Season 9's leveling meta is now dominated by Nightmare Dungeons with the "Forgotten Wisdom" affix, which causes enemies to drop Exp Orbs - bonus experience items that speed up your grind dramatically.

Whether you're starting a new seasonal character or pushing to level 60+ fast, this strategy is the most time-efficient method right now.

What Is Forgotten Wisdom?

Forgotten Wisdom is a Nightmare Dungeon affix that causes slain enemies to drop blue Exp Orbs, which grant bonus experience when collected.

·These orbs scale with enemy level and dungeon tier.

·You auto-pick up the orbs just by being nearby - no need to click.

·They stack quickly when farming elite packs and large mob groups.

This mechanic rewards speed-clearing and aggressive AoE builds.

Step-by-Step: How to Use the Exp Orb Strategy

Step 1: Do the Seasonal Journey (until level 15)

·Unlocks your first free Nightmare Sigils.

·Grants Diablo 4 Items Sigil Powder as a reward.

·Introduces you to dungeon content and Whisper bounties.

Recommended early activities:

·Seasonal quests

·Whispers (especially dungeon ones)

·Helltides for gear + Sigil Dust

Step 2: Grind to Level 15

This unlocks:

·Sigil Powder collection

·Nightmare Dungeon crafting

·Until 15, just do Whispers and Helltide Events.

·Don't turn in your Whisper Bounty until level 15 - this gives Sigil Dust after that point.

Step 3: Craft or Salvage Nightmare Sigils

Visit the Occultist to:

·Craft Nightmare Sigils using Sigil Powder

·Look for the Forgotten Wisdom affix

·Salvage extra Sigils that don't have it

You can get Sigil Powder from:

·Helltide chests

·Local events

·Whisper Caches

·Salvaging sigils

Step 4: Run Forgotten Wisdom Sigils

·Best XP/hour comes from low difficulty + fast clears.

If you find a Forgotten Wisdom Sigil, run it on Normal difficulty:

·Mobs die fast.

·You fly through dungeons, racking up Exp Orbs.

Even if you get slightly less XP per mob, the speed of clearing makes up for it.

What If You Don't Have Forgotten Wisdom?

·Run normal Nightmare Dungeons on the highest difficulty you can clear fast.

·Stack gear with Mobility, AoE, and Resource Sustain.

·Focus on Sigil Dust farming so you can craft or buy D4 materials more Sigils later.

·Once you get a Forgotten Wisdom Sigil, prioritize it.

Consumables To Stack XP

1. XP Potion (Always on until level 45)

2. Incense (Start using after level 45)

3. Season Blessings for XP (via Smoldering Ashes)

Bonus Tips

·Escalation Sigils (unlocked in later Seasonal Tiers) with Forgotten Wisdom are supercharged for XP.

·Horadric Strongrooms are great if you find one - lots of elites and mobs = more orbs.

·Use area-efficient builds that focus on clearing large packs (e.g., Sorcerer Firewall, Druid Tornado, Necro Blight, etc.)

Known Limitation / Bug

Currently, Nightmare Dungeons may not always reward Nightmare Sigils after completion. This may be a bug, so you'll need to rely more on:

·Whispers

·Treasure Chests

·Salvaging excess Sigils

Conclusion

If you want to fly through the early and midgame in Diablo 4 Season 9, the Exp Orbs + Forgotten Wisdom Sigil strategy is by far the best way to do it. You'll reach level 60 significantly faster, farm Glyph XP passively, and maximize your time spent in Sanctuary.