Where and How to Get Escalation Sigils in Diablo 4 Season 9

Escalating Nightmares offer high rewards and also require rare consumable items in Diablo IV: Sins of the Horadrim. To obtain these items efficiently, this article focuses on the best ways to get more Escalation Sigils in D4 Season 9.

Where and How to Get Escalation Sigils in Diablo 4 Season 9

Similar to Nightmare Sigils, Escalation Sigils are special items used to enter Escalating Nightmare Dungeons. These Sigils, such as Hakan’s Refuge Escalation Sigil and Light’s Watch Escalation Sigil,  are legendary-tier Sigils that let you start these dungeons where monsters get harder as you progress. These dungeons are designed mainly for Torment difficulty levels (Torment 1-4), where the final boss Astaroth appears.

1. Seasonal Questline

Your first Escalation Sigil is granted automatically as a reward during the Seasonal Questline. This means that every player has at least one Sigil to start opening Escalating Nightmares. Follow the seasonal quests closely to receive this initial Sigil.

2. Grand Horadric Caches in Horadric Strongrooms

After obtaining your first Sigil, additional Escalation Sigils can be found inside Grand Horadric Caches. These caches are rewards from completing Horadric Strongrooms. To find Escalation Sigils in these caches, you must complete Strongrooms on Torment I difficulty or higher. They do not drop in normal dungeons or at lower difficulty levels before Torment 1. The higher the difficulty, the better the chance of obtaining Escalation Sigils from these caches. Keep running Horadric Strongrooms at Torment I+ to accumulate more Sigils for opening multiple Escalating Nightmare Dungeons.

3. Seasonal Reputation Track

According to the Blizzard news, Escalation Sigils can also be earned as rewards from the Horadric Knowledge Seasonal Reputation track.

When it comes to the drop rate of Escalation Sigils, it is very low and random. Many players report not getting any Escalation Sigils despite clearing many NMDs and strongrooms. Some players have experienced a bug where completing Nightmare Dungeons no longer rewards sigils, which is not confirmed if intended or a bug for this season. Players recommend waiting or playing after initial patches because Blizzard tends to fix drop issues early in the season.

How to Increase the Drops of Escalation Sigils

Through the Season Journey, you earn Smoldering Ashes as chapter rewards. Spend Smoldering Ashes on Seasonal Blessings can increase the drop chances of Escalation Sigils. For example,  Urn of Escalation increases the chance of finding additional gear in Astaroth’s rewards. Urn of Strongrooms boosts the chance of finding extra Escalation Sigils in Horadric Strongrooms.

How to Use Escalation Sigils?

1. When you have an Escalation Sigil, open your Dungeon Keys inventory and right-click on the Escalation Sigil to activate it.

2. Once you use it, this Sigil will highlight the first dungeon in the Escalating Nightmare sequence on your map, where you can start the activity.

3. After completing the first dungeon, a portal will automatically transport you to the second dungeon, carrying over all the modifiers from the previous one. The third dungeon leads to a boss fight against Astaroth (on Torment I difficulty or higher), which is the boss located in the fourth and final dungeon. The difficulty ramps up as you progress through consecutive dungeon floors.

Astaroth Loot & Rewards

Defeating Astaroth yields a variety of crafting materials and legendary gear, with a small chance to drop a Horadric Jewel. His loot is further enhanced by random positive affixes, which can guarantee an Ancestral item, provide Boss Lair Hoard Keys specific to the affix, significantly increase crafting materials, including Obducite, and boost gold drops. Additionally, Astaroth drops a mix of rare keys such as Infernal Horde compasses, Nightmare Dungeon sigils, and Kurast Undercity Tributes, along with unique gear.