In World Tier 3 (Nightmare difficulty), players seeking greater challenges and rewards can attempt to clear Nightmare Dungeons, which are normal Dungeons that have been transformed by the power of a Nightmare Sigils. This page will discuss how to find and create different tiers of Nightmare Seals in Diablo 4.

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Nightmare Sigils are used to create Nightmare Dungeons. Each Nightmare Sigil affects a single, specific dungeon and determines what Tiers and Dungeon Affixes the Nightmare Dungeon will have.

What Are Nightmare Sigils in Diablo 4?¶

Nightmare Sigils are consumables that turn one specific Dungeon into a Nightmare Dungeon. Nightmare Dungeons are cleared like normal Dungeons - you go inside and complete the dungeon’s objectives, which vary by Dungeon but always involves killing hosts of enemies and usually culminates in a fight with a Dungeon Boss. While your objectives in Nightmare Dungeons are largely the same as in normal Dungeons, there are some complications thanks to Dungeon Affixes.

Not all Nightmare Sigils are created equal, varying both by what Dungeon they affect, what Tier they are, how many revives are allowed, and by what Dungeon Affixes will be in play. A Nightmare Sigil’s Tier ranges from Tier 1-20 (in World Tier 3) and from Tier 21-100 (in World Tier 4), and influences both how difficult and lucrative the Nightmare Dungeon will be. A Nightmare Sigil’s Tier will generally scale to the Tier of the Nightmare Dungeon you’re in, and are World Tier gated. In other words, don’t expect a Tier 20+ Nightmare Sigil to drop in a Tier 6 Nightmare Dungeon on World Tier 3, but sometimes you’ll find ones of slightly higher (or considerably lower) tier than the current tier of the Nightmare Dungeon you’re in.

Revives are pretty simple - this is how many times players in your party can die before failing the Nightmare Dungeon. While it’s generally not that hard to build up Nightmare Sigils, they are a resource, and failing Nightmare Dungeons does somewhat squander them, so try to be a little more cautious in Nightmare Dungeons.

Dungeon Affixes, however, are a bit more obtuse. These are bound to the Nightmare Sigil, and will be bestowed upon any Nightmare Dungeon created with that Nightmare Sigil. These random modifiers vary both in number (ranging from 3-5, depending on the Tier of the Nightmare Sigil) and in type. You’ll usually have at least one positive modifier, but most of them will be detrimental. Creating portals that spawn enemies, enraging nearby monsters when their fellows are slain, adding some form of elemental damage to all enemy attacks, granting all Elites a specific affix (“Suppressor”, “Thunder Lance”, etc.) and conjuring a “Drifting Shade” that chases players throughout the dungeon, dealing AoE damage if it catches you are all Dungeon Affixes we’ve encountered.

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Ironically the easiest place to find Nightmare Sigils are in Nightmare Dungeons, where they’re most likely to drop.

How to Find Nightmare Sigils in Diablo 4¶

To turn a normal Dungeon into a Nightmare Dungeon you’ll need a Nightmare Sigil. Nightmare Sigils can technically drop just about anywhere in World Tier 3 (Nightmare difficulty), but they are quite rare from most sources. The best ways to secure Nightmare Sigils are from World Bosses and, ironically enough, as random drops in Nightmare Dungeons, where they’re far more common than usual. You can also get them as rewards from the Tree of Whispers.

Despite being counterintuitive, if you can piggyback onto a Nightmare Dungeon run, you’ll very likely acquire your own Nightmare Sigils, making cooperative gameplay a good way of bootstrapping up to Nightmare Dungeon runs. Just be sure to pay it forward if you manage to benefit from somebody else’s generosity. We regularly acquired two or more Nightmare Sigils per successful Nightmare Dungeon run, which adds up quite a bit during cooperative runs. Failing that, keep an eye out for World Bosses and try to take one down (another group activity) and if that still doesn’t get you what you want, earn Grim Favors by completing tasks for the Tree of Whispers - the caches it rewards you with can yield Nightmare Sigils.

You can also [Craft Nightmare Sigils], but this is something that requires you to first complete Nightmare Dungeon runs, so it’s more of an advanced option, albeit one that’s almost essential for serious farming high-tier Nightmare Dungeons, especially if you want rapid progress up tiers. Check out the linked page for more details on crafting Nightmare Sigils.