Diablo 4 : How to Start Escalating Nightmares

How to Start Escalating Nightmares in Diablo 4 Season 9

By Ambar Jimenez | 2025-07-06 11:50:58
In Diablo 4 Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim, Escalating Nightmares present a formidable endgame challenge designed to push players' builds to their limits while offering some of the season's most coveted rewards. These multi-stage encounters are a core part of the new seasonal content, providing a dynamic and escalating difficulty curve.

Diablo 4 : How to Start Escalating Nightmares

Here's a comprehensive guide on how to initiate Escalating Nightmares, where to acquire the necessary items, and what valuable loot you can expect.

What Are Escalating Nightmares?

Escalating Nightmares are a new, challenging endgame activity that involves completing a series of three consecutive Nightmare Dungeons. What makes them unique is the escalating difficulty:
  • Each subsequent dungeon in the chain becomes progressively harder.
  • Crucially, affixes from previous dungeons carry over and stack onto the next, creating a complex and increasingly challenging set of modifiers by the time you reach the third dungeon.
  • On Torment difficulties (Torment I and above), monster power also increases with each stage.
  • The ultimate climax of an Escalating Nightmare on Torment is a boss fight against an Exalted Astaroth, a much deadlier version of the demon, often accompanied by his mount, Amalgam. Defeating them simultaneously is key.

How to Start Escalating Nightmares

To initiate an Escalating Nightmare, you will need a special item called an Escalation Sigil.
  • Acquire an Escalation Sigil: These sigils are the key to unlocking this endgame activity. (See the next section for how to get them.)
  • Use the Sigil: Once you have an Escalation Sigil in your inventory, simply open your inventory, locate the sigil, and use it (right-click on PC, or equivalent action on console). This will immediately teleport you to the first dungeon in the Escalating Nightmare chain.
  • Progression: Upon completing the first dungeon, a Horadric Portal will appear, transporting you directly to the second dungeon. This continues to the third, culminating in the Exalted Astaroth fight on Torment tiers.

    • How to Get the Escalation Sigil

    Escalation Sigils are primarily obtained through two main methods:

  • Horadric Strongrooms:

    • Location: As you run through regular Nightmare Dungeons, you will find smaller,hidden areas inside them called Horadric Strongrooms. These aremini-dungeons introduced in Season 9.
    • Acquisition: After successfully clearing a Horadric Strongroom (which involves timed combat and gathering "Attunement"), you'll get to open a Grand Horadric Cache. This special chest has a chance to drop Escalation Sigils.
    • Requirement: While you can explore Nightmare Dungeons fairly early in the season,Escalation Sigils typically start dropping from Horadric Strongroomsonce you reach Torment I difficulty or higher.
  • Horadric Knowledge Seasonal Reputation Track:

    • Progression: As you play through the seasonal questline and engage with otherseasonal content (like Strongrooms and Helltides), you'll earn Horadric Knowledge, which is the seasonal reputation currency.
    • Rewards: Leveling up your Horadric Knowledge will unlock various rewards at the Horadric Focus vendor (located in Cerrigar, near Bryona). Some of these rewards include Currency Caches, which often contain Escalation Sigils. The great news is that these can be obtained even on easier difficulty levels, providing a moreconsistent source if you're not yet ready for high-tier Strongrooms.

    • Rewards from Escalating Nightmares

    The challenging nature of Escalating Nightmares is balanced by their highly rewarding loot. Successfully completing the full chain offers a chanceat some of the best gear and materials in Season 9:

    • Horadric Jewels: This is a primary draw. You have a chance to get your hands on Horadric Jewels, powerful new seasonal accessories that can be crafted and socketed into your rings and amulet, providing significant character boosts andsynergy with Horadric Spells.
    • Gold: A substantial amount of gold is awarded upon completion, especially at higher difficulties.
    • Rare Crafting Materials: Expect to earn plenty of rare crafting materials, such as Obducite (used for Masterworking gear), which are crucial for endgame character progression.
    • Unique and Legendary Gear: These events are a fantastic source of high-quality unique andlegendary items, allowing you to optimize your character's build.

    Escalating Nightmares are designed to be a compelling and rewarding endgame loop,giving players ample reason to test their might against the escalatingchallenges of Sanctuary.

    Tags: Diablo IV, action RPG, dungeon crawler, loot-driven, dark fantasy, character classes, skill trees, endgame content, worl
    Platform(s): Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows
    Genre(s): Action role-playing, hack and slash
    Developer(s): Blizzard Team 3, Blizzard Albany
    Publisher(s): Blizzard Entertainment
    Release date: June 6, 2023
    Mode: Single-player, multiplayer
    Age rating (PEGI): 18+
    Video preview▶


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