The Pit

10:36 The Pit of the Artificers is Diablo 4's timed, tiered dungeon: you spend Runeshards at the Artificer's Obelisk in Cerrigar (and in Temis since Lord of Hatred), kill enough monsters to summon a boss before a 10-minute timer runs out, and win Masterworking materials, upgrade attempts for your Paragon Glyphs and the next tier. Blizzard added it in Season 4: Loot Reborn (May 14, 2024) and kept it on both realms; since patch 2.0 its tiers also decide which Torment level you can play. Since Lord of Hatred it is one of the six modes of War Plans, and IGN's reviewer describes in this clip how one moment "you'll be blasting your way through the pit" and the next stomping out a Lair Boss before returning to the war table. The Artificer's Tower, entered at the same Obelisk, is the Seasonal Realm's leaderboard version.

Quick facts

How to unlock the Pit

When the Pit arrived in Season 4, a character reaching World Tier IV got a priority quest to complete a Tier 46 Nightmare Dungeon, then collected Runeshards from Helltide chests, world bosses, Legion Events, Nightmare Dungeons and Whisper bounties (Blizzard, Apr 30, 2024). World Tiers are gone since patch 2.0, which opened the Pit and its Tiers 1 to 20 at the then level cap of 60. With Lord of Hatred the cap is 70, and Destructoid reported on Apr 30, 2026 that a character needs level 60 and a Pit Tier 10 clear to start on Torment; Blizzard's own launch notes list a "Pit Overhaul" among the free updates for every player but give no unlock rule. Patch 3.0.2 fixed the Pit screen showing the wrong unlock level requirements (Blizzard).

How a run works

Activate the Obelisk with Runeshards and choose a tier. Inside, kill monsters to fill the progress bar; when it is full, a portal takes you to the boss's arena, and beating the boss before the clock runs out completes the tier (Blizzard, Apr 30, 2024). In Season 4, each death cost time (30 seconds, then 60, then 90), and a fast kill skipped tiers: 4 to 6 minutes left unlocked one extra tier, 6 or more two. Up to four players can enter, but the player who spent the Runeshards gets the lion's share of the materials and the only chance at Stygian Stones, used to summon the level 200 "Tormented Echo" versions of the bosses.

The Pit has changed since. Patch 3.0.2 (May 13, 2026) raised monster density on "all floors", added Construct elites and large packs, more Cursed Chests and Goblin Hordes that drop stashes and anvils (Blizzard). Patch 3.2.1 (Sep 15, 2026) raised the bonus experience from high tiers, for example from 1,800% to 2,700% at Pit Tier 150, and its fixes mention Pit Guardians and party members moving between floors. Blizzard has not published a full description of Lord of Hatred's "Pit Overhaul" in the pages read for this guide.

Rewards and Masterworking

The Pit is the source of Masterworking materials, which you spend at the Blacksmith to raise an item's affixes rank by rank (Crafting). Blizzard added Masterworking with the Pit in Season 4 and reworked both Tempering and Masterworking in Season 11 (Blizzard, Dec 3, 2025). In Lord of Hatred the Pit also pays experience toward the level cap of 70, and inside War Plans its tree adds options such as Choron's Soul, whose Progress Orbs give double experience since patch 3.2.1, or a random Butcher who ends the run when he is killed (Blizzard, Feb 11, 2026).

Leveling Glyphs

Since patch 2.0 the Pit is where Paragon Glyphs level; before that they leveled with experience in Nightmare Dungeons. Completing a tier gives three upgrade attempts, plus a bonus attempt for not dying. Each attempt can go to any Glyph below its maximum; finishing a tier 10 higher than a Glyph's rank guarantees an upgrade, and every 20 levels of difference add a bonus rank per attempt. The maximum Glyph level rose from 21 to 100, and at level 45 a Rare Glyph can be made Legendary with Gem Fragments, which widens its radius from 4 to 5 and adds an affix.

The Pit and Torment

7:31 The Pit is the ladder to Difficulty and Torment. In patch 2.0, beating Pit Tier 20, 35, 50 and 65 unlocked Torment I, II, III and IV. Lord of Hatred raised Torment from four levels to twelve, which IGN's reviewer calls "plenty of runway" in this clip, and Destructoid reported that higher Torment levels still require higher Pit tiers, starting with Tier 10 for Torment I. Torment XII is the top.

The Artificer's Tower and Leaderboards

1:30 The Artificer's Tower is the Pit's competitive sibling: a timed run up floors with randomized layouts and monster families, scored by what you kill, ending with a Tower boss, with leaderboards (Blizzard, Jan 9, 2026). The Season of Death Awakening trailer shows it here: the words "Earn new rewards in the Artificer's Tower" over a leaderboard of player ranks with "Top 1000" and "Top 100" banners. Its history:

• Beta: opened on the Seasonal Realm on Jan 12, 2026 at 11 a.m. PST with patch 2.5.2, entered through the Obelisk in Cerrigar after Season Rank 2, in two-week leaderboard rounds.
• Lord of Hatred (patch 3.0.1, Apr 27, 2026): renamed "The Artificer's Tower", better loot, Treasures of the Artificer caches with guaranteed Greater Affixes, a snapshot of each ranked build, a Solo Warlock ladder; competitions start on the Thursday after a release or patch (Blizzard).
• Season 14 (Jun 30, 2026): out of Beta, with Halo cosmetics and titles for reaching Tower Tier 100 and for the top 1,000, 500, 100, 10 and 1 of any board, an end-of-season Emblem, and separate boards for Solo Self Found Normal and Hardcore players.
• Patch 3.1.0: leaderboard rewards go only to players with Crossplay turned on.

The Tower exists only on the Seasonal Realm; the Pit is on both. See Endgame for every other activity.

Frequently asked questions

How do you unlock the Pit in Diablo 4? In Diablo 4 the Pit of the Artificers opens at the Artificer's Obelisk in Cerrigar or Temis once your character reaches the endgame; you need Runeshards, which drop from endgame activities, to start a run.

What Pit tier do you need for Torment in Diablo 4? Destructoid reported on Apr 30, 2026 that Diablo 4's Torment I needs a Pit Tier 10 clear in Lord of Hatred, with higher Torment levels needing higher tiers; in patch 2.0 the steps were Pit Tiers 20, 35, 50 and 65 for Torment I to IV.

What is the Artificer's Tower in Diablo 4? The Artificer's Tower is Diablo 4's leaderboard mode on the Seasonal Realm: a timed, scored climb entered at the Artificer's Obelisk, out of Beta since Season 14 (Jun 30, 2026), with cosmetic rewards for Tower Tier 100 and top leaderboard ranks.

How long is a Pit run in Diablo 4? A Diablo 4 Pit run has a 10-minute timer to kill enough monsters and then beat the boss.

Can you do the Pit in a group in Diablo 4? Yes. Up to four players can run Diablo 4's Pit together, but the player who opened it with Runeshards gets the largest share of materials.

What does the Pit give in Diablo 4? Diablo 4's Pit gives Masterworking materials, upgrade attempts for Paragon Glyphs (three per cleared tier plus one for no deaths), experience, gold and access to higher Torment levels.

Sources

• Galvanize Your Legend in Season 4: Loot Reborn, Blizzard Entertainment, Apr 30, 2024
• The 2.0 PTR: What You Need to Know, Blizzard Entertainment, Aug 29, 2024
• Vanquish the Lesser Evils in Season of Divine Intervention, Blizzard Entertainment, Dec 3, 2025
• Dominate the Tower and Leaderboards Beta, Blizzard Entertainment, Jan 9, 2026
• Catch Up on the Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight, Blizzard Entertainment, Feb 11, 2026
• Prepare for the Reckoning: Lord of Hatred Draws Near, Blizzard Entertainment, Apr 23, 2026
• Diablo IV Patch Notes (3.0), Blizzard Entertainment, Apr 27 to Jun 10, 2026
• Hunt the Death Cult in Season of Death Awakening, Blizzard Entertainment, Jun 23, 2026
• Diablo IV Patch Notes (3.1), Blizzard Entertainment, Jun 30, 2026 (read Oct 20, 2026)
• Celebrate 30 Years of Diablo in Season of Hell's Legacy, Blizzard Entertainment, Sep 12, 2026
• How to Unlock Torment Difficulty in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred, Destructoid, Apr 30, 2026
• Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Review, IGN, 2026 (video)
• Diablo IV | Season of Death Awakening | Gameplay Trailer, Diablo, Jun 23, 2026 (video)