You're standing in front of the gate. You have a handful of Burning Aether, your gear is dripping with demon blood, and you’re wondering if that Compass you just burned was actually worth the stress. If you’ve been playing Diablo 4 lately, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The whole concept of Season 5 tickets—specifically the Infernal Compasses and Abyssal Scrolls—completely flipped the script on how we handle the endgame.
It wasn’t just another seasonal mechanic. It was a structural shift.
Honestly, the transition into Season 5 (the Season of the Infernal Hordes) felt like Blizzard finally admitted that running the same Nightmare Dungeons for the thousandth time was killing the vibe. They needed a "ticket" system that felt high-stakes. They gave us the Infernal Compasses. These aren't just items sitting in your inventory; they are the literal keys to the best loot farm the game has seen since launch.
But here’s the thing most people get wrong: they think any old ticket will do. It won’t. If you aren't managing your tiers and your scrolls correctly, you're just throwing potential Greater Affix gear into the trash.
The Reality of Infernal Compasses
Let's talk about what these "tickets" actually do. An Infernal Compass is your entry fee into the Hordes. You find them everywhere—Whispers, Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons. But the real game starts at Tier 3 and Tier 4.
The scaling in Season 5 is brutal.
I remember the first time I popped a Tier 7 Compass thinking my Level 100 Rogue was invincible. I lasted about forty seconds. The density is insane. You’ve got aieve-style waves of enemies pouring in, and the "ticket" you used determines exactly how much pain you’re about to endure.
The Compasses range from Tier 1 to Tier 8.
- Tiers 1-3: These are basically training wheels. You get these early, and they help you gear up through the mid-game.
- Tiers 4-6: This is where the Masterworking materials (Ingolith and Neathiron) start becoming the main draw.
- Tiers 7-8: These are the "pro" tickets. You’re looking at Level 180+ monsters. It’s chaotic. It’s messy. It’s beautiful.
The tickets themselves have randomized affixes. Some make the enemies explode. Some make them faster. It’s a gamble every time you click "Use."
Why Everyone Is Obsessed With Abyssal Scrolls
You can't talk about Season 5 tickets without mentioning the Abyssal Scrolls. If the Compass is the ticket, the Scroll is the upgrade.
Think of it this way: You find a Tier 1 Compass. It’s useless to you because you’re already smashing Torment IV difficulty. Instead of trashing it, you use an Abyssal Scroll to rank it up. This was a massive quality-of-life win. In previous seasons, if you outleveled your keys, they were dead weight. Now, you can consume scrolls to boost the tier of your existing tickets.
It creates this weirdly addictive loop. You run a Helltide to get a Compass. You realize the Compass is too low-level. You hunt down a Scroll. You upgrade the ticket. You go into the Hordes. You get more loot.
Repeat until your eyes bleed.
The Economy of Aether
The actual "value" of your Season 5 tickets is measured in Burning Aether. This is the temporary currency you collect inside the instance. You spend it at the end on "Spoils."
There are four chests usually:
- Spoils of Equipment: Standard gear.
- Spoils of Materials: Masterworking stuff.
- Spoils of Gold: Exactly what it sounds like.
- Spoils of Greater Equipment: This is the big one. It costs 60 Aether and guarantees an item with a Greater Affix.
If you aren't hitting at least 100+ Aether per run, you're probably choosing the wrong Boons during the waves. Everyone wants the "Hellstalkers" or "Lords" boons because they drop the most Aether. Don't fall for the "Invigorating Spires" trap unless you’re really struggling with cooldowns. It’s a waste of a ticket.
What Most Players Miss About Farming Tickets
You don't just wait for Compasses to drop. You craft them.
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The Occultist is your best friend here. You can salvage those crappy Sigils you don't want and turn them into Sigil Powder, which then becomes Infernal Compasses. It’s a closed-loop economy.
There’s also a common misconception that you should save your high-tier tickets for "the perfect group." Honestly? Don't. With the way the 2026 patches have stabilized the meta, solo farming Tier 7 is often faster and more efficient for raw gold than waiting for a group to coordinate their builds.
Specific bosses, like the Fell Council at the end of the Horde run, drop significantly better loot if you’ve used a high-tier ticket. We're talking multiple Uniques in a single go. If you’re hunting for a Shako (Harlequin Crest) or a Tyrael’s Might, the Infernal Hordes are statistically your best bet outside of dedicated Uber Boss farming.
Breaking Down the Difficulty Spikes
The leap from Tier 6 to Tier 7 is the "Great Filter" of Season 5.
In Tier 6, you can kind of "meme" your way through with a sub-optimal build. Tier 7 requires actual synergy. Your resistances need to be capped at 70% (or higher if you’re using specific Paragon boards), and your armor needs to hit that 9,230 cap. If you go in with a "glass cannon" build, you’ll burn your ticket in minutes.
The Fell Council consists of three random members of the old D2 council. They rotate. Geleb Flamefinger, Ismail Vilehand... they’re all there to ruin your day. The ticket you spent determines their health pool. At Tier 8, these guys have billions of health. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
How to Optimize Your Ticket Usage
If you want to be efficient, stop running everything you find.
Check the affixes on your Infernal Compasses before you start. If you see "High Health" combined with "Distant Enemies Deal More Damage," and you’re a melee Barbarian, just salvage it. It’s not worth the headache. You want affixes that you can ignore.
Also, keep an eye on the "Boons and Banes" system. Every time a wave ends, you pick a modifier. If you’re looking to maximize your ticket, always prioritize "Aether Fiends" and "Elite Aether." They offer the highest return on investment.
Actionable Strategy for Season 5 Success
To truly dominate the endgame using the Season 5 ticket system, follow this sequence:
- Salvage your low-level Nightmare Sigils immediately. Use the powder to craft Tier 4 Compasses at the Occultist until you can comfortably clear them in under 10 minutes.
- Focus your Aether on the 60-cost Chest. The "Spoils of Greater Equipment" is the only reliable way to find 3-star and 4-star Greater Affix items that define the 2026 meta.
- Use Abyssal Scrolls only on Compasses that already have favorable affixes. Don't waste a scroll on a ticket that has "Reduced Critical Strike Damage" if your build relies on crits.
- Farm Helltides for "Baneful Hearts" to summon the Blood Maiden. She is currently the most consistent source for raw Infernal Compass drops outside of crafting.
- Prioritize the "Hellstalker" Boons during your Horde runs. They might be harder to kill, but the Aether multiplier they provide is the difference between opening one chest and opening five.
The Season 5 ticket system isn't just a hurdle; it’s the most direct path to power. By treating your Infernal Compasses as a currency rather than just an entry pass, you’ll stop wasting time on mediocre loot and start hitting the power spikes that actually matter. Stop hoarding your scrolls and start burning them—the demons aren't going to kill themselves.