My Definition of Endgame Content in Diablo 4 (Including Completed Build Definition)

PC General Discussion
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Hey everyone, I’m laying out my take on what constitutes endgame content in Diablo 4 for clarity in future discussions and as a reference point. I’ve also included my definition of a completed build to give context to what I mean when I talk about endgame. This is my perspective, and I’d love to hear yours!

What is a Completed Build?

For me, a completed build in Diablo 4 is a character that’s fully optimized and ready to tackle the toughest challenges in a season. Specifically, it meets these criteria:

  • Level 60 with 300 Paragon Points: Max character level and full Paragon board progression.
  • 5 Level 100 Glyphs: All key glyphs fully upgraded for optimal power.
  • 12/12 Masterworking: Gear fully masterworked with targeted orange upgrades where necessary to maximize stats.
  • 90th Percentile Aspects: Legendary aspects at or near the best possible rolls for the build.
  • Survivable in World Tier 4: Can handle WT4 content comfortably without frequent deaths.
  • Pit Tier 100 Viable: Capable of clearing Pit Tier 100, proving the build’s strength in high-end content.

A completed build is what you take into endgame activities to test your mastery, typically in the last third of a season when you’ve finished grinding and optimizing.

What I Consider Endgame Content

Endgame content is about story additions and unique challenges that test a completed build, not activities tied to build progression. It’s where you go to prove your build’s strength or compete, not to farm gear or resources. Here’s what I count as endgame:

  • Activities:
    • Leaderboard System: A leaderboard system could provide for an end game pursuit option of all current activities.
    • Dark Citadel: A story-driven, challenging activity that feels like true endgame. However, its team requirement puts pressure on the game’s clan structure, which needs a rework to better support group play.
    • PvP: A potential endgame activity where you can showcase your build’s power, but it’s currently underwhelming and in dire need of a revamp to improve mechanics, rewards, and matchmaking.
  • Rewards: Endgame content should focus on cosmetic or prestige rewards, like transmogs, titles, or unexpected surprises (e.g., unique lore items or achievements). I don’t expect resources or items tied to build progression (like gear or materials) to drop in true endgame activities.

What I Don’t Consider Endgame

The following are farming activities for build progression, not endgame, regardless of World Tier:

  • Nightmare Dungeons: Primarily for upgrading gear via obducite.
  • Helltide: Other build-related resources.
  • Infernal Hordes: Primarily meant to farm for obducite.
  • The Pit: The Pit should feel like endgame, but since it’s tied to glyph leveling, it’s more about progression. Since there is no greater benefit to completing higher tiers, there is also no incentive to go far.
  • Cellars: Underused resource generator.
  • Overworld Activities: Seasonal activities primarily.
  • Undercity, etc.: These are for gathering resources or random gear.

Pain Points

  • Lack of a Leaderboard system: while we wait for the expansion in 2026 concerning leaderboards. It is important to note they could provide neccesary endgame translation for all progression related activities. As I have defined here:
  • Dark Citadel’s Team Requirement: The team-based nature of the Dark Citadel strains the game’s clan system, which feels underdeveloped and needs a serious overhaul to improve social features and group coordination.
  • PvP Neglect: PvP could be a fantastic endgame activity, but it’s largely ignored and needs significant updates to mechanics, rewards, and accessibility.

Final Thoughts

To me, Diablo 4’s endgame is about taking your completed build—level 60, 300 Paragon, 5 maxed glyphs, fully masterworked gear, and Pit Tier 100 viable—and diving into content like the Dark Citadel or PvP to test your mastery. These activities should reward cosmetics or prestige, not progression items. I’d love for Blizzard to expand story-driven endgame content, revamp PvP, and improve the clan system to make these experiences more engaging and accessible.

What’s your take on endgame or the idea of a completed build? Agree or disagree? Let’s discuss!

Note: I’ll link to this post in future discussions for reference. Feel free to share your own definitions of endgame or completed builds!

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We have directly opposite views of what constitutes “end game.”

While I wouldn’t argue with your definition of “complete build,” because it seems self-explanatory, there isn’t a world in this multiverse on which I’d concern myself with all that stuff.

Still, I gave you a “like” because your post was well-written.

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Thankyou Aumvaar

What is your definition of end game? If you don’t mind me asking.

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I was in the FoH maybe 20 times in S8 only once did I see someone else. His ear is now in my stash.

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I should rephrase: it’s not that the DC & PvP aren’t “end game,” it’s just that they’re two activities in which I’ve no interest.

My “end game” is all the things you see as “progression” as opposed to “end game,” things like NMDs & so on. When the seasons over I’ll probably spend S9 going back over the world map & finishing up all the things I’ve ignored.

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I’m with Aumvaar on this one. My definition of endgame is as follows.

  • Content designed to be played after the main campaign/story is complete to further your character progression.

Which basically includes all the things you listed as not being endgame content. The issue with this game is your definition, while correct to you, doesn’t line up at all within the context of D4. Nor do I ever think it will if we’re being honest. The devs have even stated as much.

Aside from Pits and PvP, there’s just no reason to have 300 paragon and all the things you’ve mentioned other than for the sake of completion. Which is fine, but I’m not entirely sure endgame is the correct word you’re searching for, as there is no true endgame for the game aside from PvP according to your definition.

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I understand that and don’t disagree that is how it should be, and I hope leaderboards will eventually help turn what I currently view as build progression activities into true endgame content. Until then, I can’t help but see each of these as something you have to do just to get your build to a completed state.

Here: I editted my post to include that part.

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I think it’s more semantics than anything. I see you as seeing endgame as the final pinnacle of the game. In footballs terms it’s the 4th quarter with a minute left on the clock, everything has lead up to this moment.

For video games it’s different, as almost every developer I can think of would agree. Depending on the game of course.

For games that focus on content that unlocks after the campaign, that is endgame content for that particular type of game, such as Diablo, MMORPG’s, some JRPG’s, etc.

For a story driven game that doesn’t necessarily have that, and once you’re done with the story the game is over, endgame content would probably be the small side quests or level grinding before you decide to tackle on the last boss.

So two different definitions for endgame content, depending on the context.

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Not so much last minute, more…

But I see your point, I’m just envisioning my personal, ideal end game… for any given completed build that is.

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I find your definition confusing.

So, first, you need 300 paragon points when the midway is 283 meaning you’re making a point of ~5% of open points (which do not all translate into main stat) but then you state that the 90th percentile aspects are okay. 100% Aspects are significantly easier to acquire than 300 paragon. Not even close in competition. You then go on to say that the build has to be survivable in T4 but demand pit 100 viability and worse glyph 100 values. If you have pit 100 viability but can’t manage T4 something went wrong because that’s multitudes easier to manage.

Your requirements are contradictory (in spirit).

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Thanks for the reply!

I’m a little confused by your comment though — could you clarify what you mean by “contradictory”? These are simply my criteria for what I consider a completed build. If you disagree with a specific requirement or think one doesn’t make sense in practice, I’d genuinely like to hear your reasoning.

For example, you’re pointing out that 300 Paragon is harder to achieve than high-rolled aspects — fair point depending on your playstyle or time investment. But I’m not ranking them by difficulty; I’m saying that to me, a build feels “complete” when it checks off all those boxes together, including Pit 100 viability and survivability in WT4. Those aren’t mutually exclusive — they’re different lenses I use to judge whether a build is done and ready for what I view as true endgame content.

If you’ve got a different view of what makes a build “complete,” I’d love to hear it. The whole point of this post is to get a clear conversation going around how people define these things.

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Thanks ChatGPT, great insight.

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Well, the issue is that to be pit 100 viable you need 12/12 masterworking, you need to obviously be comfortable in pit 55 (T4), and you’ll actually need maxed Aspects. Presuming the build is not bugged anyway. These criteria are therefore redundant.

So for the Pit 100 the only things you don’t have to have are Lv. 100 Glyphs and 300 paragon points. That’s it. Even then that’s hard. Only the paragon points are truly unnecessary. So your list is kind of only two items, three at most, because of natural redundancy. I mean, of course, if you can show me a pit 100 build (no bugs) that doesn’t have 12/12 Masterworking and doesn’t require maxed aspects which can’t survive comfortably in tier 4 I’m all for it.

I do admit none of this is contradictory, it’s redundant, that was the correct word for it.

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Thankyou, I appreciate the clarification — That said, the overlap in my list is intentional. Just because a build can clear Pit 100 doesn’t mean it performs well across all content. Some builds are hyper-optimized for specific scenarios like relying on constant adds to kill bosses and might fall apart in the right WT4 overworld content or event content, or (as you say) could be a bugged build. It is for the reason of bugged builds and the scenarios above that I feel the need to list both criteria seperately.

This isn’t just about the current state of the game either, I’m using it as a reference point for future balance discussions in case of selective changes and content evaluation.

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I see what you’re saying though a Pit run requires both mass clear and high single-target damage all without changing gear and a normal enemy at that level will hit harder than a juiced up T4 boss every could as well so if you can survive a hit there you can survive it anywhere.

It’s basically like being able to take a hit from Arnold Schwarzenegger but being worried about preschoolers taking you out.

I think my version of end-game, upon talking this out, would just be being able to clear T4 with the build with a pinnacle boss dying in under 2 minutes. Probably Zir since there’s no phases.

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