Nightmare Dungeons are a new endgame feature in Diablo 4 that offer challenging and rewarding runs with random affixes. However, not all of them are equally efficient for leveling up your character. In this guide, we will rank the best Nightmare Dungeons for XP farming and explain what makes them stand out.

What are Nightmare Dungeons?

Nightmare Dungeons are modified versions of normal Dungeons marked by extra random afflictions and a scaling difficulty setting. There are two separate groups of Nightmare Dungeons, one for each of the endgame World Tiers. Sigils are required to open them. These can be found or crafted at the Occultist.

How to Access Nightmare Dungeons?

Nightmare Dungeons become available in World Tier 3, after you’ve completed the campaign and the first Capstone Dungeon. When playing on the Nightmare difficulty, you’ll find Nightmare Sigils: consumables that are found in your inventory and can be used to access Nightmare Dungeons. Nightmare Sigils correspond to specific dungeons and can only be used to access that dungeon. They also come with randomly rolled positive and negative affixes that add one specific benefit and multiple debuffs to create an additional challenge.

Nightmare Dungeon Tier List

There are five Nightmare Dungeons in Diablo 4 that can be considered S-Tier for XP farming. Those dungeons are Aldurwood, Blind Burrows, Champion's Demise, Guulrahn Canals, and Raethwind Wilds, and their high mob density and minimal backtracking are the reasons that they are so good. Additionally, these dungeons are all quite near to their closest Waypoints, minimizing the amount of time that players must dedicate to traveling to them.

Below those five Nightmare Dungeons are Abandoned Mineworks, Crusader's Cathedral, Earthen Wound, and Witchwater, and they can all be considered A-Tier. Indeed, while these dungeons may not be quite as good as those from the previous group, they are still great options for XP farming, and players should be happy any time that they obtain their associated Nightmare Sigils in Diablo 4.

And in the B-Tier are Nightmare Dungeons like Cultist's Refuge, Demon's Wake, Kor Dragan Barracks, Maulwood, Onyx Hold, Renegade's Retreat, Serpent's Lair, Sunken Ruins, Whispering Pines, and Zenith. It is at this level that players may want to consider salvaging Sigils with affixes that are particularly difficult for their builds to address, though it is typically worthwhile to clear these Nightmare Dungeons.

This leaves Ancient's Lament, Black Asylum, Conclave, Dark Ravine, Feral's Den, Guulrahn Slums, Lost Archives, Maugan's Works, Prison of Caldeum, Shadowed Plunge, and Shivta Ruins. While these dungeons could be split between C-, D-, and F-Tier, Diablo 4 players that are farming XP are advised to simply avoid them all. Indeed, with so many other great options available, there is no real reason to spend time on these lesser Nightmare Dungeons.

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Nightmare Dungeon Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks to help you succeed in Nightmare Dungeons:

  • Choose a dungeon that suits your build and playstyle. Some dungeons may have more favorable affixes or layouts for certain classes or skills.
  • Plan ahead and prepare your gear and skills accordingly. You may want to swap some items or runes depending on the affixes or enemies you will face.
  • Use the Occultist vendor to craft higher tier Sigils or salvage unwanted ones. You can also trade Sigils with other players if you want to try different dungeons.
  • Team up with other players if possible. Nightmare Dungeons can be done solo or in a group of up to four players. Having a balanced team can make the runs easier and more fun.
  • Don't give up if you fail. Nightmare Dungeons are meant to be challenging and rewarding. You can always try again or lower the tier if you find it too hard.

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