A beginner's guide to game modes in Diablo 3. Ready for an adventure mode...? (2023)

Okay, so you're finally going to playDiablo 3. Maybe because you missed a really solid dungeon loot tracker or because you read one of our previous posts about the game and got some inspiration. But as soon as you started the game, you immediately had a choice - do you want to play the campaign or stick with adventure mode? And what's the difference? whateverIt isa challenge crack?

Relax. They are not as scary as you might initially expect. We will explain them now and you can choose one and have fun. Although I really don't advise doing a Challenge Rift the first timeDiablo 3- It's not called Challenge Rift for nothing.

What is campaign mode?

Okay, as hard as it is sometimes to believeDiablo 3actually has a story divided into four acts, with Act V being the story of the expansionreaper of souls. As much as the story gets in the way of monster killing and looting at times, it sends you out to kill and take different monstersfrom themwithdraw? Okay, I'm not sure what I was getting at. ButDiablo 3it has a storyline, and in campaign mode we experience that storyline.

Campaign mode is my favorite way of leveling - it's not the fastest, but I find it the most entertaining. I love watching the various cutscenes and would definitely advise anyone just starting to play the game to do it in campaign mode first. This will save you a lot of trips to various wiki sites trying to figure out who that great demon was in act 2.

Just like in adventure mode, you can set the difficulty level in campaign mode. However, certain difficulties are locked and cannot be accessed until you reach certain milestones in the game. To unlock Master difficulty you must complete at least Act IV on a character, while Torment 1 requires you to reach level 60. At level 60 you can play Torment I through VI, while Torment VII and above will require you to be level 70 to unlock.

If you're a new player (as opposed to someone just trying out a new class or playing a seasonal character for the first time), I don't recommend upgrading to Expert until you get a feel for the game and your character. Consider your first round of campaign mode a tutorial, at least until you reach the end of Act I. What if the game just doesn't give you enough challenge? Then you can increase it.

adventure mode and you

You don't have to playDiablo 3albeit in campaign mode. Even a new level 1 character can start the game in adventure mode and completely avoid campaign mode and its story. Maybe you've played too much Diablo and are trying out a new character and you don't mind watching the story for the tenth time, or maybe you're the impatient type and want to jump right into monster-slaying and looting for treasure. Good,Diablo 3There is a way just for you.

Adventure mode is built around the rewards and exploration system. when you playedWorld of Warcraft, might very well remind you of how world quests appear on the map. You go to one of the five zones included in itDiablo 3's five acts - New Tristram, Caldeum, Arreat Crater, the Heavens and Pandemonium - and explore the map to find a variety of quests that the ancient archangel Tyrael and his new Horadrim await. These are called Bounties and if you complete all available in a zone you will end up with a special Horadric Hideout containing rare crafting mats, gold and other treasures.

Rewards and Exploration

Rewards are now randomized - there are more choices for each zone than you'll actually see when you pick one to explore. There are multiple per possible location, and you can only get one from a given location at a time. This gives each reward a chance to be new if you complete all five zones and want to repeat one. You could literally sweep from zone to zone and complete bounty after bounty if you wanted, nobody would stop you.

However, you can also just explore the map while you're on it. Virtually all bosses are in adventure mode - if you really hate Diablo, for example, you can do all the bounties in the sky and then kill Diablo just for fun and some loot. Since you can adjust your difficulty level in adventure mode just like in campaign mode, you can make the experience more difficult and more profitable for you as you play. Starting with patch 2.6.5, you can upgrade to Torment XIV, XV, and XVI for an even greater challenge.

You can also try your hand at the Nephalem Rifts in Adventure Mode,but we treated her last week.

Let's talk about Challenge Rift mode

Challenge Rifts are not the same as Nephalem Rifts or Greater Rifts. They are a unique mode that intentionally adjusts many of your expectations of the game.Diablo 3and change them. In a Challenge Rift, things like your class, your skills, and even your gear are chosen for you. Never played a magician? Too bad, because that's what the Rift gives you to play with, or a Monk or any other class - the class you play, the gear and abilities you hit are dictated by the Challenge Rift.

Since this article was written for a new player, I'll be blunt - if you've never played beforeDiablo 3If you haven't played before or much, Challenge Rift mode is probably not something you want to play until you gain some experience.

The mode doesn't just throw you in at the deep end, though - starting a challenge rift means you'll first be teleported to a special hub where you can peruse the preset ability and talent options, examine your gear, and try out your spells and abilities on enemies without Using resistance to familiarize yourself with what is expected of you. Even the difficulty of the Great Rift you find yourself in is predetermined in Challenge Mode - your options are to successfully complete the rift with a potentially unknown skill set, or to fail. Success earns you a special cache full of loot and potentially a spot on the leaderboards if you succeed.

Okay, that should sum up the three game modes ofDiablo 3good enough. Next time we'll revisit Kanai's Cube - how to get it, what to use it for, what's the best way to make it work for you?