Endgame Systems in Diablo IV
1.World Bosses
World bosses are large events found in the open world that you will have to overcome with a large amount of players. There will be three different world bosses available at launch.
2.Nightmare Dungeons
Inspired by Greater Rifts from Diablo III, Diablo IV's Nightmare Dungeons are like regular dungeons but with added challenge when it comes to difficulty and properties of the dungeon. Each Nightmare Sigil corresponds to a specific dungeon. The difficulty levels are tied to the Nightmare Sigils and will go up infinitely, which also determines the rarity of item drops. Dungeon affixes, also found on the Nightmare Sigils, will customize the dungeons by affecting the player, enemies and/or the environment. Here are a few examples of dungeon affixes:
All enemies are invisible unless they are in combat
Double Bosses
These Nightmare Sigils can be obtained by completing missions at the Tree of Whispers. More on the Tree of Whispers can be found in the next section. When you complete a Nightmare Dungeon you will be rewarded with a more powerful Nightmare Sigil.
Preplanning and strategizing will play a big role since you will be able to know the dungeon you are heading into, which monsters you will encounter, the difficulty level, and which affixes you are faced with.
Once you unlock higher World Tiers, new Nightmare Dungeons will be available to explore.
3.Whispers of the Dead - Tree of Whispers
The Tree of Whispers has frequently cycling world objectives, so-called Whispers, displayed on your map, that reward you with experience, gold, and a varying amount of Grim Favors. 10 Grim Favors can be exchanged at the Tree of Whispers for a variety of loot and experience.
The types of Whispers on the map will rotate frequently throughout the day and each will offer a different set of rewards and experience for completing it.
The Whispers of the Dead system will unlock after completing a specific chapter of the main storyline.
4.Helltide
Helltide is a region-wide event that becomes available after reaching World Tier Three: Nightmare difficulty. In these Helltides, the landscape will reflect the demonic activity and monsters will be out in greater force and more difficult, but they will also drop better loot.
Monsters in a Helltide have a chance to drop Cinders, a currency that can be spent to open Helltide Chests that are scattered throughout the region. Helltide Chests reward you with items exclusive to a singular item slot, such as Torso, Legs, or Two-Handed Weapon. If you die while carrying Cinders, they will drop and need to be reclaimed.
5.World Tiers
World Tiers exist to make sure that the difficulty of the world stays on pace with the power of your character level. The difficulty can be changed when entering the game or at the World Tier Statue in major towns. You need to prove yourself to unlock World Tiers 3, 4, and 5, by completing a specific dungeon (with a difficult boss at the end) to access that more challenging content.
World Tier 1 and 2 will be available from Level 1. World Tier 1 is aimed at players who are new to ARPGs and the franchise, while World Tier 2 is aimed at veterans.
6.Leaderboards
Leaderboards will be more in the direction of the Diablo III Seasonal Conquest leaderboards, with the focus on meaningful leaderboards for specific activities/challenges and a small amount of people competing for it. Rather than having players compete for the number one spot out of a million players. This is referring to Greater Rifts in Diablo III, which automatically enter you into the competition as long as you complete a sufficient level for the top 1000 ranks in a given bracket.