The Gauntlet was announced at Blizzcon 2023 [1] and introduced into Diablo 4 with Season 3. It launched on 5 March 2024 as part of the mid-season update.
The Gauntlet will be disabled for Season 6 while the meta settles with the introduction of the Spiritborn and all other system updates.[2] ~ Blizzard Entertainment, 29 August 2024
What is the Gauntlet?
The Gauntlet is a special end-game Dungeon that is only available on Seasonal Realms and has a leaderboard that runs for the duration of each Season. The features are:
- Non-linear Dungeon
- 8 minute time-limited
- Same layout that changes weekly
- Same level 100 monsters and level 124 bosses with the same affixes each week
- Earn Seals depending on your final score
- Do particularly well and find yourself in the Top 1,000 and on the Leaderboards and the Hall of the Ancients
How to access the Gauntlet
You need to be on World Tier 4 and then head to Gea Kul (see map). Look for the end of the pier at the docks and the Horn of Trials. You do not need any materials to access the Gauntlet.
Ideally, you should be level 100 as the monsters will be and the Bosses are all level 124.
Make sure you are set with your gear, skills, and Paragon Boards as you can't change any of that once you enter the Gauntlet. You can consume consumables any time during, however.
Inside the Gauntlet
While running The Gauntlet, you will pick up Proofs of Might after killing monsters and opening chests which contribute to your final score. You can boost these and your score by activating Pillars.
Pillar of Glory
The Pillar of Glory gives you a multiplier of x 2.5 for killing monsters and increases the number of Proofs of Might you will earn doing so. How many Proofs of Might you get when opening chests also increases. Once activated the effect lasts for 30 seconds and once you've tapped the Pillar it can't be used again.
- Make sure you have a high density of monsters around, kite some in if you can before tapping the Pillar
- Collect keys for chests before tapping the Pillar
- There is no way to increase the duration of shrines any longer however the Season Blessing, Urn of Enduring Grace, is sometimes available as a Seasonal reward, and that increases the shrine duration.
- Like regular Shrines this Pillar is activated per player.
Pillar of Proving
The Pillar of Proving respawns all enemies, regular, elite, and bosses across the entire Gauntlet so you can kill them again. Once you have tapped the Pillar you can't use it again.
- Kite a Boss or large groups of monsters to the Pillar, kill them, tap the Pillar, and kill them again to further boost your score.
- Proofs of Might will drop from them again.
- This Pillar doesn't work like a regular Shrine. If a player taps it it can't be tapped again by anyone so make sure all your group is in position before activating it.
- When you rekill a Boss you have previously killed they will not drop their Shrine again.
Shrines
In The Gauntlet, four kinds of regular Shrines can appear as a sort of reward drop. They do not appear like shrines normally do but instead, appear when a Boss is killed. Which shrine appears for which boss is always the same as detailed in the table below.
| Shrine | Effect | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| Artillary | Your Attack Speed is increased and all attacks summon holy arrows. | Blood Bishop, Chief Marauder, Resurrected Malice, Seething Hivemaster |
| Blast | You periodically explode, damaging enemies around you. | Scourge of the Land |
| Channeling | Your skills cost no resource and have reduced cooldown. | Drowned Seahag, Outlaw, Sharpshooter, Spiritcaller of Flames |
| Lethal | All of your skills deal more damage and Critically Strike. | Broodguard, Mother's Judgment, Tomb Lord |
- Bosses resurrected by using a Pillar of Proving do not drop their shrine when killed again.
Iron Keys
Collect Iron Keys from monsters which are marked with their own icon on the map. Use a single key to open any chest to loot Proofs of Might and increase your score. The number of keys you have is shown left of the mini map.
Scoring
You have 8 minutes to collect as many Proofs of Might as you can. They are automatically collected when they drop from monsters but you need to walk over those dropped from chests or your pet will do it if you have one.
If you die you will lose a third of your Proofs of Might but you can retrieve them at the location where you died after respawning.
| Map Icon | Object | Reward/Points |
|---|---|---|
| Boss | 9,000 | |
| Elite | 1,100 | |
| Monster with Iron Key | 1 Iron Key | |
| Pillar of Glory | x 2.5 multiplier | |
| Pillar of Proving | Respawns all enemies | |
| Small Chest | 3,000 | |
| Large Chest | 8,000 |
Maps
Every Tuesday the Gauntlet changes to a new map which will need to be studied to find the optimal route.
Everything on the map is set in stone and will always be in the same location when you begin your run but none of the markers will be revealed until you uncover them. However, this list of Gauntlet Maps has the latest map with the markers in place.
Rewards inside The Gauntlet
No loot drops from any monsters, instead, players earn a minor cache at the end of each 8-minute run. When the map resets at the end of each week, depending on your score, you will earn 1 or more Caches of Trials, these have a guaranteed Ancestral Legendary or Unique item.
Seals
Players scores earn Seals which are as follows:
- Seal of the Blooded
- Seal of the Steadfast
- Seal of the Iron-Willed
- Seal of the Worthy
Earning a Seal of a higher rank grants you the rewards of any lower Seals, with the Seal of the Worthy granting you all Seal Caches available for that week. You can also earn multiple Seals for the multiple Gauntlet ladders that are available. The Seal of Worthy grants the most coveted treasures as they are guaranteed to drop items with level 925 power.
The required score to earn each Seal will change weekly, influenced by the Gauntlet's layout and the class you are playing. These scores are adjusted based on party size: larger groups will find it easier to achieve higher scores compared to solo players.
Leaderboard
Each week Leaderboards are available to record the top 1,000 scores in different categories, such as solo by class and different group sizes, softcore and hardcore.
- Rank in the Top 100 of a ladder and you get a Conqueror's Crest Mount Trophy
- Rank in the Top 10 of a ladder and you are immortalised permanently in the Hall of the Ancients
You can filter the Leaderboards by friends and clan mates if you want to see how you measure up to them.
Tips for Running the Gauntlet
- Get to level 100 if you are serious about getting high scores. Any lower is a handicap.
- Test run a level 70 Nightmare Dungeon to get an idea of how you would fare.
- Know the map to plan your routes to the Bosses, dense groups, the Pillars and back again to rack up the points. Use our Gauntlet Maps or memorize the positions.
- Equip Mythic Uniques.
- Speed is important. Equip accordingly.
- Attack Speed is important. Equip accordingly.
Gauntlet FAQ
When is the Gauntlet Reset?
The Gauntlet concludes each week on Tuesday, 9 a.m. PDT with the next completely different Gauntlet emerging at 11:15 a.m. PDT.
Are there run limitations per week?
No, players can run The Gauntlet as many times as they wish.
Are Sigils required to run The Gauntlet?
No, they are not required.
Can I inspect the builds of Gauntlet players?
Yes, it is possible to see what builds the top players have equipped unless they have set them to 'private' which many do.
What game modes are available?
Both Softcore and Hardcore characters can play The Gauntlet and death is still permanent in Hardcore mode.
Is there any week when there is no new map?
Yes. One week before a new Season starts, there will not be a new Gauntlet map.
Changes to The Gauntlet
Patch 1.4.0, May 14, 2024
- Players who earned a Seal of the Worthy for a given week in the Gauntlet now have a 100% chance of being rewarded a Unique Item.
- Boss Monsters won’t drop a shrine if they have been regenerated by the Pillar of Proving.