The Infernal Hordes are in Diablo 4 an endgame activity where you fight against waves of enemies. As you do this, you collect Burning Ether
to receive rewards. You can learn how the mode works and what you need for it here on MeinMMO.
What kind of new mode is this? With Season 5 a new endgame activity has been introduced in Diablo 4: the “Infernal Hordes.” This activity is a key component of the “Season of the Infernal Hordes” and is available on all torment levels.
The activity is based on monster waves, and you can start it solo or with your friends in the eternal and seasonal realm. To start the activity, you first need to complete a quest and have a compass. Below, you will learn how it all works.
Infernal Hordes: How to start the endgame activity
How do I start the Infernal Hordes? To start the Infernal Hordes, you need to complete several tasks:
- Start the quest chain “Of Lambs and Wolves” at a torment level and progress.
- Start the quest chain “The Eyes of the Enemy” and progress.
- Complete the quest.
- You unlock the Infernal Hordes. You will not receive any compasses before that.
The quest chain is available in both eternal and seasonal realms. You only need to complete it once on your account – unless you switch to Hardcore.
To open the Infernal Hordes activity, you need an Infernal Compass. These compasses, which function as keys to the activity, have a different number of waves. The more waves you have, the more Ether you can collect.
How to obtain Infernal Compasses:
- from the Hell Flood
- from Whisper chests from the tree (75% chance)
- from Nightmare Dungeons
- from the Pit
Infernal Hordes: How the activity works
How do the Infernal Hordes proceed? In the Infernal Hordes, you fight against waves of monsters that last 60 seconds. During this time, you collect Burning Ether, whether you play solo or in a group. Your animal companion collects the “currency” for you.
If your character dies, you do not lose any Ether, but: The respawns are limited. Between waves, you select a “Hellish Gift” – also known as “Curse and Blessing.” This allows you to optionally increase the strength of the monsters, certain types of monsters, and the rewards.
Which gifts are worthwhile? Gifts that allow you to choose Hellblood are the most beneficial, as they can spawn in every wave. Ideally, you can increase the spawn rates with the gifts between waves and farm a lot of Ether. Alternatively, gifts that increase the number of elite enemies and make events spawn faster are also worthwhile.
If you manage to survive the Infernal Hordes, various chests with rewards await you, from which you can choose:
- Mats (Gem fragments, Obsidian) – costs all your Ether
- Gold – costs all your Ether
- with 200 Ether you unlock a large chest that guarantees an item with a Great Affix and often Restoration Scrolls
Infernal Hordes: Boss fight against the “Cruel Council”
Finally, you fight against the “Cruel Council.” There are a total of 5 members, and whenever you face the council in the Infernal Hordes, 3 different members are selected at random. If you defeat the council, you can also expect Burning Ether here, which you collect for the rewards. The amount depends on the world level.
Who are the bosses? The “Cruel Council” consists of council members resurrected by Mephisto from Diablo 2. In that game, this was a special monster type with its own bonuses. They were once warriors and members of the “High Council of Zakarum,” who were supposed to guard Mephisto, but were corrupted and transformed into demons by him.
In Diablo 2, there were still 7 of these members (via fandom).
- Ismail Vilehand (Cursed)
- Geleb Flamefinger (Fire Enchanted)
- Toorc Icefist (Cold Enchanted)
- Wyand Voidbringer (Teleportation)
- Maffer Dragonhand (Extra Strong)
- Bremm Sparkfist (Lightning Enchanted)
- Bartuc the Bloody
Infernal Hordes: Loot Drops
What loot drops in the Infernal Hordes? The Infernal Hordes are a great place for Restoration Scrolls, herbs, but also for loot – such as Ancestor items. You also have a chance for various uniques:
- All classes: Crown of Lucion, Enduring Faith, Shard of Verathiel, Rakanoth’s Watch, Locran’s Talisman
- Barbarians: The Third Blade
- Sorcerers: Vox Omnium
- Druids: The Basilisk
- Hunters: The Umbracrux
- Necromancers: The Mortacrux
The Infernal Hordes are an endgame activity available at all torment levels since Season 5 in Diablo 4. To reach the torment levels, you level up your player characters and collect XP. How to reach the maximum level of 60 the fastest, you can find out in our article: Diablo 4: Leveling quickly – Leveling guide to level 60
