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Terror Zones

Last Updated:August 7, 2023|Change Log

Terror Zones are a new game-option that DRASTICALLY increase Experience gain as well as increase your chances of finding incredibly rare Unique and Set items because every monster in the Zone is much higher Level than they normally are!

A Terrorized Zone
Terrorized Monster Icons

These zones are selected from a specific list and communicated via the in-game chat window. If the game creators opts-in, every game created has these Terror Zones terrorized for the entire length of the hour. These zones increase Monster Level (mLVL) by increasing the Area Level (aLVL) in randomly chosen zones! Monster in these zones can reach a maximum level of 99 in Hell difficulty.

How to Identify a Terror Zone

There is a Terrorized Zone on the hour, every hour. The list is selected from randomly and there is no way to know which Zone may be up next until you start to receive the messages below in the in-game chat window. Once you see the first message, the Areas listed all are Terrorized for every game you create until the final message shows. The same Areas are Terrorized in Normal, Nightmare and Hell Difficulty.

Corrupted tremors strike X and X!
The tremors show signs of slowing.
The corruption begins to fade.
The corruption has all but dissipated.
The corrupted tremors fade from X and X.

Monster Level and Area Level Changes

The game-creator's Character Level determines that Area and Monster Level in the Terror Zone. There are limits for mLVL per difficulty depending on the monster's type:

Normal

Base: +2 levels up to level 45
Champion: +4 levels up to level 47
Unique: +5 levels up to Level 48

Nightmare

Base: +2 levels up to level 71
Champion: +4 levels up to level 73
Unique: +5 levels up to level 74

Hell

Base: +2 levels up to level 96
Champion: +4 levels up to level 98
Unique: +5 levels up to level 99

Example: A Level 40 Character creates a game in Normal difficulty.
The monsters in the Terror Zone have the following Levels:

  • Base: Level 42
  • Champion: Level 44
  • Unique: Level 45

Notes:

  • The Monster Level does not go below the Terror Zone's original levels.
  • When the game creator leaves, another player is chosen to determine the Monster Levels if the Terror Zone changes during that game.
  • Because the Monster's Level increases, their Treasure Class is upgraded as well. This means normal Base minions can be high enough Level to drop every Unique and Set item in the game if the game creator is at least Level 85.
  • The increase in Area Level also increase the Base Items that can drop from clickables such as Weapon and Armor Racks.

Items

Here are the items you can find in Hell that previously could never drop from Base monsters. Check out our drop calculator for all possible drops.

  • mangsong'slesson
  • tyrael'smight
  • Crown of ages
  • tombreaver
  • stormlash
  • azurewrath
  • arachnidmesh
  • Grand Charms with +41-45 Life e.g. Lion Branded Grand Charm of Vita

Experience

The Old Experience Meta

The issue that previously slowed down the push to Level 99 was that your Character would become higher level than the Monsters that gave Experience. When your Character is >9 Levels higher than the monster they kill, the monster is only worth ~5% of their total Experience value. The highest Level Unique monsters in an aLVL 85 area are only Level 88. Once you hit Level 97, they're worth almost 0 XP. This was the reason for the TEOS-runs that chain-killed Diablo, since he's Level 94 and worth 100% of his XP value. Each Diablo kill nets 54,060 Experience when spawned with 7 players (8 wouldn't increase this value) in the game. The Experience needed to get from Level 98 to 99 is 291,058,498. So you only need to kill Diablo ~5,300 times.

Terror Zone Experience Meta

The mLVL for Base monsters is Level 96, Champions is 98 and Uniques/Super Uniques is 99 in a Terror Zone. So every monster is worth 100% of the XP value. The base amount of XP given also increases at higher mLVLs and with certain Champions as well as Uniques/Super Uniques giving 5x their base XP value, the XP potential is ASTRONOMICALLY higher than in previous game versions. Clearing high density Terror Zones on Players 8 Settings quickly defines the new strategy for reaching 99 in record time.

Challenge Increase

While Terror Zones don't provide an overwhelming increase in challenge or difficulty, there are some key nuances to understand about increasing a Monster's Level.

  • The Hit Chance calculation heavily depends on the difference between your Character Level and the Monster's Level. Higher level Monsters have an easier time hitting you and it's harder for you to hit them. It's about a ~3% difference at worst.
  • Monsters gain additional Life and Damage output.
  • The Aura Enchanted Uniques/Super Unique monsters gain access to higher levels Auras, increasing the buff they receive and give to their minions.
  • Effects like Fire Enchanted and Lightning Enchanted will deal increased amounts of damage.

Terror Zones List

All Terror Zones are listed here in order of Act. Open an accordion to see important information for each Area to make the best itemization decisions (Do you need a Sunder Charm?), see what extra goodies might be in-store (Super Unique Monsters or Super Chests) as well are the normal Resistances the monsters have! We also include the average Elite Monster density. This is a great number to keep in mind while farming. If you run into the maximum number of Elite packs, you should go to the next game rather than full clearing the area.

Act 1
Act 2
Act 3
Act 4
Act 5

Blood Moor

Den of Evil

Cold Plains

Cave Level 1

Cave Level 2

Burial Grounds

The Crypt

Mausoleum

Stony Field

Tristram

Dark Wood

Underground Passage Level 1

Underground Passage Level 2

Black Marsh

Hole Level 1

Hole Level 2

Tower Cellar Level 1

Tower Cellar Level 2

Tower Cellar Level 3

Tower Cellar Level 4

Tower Cellar Level 5

Pit Level 1

Pit Level 2

Barracks

Jail Level 1

Jail Level 2

Jail Level 3

Cathedral

Catacombs Level 1

Catacombs Level 2

Catacombs Level 3

Catacombs Level 4

The Secret Cow Level

Sewers Level 1

Sewers Level 2

Sewers Level 3

Rocky Waste

Stony Tomb Level 1

Stony Tomb Level 2

Dry Hills

Halls of the Dead Level 1

Halls of the Dead Level 2

Halls of the Dead Level 3

Far Oasis

Lost City

Ancient Tunnels

Valley of Snakes

Claw Viper Temple Level 1

Claw Viper Temple Level 2

Arcane Sanctuary

Tal Rasha's Tomb (False)

Tal Rasha's Tomb (True)

Spider Forest

Spider Cavern

Great Marsh

Flayer Jungle

Flayer Dungeon Level 1

Flayer Dungeon Level 2

Flayer Dungeon Level 3

Kurast Bazaar

Ruined Temple

Disused Fane

Travincal

Durance of Hate Level 1

Durance of Hate Level 2

Durance of Hate Level 3

Outer Steppes

Plains of Despair

City of the Damned

River of Flame

Chaos Sanctuary

Bloody Foothills

Frigid Highlands

Abaddon

Glacial Trail

Drifter Cavern

Crystalline Passage

Frozen River

Arreat Plateau

Pit of Acheron

Nihlathak's Temple

Halls of Anguish

Halls of Pain

Halls of Vaught

The Ancients' Way

Icy Cellar

Worldstone Keep Level 1

Worldstone Keep Level 2

Worldstone Keep Level 3

Throne of Destruction

Worldstone Chamber

Video

Summary

  • Terror Zones have massive impact on your ability to farm epic loot and Experience. Become comfortable with the monster types in each Area to maximize your efficiency.
  • Sunder Charms only drop in Terror Zones from Elite monsters. Make sure to stack your Magic Find for the best chances at dropping one!
  • Some Terror Zones benefit the most from Elite Sniping while others benefit from Density Clearing. Check our Tierlists to learn how your Character compares to the competition!
  • Each Area has a "Maximum" number of Elite monsters. Check how many you should expect and if you already cleared that many, it's better to go to the next game rather than full clear. Open the accordion to see the range of Elite Density in Hell.
  • Many super rare Unique items can drop from base Minions once the Character making the game is Level 85. This can drastically increase your chances of getting your hands on tyrael'smight!

Credits

Written by MacroBioBoi
Reviewed by Teo1904

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