Diablo 4: Best Nightmare Dungeons to Farm XP & Tier List (Patch 1.1.1 Update)

Lots of players are itching to know the best Nightmare Dungeons to farm for XP in Diablo 4.

There are lots of ways to gain XP in the game, but Nightmare Dungeons prove to be one of the more lucrative activities for gaining experience.

Since Diablo 4’s huge increase in dungeon mob density in Patch 1.1.1, there are plenty of options to choose from. But which are the best for grinding XP?

Thankfully some astute and dedicated players from the community have put in the leg work in finding the best Nightmare Dungeons for XP in Diablo 4 for Patch 1.1.1.

Crusader's Cathedral Nightmare Dungeon entrance in Diablo 4

What Are the Best Nightmare Dungeons to Farm XP in Diablo 4?

As of Patch 1.1.1, the top six best Nightmare Dungeons for XP in Diablo 4 are as follows:

Uldur’s Cave – 31.93 million XP per hour
Sarat’s Lair – 25.04 million XP per hour
Mariner’s Refuge – 24.38 million XP per hour
Hoarfrost Demise – 23.75 million XP per hour
Immortal Emanation – 23.4 million XP per hour
Domhainne Tunnels – 23.29 million XP per hour

The above list was created due to the tireless and persistent efforts of one of Diablo 4’s top streamers, Raxxanterax.

To gather the data, Raxxanterax ran through each of Diablo 4’s Nightmare Dungeons and averaged out the XP gain for each dungeon per hour.

It’s important to note that, as of Patch 1.1.1, the mob density in dungeons has significantly increased. It’s a game-changer.

Here’s an example of what the Nightmare Dungeon icon looks like on your map:

We go through each of the six best Nightmare Dungeons to farm XP, below.

Uldur’s Cave

Uldur’s Cave is located in the Ragged Coastline area in Kehjistan, to the Southeast of the Iron Wolves Encampment Waypoint.

Time and again, Uldur’s Cave came out on top for farming XP during Raxxanterax’s extensive testing, giving the most XP per hour by a large margin.

This is largely due to its fast and straightforward objectives, as well as its linear map and extremely high concentration of enemies.

Sarat’s Lair

Sarat’s Lair can be found in The Downs area in the Scosglen region just to the Southeast of the Cerrigar Waypoint.

Similar to Uldur’s Cave, Sarat’s Lair is extremely fast to complete and can net you lots of XP very quickly. It also has a high density of spider mobs, which can be clumped together and taken out fast.

Mariner’s Refuge

Mariner’s Refuge is located in the Strand area in Scosglen, Northeast of the Corbach Waypoint.

Another fast Nightmare Dungeon, you can run Mariner’s Refuge many times in a row over a relatively short period, meaning you’ll rack up XP in no time at all.

Despite being very fast, do note that there is a little backtracking involved when tackling this dungeon.

Hoarfrost Demise

You’ll find Hoarfrost Demise to the North of the Bear Tribe Refuge Waypoint in the Seats of the Heavens area in Fractured Peaks.

Hoarfrost Demise shot up as one of the best Nightmare Dungeons to farm XP since Patch 1.1.1. It benefitted hugely from the increased mob density, which complements its decent layout quite nicely.

Immortal Emanation

Immortal Emanation can be found in the Frigid Expanse area in Fractured Peaks to the Southeast of the Kyovashad Waypoint.

Another dungeon that got buffed since Patch 1.1.1, Immortal Emenation is now a fantastic choice for getting a decent chunk of XP quickly. The dungeon layout is a little inefficient and the Ghost and Vampire enemies aren’t the most ideal mobs to fight, but you simply can’t argue with that XP gain.

Domhainne Tunnels

Domhainne Tunnels can be found in the Strand area in Scosglen, just to the West of the Corbach Waypoint.

Lovingly referred to as “Dopamine Tunnels” by fans, Domhainne Tunnels went from being one of the worst dungeons to farm for XP, to one of the best.

The dungeon benefitted from a humungous increase in mob density. This, coupled with its extremely quick completion time, has made fans stock up their Sigils to run this Nightmare Dungeon over and over for quick XP.

Diablo 4 Nightmare Dungeons Tier List

Following on from Raxxanterax’s brilliant research, here is a tier list of the best and worst Nightmare Dungeons to solo farm for XP in Diablo 4:

S-Tier
- Uldur’s Cave
  Sarat’s Lair
  Mariner’s Refuge
  Hoarfrost Demise
  Immortal Emenation
  Domhainne Tunnels
A-Tier
- Mercy’s Reach
  Pallid Delve
  Tomb of the Saints
  Akhan’s Grasp
  Charnel House
  Nostrava Deepwood
  Dead Man’s Dredge
B-Tier
- Forgotten Ruins
  Komdor Temple
  Ancient Reservoir
  Collapsed Vault
  Garan Hold
  Stockades
C-Tier
- Lost Keep
  Twisted Hollow
  Iron Hold
  Betrayer’s Row
  Kor Valar Ramparts
D-Tier
- Bastion of Faith – SALVAGE
  Shifting City – SALVAGE
  Faceless Shrine – SALVAGE
  Heretics Asylum – SALVAGE
  Path of the Blind – SALVAGE
  Halls of the Damned – SALVAGE

You’ll most likely want to salvage any Nightmare Sigils you find in the bottom “D-Tier”!

For a detailed look at how he did it, check out Raxxanterax’s video below:

How to Farm Nightmare Dungeons for XP in Diablo 4

The best way to farm XP in Nightmare Dungeons is to log out before completing the final objective and logging back in to reset the enemies.

For example, if the final objective is a final boss in a Nightmare Dungeon you are running, do not kill it. If you do, the dungeon will be completed and won’t be able to reset.

To maximize your XP gains, you should slay all the enemy mobs in the dungeon, return to the entrance and log out, to reset the dungeon.

Follow these steps:

Use a Nightmare Sigil to activate a Nightmare Dungeon
Travel or teleport to the entrance of the Nightmare Dungeon
Start clearing out the enemies as normal, including any Elites for better rewards
Do not complete the Nightmare Dungeon’s final objective
Teleport back to the Nightmare Dungeon’s entrance
Log out of Diablo 4 and wait a couple of minutes
Log back in and repeat this process

It’s clear this is the most lucrative way to earn XP fast, and with these top-tier Nightmare Dungeons, you’ll be reaching max level in no time. You got this!

What Are Nightmare Dungeons in Diablo 4?

Nightmare Dungeons are more difficult variants of Diablo 4’s regular dungeons, rewarding players with more XP, better loot, and the ability to upgrade Glyphs upon completion. They can only be accessed after you’ve completed the campaign.

Though there are greater rewards, there is also greater risk. Enemies have difficult affixes to contend with and are tougher to take out. You also only have a certain number of revives available before you fail.