Following the standard formula, the Dry Steppes is home to three Strongholds. None of these Strongholds requires any story progression to clear, but the Dry Steppes in general has a minimum level of 15, and Strongholds may have a higher level still - Strongholds tend to maintain a suggested level of player level +2. Don’t let levels spook you, however, as you can make great gains by clearing Strongholds; each Stronghold you clear will earn you a minimum of 100 Renown and after you conquer a Stronghold it may be populated by helpful NPCs (merchants, craftspeople, etc). They’re also good sources of XP and, potentially, loot. This page will briefly discuss the locations, inhabitants and objectives of all the Strongholds in the Dry Steppes.

All Dry Steppes Stronghold Locations in Diablo 4¶

In total, there are three strongholds in the Dry Steppes:

Ruins of Qara-Yisu Overview¶

Located along the southeastern corner of Dry Steppes, the Ruins of Qara -Yisu are almost completely surrounded by The Accursed Wastes. To get there, head northwest from Nevesk in the Desolate Highlands (Fractured Peaks) to reach The Pallid Glade, then turn south and west to reach The Accursed Wastes (Dry Steppes). The Ruins of Qara-Yisu is nestled in the south-center of The Accursed Wastes.

Your primary enemy here will be Vile Ones, a variant of the Fallen, including Shaman, Overseers and Lunatics. In addition you’ll encounter Cursed Yisani, who are just Flesh Tearers with fancy names. Your first objective is to destroy three Infernal Spires, each of which is guarded by an Elite Cursed Yisani and an Elite Oppressor who spawns when the Infernal Spire is at 50% health. Destroy all three and you’ll be able to advance to this Stronghold’s boss, Utulku, The Voice Below. All in all, a pretty easy, no-frills Stronghold.

For completing this Stronghold you’ll earn 120 Renown (100 for the Stronghold, 20 for the Ruins of Qara-Yisu Waypoint which you’ll automatically unlock). This area will, after a fade-to-black, be populated by a blacksmith, armor and weapons vendors and a healer a stablemaster, and you’ll be able to explore the nearby Shifting City dungeon now.

Check out the page How to Complete the Qara-Yisu Stronghold in the Dry Steppes for a full walkthrough.

The Onyx Watchtower Overview¶

Found in the center of the Dry Steppes, it’s the northernmost of the three Strongholds in this region. You can reach The Onyx Watchtower by heading east from Menestad in Sarkova Pass (Fractured Peaks) until you reach Chambatar Ridge in the Dry Steppes. From here, continue east to reach Khargai Crags, which almost completely surrounds The Onyx Watchtower.

Essentially a large bandit camp, your initial goal is pure rampage - kill bandits and destroy their camp (marked on your map to make things easier) and fill up a red bar. You’ll also have to kill four Lieutenants scattered around the camp - Elite bandits who are largely unimpressive. You can find one near the northeastern gate, one in a storeroom to the east, one just west of the camp’s center, and one on the high ground along the northern end of the camp. Most of them aren’t hard to find, but the one in the storeroom is safe behind a locked door - defeat an elite enemy along the southwestern corner of the map to score a Storeroom Key, which opens the door to the Storeroom.

After killing the four Lieutenants you’ll need to deal with the leader of these bandits, Captain Ezmin. Defeat her and you’ll score 120 Renown - 100 Renown from clearing the Stronghold and an additional 20 Renown for claiming The Onyx Watchtower Waypoint, which will happen automatically. With the scourge of banditry expunged from this region, a blacksmith, armor and weapon vendors, and a healer will take up residence nearby. You can also now explore the Onyx Hold Dungeon.

Check out the page How to Complete The Onyx Watchtower Stronghold in the Dry Steppes for a full walkthrough.

Temple of Rot Overview¶

The Temple of Rot festers along the southwestern corner of the Dry Steppes, where it is almost completely surrounded by the Untamed Scarps subregion. From Nevesk in the Desolate Highlands (Fractured Peaks), head northeast to reach The Pallid Glade, then turn south and west to reach The Accursed Wastes (Dry Steppes). The Accursed Wastes completely surrounds the Qara-Yisu subregion, which you can circumvent to exit to the west to reach the adjacent Untamed Scarps. The Temple of Rot is nestled into the western edge of the Untamed Scarps.

Probably the most difficult of the three Stronghold in the Dry Steppes, it is primarily home to both cannibals, who are high-damage, low durability enemies that can surprise unwary players with damage spikes. Especially be wary of Executioners who deal immense damage (especially with their leap attacks) and Gorgers, who can stun you. There are also insect swarms contained in various eggs strewn throughout the temple, which will slow you down and generally get in your way.

The first objective in this Stronghold is to hunt down and kill four cannibal champions, all of whom are potent, yet isolated Elites. One can be found in the southern corner of the temple and three are near the center of the temple, albeit in separate rooms. Defeat them all, then make your way to the chief cannibal, Molqarth the Hungerer, and once you’ve put this foe on a diet you’ll need to exterminate his progeny, the Spawn of Molqarth. For clearing this Stronghold you’ll get 100 Renown and little else.

Check out the page How to Complete the Temple of Rot Stronghold in the Dry Steppes for a full walkthrough.

If you want to know where the rest are, feel free to check out our All Stronghold locations in Diablo 4 Map guide.