How War Plans Work in Diablo 4 (Lord of Hatred Guide)

War Plans is one of the most useful systems Diablo 4 added with the Lord of Hatred expansion. Instead of bouncing between random endgame activities with no structure, War Plans lets you build a custom chain of content, earn bonus rewards for completing it, and gradually unlock perks that make every activity more rewarding. Here is everything you need to know.

What Are War Plans in Diablo 4?

War Plans is a playlist-style endgame system introduced in the Lord of Hatred expansion. You pick up to five endgame activities, chain them together into one route, complete them in order, and collect a War Chest at the end.

The system does not replace any existing activity. Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, and Lair Bosses all work exactly as they always have. War Plans simply wraps them in a structured route that rewards you more for finishing the full chain than grinding any single activity alone.

War Plans also generates any Sigils or keys you are missing for selected activities, so you never get stuck waiting on consumables before starting a run.

How to Unlock War Plans

You unlock War Plans by completing the Lord of Hatred campaign. Once the story credits roll, head to Temis in the Skovos region and interact with the Command Table. That is where you build, manage, and start all your War Plan routes.

Steps to unlock War Plans:

1. Complete the Lord of Hatred main campaign.
2. Travel to Temis in Skovos.
3. Locate the Command Table in town.
4. Create your first War Plan route.
5. Select activities that fit your build and current farming goal.

Season 13 characters can access War Plans once they meet these same requirements.

How the Command Table Works

The Command Table in Temis is your central hub for all things War Plans. You use it to select activities, apply modifiers, and review your route before starting.

When you first unlock War Plans, you can only choose from two activities per route. As you complete War Plan runs, you unlock additional node slots until you can build a full five-activity chain.

Activity nodes come in different rarities. Rarer nodes offer better rewards. If the suggested layout does not match your goals, press the New Plan button to re-roll it. Re-rolls cost Marks of El’Druin, so spend them wisely.

All War Plans Activities

War Plans supports six core endgame activities. You can combine any of them into a single route.

Whispers (Tree of Whispers) can overlap with your active War Plan and still grant progression. You do not need to add them as a dedicated node.

War Plans Modifiers Explained

Modifiers change how each activity behaves inside a War Plan. They add extra rules, new hazards, or bonus reward conditions on top of the base activity. Here is a breakdown of the key modifiers per activity.

Nightmare Dungeon Modifiers

• Waking Spoils: A Wars Boundary Chest spawns after you complete the dungeon and drops bonus rewards.
• Answered Prayer: Activating a Shrine triggers an Elite ambush. The ambush scales from one to seven Elites depending on a random roll.
• Communion: Killing an enemy while a Shrine is active traps its soul. When the Shrine expires, all trapped souls respawn as new enemies around you.
• Treasure Breach: Treasure Goblins gain a small chance to drop a Nightmare Sigil with the Treasure Breach affix.

Helltide Modifiers

• Tainted Shrines: Enemies you kill while under a Shrine’s effect grant double Threat Level progress.
• Dreaded Threat: Enemies from max Threat Level ambushes gain one extra Monster Power level.
• Hellborne Hoard: Threat Level ambushes have a chance to spawn additional Hellborne. Hellborne also get a higher drop chance for Unique Items when killed.
• Infested Ambush: Hellwyrm Ambushes spawn exclusively from Duriel’s Brood, and all enemies from those ambushes gain plus one Monster Power. A Pang of Duriel can also appear.

Undercity Modifiers

• Undercity Invasion: Invasion Portals spawn enemies as you push through the Undercity. These enemies drop a small amount of Attunement when killed.
• Last Gasp: Time collected from kills with five or fewer seconds on the clock grants double the normal Time earned.
• Cabochon Merchant: Kill a Portal Prankster and the Cabochon Merchant appears after the District Boss fight. He sells Runes and Gems for Gold.
• Forgotten City: Grants bonus Forgotten Souls on Undercity completion. All enemies inside gain plus one Monster Power.

Tree of Whispers Modifiers

• Tree of Plenty: A fourth option appears when choosing a Whisper Cache reward.
• Fortune of Famine: Whisper Caches are always Greater Quality or Junk, with no middle ground.
• Grim Mysteries: The Greater Collection of Mysteries can appear as a Whisper Cache option, dropping a wide variety of items, currencies, and materials.

Activity Points and Activity Perks

Every time you complete an activity inside a War Plan, you earn Activity Points for that specific activity type. Stack enough points and you unlock a skill point for that activity’s Activity Skill Tree.

Each activity has its own tree with seven skill points to invest. These skill points unlock Activity Perks, which permanently modify how that activity plays inside and outside of War Plans.

Examples of what Activity Perks can do:

• Make Lair Bosses appear inside Helltides.
• Give Treasure Goblins a chance to drop Nightmare Sigils with the Treasure Breach modifier.
• Add bonus reward conditions to Nightmare Dungeons.

Activity Perks apply even when you run activities outside of a War Plan. Investing in a perk for Nightmare Dungeons, for example, benefits every Nightmare Dungeon you run regardless of whether it is part of a route.

War Chest Rewards

The War Chest is your final payout after you complete every activity in a route. You claim it at the Command Table in Temis.

The War Chest drops a bundle of rewards that scales based on the activities you chose, the modifiers you applied, and your overall War Plans progression. Expected reward types include:

• Gear drops (including Uniques and Ancestral gear)
• Crafting materials
• Boss loot
• Upgrade resources
• Currency rewards

You also earn bonus rewards at each individual node as you complete activities along the route, not just at the end. The War Chest is the final bonus layer on top of everything else you collected during the run.

Best War Plans Routes

The right route depends entirely on what your character needs right now. Use these starting points and adjust as your gear improves.

For Glyph Progression

Nightmare Dungeons → The Pit → Whispers Overlap

Nightmare Dungeons provide consistent Glyph XP, and The Pit stress-tests your build’s damage output and survivability. Let Whispers overlap naturally for extra rewards.

For Boss Farming

Helltides → Lair Bosses → Undercity

Helltides warm you up and stock your materials. Lair Bosses deliver the targeted Unique drops you need. The Undercity closes the route with tribute-based farming and solid reward control.

For Crafting Materials

Helltides → Undercity → Infernal Hordes

This route prioritizes material density throughout. Helltides flood the map with enemies and events. Undercity lets you steer rewards toward crafting-specific loot. Infernal Hordes close the loop with wave-based farming and chest payouts.

For Build Testing

The Pit → Nightmare Dungeons → Infernal Hordes

Run The Pit first while your performance data is cleanest. Nightmare Dungeons follow to test dungeon-specific survivability and boss handling. Infernal Hordes finish with sustained wave combat to check how your build holds up over time.

Casual Route (Low Pressure, Steady Progress)

Helltides → Whispers Overlap → Nightmare Dungeons

Pick this route when you want consistent progress without preparing complicated consumables. Helltides keep the pace relaxed. Whispers stack bonus rewards alongside your other objectives. Nightmare Dungeons cap the run with Glyph XP.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of War Plans

• Build routes around your current goal. Do not run Lair Boss-heavy chains if Glyphs are the real bottleneck.
• Use Helltides and Whispers for early farming when your gear is still catching up.
• Save high-difficulty modifiers for after you cap your resistances and lock in your build.
• Check the reward focus of each node before confirming your route. Mismatched nodes waste time.
• Re-roll the plan when it feels slower than regular farming. Use Marks of El’Druin only when the reset matters.
• War Plans generate missing Sigils automatically. You never need to farm consumables before starting a route. Play Now!

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