The Gauntlet in Diablo IV released yesterday, providing a fresh challenge for leaderboard placers or those looking to outdo their personal best. The Gauntlet differs from other activities by not being gear dependent, but instead requiring strategy and planning. Having put in extensive time into The Gauntlet since its release there are key things that I have learned that will help you navigate Week 1 and beyond. So let's get into the thick of it.

• Week 1 Gauntlet Map Breakdown
• Key Symbols and Chests
• Shrines: The Pillars of Strategy
• Constructing Your Route
• Advanced Tactics
• Maximizing Bosses and Shrines

↖ Week 1 Gauntlet Map Breakdown

For all players this map layout is universal. It shows where each boss is located, what type they are (if that matters for your build), and which shrine they drop when killed. Each time bosses are killed they always drop the same shrine which adds some predictability with your strategy.

↖ Key Symbols and Chests

Marked enemies drop iron keys which are needed to open chests throughout the map. Bosses give a base score of 9K while yellow chests offer an impressive 8k score per chest. White chests on the other hand only give a modest 3k score per chest. With both white and yellow chests requiring the same keys, prioritize yellow until you can't anymore; white should be viewed as just bonus points rather than something to hunt down during your route.

• Iron Keys: Defeat marked enemies to obtain these keys for unlocking treasure chests.
• Yellow Chests: Each grants 8K score – prioritize these over white chests for maximum points.
• White Chests: Yielding 3K score each, they're secondary targets if you have spare keys.

↖ Shrines: The Pillars of Strategy

Shrines play a big role in mastering The Gauntlet. While the Pillar of Proving instantly resurrects all enemies within the dungeon, it might not be as important as it initially seems to be. However, the Pillar of Glory is very important; this week it exists in two spots on the map and provides a buff for 45 seconds that triples your overall score gains by 150%. Also consider boosting Shrine buff duration through gear enhancements on boots and amulets - Shrine buff duration is one of the most important stats in The Gauntlets for serious contenders.

↖ Constructing Your Route

A solid starting path would be to clear the three bosses on the left side of the map. Weaving in-between and utilizing nearby respawn shrines and score multipliers will give you a significant buff right off the bat. After you've exhausted those, use any remaining keys for the right side.

This route was able to get me rank 73 barbarian on my first few runs but as more people started to climb higher I managed to finish with a score of 459k for rank 238 overall without using any Uber uniques!

↖ Advanced Tactics

You can optimize your run even further if you have a super powerful build by matching your clear radius with your kill speed. If time is called on your run and you still have unused respawn pillars, narrow your farming area down. On another note, if you don't have enough pillars when time is called, you should expand your loops so that they can be used efficiently.

↖ Maximizing Bosses and Shrines

Speed isn't everything - timing and pacing are what really matter here. Aggro bosses strategically so that they're near score shrines then activate it just before killing one boss for maximum efficiency. The dropped shrine from that boss can then be picked up after reviving all enemies with Pillar of Proving or other Resurrection Items to exponentially boost scores for all seven possible bosses within Pillar of Glory timer duration until its effect expires.