War Plans is the system that finally gives Diablo 4's endgame a spine. Instead of bouncing aimlessly between Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides and The Pit, you chain your favorite activities into one plan, juice each one with upgrade nodes, and cash out a consolidated pile of loot, XP and gold at the end. It shipped with the Lord of Hatred expansion (released 28 April 2026) and is live right now in the Season of Reckoning. This guide breaks down exactly how War Plans work, which activities to pick, how the upgrade trees change your drops, and the fastest routes for XP, gear and gold — fact-checked against the official Diablo IV site and Blizzard patch notes.
Quick answer (TLDR): War Plans is a Lord of Hatred endgame system where you build a chain of up to 5 endgame activities — Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, The Pit, Infernal Hordes, Lair Bosses and Kurast Undercity — and run them back-to-back. Each activity has its own upgrade tree that levels from 1 to 7, and the nodes you unlock change what spawns and what drops (e.g. Lair Bosses appearing inside Helltides, or Treasure Goblins dropping Nightmare Sigils). You earn Activity Experience as you go, spend it on perks, and finishing the full plan dumps a bonus shower of loot, XP, Obducite, gold and Horadric reagents. Unlock it by completing the Lord of Hatred campaign, then visit the War Plans table in Temis. Re-roll a finished plan with Marks of El'Druin.
If you'd rather skip the campaign grind and jump straight into a fully-unlocked endgame, a Diablo 4 power leveling service gets you to the War Plans table fast — but here's how the system actually works.
What Are War Plans in Diablo 4?
War Plans is Blizzard's overhaul of the Diablo 4 endgame, introduced with the Lord of Hatred expansion. Rather than a single new dungeon or zone, it's a playlist system: you select a set of activities, lock them into a "plan," and complete them one after another in a branching chain. Each step feeds rewards into the next, and clearing the whole plan pays out a large consolidated reward at the end.
Blizzard describes it as "a complete overhaul to the endgame experience, giving you structure, depth, challenge and greater rewards," and "a new way to play which lets you chain activities together, customizing them as your fight takes you further into the fray" (diablo4.blizzard.com). In practice, that means the activities you already grind for gear and XP — Helltides, The Pit, Infernal Hordes — now stack into one progression loop with its own upgrade economy.
The key shift: War Plans rewards focus. Pick a plan, lean into its upgrade trees, and every run gets denser with the loot and mobs you actually want.
How Do You Unlock War Plans?
War Plans is gated behind the expansion campaign. To open it up:
- Own the Lord of Hatred DLC and play a character that has access to it.
- Complete the Lord of Hatred main campaign (the Mephisto / Skovos storyline).
- Return to the War Plans table in Temis, the new Skovos hub city, and speak with Tyrael — this ties into the priority quest "The War for Sanctuary."
Once unlocked, the War Plans table is your home base for building and re-rolling plans. You don't need to re-clear the campaign on alts in the same season — it stays available on your account for the Season of Reckoning.
How Does the War Plans System Work?
At the table, you build a plan by choosing activities from a branching board. A few rules shape every plan:
- You can chain up to 5 activities per plan. You start more limited — early on you're picking from only two activities — and you unlock more slots and choices as you complete runs.
- Each activity on the board links to the next set of choices, so a plan is a branching path, not a flat list.
- Once you lock a plan in and start it, you can't change it — you commit to the chain.
- Completing each activity grants bonus rewards based on the node you just finished, and finishing the entire plan triggers an additional shower of loot, resources and XP on top.
- To start fresh, hit the New Plan button, which costs Marks of El'Druin to re-roll the board.
Think of it as a self-built endgame quest line: you decide the route, the game pays you per stop, and the finish line has the biggest chest.
What Activities Can You Put in a War Plan?
War Plans pulls from the core Diablo 4 endgame roster. The six supported activities are:
| Activity | What it's best for | timesaver.gg fit |
|---|---|---|
| Nightmare Dungeons | Glyph XP, Obducite, targeted farming | Power leveling |
| Helltides | Cinders, gear, Aether, fast clears | Helltide farming |
| The Pit | Glyph leveling, Masterworking push | The Pit guide |
| Infernal Hordes | Gold, gear, Obducite, burst farming | Infernal Hordes guide |
| Lair Bosses | Mythic Unique target farming, boss mats | Boss carries |
| Kurast Undercity | Tribute farming, Obducite, gear | All D4 services |
The art of a strong War Plan is pairing activities whose upgrade nodes feed each other — for example, chaining Helltides into Lair Bosses so a perk can make Lair Bosses spawn inside your Helltide runs.
How Do War Plans Upgrade Trees Work?
This is where War Plans goes from "playlist" to "build your own farm." Each of the six activities has its own upgrade tree (also called Activity Perks), and each tree levels from 1 to 7.
Here's the loop:
- Run an activity inside your plan → earn Activity Experience for that specific activity.
- Earn enough and you unlock a skill point for that activity.
- Spend the point in that activity's branching perk tree to modify what spawns, what drops, and how rewarding each run is.
The nodes are not minor stat bumps — they change the content of your runs. Documented examples include:
- Lair Bosses appearing inside Helltides — fold boss kills into your Helltide farm.
- Treasure Goblins dropping Nightmare Sigils via the Treasure Breach modifier — which feeds easier Mythic Unique farming.
- Helltide "Infernal Rite": Hellborne have a higher chance to drop Unique items when slain.
- Nightmare Dungeon "Fearless Conviction": stacks earned by killing elites spawn conviction chests at dungeon completion.
The practical takeaway: don't spread points thin. Pick one or two activities you'll farm hardest, push their trees toward level 7, and stack the nodes that multiply the loot you care about.
What Rewards Do War Plans Give?
War Plans pays out across the entire progression chain, then again at the end. Across runs and the final completion you can earn:
- XP and experience orbs (paragon/leveling fuel)
- Gold and Obols
- Obducite (the core Masterworking material)
- Horadric reagents / Cube components
- Armor, weapons and jewelry
- Runes, Talisman items and salvaged materials
- Dungeon keys for continued farming
Because the rewards are consolidated — a chunk per node, plus a big finish bonus — a tuned War Plan is one of the most efficient ways to farm XP, gear and gold at once in the Season of Reckoning. If you're short on gold to fund Masterworking and rerolls between plans, Diablo 4 gold keeps the upgrade loop moving.
What Are the Best War Plans for XP, Gear and Gold?
There's no single "best build" — it depends on your goal and what you've unlocked — but three reliable templates:
- Fastest XP / paragon: Nightmare Dungeons + The Pit, with perks pushed toward elite density and glyph/conviction rewards. Pair it with a strong farm route from our fastest leveling guide and the Hellwyrm XP farm.
- Gear & Mythic Uniques: Helltides + Lair Bosses, taking the nodes that spawn Lair Bosses in Helltides and boost Unique drop rates.
- Gold & materials: Infernal Hordes + Kurast Undercity, leaning into Obducite, gold and salvage nodes.
Whichever you run, the rule holds: commit your skill points to one or two activities, max those trees, and re-roll with Marks of El'Druin only when you want a different farm.
Are War Plans Worth It?
Yes — War Plans is the endgame's connective tissue, not an optional side mode. It turns scattered grinding into a directed loop with compounding upgrades, and the consolidated rewards make it one of the best XP-plus-gear-plus-gold farms currently in the game. Blizzard is still actively tuning it: patch 3.0.4 (10 June 2026) notes "Fixed an issue where War Plan Progression could be blocked if the player disconnected while claiming rewards," so expect ongoing quality-of-life fixes (Diablo IV Patch Notes).
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you unlock War Plans in Diablo 4? Complete the Lord of Hatred expansion campaign, then return to the War Plans table in Temis (the Skovos hub) and speak with Tyrael, which ties into the priority quest "The War for Sanctuary." After that, the table stays available for building and re-rolling plans.
How many activities can a War Plan have? Up to five, run in sequence as a branching chain. You begin more limited — picking from only two activities early on — and unlock more slots and choices as you complete runs. Once you start a plan, it's locked and can't be changed.
What activities can go in a War Plan? Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, The Pit, Infernal Hordes, Lair Bosses and Kurast Undercity. Each has its own upgrade tree that levels from 1 to 7, so the perks you invest in change what spawns and what drops.
What do you get from War Plans? XP and experience orbs, gold and Obols, Obducite, Horadric reagents, armor, weapons, jewelry, runes, Talisman items, dungeon keys and salvaged materials — paid out per node and again as a bonus when you finish the whole plan.
How do you re-roll a War Plan? Use the New Plan button at the War Plans table, which costs Marks of El'Druin to generate a fresh board. You'd do this when you want to switch which activities and upgrades you're farming.
Are War Plans only available in a specific season? No — War Plans is a Lord of Hatred expansion feature, not a season-only mechanic. It's live throughout the Season of Reckoning and remains part of the endgame going forward (the next season, Pandemonium Ruptures, is on the PTR and estimated to launch around late July 2026, but is not live yet).
