Summary

With Season 15 only 17 days away, now is the perfect time to lock in your leveling plans. The goal is simple: when the season launches, you can hop on and go without having to think about your leveling strategy. Having a solid plan in place makes the experience smoother, faster, and far more enjoyable. You can also buy Diablo IV Items to get a quick gear boost. This guide covers three different methods to level from 1 to 70 using the Lord of Hatred expansion. Each method has been thoroughly tested with full 1-to-70 runs, and I've broken down the pros, cons, and step-by-step execution for each.

Note: A separate guide for leveling without the Lord of Hatred is also available on my website. All guides are completely free—no sign-up required.

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Before You Start: Essential Setup

The Cube Quest

When you first create a brand new character:

You'll have a quest at the Cube – complete it for experience

Then talk to the Table or Tyrael – this will give you enough experience to hit level 2 immediately

This gets you an extra skill point before you even leave town

Unlock Your War Plans Tree

Unlock war plans in Scobos as soon as possible

This tree will be central to several leveling methods


Method 1: War Plans Only

Best for: Players who want a head start on endgame progression and enjoy variety in activities.

Overview

This method involves running war plans exclusively from level 1. You complete one war plan from start to finish, turn it in, and immediately start another.

Why Choose This Method?

Benefit

Description

Endgame Head Start

Earns war plans tree points early – you'll have several nodes unlocked by level 70

Excellent Variety

War plans rotate through different activities (Hell Tides, Undercity, etc.), keeping gameplay fresh

Plenty of Loot

War plan turn-ins are a great source of legendary gear while leveling

Big Experience Turn-ins

Completing and turning in war plans grants massive XP chunks

Material Generation

Earns crafting materials that set you up for endgame

Step-by-Step Execution

Unlock War Plans in Scobos

Complete the initial questline to access the war plans table

First Priority: Wythe and Rot (Hell Tides Node)

Focus your first war plans points on reaching Wythe and Rot

This node causes experience globes to drop from maggots

This is the single most important node for 1-to-70 leveling

Run Hell Tides Using the Worm Method

The worm method is the optimal way to farm Hell Tides efficiently

[Link to worm farming guide – see description]

Your goal is to open chests, get experience, and complete objectives

Unlock Undercity and Jade Epiphany

Once Undercity is available (around level 25), focus on unlocking Jade Epiphany

This node gives experience orbs based on your attunement rank

Undercity Strategy

First few runs: Sprint straight to the boss. Ignore all monsters. Kill the boss and reset.

After unlocking Jade Epiphany: Activate braziers to increase attunement ranking

Attunement ranks grant experience orbs:

Rank 1: 1 orb

Rank 2: 2 orbs

Rank 3: 3 orbs

Rank 4: 4 orbs

Important: Pets do not pick up experience orbs. You must collect them manually!

Continue War Plans

Keep completing and turning in war plans

The experience from turn-ins is substantial

Potential Downsides

Some war plan objectives take longer than others (e.g., Infernal Horde runs)

You may occasionally be forced into activities you wouldn't normally choose

Limited options early on can slow progress

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Method 2: Hell Tides Focus (Fastest Method)

Best for: Players who want to reach level 70 as quickly as possible and don't mind repetitive gameplay.

Overview

This is the fastest method of the three. By focusing exclusively on Hell Tides and optimizing the worm farming strategy, you can power through levels at incredible speed.

Why This Is the Fastest

Advantage

Description

Double Hell Tides

Refresh war plans until you get double Hell Tides for maximum efficiency

Early Unlock

At low levels, fewer options mean more Hell Tide availability

Minimal Killing

Kill only enough to open chests, grab XP, and reset

Penitent Difficulty Trick

Farm cinders on Normal, then swap to Penitent for chest opening XP

Insane Worm XP

Worm experience far exceeds monster farming

Step-by-Step Execution

Create Character and Talk to the Cube

Hit level 2 immediately (as described above)

Unlock War Plans Table

Open it and refresh until you get double Hell Tides

Low-Level Strategy (Before Level 25)

Kill as little as possible – just enough to open a chest

Get experience from chest opening

Return to town, turn in war plans

Refresh for another double Hell Tide

Cinder Optimization Trick

Farm cinders on Normal difficulty

Once you have enough, swap to Penitent difficulty

Run to the chest and open it

You get the experience for opening it on Penitent even though you farmed on Normal

War plans experience is based on the difficulty level you complete them on

Continue Through All Difficulty Tiers

Normal → Hard → Penitent → Torment tiers

Each tier gives progressively more experience

Full Worm Method Farming

Once you're strong enough, farm on Penitent in Hell Tides

Use the worm method: ride between worm spawning points

Do not kill monsters once you've activated enough threat to spawn worms

The XP from worms far exceeds what you get from killing regular monsters

Important Warning for Hardcore Players

The monsters that spawn from worms are very strong and can one-shot you at low levels. Hardcore players should avoid this method.

Potential Downsides

Extremely repetitive – you'll spend all your time in a single activity

Slower war plans progression – you won't advance your war plans tree as efficiently

Challenging at low levels – Hell worms are dangerous


Method 3: Undercity Focus (Favorite Method)

Best for: Players who enjoy feeling powerful while leveling and want the smoothest experience.

Overview

This was my personal favorite method. The Undercity offers unique buffs that make you feel like you're playing an endgame build from level 25 onward.

Why This Method Feels Great

Advantage

Description

Empowering Buffs

Beacons grant faster movement, cast speed, and resource regeneration

Feels Like Endgame

You don't feel weak while leveling

Very Little Investment

Only need Jade Epiphany node unlocked

Minimal Downtime

Run after run with almost no interruption

Step-by-Step Execution

Level 1 to 25

Use any method to reach level 25

The Undercity is not available before this

Unlock War Plans Table

You need to unlock the Undercity via war plans

Focus on Jade Epiphany Only

This is the only node you need for this method

It unlocks experience orbs based on attunement rank

Run Undercity Optimally

Activate braziers to build attunement

Always collect experience orbs – pets will not pick them up!

Once you reach attunement rank 4: stop killing monsters

Run straight to the end and kill the boss

Reset and start a new Undercity run

Ignore War Plans

You don't need to do war plans at all for this method

Simply chain Undercity runs back to back

Gear Management

You'll still find enough gear upgrades to keep things smooth

If you're skilled, you can equip gear while moving to minimize downtime

Potential Downsides

Not available until level 25 – you need to level up first

Fewer crafting materials compared to Hell Tides or war plans

Limited gear drops – though I found it was still more than enough

No war plans progress – if you care about the tree, this isn't for you

Repetitive – especially over longer sessions


Method Comparison Table

Feature

War Plans Only

Hell Tides Focus

Undercity Focus

Speed

Moderate

? Fastest

Fast

Variety

? Highest

Very Low

Low

Endgame Prep

? Best

Moderate

Minimal

Materials

? Best

Good

Limited

Difficulty

Moderate

High (risky)

Low

Available From

Level 1

Level 1

Level 25

Best For

All-around players

Speedrunners

Smooth experience

 

What's Coming After Level 70?

Once you hit level 70, your focus should shift to:

Optimizing your build

Pushing higher difficulty tiers

Participating in endgame activities

The war plans tree progress you made (especially with Method 1) will give you a significant head start.

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Final Thoughts

All three methods are viable and tested:

Method

Best For

War Plans Only

Players who want variety and endgame head start

Hell Tides Focus

The absolute fastest way to 70 (not for hardcore)

Undercity Focus

The smoothest, most fun leveling experience

Pick the one that fits your playstyle. And remember – the goal is to have fun and enjoy the journey. Whether you want to speedrun to endgame or casually work your way through, there's a method here for you. If you're looking for Diablo IV Items for sale, MMOEXP is a trusted place to check out—they offer a wide selection to help you gear up quickly and skip the grind when you need a boost.