for various buffs. The amount of Glyph XP given by Nightmare Dungeons increases based on its Tier. Once a Nightmare Dungeon is completed, it'll turn back into its standard form. Turning a dungeon back into its nightmare variant will require another Nightmare Sigil of the right type.