Diablo 4’s campaign doesn’t follow a straight path-its five regions and chapters can be tackled in almost any sequence. But some paths offer smoother progression, stronger gear, and a more gripping storyline flow. Here’s how to choose the order that makes your adventure through Sanctuary feel seamless and satisfying.
Freedom is great, but it also creates choice, which can lead to inefficiency – the biggest enemy you’ll face in Diablo 4. In this guide, we’ll help you figure out the new nonlinear structure and tell you the order you should play the game’s acts in.
How many acts are in Diablo 4?
Diablo 4’s campaign is structured into six main acts, framed by a prologue and an epilogue, for a total of eight narrative segments. While you can tackle Acts I-III in a flexible order, all six acts must be completed to see the full story and reach the true finale.
Diablo 4 launched with more acts than Diablo 3 has now – even after the Reaper of Souls expansion – and has six acts in total.
The first three acts are nonlinear and introduce you to the Fractured Peaks, Scosglen, the Dry Steppes, and Kehjistan. Each of these acts is quite long, with the initial quest typically spanning out into two distinct storylines that converge at the end of the act.
Act IV is the convergence point for the story, and it takes place all over Sanctuary. It’s also extremely short, and you’ll likely move on without realizing it. Act V will finally take you to Hawezar, the giant jungle zone south of Fractured Peaks. This act makes up for the length of Act IV, and is the longest of the bunch. Act VI is the finale act and takes place in multiple zones in Sanctuary (as well as a few new locations).
With all six acts, Diablo 4‘s main campaign’s length varies dramatically based on whether you mainline the story or do side content. If all you do is focus on the main mission, you can likely complete your first playthrough of the campaign in eight to 12 hours.
How does Diablo 4’s non-linear act structure work?
Diablo 4’s campaign unfolds through six interconnected acts that players can tackle in a largely non-linear order, choosing which main story objectives to pursue while exploring Sanctuary’s open world and engaging side content; completing all acts remains necessary to finish the campaign, but the path to reach those conclusions is player-driven rather than strictly fixed.
When you first boot up Diablo 4, you’ll start in a cave and need to complete the mandatory prologue, which will eventually land you in Kyovashad, the capital of Fractured Peaks. From here, you’ll see Lorath off and explore the Cathedral of Light (while also getting tutorials on a few other in-game systems). By the time you’re ready to adventure out into Sanctuary, you’ll have three quests:
- “Act I: A Cold and Iron Faith”
- “Act II: The Knife Twists Again”
- “Act III: The Making of Monsters”
Each quest will lead you to a different region, with Act I taking place in the Fractured Peaks, Act II taking place in the swampy marshes of Scosglen, and Act III taking place primarily in the aptly named Dry Steppes. These quests all start entire questlines, which eventually culminate in an act finale.
Once you’ve completed the questlines for all three acts, you’ll get the quest for Act IV – which will eventually lead to your first mount.
Which order should you play Diablo 4’s campaign in?
Diablo 4’s campaign lets you tackle the regions in almost any sequence, but playing them in numerical order-Fractured Peaks, Scosglen, Dry Steppes, Kehjistan, and Hawezar-offers the smoothest progression in story and difficulty. This approach keeps character levels aligned with enemy scaling, making battles feel balanced while revealing the plot in a more cohesive flow. After finishing the main campaign, you can freely revisit areas for side quests, renown, and endgame activities without missing any content.
The answer to this question is important, but also a bit boring. While the game does allow you to play in any order, there are level recommendations for each act. You can jump into Act I right away, at whatever level you finished the prologue (likely around five or six). But Act II has a level recommendation of 10, and Act III has a level recommendation of 15.
You can, of course, ignore these recommendations (they are just recommendations after all), but enemies will hit harder and take longer to kill. So enter at your own peril. Unfortunately, the most efficient order to play is numeric: Act I into Act II into Act III. But if you’re dying to play something new after playing through Act I multiple times in the beta, you can go into Act II with very minor leveling issues, which should remedy themselves quickly as you level up. Just know that you’ll eventually have to go back to Act I before you can unlock Act IV.
If you’re intending to play out of numeric order, we recommend playing on World Tier 1 (Adventurer) as it will help nullify the level difference between you and the quests.
Which act gives the best early loot for leveling fast
Act 2 in Scosglen provides the best early loot for fast leveling in Diablo 4.
Its dense enemy packs and frequent elite/champion spawns drop higher-quality rares and legendaries suited for levels 10-20, accelerating gear upgrades over Act 1’s basic drops. Side quests here also reward strong early uniques like boots or amulets that boost mobility and damage.
Why Act 2 Excels
After Act 1’s prologue gear, Scosglen enemies scale perfectly for quick clears, yielding loot with better stats for speed-farming events like Helltides once unlocked. Guides note Act 3 follows closely but requires more power to farm efficiently early on.
Quick Tips
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Prioritize Scosglen after Fractured Peaks for 2-3 level jumps from loot alone.
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Clear cellars and world events for bonus caches.
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Avoid rushing Act 3 until level 15+ to match its loot quality.
Which act has the highest mob density for XP farming
Act 2 in Scosglen offers the highest mob density for XP farming in Diablo 4’s early campaign.
Its forests and villages pack enemies tightly into loops ideal for AoE clears, outpacing Act 1’s sparser Fractured Peaks layouts. This density shines in events, cellars, and world bosses around levels 10-20.
Key Farming Spots
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Northern Scosglen: Endless trash pulls near dungeons like Twisted Hollow.
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World events and Helltides: Elites spawn frequently for bonus XP bursts.
Guides confirm Act 3’s deserts lag behind due to spread-out packs.
Leveling Impact
Farm here post-Act 1 for 20-30% faster progression to Act 4, especially with movement skills. Pair with side quests for sustained density without story locks.
