Alright so I finally decided to tackle the Diablo IV platinum grind last Tuesday night. Figured I’d document this slog because, man, it looked intimidating at first glance. Grabbed a huge coffee, fired up the PS5, and said “Let’s get this crap done.”
Starting Fresh Hell
Created a new character since my old level 85 Necro hadn’t touched half the trophies. Went Rogue this time ’cause they say it shreds bosses fast. Big mistake early on – felt like wet paper against Butcher spawns. Died twice before level 10 to that meat-cleaver maniac. Felt real stupid wasting those early hours.
The Mindless Grind Phase
Focused purely on progress trophies first:
- Spammed Strongholds – Cleared all three before hitting level 30. Kor Dragan took forever with those blood suckers chasing my squishy rogue
- Waypoints sucked – Spent three hours just riding that dang horse across deserts unlocking fast travel spots. Fell asleep twice during this part honestly
- Side Quest Hell – Did like 20 in Fractured Peaks alone before realizing zone completions don’t need ’em all. Wasted hours.
Skill Check Roadblocks
Hit the nasty ones around level 60:
- That Damn Butcher – Kited him around pillars for 12 minutes straight using puncture builds. Hands were shaking when he finally dropped
- Capstone Dungeon Wall – Elias destroyed me six times. Swapped gear, respecced skills three times, screamed at my monitor. Finally beat him with 1% health left. Nearly threw controller
The Final Stretch Slog
Post-campaign was brutal:
- Lilith Altars – Spent Sunday following terrible online maps. Missed one in Dry Steppes, had to backtrack entire zone
- Paragon Points – Grinded nightmare dungeons for three evenings straight. Eyes glazed over from repeating same layouts
- Ultimate Screwup – Finally beat Lilith at 3AM… only to realize I’d forgotten to pick up one weapon type for “Weapons Master” trophy earlier. Rage-quit for whole day
Platinum Payoff (& Regret)
Went back yesterday, murdered random skeletons with a damn two-handed mace for twenty minutes. POP – platinum finally dinged at 1:27PM. Total playtime? 148 hours across three weeks. Real cost? My sleep schedule, two controllers with sticky buttons, and my girlfriend saying “You smell like burnt coffee”. Worth it? Absolutely not. But now I never have to touch Sanctuary again unless season looks juicy.
Biggest tip? Check trophy lists BEFORE hitting level 80. Would’ve saved me 40 hours of suffering. You live and learn huh.