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The Kurast Undercity is a brand new activity bundled into the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred expansion. Series veterans may be familiar with the format, which borrows much from the Lower Kurast challenge in Diablo 2. Players drop into a repeatable timed dungeon in the dank underbelly of Kurast and must progess through several floors, eliminating enemies to recoup time as you go, all with the final goal of defeating three District Bosses to score major rewards.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the ins and outs of the Kurast Undercity, including how to unlock the activity and a primer on the challenge’s unique features. It might seem a little overwhelming at first, but once you’ve done a few runs, it’s relatively simple to get to grips with all the mechanics.
Complete the Reunion quest then talk to Ormus to start The Kurast Undercity quest. Captured by VideoGamer
The Kurast Undercity quest appears on the map as Priority quest in the council chambers in Kurast. Captured by VideoGamer
How to unlock the Kurast Undercity
To unlock the Kurast Undercity, play through the campaign until you reach Chapter 3, then complete the Reunion quest where you meet back up with Neyrelle in Kurast then report back to the Council. Once the conversation is over, you’ll get access to a purple Priority quest called The Kurast Undercity, available from Ormus in the Council chambers in Kurast.
The elder will explain that there’s much lurking below the surface of Kurast – the Undercity. A councillor by the name of Sihek has gone missing and it’s your job to track him down. Head to the Undercity entrance marked on the map. Explore until you find Councilor Sihek then retrace your steps back to the entrance and talk to Sihek to trigger a new quest called Undercity: Wail of the Forgotten. Complete it to unlock the Kurast Undercity.
To enter the Undercity, interact with the Spirit Brazier to the left of the entrance, which will open a portal. Your first few visits are bundled into a series of Priority Quests that get you up to speed with the basic mechanics of the dungeon, including the three district structure:
- Undercity: The Specter of Travincal
- Undercity: The Promise
- Undercity: Starving Pride
- Undercity: Sihek
Once you’ve completed all these, you can visit the dungeon as and when you want.
How to get more time in the Kurast Undercity
You start the dungeon with 100 seconds. The timer starts ticking down as soon as you leave the spirit barrier at the start of each floor. To get more time, you’ll need to track down then kill or destroy Afflicted Monsters and Afflicted structures, both marked on the mini-map by an orange hourglass icon, to trigger small time bonuses. Different Afflicted Monsters and Afflicted structures grant different time extensions, as follows:
| Afflicted Monster / Structure | Time Bonus |
|---|---|
| Minor Afflicted | 1 sec |
| Lesser Afflicted | 8 sec |
| Lesser Afflicted (Named) | 14 sec |
| Afflicted Structure | 15 sec |
| Greater Afflicted | 30 sec |
Attunement
When you load into the Undercity, you’ll see a blue gauge on the right side on the screen that represents your Attunement Rank, which determines the amount and rarity of the rewards you’ll receive for completing the dungeon. The higher the rank, the better the loot.
You’ll earn small amounts of Attunement for killing any enemy in the dungeon and much larger amounts for igniting Spirit Beacons and Grand Spirit Beacons and defeating all the enemies that spawn around them. These structures are represented by small blue flames on the mini-map. When you activate one, several enemies will spawn and tether to the structure. Killing all the tethered enemies earns you a big Attunement boost, but also a small buff to movement speed and cooldown duration.
Tributes and Bargains
When you interact with the Spirit Brazier in Kurast, you’ll see two slots on the left: Tributes and Bargains. Tributes are difficulty modifiers that you can use to alter the type of rewards you’ll receive for completing the Undercity districts.
You’ll find Tributes throughout Sanctuary as rewards for completing activities and events like Nightmare Dungeons and Infernal Hordes. They are classified as Dungeon Keys and are stored in the tab of the same name in your inventory.
Every reward upgrade granted by a Tribute includes a Time Bonus Penalty and Potion Drop Penalty. For example, let’s take the Tribute of Pride, which you’ll get for completing the Undercity quest chain. Using the Tribute guarantees Legendaries, but you’ll get 15% less time granted from Afflicted kills and Floor Transitions, and Healing Potions will drop 20% less frequently. You’ll need to complete the Undercity dungeon with at least Attunement Rank 1 for the Tribute to work.
After selecting Tribute, you’ll unlock the Bargains slot, which allows you to further customise your rewards. You can exchange materials like Iron Chunks, Murmuring Obols, Veiled Crystals, and Bundled Herbs to increase the amount of a certain type of reward you’ll receive, for example weapons, armor, and jewelry.
To use a Tribute, interact with the Spirit Brazier then select the Tribute from the Dungeon Keys portion of your inventory. To offer up a Bargain, tap the Bargain slot then select the material from the list. Tap the red Open Portal button to load into the Kurast Undercity with the modifiers activated.
Alia, Kurast’s End. Captured by VideoGamer
Yoche, The Golden. Captured by VideoGamer
Longtooth, The Wretched. Captured by VideoGamer
Kurast Undercity bosses
The Kurast Dungeon consists of three districts – Ziggurat District, Temple District, and Caves District. You’ll visit one randomly selected District per run, making your way through three floors before reaching the boss floor. You’ll fight the same District Boss each time:
| District | Boss | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Ziggurat District | Alia, Kurast’s End | The Chapel |
| Temple District | Yoche, The Golden | The Coil |
| Caves District | Longtooth, The Wretched | The Nest |
Note that once you reach the boss floor of each respective District, the timer no longer applies and disappears. There’s no need to hunt down Afflicted Monsters and Structures.
About the Author
Diablo 4
- Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
- Genre(s): Action, Action RPG, RPG
