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Diablo 4’s Vessel of Hatredexpansion has added its first group raiding activity:The Dark Citadel. This endgame activity allows players to work together for greater rewards and faster clear times, all while protecting Nahantu from the threat of a Khazra invasion. However, players must first unlock this mode, and completing it is no walk in the park. The mechanics inside The Dark Citadel are rarely explained.
Rather than continuing to stumble around in the dark, keep reading to see how to unlock The Dark Citadel, how to solve the various puzzle types inside, and what rewards to expect for completing this set of Dungeons.
How To Unlock The Dark Citadel
Unlocking The Dark Citadel is the first hurdle for players looking to access this new content. To access the Priority Quest Chain for Dark Citadel, players need to first meet the following requirements:
Once all of the above are met, track the purple priority quest titled “Crater of Lost Souls.” Finishing this questline will unlock The Dark Citadel.
Where To Find The Warrior’s Camp
One of the first things players will be asked to do isfind the Warrior’s Camp.The location of this camp isn’t marked, but instead highlights a large area on your map. The camp is located in the northeastern part of the highlighted zone.
Where To Find The Dark Citadel
Once the questline is over, players will be able to unlock aWaypoint called “Rise of the Khazra"in the same instanced area where the quest is completed. This is the location of The Dark Citadel entrance, found through one of the three doorways in the room.
How To Complete The Dark Citadel
Completing The Dark Citadel involves a series of puzzles,similar to those used in the Season of Constructs, culminating in a boss fight. Common puzzles fall into three categories:
Due to the nature of these puzzles, especially the Door puzzles, The Dark Citadel must be completed in a Party of 2 or more players. Further, completing the “Dark Citadel Community Challenge” Priority Quest requires a successful run of all three Dark Citadel Wings (located through the three doors in the Rise of the Khazra Waypoint area).
Solving Soul Siphons
The Soul Siphon puzzleoperates similarly to the Blood Altar event in the Overworld. To charge the siphon, players must:
Players typically have to activate two Soul Siphons in the same room before proceeding. The final step of the puzzle is picking up the glowing objects that each Soul Siphon drops on the floor and slotting them into the altars near the door.
Soul Siphons can be charged faster if multiple players stand in their active area. It is also possible to activate and charge all Soul Siphons simultaneously when playing in a group.
Spirit Realm Teleportation
The second puzzle type, often used during boss fights, involves charging a teleportation gateway. In this puzzle, the party will need first to charge the Gateway in the center of the room. To complete the process:
This task in a slightly more difficult format is also present during The Dark Citadel’s final boss fights.
As players move through the Spirit World, they gain stacks of Impending Doom. Stand in a Soul Dampener (glowing blue area on the floor around a pillar) to reset these stacks before they reach max.
Group Door Puzzles
These challenges are the only ones in The Dark Citadel that cannot be done alone. To remove a barrier, one player must stand on a button of the corresponding color. Then, another player can walk through the door to the other side.
There are two variations of these doors. In one, the second player can immediately stand on another button to open the gate for the first player. The other variation involves several doors, one of which leads to a hallway. The second player must travel down the hallway and interact with a statue at the end to unlock a path for the first player.
Barrier Guardians
This activity typically involves a room with a glowing barrier across the door leading forward, and several symbols on the ground. In particular, players can expect to encounter it in the final boss fight of Labrinth of Souls, the second wing of The Dark Citadel. To complete the puzzle:
This should then dispel the barrier and allow players to progress.
How To Find A Party For The Dark Citadel
Players looking to find a group for The Dark Citadel can either make their own party or join an existing one inDiablo 4’s new party finder. The Party Finder is located in the top left corner of the Social Tab.
How Many Players Are Required For The Dark Citadel?
It is possible to solve all the puzzles with a minimum oftwo players. However, killing the final boss may prove too challenging as its health pool is scaled for four players.
Best Build For The Dark Citadel
The Dark Citadel is an enemy-dense activity with time-sensitive elements. As a result, builds with AoE and speed excel here. The Barbarian also has built-in team-play abilities, so any builds that utilize those are likely to perform well. Examples of builds which are suited for The Dark Citadel include:
Players should also keep in mind that this is a group activity, making Incense much more valuable as a buff than in the Overworld.
Rewards For Completing The Dark Citadel
There are a number of rewards for completing a wing of The Dark Citadel. Similar to World Bosses, there is a cache for completing all three wings of The Dark Citadel each week. Furthermore, there are chests and drops inside the Citadel. Primarily, players should expect to receive:
In addition, caches of gear will be awarded at each checkpoint during a run, which can contain Legendary and Unique Gear.The size and quality of each cache is determined by the players' Treasure Rating. Raise the group’s Treasure Rating by hunting down specially marked Elites with the “Treasure” title in front of their name.
Items That Are Bought With Citadel Coins
Citadel Coins are the primary currency associated with The Dark Citadel. Similar to the currency received from PvP, Citadel Coins can be traded in at a merchant outside The Dark Citadel for exclusive cosmetics. Special Scrolls, Incense, Elixirs, and Caches can also be bought from this vendor.
Scroll
800
Use to restore 30% Health and drop Health Potions for nearby players
1,750
Use to summon an anvil that can be used by nearby players to repair their gear
Cooldown 60 seconds
1,500
Use to revive up to three nearby players
400
Use to prevent Durability Loss on your next 3 deaths
2,000
Use to restore all Tempering Charges on an item
Only useable once per item
1,600
1,200
900
Drops Gems and Gem Fragments
1,100
15,000
20,000
