Summary
- Extending time and increasing Attunement is key in Kurast Undercity to earning rewards efficiently.
- Each district in Kurast Undercity has a unique boss, requiring familiarity to defeat.
- Tributes and Bargains can modify Kurast Undercity runs to impact rewards and improve outcomes.
Kurast Undercity is a high-stakes, multi-level dungeon activity in Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred in which players explore the ruins beneath old Kurast in a race against the clock to earn powerful rewards. Apart from the story for Vessel of Hatred itself, Kurast Undercity is one of the most significant additions made to Diablo 4 with the introduction of the expansion, so dedicated players will likely be completing plenty of runs for it.
Kurast Undercity unlocks for players just over halfway through the campaign for Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred DLC — upon completing the main quest "Reunion" — and they can then participate in it at any time once they've completed the introductory quests for the activity, "The Kurast Undercity" and "Undercity: Wail of the Forgotten." There is a wide variety of mechanics players should be aware of as they head into Kurast Undercity, however, as it can prove to be one of the more demanding activities in the expansion. Nevertheless, it can be a highly rewarding experience, so it's more than worth doing.
The Ins and Outs of Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred's Kurast Undercity
Extending Time and Increasing Attunement Is Key in Kurast Undercity
There are several things to keep track of while in Diablo 4's Kurast Undercity dungeon, and some players find the pressure to be intensely overwhelming at first, especially given the time limit placed on every run that, when extinguished, ends the run. Thankfully, once the District Boss is reached, the time limit is gone. However, this ultimately requires being aware of every mechanic in the dungeon and using time wisely, so players are encouraged to stay light on their feet at all times.
One of the main gameplay mechanics in Diablo 4's Kurast Undercity involves its special monsters and structures. Afflicted Monsters and Afflicted Structures, when killed or destroyed, provide useful time extension bonuses that are almost necessary for a successful run. These monsters and structures are marked on the map with an orange hourglass icon to denote their purpose as time-extension opportunities. Furthermore, players are granted varying amounts of time depending on which type of Afflicted Monster they kill or Afflicted Structure they destroy, and those that provide greater time extensions generally don't appear until players are close to them.
- Minor Afflicted - 1 Second
- Lesser Afflicted - 8 Seconds
- Named Lesser Afflicted - 14 Seconds
- Afflicted Object - 15 Seconds
- Greater Afflicted - 30 Seconds
- Mini-Boss Afflicted - 30 Seconds
Players can also earn Attunement in each Kurast Undercity run, which is granted upon defeating Diablo 4 monsters and igniting Spirit Beacons and Grand Spirit Beacons. Attunement then contributes towards players' Attunement Rank, with higher Attunement Ranks increasing the rewards players receive upon completing a run. Spirit Beacons and Grand Spirit Beacons are indicated on the map by their blue flame icon, just as Afflicted Monsters and Afflicted Structures are with their orange hourglass icon. Upon igniting a Spirit Beacon, players are required to defeat the enemies that spawn there. Once all the enemies are defeated, players gain a buff that increases their movement speed and reduces their cooldowns.
Players may also spontaneously encounter Portal Prankster Goblins, which, when defeated, reward a Bonus Chest containing Loot, Runes, and Tributes.
Each District of Kurast Undercity Has a Unique Boss
Currently, there are three District Bosses in Kurast Undercity, each of whom serves as the boss for one of the Undercity's three unique Districts. The boss of the Ziggurat District is Alia, Kurast's End, the boss of the Temple District is Yoche, The Golden, and the boss of the Caves District is Longtooth, The Wretched. Players will likely need to complete multiple runs of Kurast Undercity to familiarize themselves with these unique Diablo 4 bosses, as they can be rather challenging. Thankfully, however, there is no time limit during the boss phase of each Kurast Undercity run.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred's Tenets of Akarat Explained
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred's Tenets of Akarat are new collectibles added with the expansion that essentially replace the base game's Altars of Lilith.
Tributes and Bargains Can Change the Game in Kurast Undercity
One thing players will likely want to make themselves aware of before heading into a Kurast Undercity run is Diablo 4's new Tributes and Bargains system. Before heading into Kurast Undercity, players can interact with the Spirit Brazier near the portal to apply these items and modify their run for increased rewards.
Tributes come in a variety of forms and can be earned by completing activities throughout Sanctuary, like Nightmare Dungeons and Whisper Bounties. These Tributes come with unique difficulty requirements and also simultaneously increase the difficulty of a Kurast Undercity run by applying modifiers to it like Time Bonus Penalties and Potion Drop Penalties. Finally, Tributes grant players guaranteed powerful rewards of a specific kind, so long as a run of the Kurast Undercity activity is completed in line with the Tribute's requirements.
There are several things to keep track of while in Diablo 4's Kurast Undercity dungeon, and some players find the pressure to be intensely overwhelming at first, especially given the time limit placed on every run that, when extinguished, ends the run.
Bargains, on the other hand, are payments made to the Spirit Brazier to modify the Kurast Undercity run even further. By contributing items like Crafting Materials, Gold, or Obols to the Spirit Brazier, players can impact the outcome of what's inside the chest at the end of the run or what Affixes are on the items in that chest. All in all, venturing out into Diablo 4's Sanctuary to obtain Tributes and then bringing them and plenty of valuable Bargains to the Spirit Brazier before a Kurast Undercity run can literally pay off.
The new Kurast Undercity dungeon in Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion is clearly a complex activity and requires plenty of effort from players if they hope to make each run efficient. Fortunately, Kurast Undercity has gone to great lengths to ensure players have a great deal of control over the run itself and its outcome, which means it can prove to be a highly rewarding activity if players put in the time and energy to make it so.
Diablo 4
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Cross Save
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Diablo
- Number of Players
- 1-2 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 158.25 GB
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 players (console only)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
