Diablo 4: How to find Helltide Commanders

Helltide Commanders were introduced in Diablo 4 during the introduction of Helltides, and they’ve remained pretty elusive ever since. A frustrating part of any seasonal objective series, players occasionally find themselves trying to farm 20 of these powerful mini-bosses, without really knowing how they can find them. Simply killing enemies in Helltides isn’t enough, either. You have to be targeting specific things.

Helltides are still relevant, even in Season 7, where players will no doubt find themselves grinding through them for seasonal objectives or even chances at powerful loot. However, if you’re looking for Helltide Commanders, you have to keep a close eye on the map.

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Where do Helltide Commanders spawn in Diablo 4?

Helltide Commanders only spawn in Diablo 4 Helltides as a result of specific events. Unlike the normal Helltide events that have a big icon on the full map, these events are “normal” D4 events, and as such, you have to look for an orange circle on the map instead. There are currently three known events that will definitely bring you a Helltide Commander to fight.

When a Helltide Commander spawns, you're on the clock — defeat them as fast as possible! (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Portal Invasion is the event I wind up seeing with the greatest frequency in a Helltide. When you see the orange circle on the map for Portal Invasion, make it your top priority. You’ll have to break seven portals in the nearby area while also destroying any demons who happen to spawn. At the end, a Helltide Commander appears, and you need to defeat it to wrap up that Diablo 4 event.

There’s also Storm Summoner, which I believe is different from simply Destroying Effigies. In Storm Summoner, you need to break a series of effigies that, in turn, will summon a Helltide Commander to fight. I did a normal Destroy Effigies event, and that just gave me some nobody demon to fight, so I believe there’s a difference.

Finally, there are Assasssin events, where you have to defeat a powerful assassin enemy. These apparently count as Helltide Commanders, but I almost never see them show up. They’ll have a name like Kixxarth, Helltide Assassin. The trouble is finding these events, so when you’re grinding through a Helltide, just keep an eye out while you’re popping open Helltide Mystery Chests for these events.

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Check out our other Diablo 4 guides and features

• 5 best builds to try in Diablo 4 Season 7
• Diablo 4 Season 7 tier list: Best endgame builds for PVE
• Diablo 4 Season 7 review