The War Plans system in Diablo 4’s Lord of Hatred expansion does something the endgame has needed for years: it forces you to commit to a farming route and rewards you for finishing it. Instead of endlessly toggling between Helltides, Pits, and boss runs with no structure, you build a playlist of up to five activities at the Command Table in Temis, complete them in sequence, and collect everything in one consolidated War Chest.
The deeper payoff is in the skill trees. Every supported activity — Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, The Pit, Kurast Undercity, Lair Bosses, Infernal Hordes — has its own seven-node skill tree that permanently modifies how that activity plays. Invest in the Nightmare Dungeon tree and it boosts every dungeon you run, not just the ones inside an active War Plan. The system rewards long-term specialization, not daily re-optimization.
This guide covers how to unlock War Plans, which activities deserve your first seven nodes, and three concrete routes for the three goals that actually matter this season: mythic farming, Paragon power-leveling, and early gear building. For a full overview of the Lord of Hatred expansion, see our Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred guide. Running the new Paladin class? Check the Diablo 4 Paladin build guide for the skill setup that pairs best with the routes below.
Verified on Season 13 — Lord of Hatred, Build #71696 (April 28, 2026). Node values and activity balance may change with seasonal patches.
War Plans Quick Start Checklist
If you want to get into a run before reading the full guide, these five steps cover the critical path:
- Complete the Lord of Hatred campaign (no skip option exists)
- Accept “The War for Sanctuary” quest and reach Torment difficulty
- Travel to Temis (Skovos region hub) and interact with the War Plans Command Table
- Add Helltides and The Pit as your first two activities (solid default while you learn the system)
- Spend your first Activity Points on Choron’s Haste in the Pit skill tree — it adds +1 Glyph Upgrade Chance per Pit completion and pays back immediately
What Are War Plans?
War Plans is the new endgame playlist system introduced in Season 13 (April 28, 2026). You select between two and five endgame activities from the Command Table, complete them in sequence, then claim a War Chest at the end with all consolidated rewards.
The mechanic most guides underplay: Activity Experience earned inside a War Plan runs roughly 25 times faster than the same activity played standalone — 25 XP per completion at Normal difficulty, scaling to 118 at Torment 12. Outside a War Plan, you earn approximately 1 XP per run. The gap is not marginal. If you’re trying to level your activity skill trees, you need to be inside War Plans to do it at any meaningful speed.
Two properties that change how you should think about the system:
- Perks are game-wide. Activity Skill Tree nodes apply to every instance of that activity, whether you’re inside a War Plan or not. Investing in the Helltide tree makes every Helltide better for the rest of the season.
- Auto-generated keys. War Plans creates missing Nightmare Sigils, Infernal Compasses, or other entry items automatically before each activity. You never need to pre-farm access materials.
The system also runs Tree of Whispers concurrently alongside your playlist — it doesn’t consume one of your five activity slots, so it’s effectively a permanent passive addition to every route you run.
How to Unlock War Plans
Four steps, in order:
- Finish the Lord of Hatred campaign. Story completion is mandatory. Skipping is not an option in the current build.
- Accept “The War for Sanctuary”. This quest appears in your log after the final campaign boss.
- Reach Torment difficulty. The Command Table is present in Temis before this point but is not interactive until you hit Torment.
- Visit the War Plans Command Table in Temis. Temis is the main city in the Skovos region — the new area introduced with Lord of Hatred.
You start with two activity slots. The cap expands toward five as your War Plans rank increases through use.
All 7 Activities Ranked
The tier ratings below reflect time efficiency at current Season 13 balance. They will shift with patches.
| Activity | Tier | Best For | Approx. Run Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helltides | S | XP, Lair Keys, Forgotten Souls | Medium |
| Kurast Undercity | S | Mythic Uniques, targeted drops | Fast |
| Tree of Whispers | S (passive) | XP, diverse rewards, War Chest filler | Runs concurrently |
| Nightmare Dungeons | A | Glyph XP, Paragon Board progression | Fast |
| Lair Bosses | A | Unique and Mythic Unique drops | Very Fast |
| The Pit | B | Masterworking materials, Glyph upgrades | ~90 seconds |
| Infernal Hordes | D | Burning Aether (seasonal quest only) | 10+ minutes |
Helltides earn S tier through density: open-world event clusters, Lair Boss invasion spawns, and consistent Forgotten Soul generation. They also produce the Lair Keys needed for targeted boss farming, making them the backbone of most multi-goal routes.
Kurast Undercity earns S specifically for mythic farming once you unlock the Gutter Filth node (spawns Portal Prankster treasure goblins, which have disproportionately high mythic drop rates). Before Gutter Filth, it sits at A.
The Pit drops to B after nerfs but remains the fastest standalone run at ~90 seconds. It’s still the correct pick when you need Masterworking materials or guaranteed Glyph upgrade chances via Choron’s Haste — just not a standalone priority for gear or mythics.
Infernal Hordes is the one activity to actively avoid unless a Season 13 challenge requires Burning Aether. A 10-minute Infernal Hordes run occupies a slot that could fit six Pit runs. The math does not work in its favor at current balance.
Activity Skill Tree Node Priorities
Each tree has 7 usable points from a pool of 14+ nodes. Here’s where to invest first and why — not just what, but the specific mechanic each node unlocks.
The Pit — Choron’s Haste + Heart of Stone
Choron’s Haste adds +1 Glyph Upgrade Chance per Pit completion. At early-to-mid season, when Paragon glyphs lag behind your build requirements, no single node in the game provides more compounding value. Heart of Stone spawns progression orbs during runs, cutting clear times to the ~90-second target. Both nodes together in 3–4 points; spend the remainder on whichever offense or defense modifier fits your build.
Nightmare Dungeons — Right Path (4 pts) → Left Path (3 pts)
The right-path Treasure Goblin node increases Nightmare Sigil drops from goblin encounters and triggers a random bonus event after killing 30 Elites. The left-path Shrine node spawns 7 Elite monsters per Shrine interaction, significantly boosting kill density per run. Together they turn Nightmare Dungeons into the most reliable Glyph XP source in the game when you need it.
Helltides — Center Path (4 pts) → Right Path (3 pts)
Four points in the center path increases Duriel’s Suffering drop frequency from Helltide bosses — these convert into random Unique items, making center-path the correct investment for players who need gear variety. The right-path Bounty Hunter node awards extra Cinders when you defeat Bounty Hunters, which accelerates chest targeting in dense Helltide zones.
Kurast Undercity — Gutter Filth First
One node, one reason: Gutter Filth spawns Portal Prankster treasure goblins inside Undercity runs. Treasure goblins have an outsized mythic drop rate relative to standard enemies, and Undercity’s tribute system lets you direct drops toward specific item types. Everything else in the Undercity tree is secondary until Gutter Filth is active.
Tree of Whispers — Wisdom of Whispers + Fortune of Fame
Wisdom of Whispers grants 50% more XP from Whisper cache globes — consistent, permanent, and stacks cleanly with difficulty scaling. Fortune of Fame converts reward quality upward across the board. Both fit within 7 points and represent the clearest efficiency gains available in the Whispers tree.
Lair Bosses — Escalating Nemesis + Hoard Chest
Escalating Nemesis chains additional boss encounters after a kill, creating back-to-back loot opportunities with minimal travel time. Hoard Chest multipliers directly increase the Unique drop rate from boss chests. If your route includes Lair Bosses for gear farming, these two nodes are the reason to have them in the tree at all.
Three Farming Routes for Three Goals
Picking activities at random is the most common War Plans mistake. Match your playlist to your current progression stage.
Mythic Farming (late season, gear-complete)
Playlist: Kurast Undercity → Helltides → The Pit (+ Whispers passive)
Key nodes: Gutter Filth (Undercity), Tainted Shrines (Helltides), Heart of Stone (Pit), Wisdom of Whispers
Primary materials farmed: Mythic Uniques, Obducite for Masterworking, Horadric Reagents
Gutter Filth goblins generate mythic drops. Helltides produce the Lair Keys needed for any supplementary targeted boss runs between War Plan sessions. The Pit tops up Obducite — the Masterworking material you’ll burn through upgrading gear as mythics land. Whispers runs concurrently at no slot cost.
Paragon Power-Leveling (mid season, glyph deficit)
Playlist: Nightmare Dungeons → The Pit → (+ Whispers passive)
Key nodes: Choron’s Haste (Pit), Treasure Goblin + Shrine nodes (ND), Wisdom of Whispers
Primary materials farmed: Glyph XP, Obducite, Nightmare Sigils
Choron’s Haste guarantees Glyph upgrade chances every Pit run. The ND Shrine and Goblin nodes maximize Elite kill density for XP. Nightmare Sigils regenerate automatically so there’s no downtime between runs. This is the fastest route to a leveled Paragon Board available in Season 13.
Gear Building (early season, building base set)
Playlist: Helltides → Lair Bosses → Nightmare Dungeons (+ Whispers passive)
Key nodes: Duriel’s Suffering (Helltides), Escalating Nemesis + Hoard Chest (Lair), basic ND nodes
Primary materials farmed: Unique gear, Forgotten Souls, Cinders, Boss Trophies
Helltides generate Cinders for targeted chest rewards and produce Lair Keys for boss access. Lair Boss’ Escalating Nemesis node chains additional encounters, stacking Unique drops without extra travel. Nightmare Dungeons fill out the playlist with consistent gear rolls and auto-generate their own Sigils. This is the correct default route until your item power is competitive for mid-season content.
War Plans Ranking + Season 13 Integration
War Plans ranks from 0 to 10. Each rank increases War Chest reward quality and expands the pool of available activities and node variants. Key milestones to hit:
- Rank III: Activity Level 2 on two trees — early priority, unlocks improved War Chest payout tiers
- Rank V: Activity Level 3 on three trees
- Rank IX: Activity Level 5 on five trees — the Season 13 final progression reward threshold
Approximately 25% of Season 13 challenge objectives require War Plans engagement. You don’t need to farm off-path for challenges — the milestones above align with the challenge list automatically if you follow any of the three routes in this guide.
Respeccing activity skill trees is free. Adjust per-session based on what you need that day without any cost.
Which Route Is Right for You?
| Player Type | Priority Activity | First Node | Use This Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| New player (post-campaign) | Helltides | Duriel’s Suffering | Gear Building route |
| Casual player | Whispers + Pit | Wisdom of Whispers | Paragon route, 2-activity playlist |
| Hardcore / optimiser | Undercity + Pit | Gutter Filth, then Choron’s Haste | Mythic route |
| Completionist | All 5 activities rotating | Level all trees to Level 5 | Rotate all three routes; Season 13 challenges dictate order |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to complete War Plans activities in order, or can I skip one?
Activities must be completed in sequence — no skipping. If an activity exceeds your build’s current capability, drop the difficulty. Activity XP still accrues at lower tiers, just slower (25 XP at Normal vs 118 at Torment 12). Lowering difficulty is always better than abandoning a run mid-chain.
Is Infernal Hordes ever worth including in a playlist?
Only when a specific Season 13 challenge requires Burning Aether. The time math is stark: one Infernal Hordes run (10+ minutes) occupies the same slot as six Pit runs (~90 seconds each). Blizzard has acknowledged the efficiency gap and flagged additional balance changes for Season 14. For now, exclude it from competitive playlists.
Can I complete War Plans in a group?
Yes — party play is supported. Early-launch bugs involving exit portals auto-spawning in Pit and Tower content were patched April 30, 2026 (Build #71747). The ability to infinitely farm Nemesis boss lairs in co-op was also addressed in the same patch. Party War Plans work correctly in the current build, with further co-op improvements confirmed for Season 14.
Sources
- War Plans — Maxroll.gg
- Diablo IV Lord of Hatred – War Plans Guide — Keengamer
- Diablo 4 – War Plans Complete Guide — Mobalytics
- Diablo 4 War Plans Guide — Overgear
- Diablo 4 War Plans Guide: Activities, Rewards, Skill Trees & Best Routes — KBoosting
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.