Inferno | Difficulty Levels Diablo III Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Torment
The most interesting difficulty level is, definitely, Torment that is additionally divided into six difficulty sub-levels. each higher level provides you with more gold, magical items and experience points. You need to be careful, however, with determining the difficulty level on the scale, because each slide considerably raises the strength of the opponents. It needs to be pointed out here, that there is no point in choosing Torment I without high damage per second and health factors. Of course, the latter can be shared with the armor and you can add more armor, at the cost of health and still do well.
The first thing to do if we want to complete Inferno is to change our approach to fighting altogether. From now on there is no place for heroic charges in the middle of several dozen enemies, since most of them will end in a quick death. Instead, we'll be using a technique know from many MMORPGs called Kiting (from kite), which is all about attacking and running away from the enemy in turns. The technique differs depending on whether we're playing a melee or a ranged character. In the case of Wizards, Demon Hunters and Witch Doctors, start off by attacking the nearest opponent - he'll start running towards you. The whole difficulty lies in dealing damage and keeping the monsters at a safe distance at the same time. To be able to do this, use Crowd Control abilities to slow the foe down (the Wizard's Blizzard or Demon Hunter's Caltrops work magic here) and give you enough time to land a few strikes. If the monsters get too close, increase the distance by, for example, freezing them or pulling back, or use defensive skills such as Teleport, Smoke Screen or Spirit Walk (the enemies will stop chasing after us while we will be pulling back from them). This way our character gets a "tail" of enemies, hence the name Kiting - from the tail of a kite. With some practice, this technique will allow us to eliminate whole packs of Champions without receiving a single hit.
The situation changes if our character is a Barbarian or a Monk. Since they lack the skills that allow them to attack from a distance, we need to force the enemies to attack us by approaching them. When the monsters start chasing after us, use Crowd Control abilities as the very beginning, hit them a couple of times, then pull back and wait for all abilities to cool down. Repeat the whole cycle until our character is able to take on the rest of the enemies in close combat. As we level up and acquire more powerful equipment, this technique will be needed less and less, and our Monk or Barbarian will be able to fight just like during the good old times on Nightmare or Hell. Nevertheless, keep it in mind while fighting Champions and other players, because more often than not we'll have to use Crowd Control abilities to shield ourselves from their attacks.
In multiplayer, our role depends on the character we're playing. Ranged characters should stay away from enemies and use Crowd Control to deal damage only in self-defense or to save other players from certain death. The job of melee characters is to draw monsters away from Wizards, Demon Hunters and Witch Doctors, so that they can focus on eliminating enemies rather than running away and kiting. An important thing here are the modifiers that determine healing in combat. If you are playing as a close-range character, your healing factor should be high enough to sustain low or no losses of health, while fighting hordes of opponents. However, if you cannot make it in this way, you can always retreat quickly and replenish health with red orbs or potions. As soon as you learn how to fight at the Torment, it is a good idea to focus on your equipment.
Kiting as done by a Wizard. In use: Hydra, Blizzard and Shock Pulse (piercing orb).
Unlike the lower levels, this time we'll be paying attention to a different set of values, depending on whether we're playing a ranged or a melee class. Wizards, Demon Hunters and Witch Doctors should most importantly invest in Damage Per Second on weapons, Core Attribute (Intelligence or Dexterity), Increased Attack Speed (rings, amulets and gauntlets) and Vitality. Apart from that, consider gear which increases Critical Hit Chance and Critical Hit Damage. It's particularly important for Demon Hunters if you want to get everything there is out of the Sharpshooter passive skill. Playing a ranged class is all about one thing: dealing as much damage in the shortest time possible - a dead opponent is no threat to us.
In case of melee classes, the shopping list is a little bit different since the most important thing for them is resistance and the ability to fight for as long as possible. For starters: leave two-handed weapons and dual wielding weapons in peace. Shield is everything. A good piece with a few bonuses and an increased Chance to Block (Block %) will ensure our continued survival on Inferno. The weapon should still have the highest possible Damage Per Second rate, but it's better if it also modifies our Core Attribute or Vitality. In some cases melee characters also invest in Health Points on Hit and Attack Speed %, which restore health points with each landed hit. Another stat to invest in is All Resistance - have each armor piece give you several dozen points. The combination of Vitality, armor, resistances and bonuses from the Core Attribute (dodge for Monks and armor for Barbarians) will allow us to stay in the fight without the need to retreat.
Another way of acquiring better gear is to use equipment which increases Magic Find. Rings, amulets, pieces of armor, even a gem: Topaz - all of them should give you at least a couple of bonus points. When our character becomes strong enough to face Champions and Rare Monsters without effort, it pays off to equip some of these items. Keep in mind, though, that current bonuses to finding rare items don't work on Resplendent Chests. It needs to be pointed out that there appeared the Infernal Machines at the Torment level (to learn more, see the chapter entitled "Infernal Machines")
