- Home
- Compendium
- Modes
Compendium
Game modes & difficulty
Your first hero picks a difficulty after climbing out of the Sinkhole (the rescue itself always plays at Easy); after that it's set at Vhoruun's Effigy in Hearthold, any time. The hard modes change the rules, not just the numbers; Legendary is meant to kill you.
Difficulty modes
Easy Smoulder
The embers sleep. Foes at their plainest, and the stairs are kind. For learning the ropes, or just enjoying the story.
The gentlest the Depths burn: foes at their plain strength, packs of the usual size, and the stairs heal you well between floors.
Medium Hearthfire
The fire as the Order left it: the intended challenge. The way the game is tuned. Bosses and packs will test you.
The intended challenge: foes have 50% more health and hit 50% harder than on Easy, packs are half again as big and elites far more common. +20% XP and gold, +25% magic find, drops 2 item levels higher and bosses drop more.
Hard Blaze Hardcore OK
Stoke it. Twice the foes, and they stop going easy on you. It pays better. For heroes who know their build and want a fight.
Twice as deadly as Easy: foes have double health and damage, twice as many of them, elites everywhere, and they no longer ease off for a fragile hero. +40% XP, +35% gold, +50% magic find, drops 3 item levels higher, every elite drops a rare or better and bosses drop more.
Epic Wildfire Hardcore OK
The Tyrant stirs. Triple the fire, raging bosses, and no flask on the stairs. For strong builds and steady hands. You will fall, and get up again.
Three times as deadly as Easy: foes have triple health and damage, three times as many of them in huge elite-led packs, they hunt you through your minions, bosses enrage and the stairs refill no flasks. Deaths will be common. +60% XP, +50% gold, +80% magic find, drops 4 item levels higher, every elite drops a rare or better and bosses drop more, sometimes an extra legendary.
Legendary Inferno Hardcore OK
Vhoruun is awake. Four times as deadly. Expect to die, often. For the best gear and the best players. It is meant to kill you.
Four times as deadly as Easy: foes have four times the health and damage, about four times as many of them, most of them hunt you through your minions, bosses enrage sooner and the stairs barely heal. Expect to die, often. +80% XP, +65% gold, +110% magic find, drops 4 item levels higher, every elite drops a rare or better and bosses drop more, often an extra legendary.
Choose it at Vhoruun's Effigy by Hearthold's north gate (or when your first hero climbs out of the Sinkhole: Quillon asks before you reach town). A change applies from your next floor (or your next run if you're in town). Change it here any time. In a party, the host's difficulty applies to everyone.
What each mode changes
▲ better for you · ▼ harder on you · • the same as Easy. The same words the Effigy shows in game.
Easy · Smoulder: everything it changes
Foes
- Foes have their plain health and damage: the Depths at their gentlest.
- Foes move at normal speed and notice you at the normal range.
- Foes ease off for a struggling hero (down to 85% health, 75% damage), and grow up to 1.35× health against an over-geared one.
Crowds & elites
- The normal number of foes: packs of up to 8.
- Elite packs turn up at the normal rate.
- Elites get the normal affixes, up to 3.
Bosses
- Bosses hit as hard as the foe damage above, no more.
- Bosses never enrage, however long the fight.
- Elite and boss special attacks at the normal pace.
Summons & pets
- Foes fight whatever stands in front of them: summons and pets hold the line.
- Summons and pets take normal damage.
- Sellswords cost you nothing here: foes don't harden for the extra blades.
Potions & healing
- Potions drop at the normal rate.
- The stairs between floors heal 35% of your health.
- The stairs refill 1 flask charge.
XP & loot
- Normal XP.
- Every kill pays its full XP, gold and drops.
- Normal gold find, normal magic find.
- The legendary pity counter fills at the normal pace.
- Drops are the item level of the foe that dropped them.
- Elites drop at the normal odds.
- Bosses drop 4 items and an epic-or-better piece.
Falling
- You lose 10% of the gold you carry when you fall.
Medium · Hearthfire: everything it changes
Foes
- Foes have 1.5× health and hit 1.5× harder.
- Foes notice you from 10% further away.
- Foes ease off for a struggling hero (down to 90% health, 85% damage), and grow up to 1.45× health against an over-geared one.
Crowds & elites
- About 1.5× as many foes: packs 30% bigger (up to 10), and a 15% chance of an extra pack in every room.
- Each pack has an extra 10% chance to be elite-led.
- Elites get the normal affixes, a 50% chance of one more, up to 3, and 15% more health and 10% more damage on top.
Bosses
- Bosses hit as hard as the foe damage above, no more.
- Bosses fly into a rage after 240 s and gain +10% damage every 15 s after that.
- Elite and boss special attacks come 5% more often.
Summons & pets
- 30% of foes walk past your summons and pets to hunt you.
- Summons take 30% more damage from foes (pets half that).
- Melee swings also hit the summons in reach for 25% of the blow.
- Sellswords cost you nothing here: foes don't harden for the extra blades.
Potions & healing
- Potions drop 10% less often.
- The stairs between floors heal 35% of your health.
- The stairs refill 1 flask charge.
XP & loot
- +20% XP from everything (and better odds of finding pets).
- Ordinary kills pay 67% of their gold and drops (there are more of them), but full XP; elites and bosses pay in full.
- +20% gold find, +25% magic find.
- The legendary pity counter fills 1.2× as fast: a guaranteed legendary comes sooner.
- Drops are 2 item levels above the foe: better materials, stronger affixes, and still wearable (gear needs item level − 4).
- Elites drop at the normal odds.
- Bosses drop 1 extra item (5 + an epic-or-better).
Falling
- You lose 15% of the gold you carry when you fall.
Hard · Blaze: everything it changes
Foes
- Foes have 2× health and hit 2× harder.
- Foes move 4% faster and notice you from 15% further away.
- Foes never go easy on a struggling hero, and grow up to 1.6× health against an over-geared one.
Crowds & elites
- About 2× as many foes: packs 1.6× bigger (up to 12), and a 25% chance of an extra pack in every room.
- Each pack has an extra 18% chance to be elite-led.
- Elites get one extra affix, a 30% chance of one more, up to 4, and 30% more health and 20% more damage on top.
Bosses
- Bosses hit 5% harder on top of the foe damage above.
- Bosses fly into a rage after 200 s and gain +15% damage every 15 s after that.
- Elite and boss special attacks come 10% more often.
Summons & pets
- 50% of foes walk past your summons and pets to hunt you.
- Summons take 50% more damage from foes (pets half that).
- Melee swings also hit the summons in reach for 40% of the blow.
- Each sellsword in your party gives foes 16% more health.
Potions & healing
- Potions drop 25% less often.
- The stairs between floors heal 25% of your health.
- The stairs refill 1 flask charge.
XP & loot
- +40% XP from everything (and better odds of finding pets).
- Ordinary kills pay 50% of their gold and drops (there are more of them), but full XP; elites and bosses pay in full.
- +35% gold find, +50% magic find.
- The legendary pity counter fills 1.5× as fast: a guaranteed legendary comes sooner.
- Drops are 3 item levels above the foe: better materials, stronger affixes, and still wearable (gear needs item level − 4).
- Every elite drops at least one rare or better item.
- Bosses drop 2 extra items (6 + an epic-or-better).
Falling
- You lose 20% of the gold you carry when you fall.
Epic · Wildfire: everything it changes
Foes
- Foes have 3× health and hit 3× harder.
- Foes move 6% faster and notice you from 20% further away.
- Foes never go easy on a struggling hero, and grow up to 1.8× health against an over-geared one.
Crowds & elites
- About 3× as many foes: packs 2× bigger (up to 16), and a 50% chance of an extra pack in every room.
- Each pack has an extra 28% chance to be elite-led.
- Elites get one extra affix, a 50% chance of one more, up to 4, and 1.5× health and 35% more damage on top.
Bosses
- Bosses hit 10% harder on top of the foe damage above.
- Bosses fly into a rage after 160 s and gain +20% damage every 15 s after that.
- Elite and boss special attacks come 15% more often.
Summons & pets
- 70% of foes walk past your summons and pets to hunt you.
- Summons take 75% more damage from foes (pets half that).
- Melee swings also hit the summons in reach for 50% of the blow.
- Each sellsword in your party gives foes 23% more health.
Potions & healing
- Potions drop 30% less often.
- The stairs between floors heal 20% of your health.
- The stairs refill no flask charge: every sip counts.
XP & loot
- +60% XP from everything (and better odds of finding pets).
- Ordinary kills pay 37% of their gold and drops (there are more of them), but full XP; elites and bosses pay in full.
- +50% gold find, +80% magic find.
- The legendary pity counter fills 1.9× as fast: a guaranteed legendary comes sooner.
- Drops are 4 item levels above the foe: better materials, stronger affixes, and still wearable (gear needs item level − 4).
- Every elite drops at least one rare or better item.
- Bosses drop 3 extra items (7 + an epic-or-better) and a 10% chance of an extra legendary (from level 10, 25% of those are a unique instead).
Falling
- You lose 25% of the gold you carry when you fall.
Legendary · Inferno: everything it changes
Foes
- Foes have 4× health and hit 4× harder.
- Foes move 8% faster and notice you from 25% further away.
- Foes never go easy on a struggling hero, and grow up to 2.5× health against an over-geared one.
Crowds & elites
- About 4× as many foes: packs 2.4× bigger (up to 20), and a 70% chance of an extra pack in every room.
- Each pack has an extra 38% chance to be elite-led.
- Elites get one extra affix, a 80% chance of one more, up to 5, and 1.7× health and 1.5× damage on top.
Bosses
- Bosses hit 15% harder on top of the foe damage above.
- Bosses fly into a rage after 120 s and gain +25% damage every 15 s after that.
- Elite and boss special attacks come 20% more often.
Summons & pets
- 85% of foes walk past your summons and pets to hunt you.
- Summons take 100% more damage from foes (pets half that).
- Melee swings also hit the summons in reach for 60% of the blow.
- Each sellsword in your party gives foes 29% more health.
Potions & healing
- Potions drop 40% less often.
- The stairs between floors heal 15% of your health.
- The stairs refill no flask charge: every sip counts.
XP & loot
- +80% XP from everything (and better odds of finding pets).
- Ordinary kills pay 28% of their gold and drops (there are more of them), but full XP; elites and bosses pay in full.
- +65% gold find, +110% magic find.
- The legendary pity counter fills 2.4× as fast: a guaranteed legendary comes sooner.
- Drops are 4 item levels above the foe: better materials, stronger affixes, and still wearable (gear needs item level − 4).
- Every elite drops at least one rare or better item.
- Bosses drop 4 extra items (8 + an epic-or-better) and a 20% chance of an extra legendary (from level 10, 30% of those are a unique instead).
Falling
- You lose 30% of the gold you carry when you fall.
Every number
| Easy | Medium | Hard | Epic | Legendary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foe HP / damage | ×1 / ×1 | ×1.5 / ×1.5 | ×2 / ×2 | ×3 / ×3 | ×4 / ×4 |
| Rescaling floor (HP / dmg) | ×0.85 / ×0.75 | ×0.9 / ×0.85 | ×1 / ×1 | ×1 / ×1 | ×1 / ×1 |
| Foe HP per sellsword | none | none | +16% | +23% | +29% |
| Rescaling ceiling (HP / dmg) | ×1.35 / ×1.35 | ×1.45 / ×1.45 | ×1.6 / ×1.55 | ×1.8 / ×1.7 | ×2.5 / ×2.3 |
| Pack size · elite packs | ×1 (max 8) · — | ×1.3 (max 10) · +10% | ×1.6 (max 12) · +18% | ×2 (max 16) · +28% | ×2.4 (max 20) · +38% |
| Extra pack per room | — | 15% chance | 25% chance | 50% chance | 70% chance |
| Ordinary kills pay (loot, gold; XP is full) | full | 67% | 50% | 37% | 28% |
| Elite affixes | baseline · max 3 | baseline, 50% chance of +1 · max 3 | +1, 30% chance of +1 · max 4 | +1, 50% chance of +1 · max 4 | +1, 80% chance of +1 · max 5 |
| Elite HP / damage (extra) | ×1 / ×1 | ×1.15 / ×1.1 | ×1.3 / ×1.2 | ×1.5 / ×1.35 | ×1.7 / ×1.5 |
| Boss damage (extra) | ×1 | ×1 | ×1.05 | ×1.1 | ×1.15 |
| Boss soft enrage | never | after 240s, +10% per 15s | after 200s, +15% per 15s | after 160s, +20% per 15s | after 120s, +25% per 15s |
| Elite & boss special cooldowns | ×1 | ×0.95 | ×0.9 | ×0.85 | ×0.8 |
| Foe speed · aggro range | ×1 · ×1 | ×1 · ×1.1 | ×1.04 · ×1.15 | ×1.06 · ×1.2 | ×1.08 · ×1.25 |
| Summon hunters | none | 30% of foes | 50% of foes | 70% of foes | 85% of foes |
| Damage summons take | ×1 | ×1.3 | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×2 |
| Melee cleave onto summons | — | 25% | 40% | 50% | 60% |
| Stairs: heal · flask | 35% · +1 | 35% · +1 | 25% · +1 | 20% · none | 15% · none |
| Potion drops | ×1 | ×0.9 | ×0.75 | ×0.7 | ×0.6 |
| Gold lost on death | 10% | 15% | 20% | 25% | 30% |
| XP | ×1 | ×1.2 | ×1.4 | ×1.6 | ×1.8 |
| Gold find · magic find | — · — | +20% · +25% | +35% · +50% | +50% · +80% | +65% · +110% |
| Legendary pity | normal | 83% as long | 67% as long | 53% as long | 42% as long |
| Drop item level | foe level | foe level +2 | foe level +3 | foe level +4 | foe level +4 |
| Elite drops | normal odds | normal odds | ≥1 rare+ each | ≥1 rare+ each | ≥1 rare+ each |
| Boss items | 4 + 1 epic+ | 5 + 1 epic+ | 6 + 1 epic+ | 7 + 1 epic+ | 8 + 1 epic+ |
| Boss extra legendary | — | — | — | 10% (25% unique) | 20% (30% unique) |
- Rescaling: foes flex toward your party's real power. The floor stops a fragile build from making them softer; the ceiling is how far they rise to meet an over-geared hero.
- Elite affixes: 1, then 2 from monster level 8 and 3 from 18, adjusted per mode as shown.
- Summon hunters walk past summons and pets to reach the heroes. Bosses never do; archers and casters do more often.
- Soft enrage: a boss still standing after the time shown flies into a rage and hits harder every 15 seconds (6 steps at most).
- Loot: harder modes pay in quality, not a flood. Drops are a few item levels higher (never past the Pyre Tier's top level), elites always leave a rare or better on Epic and Legendary, and bosses drop more. Ordinary kills still pay their share. Every item needs your level to be its item level − 4 (level requirements), so what an on-level foe drops is always wearable.
- Rites are always played on Hard. Hardcore heroes choose between Hard, Epic, Legendary.
Pyre Tiers
Win an Audience with the Crowned to make the Pyre burn hotter: tougher foes, better loot, higher item levels. See Pyre Tiers and The Ember Court.
| Pyre Tier | How to open it |
|---|---|
| Pyre I | Where everyone starts. |
| Pyre II | Win an Audience with Grukk Crowned (a Court Sigil of 1 Crown Shard). |
| Pyre III | Win an Audience with Morvaine Ascendant (a Court Sigil of 2 Crown Shards). |
| Pyre IV | Win an Audience with Gutrot Unbound (a Court Sigil of 3 Crown Shards). |
| Pyre V | Win an Audience with Seraphel Risen (a Court Sigil of 3 Crown Shards). |
| …Pyre XIII | Each tier opens by winning an Audience at Vhoruun's Effigy. Crown Shards for the sigil drop from Breach Wardens, chart bosses, Ember Chests and new Descent records, but only from content as deep as your next gate. Earned tiers are never taken away. |
From Pyre II on, the mode setting retires: the Heat dial rules the Depths, and the mode picked on Pyre I stays back to rule its campaign. From Pyre III elites roll one more affix.
Hardcore
One life. No second chances. Death is permanent. Your hero, their gear and their bag are lost forever.
- Death is permanent: the hero, their equipped gear and the hardcore bag go into the grave.
- Every hardcore hero keeps entirely their own gold, stash, materials, town, sellswords and pets — nothing is shared, not even with your other hardcore heroes.
- Hard, Epic or Legendary only.
- No trading, no gifts, and parties only with other hardcore heroes.
Hardcore heroes brave the Depths on Hard, Epic or Legendary only. Hardcore duels are hardcore vs hardcore. An arena defeat is not a death.
When one falls, Quillon reads the eulogy and the name goes on the wall of the Hall of the Fallen. Every hardcore hero who fell in the Depths. Quillon keeps the book; the names don't come off.
Hardcore boards
- highest level (living)
- deepest Endless Descent
- fastest campaign
- Hall of the Fallen
Daily Descent & Weekly Rite
Ten floors, today's seed, one scored attempt. How deep, how fast? A five-floor gauntlet under three Ember Mutators. Unlimited tries; your best counts. Everyone plays the same seed, the same map and the same Ember Mutators, solo, on Medium. Top 10 and top 1% finishes earn titles.
Every posted run earns a rite chest: 150 gold + 40 per hero level, 2 Arcane Essence and one rare item at your level.
| Daily Descent | Weekly Rite | |
|---|---|---|
| Floors · mutators | 10 · 2 | 5 · 3 |
| Attempts | one scored attempt a day (practice is free) | unlimited; your best counts |
| Per floor reached | +1000 | +1500 |
| Per kill · elite · boss | +10 · +40 · +300 | +10 · +40 · +500 |
| Each time you go down | −400 | −600 |
| Clearing every floor | +2500, plus 4 per second under 30 min | +3000, plus 6 per second under 13 min |
| Dying | −1000 | no extra penalty |
Ember Mutators
A rite rolls its mutators from its seed, never more than one severe.
| Mutator | Effect | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Bloodthirst | Every kill heals the party 3% of max HP. | Mild |
| Iron Hides | Foes have +35% health. | Mild |
| Leaky Flasks | Potions heal half. | Mild |
| Quickened | Everyone moves 25% faster. | Mild |
| Smothered Light | Your light shrinks; the dark closes in. | Mild |
| Quickened Dead | Foes move 20% faster. | Mild |
| Cold Hearth | No healing or flask on this floor's stairs. | Nasty |
| Ember Rain | Embers fall on you every few seconds. | Nasty |
| Emberfury | Foes deal +40% damage. | Nasty |
| Glass Cannon | You deal and take +50% damage. | Nasty |
| The Horde | Packs are 35% bigger. | Nasty |
| Dry Flasks | Potions can't be drunk. | Nasty |
| Twin Champions | Twice the elite packs. | Severe |
| Vengeful Dead | Foes burst into flame when they die. | Severe |
Vhoruun's Wager
At the top of each staircase the Ember Tyrant offers a pact: a curse on the next floor for a growing loot multiplier. Cash out at any staircase, or lose the pot when you die.
Curses: 9. Emberfury is +40% foe damage, Iron Hides +35% foe health. Cash out at any staircase; die and the pot feeds his fire. The cash-out chest holds up to 24 items (a guaranteed rare once the pot holds 3). No wager in Bramble Hollow, the Training Grounds, the rites or the arena.
| Stack | Loot multiplier | Magic find while cursed | Curse drawn from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ×1.5 | +10% | mild |
| 2 | ×2 | +20% | nasty, then mild |
| 3 | ×3 | +35% | severe, then nasty |
| 4 | ×4 | +50% | severe, then nasty, then mild |
The curses
| Curse | Effect | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Leaky Flasks | Potions heal half. | Mild |
| Quickened Dead | Foes move 20% faster. | Mild |
| Iron Hides | Foes have +35% health. | Mild |
| Smothered Light | Your light shrinks; the dark closes in. | Mild |
| Emberfury | Foes deal +40% damage. | Nasty |
| Cold Hearth | No healing or flask on this floor's stairs. | Nasty |
| Ember Rain | Embers fall on you every few seconds. | Nasty |
| Twin Champions | Twice the elite packs. | Severe |
| Vengeful Dead | Foes burst into flame when they die. | Severe |
The Ember Swarm
An Effigy Altar waits in the floor's arena. Touch it and the doors seal: hold the waves, take an effigy every minute, bank the hoard or press on for more.
The floor's largest far room is the Swarm's arena: touch its Effigy Altar and the doors slam shut and the stairs seal until the Swarm ends. Up to 20 waves pour in, and sellswords and pets fight uncapped here, the only place the game lets crowds loose. About every 60 seconds the altar offers three effigies and you take one; each is a boon that stacks up to five ranks, 12 in all. Every wave brings a Swarm Sapper that only your own hits can hurt; if it lives past the wave's end the next wave comes Empowered. The hoard pays for the waves held and the picks taken, and the best Swarm of the week tops the weekly board.
| Waves | Checkpoints (the way out) | Live foes at once | Effigy pick | Swarm Sapper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20: +2 foes each wave, +2 per extra hero | after waves 5, 10, 15 the golden Effigy of the Hoard joins the next pick | 22 | one about every 60s; solo play waits, co-op gives 10s | each wave; 7s after its last foe to fell it, or the next wave is Empowered |
Every effigy
| Effigy | Kind | What it does | Rank 1 | Top rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide Flame | area | Your area skills reach wider. | Area skills +15% wider | Area skills +75% wider |
| Twin Bolts | projectile | Your projectile skills loose more shots. | +1 shot a volley | +3 shots a volley |
| Arc Thread | chain | Your hits arc on to the nearest foes. | Hits arc to 1 more foe for 36% | Hits arc to 3 more foes for 60% |
| Ember Burst | nova | A foe you fell bursts into flame. | Felled foes burst for 47% of their health in 2.3 tiles | Felled foes burst for 95% of their health in 3.3 tiles |
| Whetstone | stat | The whole party hits harder. | +10% damage | +50% damage |
| Quickening | stat | The whole party strikes and moves faster. | +8% attack speed, +4% move speed | +40% attack speed, +20% move speed |
| Ironhide | stat | The whole party is tougher. | +6% health, 2 damage reduction | +30% health, 10 damage reduction |
| Bloodletting | sustain | A foe you fell mends you. | Heal 0.6% of your health a kill | Heal 3.0% of your health a kill |
| Cinder Halo | aura | Flame circles you and scorches what presses close. | Burns foes within 2.2 tiles every half second | Burns foes within 3.0 tiles every half second |
| Stormcall | aura | Lightning falls on a foe near you every few seconds. | A strike every 6s on 1 foes | A strike every 2s on 3 foes |
| Ember Ward | sustain | A ward of banked fire renews itself around the party. | A ward of 4% health every 8s | A ward of 20% health every 8s |
| Fortune | reward | Luck and the altar's hoard grow. | +20% gold, +8% magic find, 1 extra hoard share | +100% gold, +40% magic find, 5 extra hoard shares |
| Effigy of the Hoard | way out | The altar yields: take the hoard and end the Swarm. | Ends the Swarm and pays the hoard | ends the Swarm and pays the hoard |