Strongholds have returned to Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred and are still exactly the same as you would expect. There are three Strongholds spread across Nahantu.

Strongholds were a feature introduced when Diablo 4 first launched. Once these small dungeons are completed, they permanently change the map.

After clearing all enemies, you will not only gain 100 reputation, but also unlock further waypoints, side quests, or dungeons. This guide will introduce the three Strongholds in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred.

Chakhir

Chakhir is located to the west of Seven Stones. The main quest for this Stronghold is to clear the slag and discover the source of the poisonous magic that enhances it.

First, you need to find all the brewing cauldrons and destroy them. Some cauldrons will be protected by enemies called Cauldron Keepers, which you will need to kill to remove the protective barrier before you can destroy the cauldron. Additionally, you will come across some cauldrons that can only be destroyed after removing Befouled Briars.

After dealing with all the cauldrons, head to the middle area of ​​Stronghold and prepare to engage Darm. Be sure to watch out for the flowers on the ground during the fight, as standing on them will cause them to explode.

After defeating Darm, go into the middle room and destroy the four Falo Blooms to summon Sinerat and Skerg. Watch out for the flames and exploding flowers on the ground when dealing with these two bosses. Once both bosses are defeated, go to Wanderer’s Shrine and interact with them. After completing Chakhir, you will be rewarded with 100 Renown and some Diablo 4 Gold.

Kichuk

Kichuk is located on the northeastern edge of Teganze Plateau. This Stronghold mission is to clear out Lacuni that is attacking Kichuk. Besides dealing with Lacuni as you encounter them, your first task is to free the villagers from their cages.

Once all the villagers are rescued, reunite with the survivors and then fight off the wave of Lacuni attacks. To prevent the village from further invasion, you need to go through the caves and destroy the pillars.

As you destroy the pillars, more powerful lacuni will attack you. Once you have destroyed all the pillars in the cave, you need to run back to the entrance as quickly as possible before the timer runs out. If you don’t escape in the allotted time, you will be damaged by a large amount of falling rocks.

Once you return to the village, head to the circled location on the mini-map to find the leader of this Stronghold, Kirma. When attacking it, you need to pay special attention to two things. When you deal enough damage, it will transform and restore all health.

In addition, Kirma will disappear and reappear periodically. To make it easier to defeat Kirma, you can follow Giveaway channel on IGGM discord for information about Diablo 4 related products and stay active in the discord group.

After completing Kichuk, you will not only receive 100 Renown as a reward, but also unlock a waypoint. After defeating the boss, you can go to the shrine.

Festering Dark

Compared to the other two Strongholds, Festering Dark is more complicated because of its unique mechanics. The goal of this level is to bring lanterns to braziers throughout Stronghold and light them.

Festering Dark is located in the southern part of Restless Canopy, and only one of the two entrances will be available until you complete Strongholds. Once inside, you’ll see a lantern on the ground. If you accidentally lose your lantern later on the mission, you can regain it by activating a rune.

While you’re holding the lantern, you won’t be able to attack. Pressing any button will cause the lantern to fall to the ground each time you’re attacked, and you can pick it up again after the fight.

Each time you light a brazier, the lamp will begin to move automatically. You’ll need to follow it as it leads you to and destroy some obstacles, then continue on to find more braziers. As you light more braziers, more areas of Stronghold will gradually open up.

When you successfully light enough braziers, Vesicator will appear, but this mini-boss doesn’t have particularly dangerous attacks. Eventually, you’ll enter a new area called Gates of the Necropolis. After lighting the braziers in this area, be prepared for a fight with Maleficium.

During the fight with Maleficium, the giant red circle that appears on the ground and the lines that form on the battlefield will cause a lot of damage, and Maleficium will only be damaged when it is in the light. There are five lit braziers in the game, giving players some room to maneuver. However, when Maleficium’s health drops below 50%, it will extinguish all braziers and become completely invincible.

At this time, the player needs to quickly run under the lamp, find a brazier that is not covered by dark energy and light it. Then, continue to attack the boss after it enters the light. Finally, eliminate the remaining health of Maleficium and use the shrine to clear Stronghold. After completing Festering Dark, you will receive 100 Renown, unlock Betrayed Tomb dungeon and Gates of the Necropolis Waypoint.

Hopefully, the above content will help you better deal with these challenges. Good luck!