Blizzard cranks the dial on Diablo 4's endgame progression so its brutal new dungeons don't tear you apart

Diablo 4 screenshot of vampire hunter Erys looking off screen with a crossbow over her shoulder

(Image credit: Tyler C. / Blizzard)

Next week, Diablo 4 will drop a new endgame seasonal event that is so hard you might not be able to finish the last tier of it. Blizzard demonstrated it on stream yesterday and promised that it would challenge the most powerful builds in the game. Possibly out of mercy, Blizzard will make it much easier to improve your character in the same patch, saving you time and misery as you attempt the Abattoir of Zir.

Patch 1.2.3 will go live on December 5 and will include significant improvements to the speed of leveling up your Glyphs, Diablo 4's endgame progression system. When you hit level 50, you stop gaining skill points and gain Paragon Points instead. As you draw a line of upgrades on your Paragon Board, you can unlock sockets to place Glyphs into. Glyphs let you target specific stats, like Critical Strike Chance or Vulnerable damage, to empower your particular build. And by completing Nightmare Dungeons, you can dole out XP to each of your Glyphs to increase their bonuses.

Despite how much faster Blizzard has made character progression in Diablo 4 since the start of season 2, Glyphs are one of the few remaining things that move at a glacial pace. Glyph XP from Nightmare Dungeons is far too low for how easy it is to push a character to level 100, leaving you with an exhausting grind as you run dungeons over and over to boost the seven or so you use. In the next patch, it won't take nearly as long if you have a good build.

You'll need those Glyphs maxed out to survive the Abattoir of Zir. In the first of its 25 tiers, enemies are 55 levels higher than you. They will hit exceptionally hard and soak up loads of damage. You only have 10 minutes and one life to carve through them and battle the boss. If you can pull it off, you'll get bragging rights and a new Tears of Blood Glyph that will rapidly increase your damage output as you level it up—a huge source of power to help you climb through the tiers.

Although the Abattoir of Zir will go away when season 2 ends, it seems likely that the concept will return each season to give you a way to test the limits of your build.

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Tyler has covered videogames and PC hardware for 15 years. He regularly spends time playing and reporting on games like Diablo 4, Elden Ring, Overwatch 2, and Final Fantasy 14. While his specialty is in action RPGs and MMOs, he's driven to cover all sorts of games whether they're broken, beautiful, or bizarre.