Diablo 4: Gift of the Tree Update Brings Limited-Time Rewards, Rogue Buffs

Blizzard has unleashed another round of updates for Diablo 4, and this one packs quite a bit for both new and veteran players. From a limited-time event that showers adventurers with bonus loot to long-awaited balance changes that give the Rogue a serious boost, this patch is a solid reason to log back into Sanctuary.

Let’s break down everything in the new Gift of the Tree event, the latest class changes, and the most efficient ways to farm Grim Favors before the event ends on October 14th.

A New Seasonal Event: The Gift of the Tree

The headline feature of this update is the Gift of the Tree — a limited-time event that offers players bonus caches filled with valuable rewards, Diablo IV Gold, and potentially exclusive cosmetic drops. Running until October 14, the event is designed around one of Diablo 4’s most familiar systems: the Whisper of the Dead and its Grim Favors mechanic.

By collecting Grim Favors through bounties, dungeon clears, and boss kills, players can turn them in for a Gift of the Tree cache. During this event, however, Blizzard has added a twist — you’ll receive an additional bonus cache every time you make a turn-in, effectively doubling your rewards.

Inside these caches, players are finding an assortment of items that range from crafting materials and aspects to potentially rare items connected to the new Chaos Armor collection. While not confirmed, some players speculate these armors could be tied to the event’s loot pool, making the event even more enticing for collectors.

That said, the rewards themselves aren’t necessarily game-changing — they’re more of a “free bonus” opportunity than a full-blown loot overhaul. But given how simple the tasks are, it’s essentially free progress for anyone grinding the endgame.

How to Participate: Collecting Grim Favors Efficiently

If you’ve played Diablo 4 for a while, you know how Grim Favors work: complete marked activities on the map (Whispers), earn Favors, and turn them in for rewards at the Tree of Whispers. But this patch quietly introduced a few important tweaks — and even a few exploits — that make farming faster than ever.

Let’s look at the best strategies right now:

1. PvP Zones: Fastest Grim Favor Turn-Ins

The open-world PvP zones are surprisingly the most time-efficient spots for farming Grim Favors right now.

Here’s how it works:

Defeat the area boss and turn in your tokens for 8 Grim Favors per run.

Each PvP zone (there are two major ones) resets on an internal timer, so you can’t infinitely grind them.

However, clearing both will give you 16 total Favors, well beyond the 10 needed for a full Tree of Whispers turn-in.

Because these fights are quick, they’re ideal for solo players or small groups looking to stack rewards quickly. The only limitation is the cooldown between spawns, which encourages mixing in other activities between runs.

2. Nightmare Dungeons: The New Cheese Method

Nightmare Dungeons have long been a go-to for endgame farming, but the new update introduced an interesting oversight — one that players are exploiting to great effect.

Normally, you’d need a Nightmare Sigil to activate the dungeon’s higher-tier modifiers. However, as of this update, you can still receive the full 5 Grim Favors for running a non-Nightmare version of a dungeon that’s marked for a Whisper.

In short:

You don’t even need to use a Sigil — just enter the dungeon normally, complete it, and you’ll still receive the full rewards.

While this likely isn’t intentional (and could be patched soon), it’s easily the most efficient method for farming right now. For players running high-speed builds like the Infinite Teleport Sorcerer, these dungeons can be cleared in under a minute — especially those without doors or lengthy objectives.

Just two quick runs and you’re ready to cash in a full set of Favors at the Tree.

3. Boss Encounters Without Material Costs

Another stealthy change came to the way endgame bosses work. You no longer need to spend summoning materials to trigger them.

If you spot a boss that’s tied to a Grim Favor objective, you can fight and defeat it without using any of your resources — and still earn 5 Grim Favors per kill. This makes world bosses and summoned encounters an excellent low-effort option to mix into your rotation.

Even better, these fights now tend to move faster because Blizzard adjusted several boss phases to prevent slow transitions. For fast-DPS builds, it’s now possible to melt through these encounters in seconds.

4. Helltides and Chaos Rifts

Helltides remain one of the most rewarding endgame loops, and during this event, they’ve become even more lucrative. Slaying the Blood Maiden now grants five additional Grim Favors, which makes it worthwhile even for players who are primarily running other activities.

Chaos Rifts, on the other hand, are a good option for those looking to multitask — you can earn materials and three Grim Favors per rift cleared. While not as time-efficient as Nightmare Dungeons, the layered rewards make them a solid alternative.

Rogue Buffs and Balance Changes

Beyond the event, one of the most significant parts of this patch is the Rogue class update. Rogues have been on the edge of greatness for several patches, but this time, Blizzard has pushed them firmly into top-tier status — especially with two standout builds.

1. Dance of Knives and Flurry Buffs

The Dance of Knives setup, known for its speed and precision, has received tweaks that make it even more effective in fast dungeon clears and PvP. Likewise, Flurry — a build often favored for its area burst — benefits from smoother scaling and better consistency in late-game damage.

These changes make the Rogue one of the most flexible classes right now, capable of both elite farming and leaderboard pushing.

2. Orphan Maker Enhancement

The Orphan Maker has also been buffed, pushing Rogue’s single-target potential even higher. In fact, current testing suggests it may even outperform the Barbarian in raw burst DPS — a first for this season’s meta.

For leaderboard players, this means you’ll likely start seeing Rogues climb higher in the Pit rankings.

Other Class and Content Updates

While most of the attention is on the Rogue, a few other changes are worth mentioning:

Soul Spires Buffed:

Once considered a waste of time in Infernal Hordes due to low Aether output, Soul Spires now give better rewards. You still have to lure enemies into the circles, but the payoff makes them a more viable choice during Infernal Hordes farming.

Wild Rage Still Blocklisted:

Unfortunately for Druids, Wild Rage remains unusable — still flagged on Blizzard’s internal blacklist. Many players were hoping this patch would fix it, but it seems that’s still on hold.

Leaderboard Adjustments:

Small tweaks to the Pit leaderboards have rebalanced rankings slightly. Rogues now benefit from their new buffs, meaning you’ll likely see class distribution shift over the next week.

Best Farming Rotation for the Event

Since this event revolves around farming Grim Favors efficiently, here’s a quick optimal loop that maximizes time and loot:

Start with PvP Bosses – 8 Grim Favors each; clears quickly and resets over time.

Run Marked Dungeons (Without Sigils) – The current “cheese” method gives 5 Grim Favors per clear in about a minute.

Helltide Events – Slay the Blood Maiden for another 5 Grim Favors.

Summon Bosses (No Materials Needed) – Each kill grants another 5 Favors without cost.

Turn In at Tree of Whispers – Receive two caches: your regular reward and the Gift of the Tree bonus cache.

If you follow this route, you can easily complete multiple turn-ins per hour. Since each turn-in gives double rewards during the event, this is one of the most efficient gold and material farms Diablo 4 has seen in Season 5.

Infinite Teleport Build: The Star of the Update

While this patch didn’t introduce new builds, one stood out in particular thanks to its synergy with the event — the Infinite Teleport Sorcerer.

This build allows near-constant mobility with virtually no cooldown between teleports, making it ideal for spamming dungeon runs and speeding through PvE objectives. It’s so efficient that many players report clearing two Whispers in under two minutes.

If you’re planning to grind the event heavily before October 14, this build is worth checking out. It’s not just fun to play — it’s arguably the best build for time-per-reward efficiency right now.

Loot, Rewards, and Event Impressions

When you open your caches, expect to see:

Rare and Legendary gear (with occasional Greater Affixes)

Gold and crafting mats

A Gift of the Tree Cache that includes random loot from all seasonal collections

A possible chance at Chaos Armor pieces, though not confirmed

Most players agree the event isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s a nice bonus layer on top of existing gameplay. The free second cache alone makes regular Whisper farming significantly more profitable.

Still, some players wish the event had more unique drops or direct ties to Season 5’s Chaos mechanics. For now, it’s a low-stress way to stockpile gold, mats, and aspects while Blizzard preps the next major update, cheap Diablo IV Gold.

Final Thoughts: A Light but Worthwhile Update

The Gift of the Tree event may not reinvent the wheel, but it succeeds where it matters most — giving players meaningful rewards for doing what they’re already doing. The doubled caches, improved Soul Spires, and reduced boss costs make the grind smoother than ever.

More importantly, the Rogue buffs finally put that class where it deserves to be: fast, lethal, and top-tier in both PvE and PvP. If you’ve been sitting on a Rogue build, now’s the time to dust it off.

With the event running only until October 14, there’s no reason to wait. Hop into Sanctuary, hit the PvP zones and dungeons, and make the most of your Grim Favor runs before it’s gone.