Infernal Hordes

Unlock and conquer Diablo IV's Infernal Hordes mode. Learn about Compasses, Aether rewards, Aether Events, and strategies for maximizing loot from this challenging endgame activity.

The Infernal Hordes gameplay mode in Diablo IV is unlocked by progressing through the Season of Hatred Rising's story quests. Begin by speaking with Captain Cireska in Zarbinzet to initiate the quest Eyes of the Enemy. After completing this, you will need to finish a series of related quests, primarily involving following a cultist named Locran and defeating demons. Key quests include Inside the Black Tomb and To the Edge of the Abyss. This entire process should take less than an hour, potentially around 30 minutes if you skip dialogue. Upon finishing these quests, you will receive an Infernal Hordes Compass, and the quest The Infernal Hordes will commence. This quest serves as your first run through the Infernal Hordes, effectively unlocking the mode.

To initiate Infernal Hordes events, you must use Infernal Hordes Compass items. These function similarly to Nightmare Sigils and are stored in the “Dungeon Keys” tab of your inventory. Consuming a compass will trigger a specific gameplay event. Compasses can be obtained from various high-end loot sources such as Ubers, World Bosses, Helltide chests, and Tree of Whispers caches, often dropping as supplemental loot.

Consuming an Infernal Hordes Compass opens a portal to an Infernal Hordes event. The primary difference between compasses lies in the number of rounds the event will last: 6, 8, or 10 rounds. Each round lasts one minute and culminates in a boss fight against the Fell Council. During each round, you must complete various objectives to earn Aether, a resource used to open reward chests at the end of the run. During the Infernal Hordes run itself, drops are minimal, mainly consisting of gem fragments and crafting materials. However, you will accumulate Aether.

At the end of the Infernal Hordes run, after defeating the Fell Council, you can spend your accumulated Aether on three types of reward chests:

• Spoils of Greater Equipment (200 Aether): Contains Gear, Rawhide, Iron Chunks, Angelbreath, Veiled Crystals, Abstruse Sigils, Baleful Fragments, Coiling Wards, Forgotten Souls, Scattered Prisms, and Scroll of Restoration. This chest often provides Ancestral legendary or unique gear.
• Spoils of Material (All Aether): Provides Gem Fragments and Obducite.
• Spoils of Gold (All Aether): Rewards Gold.

It is generally recommended to aim for 200 Aether to open the Spoils of Greater Equipment chest for valuable gear and materials. With any remaining Aether, you can open either the Spoils of Material or Spoils of Gold chest. The quantity of rewards from the latter two chests scales with difficulty and Aether spent, but the supplemental drops from ignoring the Spoils of Greater Equipment chest are usually not worth it. For quick loot farming, 6-round Infernal Hordes runs are ideal. 8-round and 10-round runs are better for acquiring Obducite via the Spoils of Material chest.

To start an Infernal Hordes run, kill the Aether Fiend in the center of the arena. You will then have one minute to kill demons and accumulate Aether. While most kills contribute to spawning Aether Events, specific kills grant Aether directly. Aether Events appear on the edges of the arena, indicated by white rings on the minimap and white aether-flame icons when they manifest.

There are three types of Aether Events:

• Aether Fiends: Spawn from a bloody cyst.
• Aetheric Masses: Vile growths that must be destroyed.
• Soulspires: Require killing a set number of enemies (usually 30) within a specific radius.

Clearing an Aether Event typically grants two Aether. Aether Totems are also present within the arena, though their specific effects are not detailed in the provided text.