Powerleveling a Crusader from 1-70 in Under 3 Hours

As much as you might enjoy plowing through the ranks solo, sometimes enlisting the help of one of your friends can pay dividends.

Case in point: The other day I met up with a lowly Level 1 Crusader on the outskirts of New Tristram. Within three hours my fledgling buddy was a stalwart knight, with power comparable to my own.

So if the thought of spending 15 to 20 hours leveling a Crusader, or any class for that matters, makes you sicker than Ghom’s bile attack then this post is for you. Without further ado, let’s get to it.

Alright I’m in. How do I level from 1-70 quickly?

First, you’ll need to unlock Adventure Mode. This entails completing the Act V campaign with one of your characters. Easy enough.

Then, you’ll need to find a level 70 friend willing to help you out. For most of the Diablo 3 community this shouldn’t be a problem.

However, if you’re relatively new to the game or lacking in the online friends department, consider first joining a clan. From there, finding someone willing to power-level you should be a straightforward process.

Just don’t spam power level requests in chat; players find them off-putting.

Tip: The only time your buddy’s gear will make a difference is between levels 60 – 70. But not to worry – even a fresh level 70 sporting mostly yellows will prove more than sufficient.

I’ve found a friend. Now what?

1.  Have the Level 1 character open a new Adventure Mode game on Torment VI. The Level 70 character will then enter the game.
2. Run all Act IV bounties. Why Act IV? Because the bounties are simple and predictable. Allow me to elaborate. Act IV only features five maps in which a bounty can be performed. In addition, the Act IV maps tend towards the smaller side. Finally, the Hell Rifts bounty is one of the most efficient bounties in terms of xp-per-minute in the game.
3. Ensure that your leveling partner stays close enough to you to still gain experience, yet out of harm’s way. This is paramount to leveling up quickly. As a rule of thumb, the low level character should be situated somewhere between one and two screen lengths behind the Level 70 character at all times. Encourage the lowbie to pick up Rares and Legendaries, if only to increase his/her durability.
4. Occasionally – the Kill Izual bounty comes to mind – it’s better to have the lowbie wait in town while the Level 70 fast travels to the boss.
5. Once the Act IV bounties are complete, quickly scan the map for any other bounties with a high xp-to-time ratio. Cursed chest events that require you to kill 100 enemies or 5 waves of enemies before time runs out are great. Bounties that task you with finding a cave, and clearing all enemies on the second level are not.
6. Once the Act IV (and any other) bounties are complete, speak to Tyrael for your reward, quickly leave your current game and start a new one. Rinse and repeat until the lowbie is level 60. Here, you will have to make a decision. If you’re still killing monsters at an exceedingly fast pace, keep the difficulty set at Torment VI. If you’re not, tune it down gradually. By level 69, it’s likely you’ll be farming at Torment II or lower. That’s OK, it’s still way faster than leveling solo.

With practice and gear it may be possible to reduce the power-leveling time to 2.5 or even 2 hours. We’ll keep you posted as we refine our methods.