Diablo 4‘s Sins of the Horadrim season allows players to tackle a new type of micro-dungeon in the form of Horadric Strongrooms. Like the Hellbreaches and Rootholds of past seasons, Horadric Strongrooms are bite-sized challenges for Diablo 4 players to tackle during the runtime of Season 9, with the potential to earn rare seasonal loot like the Arcana needed for crafting Horadric Spells. Although these Strongrooms are only temporary for Season 9, they have the added benefit of giving players a chance to experience something similar to Vessel of Hatred without needing to own the DLC.
Players will get their first taste of Horadric Strongrooms by undertaking the seasonal questline, which earns them a Wayfinder that can be used to locate Horadric Strongrooms within Nightmare Dungeons. With Nightmare Dungeons being the best place for leveling in Diablo 4 Season 9, it’s likely players will be taking a side trip to Strongrooms often. For owners of the Vessel of Hatred DLC, these Strongrooms will feel surprisingly familiar to the Kurast Undercity dungeon and may prove to be a good measure for players still on the fence about purchasing the expansion.
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Diablo 4 Season 9’s Horadric Strongrooms Channel Vessel of Hatred’s Kurast Undercity
Horadric Strongrooms Allow Diablo 4 Players to Get a Feel for the Mechanics of the Undercity Without Vessel of Hatred
When entering a Horadric Strongroom, Diablo 4 players will need to complete the Horadric Artifact Pillar ritual by slaying the waves of enemies that spawn from it. Afterward, they will get to choose between different pillars that augment the final conditions of the Strongroom before entering the micro-dungeon itself. These pillars can shape how a Strongroom plays by offering the player buffs to trade-offs that increase potential rewards at the cost of debuffs.
The core gameplay of a Horadric Strongroom requires players to defeat waves of enemies within a limited time while collecting attunement. This attunement fills a gauge that corresponds to the tier of rewards players earn by completing the Strongroom, so players are incentivized to slay as many enemies as possible before the boss appears. After defeating the boss, rewards will be distributed based on the amount of attunement the player has collected, which can include important items like Arcana needed for Horadric Spells and Escalation Sigils needed for the new Escalating Nightmare Dungeons.
Players can utilize Sacrifice Shrines within Horadric Strongrooms to gain additional buffs and improve their chances of maxing the attunement they earn.
How the Kurast Undercity Differs from Horadric Strongrooms
Players who have delved into the Kurast Undercity dungeon in Vessel of Hatred will likely notice the similarities it shares with Horadric Strongrooms. Both of these dungeons require players to slay enemies and collect attunement motes before time runs out. However, Horadric Strongrooms aren’t exactly the same as the Kurast Undercity, with a couple of notable differences separating the two activities.
- Tributes and Bargains can augment Undercity rewards
- Players must reach the end of the dungeon before time expires
- Time can be reclaimed by slaying Afflicted enemies
- Spirit Beacons are used to guide players toward the goal
The main difference between the Undercity and Strongrooms is the potential for failure in the former if players fail to reach the goal before time runs out. This puts a lot more pressure on Vessel of Hatred players to optimize runs through the Kurast Undercity, focusing on keeping the timer going by slaying Afflicted enemies while increasing their attunement levels as they head toward the level’s portal. With multiple levels to clear before reaching the boss, the Undercity can be a much longer experience than a Horadric Strongroom. Players who run out of time in the Undercity forfeit their potential rewards, making it a greater risk to attempt than Horadric Strongrooms.
Despite these differences, the Horadric Strongrooms of Season 9 are a good showcase of the same mechanic the Kurast Undercity uses. Players interested in the Vessel of Hatred DLC can try out the Strongrooms for free during the Sins of the Horadrim season and then decide if they’d like a more challenging version of this Diablo 4 dungeon before pulling the trigger on the expansion.
Diablo 4
9/10
- Released
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June 6, 2023
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Engine
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Proprietary Engine