Diablo 4 Capstone Dungeons Explained – How To Unlock World Tier 3


Diablo 4 introduces Capstone Dungeons, a new type of challenge that is not just extra hard, it also unlocks new World Tiers. Here’s everything you need to know about Capstone Dungeons and how you unlock World Tier 3.

Diablo 4 hub
Diablo 4 Capstone Dungeons are super hard and need to be completed to unlock World Tier 3 & 4.| © Blizzard

In a game like Diablo 4, getting the endgame content right is super important to keep players engaged for months and years on end. Blizzard has many new ideas to make the endgame in Diablo 4 better than ever. This includes the brand-new Capstone Dungeons, which are a new type of challenge for players in the late game.

Diablo 4 Capstone Dungeons Explained

Capstone Dungeons are, and this might surprise you… dungeons. Wow. Superficially, they do resemble the standard dungeons, of which there are a ton in the game. But there are some key differences.

For one, Capstone Dungeons are locked until after you finish the campaign in Diablo 4. They are also hard as hell and are supposed to pose a particularly tough challenge.

Completing Capstone Dungeons will unlock more Diablo 4 world tiers, which are basically the game’s difficulty levels. Higher World Tiers mean tougher enemies, but also more XP and gold, as well as better loot.

How To Unlock World Tier 3 – Complete The First Capstone Dungeon

Diablo 4 gameplay Scosglen dungeon
The dungeons in Diablo 4 are amazing. | © Blizzard

The first Capstone Dungeons is available after finishing the epilogue quests at the end of the game’s campaign. Once you’re done, you’ll find a new Priority Quest called “World Tier 3: Nightmare”, which will lead you to the Cathedral of Light Capstone Dungeon.

You can find this dungeon in the cathedral in the northern part of Kyovashad. It has a level recommendation of 50. You need to be at World Tier 2, which you can set up at the statue in the middle of Kyovashad.

Diablo 4 The curator
The Curator is a tough nut. | © Blizzard

Cathedral of Light Walkthrough

You can enter the Capstone Dungeon at the back of the cathedral. Your first task is to “Collect Animus from the Revenant Knights”. No, this has nothing to do with Assassin’s Creed. Just walk around the dungeon and defeat enough Revenant Knights until the bar on the right side of the screen has fully filled up.

Now you need to go to the Animus, which you should see right after passing through the first hallway in the dungeon. A door will open here, leading you to the next section of the dungeon. Your next task awaits you here: “Defeat the High Council”. And believe me, these are some naughty boys.

The High Council consists of four bosses, who you will all face at the same time:

  • Sacred Physician
  • Lord Commander
  • Devoted Champion
  • Grand Inquisitor

We recommend going for the Sacred Physician and the Lord Commander first. The good doctor can revive bosses, which is the absolutely last thing you want to happen here. The Lord Commander is the strongest of the bosses, so getting rid of him ASAP will make the rest of the fight significantly easier.

When you have defeated the High Council, step through the portal in the boss room to get to the next section of the dungeon. You’ll have to kill all enemies in the area called Reliquary of Erudition to progress. Easy. Well, it’s not easy actually, as there are a ton of enemies. But if you’re leveled up enough, you can do it.

Now, on to the last task: defeating The Curator. This is not just the final boss of the Cathedral of Light Capstone Dungeon, he is also a right bastard. This is one of the toughest fights in the game, so you better be ready to suffer.

The Curator consistenly summons adds, you only get extra health potions twice during the fight (usually it’s three times) and he has some devastating magical AoE attacks. Key to the fight is high mobility, so if you’re soloing the dungeon you’ll have the best chances as a Rogue. If you get the timing down for dodging his green magical attacks and chipping away at him, the fight should be doable though… with enough patience.

Defeating The Curator is absolutely worth it though. You’ll not only get top-tier loot, you will now also have access to World Tier 3 within Diablo 4. If you want to unlock World Tier 4, you can do the Capstone Dungeon in Dry Steppes at Level 70.

Faris Delalic

Faris has been obsessed with gaming since his childhood and is now the Gaming lead at EarlyGame. He is a self-described FromSoftware shill, but also loves games like Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3 and Resident Evil 4....