War Plans remain the backbone of Diablo 4's endgame progression, and Season 15 brings meaningful adjustments to how players should approach this system. Introduced originally with the Lord of Hatred expansion, War Plans give players a structured command table where they select a sequence of five endgame activities to complete in order, earning upgraded loot, XP, boss materials, Horadric Cube crafting components, and gold along the way. Each activity has its own skill tree that levels from 1 to 7, and the nodes you invest in directly affect what drops, what spawns, and how rewarding each run becomes.
With Season 15 introducing account-wide War Plans progression, adjusted Helltide maggot XP, and reworked mythic drop sources, knowing the right priority order matters more than ever. This Diablo 4 Season 15 War Plans guide covers how the system works, how to approach it early on, and the correct priority order for leveling each tree.
What's New for War Plans in Season 15
Before jumping into individual trees, here are the biggest Season 15 adjustments that affect War Plans routing:
War Plans are now account-wide. After two seasons of requests, alt characters no longer need to grind their trees from scratch. This makes early-season planning much smoother.
Helltide maggot XP was nerfed. Writhe and Rot still produces excellent XP, but the gap between it and other farms is smaller. It remains one of the top leveling options, just not the runaway winner it was before.
Echo of Mephisto now guarantees a mythic drop regardless of torment difficulty (based on current patch notes). Group rotations become extremely efficient for mythic farming.
Legendary drop rates in early torment tiers went up, which helps early aspect farming during leveling.
Mythic drop rates from Lair Bosses and Mephisto increased overall, avoiding another dry-start situation.
Tree of Whispers Resplendent Spark node now actually works after being bugged the previous season.
Roots were previously nerfed but the community found a new group-farming method that makes them one of the best material farms in the game.
How to Approach War Plans in Season 15
Early in the season, War Plans should be rushed. They accelerate your gameplay dramatically, boosting rewards, XP, and material income. However, there is a ceiling. Overdoing War Plans slows your character down because you fall behind in raw activity spam. Underdoing them means you miss the biggest power spikes. The sweet spot is knowing exactly when to stop investing.
Since you get a randomized War Plan every time, you cannot always level trees in the perfect order. Treat the priority list below as a target, not a rigid script. Pick nodes that push you closer to your next major breakpoint whenever your rolls allow.
Season 15 War Plans Leveling Priority Order
This is the order most players should follow when pushing their trees:
Helltides to Level 2 for the best XP farm and Lair Boss keys.
Pits to Level 2 for faster runs and extra glyph upgrades.
Lair Bosses to Level 3 for bossing efficiency.
Helltides to Level 3 for free unique items via Bursting Blood.
Nightmare Dungeons to Level 3 for Escalating NMD material selection.
Lair Bosses to Level 5 to spam superior keys efficiently.
Undercity to Level 3 for Gutter Filth (required before running Mythic Tributes).
Pits to Level 3 for a small extra glyph upgrade per run.
Beyond these thresholds, most leveling is optional and should be done passively as random War Plans allow. The next real breakpoint after this is Undercity Level 7 for the Initiative node.
How the War Plans System Works
The command table sits in Tyrial, the expansion city. Approaching it presents you with branching paths of multiple rows, and you pick one node per row. Rewards come in magic (blue), rare, and legendary (orange) rarities. Orange rewards are the rarest and worth pathing toward, since players occasionally spot rewards as large as 5 billion gold or extra mythics on certain routes.
A useful tip is to pick paths where the same activity repeats two or three times in a row. Three Helltide nodes in sequence lets you stay in one tide for around 10 minutes and open every chest. Three Nightmare Dungeons back-to-back can be chained into a single Escalation run.
Rerolling and Committing
You get three free rerolls per plan. After those, you must complete whatever plan you have. Once you hit start, a new icon appears on your map for teleporting between activities. You are not forced to complete all five nodes, you can skip past Infernal Hordes or anything else that wastes time.
Activity XP and Skill Tree Progression
War Plan completions grant activity experience toward each tree. Trees range from Level 1 to 7. Leveling them outside War Plans is nearly impossible. Reaching the first Lair Boss threshold would take around 125 solo boss kills versus a single War Plan completion granting the same amount.
Season 15 War Plans Co-Op Status
Season 15 introduces account-wide progression, but the shared party path issue is not fully resolved. Each player still generates their own randomized playlist. If you are in a party, only the leader's plan advances through their sequence. Party members earn some loot at the end of activities, gain some XP toward their trees, and if their next task happens to match, they get credit toward their own plan too.
The best hybrid approach is to run solo for pure War Plan progression and group up specifically for Undercity mythic tribute runs and Nemesis portal fights. For Lair Boss Nemesis portals, everyone in the party must have the Nemesis node in their own tree, otherwise they receive no loot from the encounter. This is a hard requirement.
1. Helltides War Plans Skill Tree (Best for Paragon XP and Lair Boss Keys)
Even after the Season 15 nerf, Helltides remain one of the strongest XP options available. The middle path built around Writhe and Rot still produces massive quantities of XP globes, boss trophies, and Lair Boss keys at the same time.
Priority Node Order
Hellmouth (on the way to Writhe and Rot).
Hated Foe (on the way to Writhe and Rot).
Writhe and Rot is the most important node by far. It makes Helltides the fastest XP farm in the game, spawning maggots and Pangs of Duriel that drop huge amounts of XP globes.
Bursting Blood causes maggots and Pangs spawned from Writhe and Rot to grant Lair Boss loot. Essentially free unique boss drops while you farm XP.
Tainted Shrines helps you push threat level faster.
Night Terrors makes Hellborne spawn inside Escalating Nightmare Dungeons.
Meat Brothers makes the Butcher spawn.
Why This Tree Ranks First in Season 15
Helltides give you the largest single source of paragon XP plus a steady flow of Lair keys via Pangs of Duriel. Bursting Blood turns every tide into a passive boss unique farm. Even after the maggot XP adjustment, this activity still competes for best-in-slot XP.
Skip and Alternate Options
The 666-cinder Hell's Prize chest still drops poorly relative to standard 250-cinder chests. Skip it. Dying removes your stacked Profane Mine Cages, so play carefully once they are active.
Party and Solo Viability
Threat levels rise faster in groups, spawning hellworms sooner and more frequently. Solo players still reach threat level two reliably, just at a slower pace. XP is personal, so grouping does not dilute rewards.
2. The Pit War Plans Skill Tree (Best for Glyph Upgrades and Fast XP Runs)
The Pit remains the premier activity for leveling glyphs. Correct nodes give you multiple extra glyph upgrade chances per run and speed up runs so much that clear time nearly halves.
Priority Node Order
Chronos' Haste gives +2 glyph upgrades per run. Take this first on every character.
Heart of Stone grants +1 glyph upgrade and drops progress orbs that shave 20 to 30 seconds off runs.
Chronos' Blessing adds another +1 glyph upgrade per run.
Pit Butcher is a minor upgrade where the Butcher sometimes spawns and lets you end the Pit early.
Chronos' Favor improves Butcher and goblin spawn rates.
Damned Thieves adds goblins that drop progress orbs.
Chronos' Shortcut or Chronos' Flesh are the last picks. Shortcut speeds up Pits slightly. Flesh trades glyph upgrades for loot.
Best Use Case
Speed builds capable of finishing Pit 110+ under five minutes get maximum value. Ball Lightning Sorcerer, Spiritborn speed builds, and any class with strong AoE clear all work. Highly mobile builds like perma-teleport Sorcerer may skip over progress orbs, making Heart of Stone slightly less efficient.
Solo vs Party
The Pit is primarily a solo activity in the War Plans context. There is no meaningful party benefit for Pit runs.
3. Lair Bosses War Plans Skill Tree (Best for Bossing Efficiency and Mythic Explosions)
Level 3 unlocks bossing efficiency, and Level 5 is required to actually spam superior keys efficiently. The middle Nemesis chain produces some of the largest single loot explosions in the game.
Priority Node Order
Two by Two (Nemesis Lair) improves loot per Lair Key by opening a red portal after killing a boss and giving you a free double-boss fight.
Greater Nemesis adds another Nemesis Lair portal. Worth doing now that Pandemonium Reaver is gone. Requires superior keys.
Ultimate Nemesis is the final Nemesis portal in the chain. Also worth doing after the Pandemonium Reaver removal. Requires superior keys.
Lair of Runes buffs loot through +1 monster power.
Lair of Plenty adds a second chest and another +1 monster power, cutting your bossing time in half.
Grigoire's Gambit and Out of the Cold are lower priority.
Why Level 5 Is the Real Goal
Getting to Level 3 gives you the first free Nemesis Lair, but the Greater and Ultimate Nemesis nodes are where truly massive mythic and unique explosions happen. Since these require superior keys, they cap your realistic proc frequency, which is why Level 5 is the ideal spam breakpoint.
Build-Specific Boss Targeting
Outer nodes let you route specific bosses into specific activities. Sorcerers hunting Beast in the Ice loot can send him into Nightmare Dungeons. Since Balile can drop loot from Asteroth's or Beast in the Ice's tables, spawning Balile saves huge time compared to farming Escalation NMDs directly for Asteroth.
4. Nightmare Dungeons War Plans Skill Tree (Best for Materials via Escalating NMDs)
The middle Escalating path is the reason to level this tree. Escalating NMDs are the second-best source of Lair keys and a strong source of Obdessite, gem fragments, gold, and general materials.
Priority Node Order
Dread Revival on the way to Branching Pathways.
Recurring Nightmares on the way to Branching Pathways.
Branching Pathways is the standout. It lets you pick which materials you want from Escalating NMDs much more consistently, offering gold, Vile Splendor, gem, material, and Horadric Cube reserves.
Waking Spoils adds an extra chest for a little more loot.
Gauntlet (Soul Shrine) synergizes with Fearless Conviction by supplying more elites.
Fearless Conviction grants loot based on elites killed at the end of the dungeon.
Nemesis Bracer Effect spawns more elites for Fearless Conviction.
Why Level 3 Is the Target
Reaching Level 3 gives you Branching Pathways, which alone justifies leveling this tree. It gives you consistent access to the specific reserve type you need, which is enormous for material generation and gold farming.
Skip and Alternate Options
Treasure goblin nodes on the right side are lower priority. Goblin's Retreat is extremely rare and not worth prioritizing over the middle path.
5. Undercity War Plans Skill Tree (Mandatory for Mythic Tributes)
Undercity is only worth leveling once you actually have quality tributes to run. You do not want to waste points here before you accumulate mythic and legendary armament tributes, since the tree does nothing for you without them.
Priority Node Order
Endless Swarm on the way to Gutter Filth.
Unfortunate Souls on the way to Gutter Filth.
Gutter Filth is the most important node by far. It will double to quadruple the amount of loot you get per Undercity run. You should never run Mythic Tributes without this node.
Jade Epiphany on the way to Initiative.
Finely Tuned on the way to Initiative.
Pathfinder on the way to Initiative.
Initiative is the next major breakpoint. It makes your Tribute rewards go from Level 4 to Level 6 by extending the maximum reward bar from 4 to 6, granting roughly 50% extra loot per run.
How Gutter Filth Actually Works
When you activate the blue attunement pillars, you have a chance to spawn a Portal Prankster goblin. Each goblin killed adds an additional tribute chest at the end. At Torment 8+ with Mythic Tributes, each of these chests is nearly guaranteed to drop a mythic item.
Why Delay Undercity Investment
Points here do nothing until you have tributes to convert into runs. Once you accumulate mythic and legendary armament tributes, jump straight to Gutter Filth, then push to Initiative.
Solo vs Party
Undercity is one of the strongest party activities. Each player brings one tribute, giving the group four runs total. Groups regularly walk out with 15+ mythics across those four runs.
6. Tree of Whispers War Plans Skill Tree (Passive Progression and Sparks)
The Tree of Whispers levels naturally as you complete other War Plan activities. It is the only tree you can reasonably max without running dedicated War Plans, since whispers overlap with Helltides, dungeons, and most other content.
Priority Node Order
Corrupted Roots starts you accumulating roots for the best material farm later in the season.
Tree of Plenty adds an additional cache choice, giving you four options at turn-in.
Fortune or Famine grants greater loot.
Grim Mysteries upgrades chaos caches into mystery caches, which are notably better.
Resplendent Favor grants Resplendent Sparks. This node now works correctly in Season 15 after being bugged previously.
Roots of Power doubles root material farming.
Headrotten Feast further increases root farming.
Why Roots Matter in Season 15
Roots were nerfed last season, but the community found a group workaround. Players gather in a Helltide and pop roots together in a party, spawning massive monster density that produces the best transfiguration material farm in the game. Start accumulating Corrupted Roots early even if you cannot use them yet.
Resplendent Sparks Are Now Functional
The Resplendent Favor node was broken previously, so most guides told you to skip it. In Season 15, it actually rewards sparks, which makes it worth pathing to if you still need materials for mythic crafting.
7. Infernal Hordes War Plans Skill Tree (Skip This)
Infernal Hordes remain the weakest activity for War Plan progression. A 10-wave run takes 6 to 10 minutes, longer than an entire War Plan of other activities. Skip it whenever possible.
Priority Node Order (If You Insist)
Method and Madness lets you hone in on a single Infernal Horde strategy by weighting offering choices toward your previous picks.
Exalted Council grants more loot.
Council Coffers provides a Talisman chest.
Infernal Hoard grants a Greater Equipment chest.
Reign in Hell makes strategy-locking even easier at the cost of no chaos waves.
Pulse of Aether gives 50 Aether when a chaos wave would have spawned.
The Black Pact rounds out the middle path.
Practical Approach
If your only goal is clearing the War Plan task, use the map teleport for the 6-wave version and leave quickly. You could complete an entire War Plan in the time it takes to finish a single 10-wave Infernal Horde run. Level this tree last.
Recommended Overall War Plan Routing for Season 15
Once your trees are leveled, this is the ideal way to pick your five activities in order:
Always include The Pit. Fast runs of 2 to 3 minutes, universal glyph value, and consistent XP.
Take Helltides when available. Writhe and Rot plus Bursting Blood still produce the season's strongest XP and Lair key farm even after the nerf.
Nightmare Dungeons as filler. Branching Pathways gives you targeted material control, and Soul Shrine synergies produce dense loot runs.
Undercity whenever possible after Gutter Filth is unlocked. One-minute runs, and Mythic Tributes with Gutter Filth are the top mythic farm in the game.
Lair Bosses for build-specific loot. Target uniques you actually need through spawn routing.
Tree of Whispers passively. Levels itself, and roots plus the working Spark node make it worth passive investment.
Skip Infernal Hordes unless you specifically want Talisman Chests.
The account-wide War Plans change makes alt play far more comfortable, so consider whether you want to push a second character earlier than usual. The mythic drop rate improvements to Lair Bosses and Echo of Mephisto mean bossing-heavy routes are more rewarding than before. And with the Resplendent Spark node functional again, Tree of Whispers finally pulls its weight for early-season mythic crafting.
Follow the priority order above, avoid overinvesting past the listed breakpoints, and skip Infernal Hordes whenever it appears on your War Plan. Apply this minimum-time maximum-reward philosophy and your Season 15 character will grow in power and wealth rapidly.