Diablo 4 Torment Tiers Guide: How to Unlock All 12

Neviriah

Senior Editor

Published Oct 10, 2026

Diablo 4 has 16 difficulty settings in total, from Normal all the way to Torment XII. Four are available during the early game, but the twelve Torment difficulties can only be unlocked by completing higher tiers of the Pit.

Your character level alone is not enough to unlock Torment. You will also need to complete the required Pit tiers to progress through the difficulties.

Here is how to unlock each one, what changes as you progress, and when we recommend moving up.

The Four Starting Difficulties

Before reaching Torment, you can choose between four difficulties:

• Normal and Hard: Both are available from the beginning. Playing on Hard earns you more experience, which makes it a good choice as long as you can kill enemies quickly.

• Expert and Penitent: Both unlock after completing the Prologue, or are available immediately when skipping the campaign.

These difficulties are primarily meant for leveling. Ancestral items only become available once you reach Torment.

How to Unlock All 12 Torment Tiers

To unlock Torment I, you need to complete Pit Tier 10. From there, higher Pit clears unlock higher Torment difficulties. Torment I through V require five additional Pit tiers per step. From Torment VI onward, that increases to ten.

You will have to work through the available Pit tiers to unlock higher ones, unless another player takes you into a higher Pit run. Each Torment difficulty makes enemies stronger but also increases the experience, gold, and rewards you can earn.

Once you have unlocked a new difficulty, you can switch to it at a World Difficulty Statue in one of the major towns. You can also return to an easier difficulty whenever you want.

Higher Torment difficulties improve your chances of finding Ancestral items and Mythic Uniques. These drop rates increase as you progress through the tiers, rather than unlocking at one specific difficulty.

When to Increase Your Difficulty

More experience per kill is only useful if you can still kill enemies quickly. If an elite pack takes a full minute to clear, you will earn more experience by farming the difficulty below it. Our advice is to move up once your current Torment tier starts feeling easy, and drop back down if farming becomes too slow.

The Pit is also the only place where you can level your Paragon Glyphs. So even if you are not ready for the next Torment difficulty yet, running the Pit will still help make your character stronger.

Torment Difficulties in Groups

Playing in a group can make pushing the Pit easier, especially if you are struggling to clear the next tier on your own. However, enemy health also increases with each additional party member, so keep that in mind when grouping up!

When playing together, your party can only select the highest difficulty that every member has unlocked. For example, if three players have reached Torment V but one is still on Torment II, the group can only play on Torment II.

You can also help friends unlock higher Torment difficulties by boosting them through the Pit. If you have a higher Pit tier available, invite your friend to your party and start that Pit run. They can join you even if they have not unlocked that Pit tier themselves. Once you complete it together, they will unlock the respective Torment difficulty without having to clear all the earlier Pit tiers first.

For example, completing Pit Tier 50 together would unlock Torment VII for your friend, even if they were previously playing on a much lower difficulty.

Torment X and Beyond

The final three Torment difficulties begin at Pit Tier 80, with Torment XII requiring a Pit Tier 100 clear. You need a strong, optimized build with upgraded gear and leveled Paragon Glyphs before attempting the highest difficulties. There is no need to rush there if your current tier is still giving you useful upgrades. Torment X is already an important milestone, as it gives you access to some of the highest-level rewards and encounters. Torment XI and XII are mostly for players looking for an additional challenge and more experience.

In Season 15, Torment X and above also unlock the Hell versions of the Waking Nightmare Capstone encounters against Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto. These fights add +30 Monster Power, which makes them much harder than regular Torment X encounters.

And last but not least, if you are unsure what to work on next, our What to Do at Every Stage checklist can help you improve your character before the next push.

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