Diablo 4 Lesser Evils Explained (Season 11)

Diablo 4 Lesser Evils directly control Season 11 progression systems. Each of the four Lesser Evils is permanently tied to a major activity: Duriel to Helltides, Belial to The Pit, Andariel to the Kurast Undercity, and Azmodan to World Boss content. Their presence changes how enemies spawn, how bosses appear, what mechanics you must deal with, and which rewards you can earn.

Interacting with Lesser Evils is required for efficient Season Rank progression, Divine Gift unlocking and upgrading, and access to Corrupted Essences used across multiple seasonal systems. Skipping these encounters means fewer Season Rank rewards, slower access to Purified Gift slots, and weaker endgame scaling.

Early Season 11 progression can feel slow, especially while clearing Capstones, farming Divine Gifts, and reaching stable Lesser Evil farming. Diablo 4 Season of Divine Intervention Boost help you avoid the stress of difficult clears and time-consuming setup.

Below is a clear breakdown of how each Lesser Evil works: where they show up, what they change inside each activity, and what they drop.

Diablo 4 Lesser Evils in Season 11

Season 11 introduces four Lesser Evils, and each one is permanently tied to a specific endgame activity. This is a fixed seasonal system that you are expected to farm.

Here is how the system is set up:

• Duriel - Helltides: Replaces the usual Helltide flow. Enemy packs change, new Duriel-themed mobs appear, and summoning mechanics are tied to Corrupted drops.
• Belial - The Pit: Alters Pit runs by adding new interactable mechanics and the chance to replace the final boss. Successful runs reward extra progression and Corrupted Essence.
• Andariel - Kurast Undercity: Changes beacon behavior, enemy pressure, and time management. Higher risk, but faster seasonal progression if played correctly.
• Azmodan - Open World & World Boss: Appears both as a summonable boss and in the World Boss rotation. This fight is a major source of Corrupted Essence and seasonal rewards.

Each Lesser Evil directly changes the rules of its activity:

• specific enemy packs replace normal spawns
• new mechanics force movement, target priority, or time management
• difficulty spikes in clear, predictable ways
• exclusive Corrupted Essences drop only here and are required for Divine Gifts upgrades and Season Rank progress

Duriel in Helltides

Duriel completely rewrites how Helltides work in Season 11.

What changes in Helltides

• Blood Maiden encounters are removed
• At maximum Threat, Pangs of Duriel spawn repeatedly
• Pangs drop Baneful Hearts
• Baneful Hearts are used to summon Duriel directly

His Helltide invasion is the fastest way to collect Corrupted Essence, which is required to unlock and rank up your first Divine Gifts. No other activity gives the same amount of seasonal currency this early with such low entry requirements.

Farming Duriel also pushes Season Rank progression from Rank I to Rank IV much faster than standard Helltide play.

Belial in The Pit

Belial turns The Pit into a high-variance, high-reward activity.

What changes inside the Pit:

• Belial Eyes spawn during runs

Destroying Eyes:

• stuns nearby enemies
• spawns Belial Apparitions
• advances Pit completion progress
• Destroy enough Eyes and Belial replaces the final boss

Killing Belial gives clear advantages: an extra Glyph upgrade, more loot, and a chance to drop the Corrupted Eye of Belial. Builds with good mobility, AoE, and stability gain more value here than pure burst setups. Clean runs with Eye management are consistently faster and more profitable than blind speed clears.

Andariel in the Kurast Undercity

Andariel’s invasion only appears if you own Vessel of Hatred, since the Undercity is located in Nahantu.

What changes:

• Spirit Beacons become deadlier but grant more attunement.
• Shades of Andariel drain your remaining time.
• Enemies gain Wailing Spirit attacks that track your movement.
• Andariel can replace the final boss.

New Undercity Tributes:

• Increase rewards
• Guarantee Andariel as final boss
• Add unique dungeon affixes

This is one of the best activities for late-season Divine Gift leveling, but only if your build is ready. Weak or slow setups bleed time fast. Optimized builds with strong movement and AoE can turn the Undercity into a high-value farm with excellent returns.

Azmodan - Open World and World Boss Threat

Azmodan is the most flexible and unavoidable Lesser Evil in Season 11. He’s tied directly to long-term seasonal progress.

He appears in two forms:

• As a scheduled World Boss
• Through a summoning ritual south of Zarbinzet

Summoning mechanics:

• Three altars, each empowered by another Lesser Evil
• Enemies spawn with themed mechanics (Eyes, eggs, clones)
• Azmodan gains layered abilities and high durability

Key rules:

• Cannot be one-shot
• Shrines stay active during the fight
• Drops Corrupted Tongue of Azmodan

Azmodan is also required for Season Rank 5, which makes him mandatory for serious seasonal play. He’s best tackled once your Divine Gifts are unlocked and ranked up, since the fight is tuned around stronger characters.

Diablo 4 Lesser Evil Rewards and Seasonal Progression

Lesser Evils is the main engine behind seasonal progression in Season 11. If you want fast power, this is where it comes from.

You gain seasonal reputation and progress by:

• killing enemies affected by a Lesser Evil
• defeating the Lesser Evil boss itself
• running invasions while Corrupted or Purified Divine Gifts are slotted

As your Season Rank increases, you unlock:

• Skill Points and Paragon Points (real power, not just cosmetics)
• Smoldering Ashes for Season Blessings
• Divine Gift slots and upgrades
• cosmetic rewards tied to the season

Because of this structure, farming Lesser Evils is faster than side content. You level your character, your seasonal powers, and your long-term progression at the same time. Doing anything else first just slows you down.

Final Thoughts

Lesser Evils decides how fast your Season Rank grows, how strong your Divine Gifts become, and how smooth your path to endgame feels. Learn where each Lesser Evil appears, farm the right invasions for your stage of progression, and use them to power your build forward.

This section focused only on Lesser Evils Diablo 4 mechanics, and how they drive progression. If you want the full overview - changes, Sanctification, Divine Gifts, Capstones, and class balance — check our Diablo 4 Season 11 overview guide.