Group Experience META
Last Updated:February 4, 2025|Changelog
General Strategy
In this article, we talk about the 4-Player most effective tactic available (META) for experience (exp) farming. The only real way to farm experience efficiently is in groups:
- Clear Greater Rifts as high and as fast as you can! This method yields the most exp by far as you can see in our Greater Rift Scaling Guide. We farm in groups because we are much stronger with more players and get nice group experience bonuses.
Group experience META's for Greater Rifts generally include great synergies that exceed normal support buffs.
150 Group META Runs
With the high powercreep over the years players can crush high Greater Rifts with ease. We recommend running the standard 4-Player Push META and farm Greater Rifts 150 to get experience. Each completed Rift grants around 1.150 trillion experience with permanent Pools from Mirror. Coordinated groups can run these in just a few minutes, resulting in insane experience per hour!
General Strategy
In an effective 4-Player group META, every party member has a defined role with different tasks. Here is an overview of the 4 roles usually played and tasks each role is best at:
Trash Killer
Nova Necro, Natalya DH, Meteor Wiz, Scythe Necro
This position usually requires a build with good Area of Effect (AoE) damage like Death Nova or Meteor and huge temporary buffs like Arcane Attunement, Spellsteal, Assimilation etc. The main task is executing the damage rotation properly in order to progress through the Rift. With a double-support setup, the build must also be powerful enough to finish off the Rift Guardian by equipping Bane of the Stricken.
Rift Guardian Killer
Rathma Necro, Corpse Spider WD, Invoker Sader, Impale DH
The RGK requires a build that revolves around high single-target damage, often combined with fast attack speed skills to stack Bane of the Stricken.
Main Support
zBarb, zDH, zMonk
The main Support role requires good pull abilities, good overall damage & toughness boost. The main task here is to pull monsters together (for Area Damage value) for the Trash Killer, drag Elite packs along, scout the map and keep up damage & toughness buffs.
Secondary Support
zDH, zMonk, zNec
The second Support usually provides even more toughness and damage buffs to the group. The main task here is often very simple: Keep up all buffs while sticking close to the damage dealer. Sometimes the second Support also helps to scout the map and engage enemies.
In double support setups, the most played choices are zBarb and zDH for a strong combination of pulling ability & damage, toughness and utility buffs. Without a Barbarian in the group, a zMonk with Cyclone Strike or a zDH with Natalya's Vengeance (4) Bonus can be used to pull enemies together.
Low GR Speedruns
Concept
Instead of running a coordinated high-end team, you can also combine fast low GR speedfarming builds with a support or two and just rush through GRs in 1-2min. In season 34 we have two builds that are extremely good at these fast runs: Shadow Impale Demon Hunter with Sanctified Strafe and AoV FotH Crusader with twice as many fists from Sanctified Fist of the Heavens.
Both these DPS function in a very similar way: they just rush through the rift as fast as possible while automatically killing everything in their path. The supports of choice for these super fast runs are zNecro and zDH. The former provides excellent grouping and damage buffs while also freezing all enemies with Land of the Dead Frozen Land thus making it so the team doesn't really need to be very tanky. Demon Hunter simply provides the best offensive buffs of any support and so takes the second spot. zBarb's main selling points being grouping and tankiness make them less desirable here, however for Crusader DPS they provide additional damage through Movement Speed buffs, thanks to Vigilante Belt. Even with this buff they don't quite reach the level of zDH but the runs become a bit comfier and it's a fine sidegrade you can consider.
Create your own META
In the end, there are plenty of ways to farm experience in Diablo 3. You can just group up with some friends and do Speed Great Rifts with almost any class and build. Pick whatever you enjoy!
Here are a few more general tips on how to build your group setup:
- Pick 1-2 Supporters
- Pick 1-3 Damage Dealers
- Create your own setup & have fun!
Historic Group EXP METAs
| Patch | Season | META |
| 2.6.3 | 15 (Boon of the Horadrim) | RATS / LoN SB WD / Star Pact Wiz |
| 2.6.4 | 16 (Season of Grandeur) | Charge Barb / RATS / Bazooka Wiz |
| 2.6.5 | 17 (Season of Nightmares) | Vyr Wiz / RATS |
| 2.6.6 | 18 (Season of Triune) | Vyr Wiz / RATS |
| 2.6.7 | 19 (Season of Eternal Conflict) | WW Rend Barb / RATS / HF Sader |
| 2.6.8 | 20 (Season of the Forbidden Archives) | RATS / Spirit Barrage WD |
| 2.6.9 | 21 (Trials of the Tempests) | GoD DH / RATS / 150 LoD PSN Scythe |
| 2.6.10 | 22 (Shadows of the Past + 4th Cube) | RATS / BATS |
| 2.7.0 | 23 (The Disciples of Sanctuary) | RATS / BATS / BIRDS |
| 2.7.1 | 24 (Ethereal Memory) | GODS / BIRDS / RATS |
| 2.7.2 | 25 (Soul Shards) | INNA / RATS |
| 2.7.3 | 26 (Echoing Nightmare) | RATS |
| 2.7.4 | 27 (Angelic Crucibles) | IMPALE / RATS |
| 2.7.5 | 28 (Altar of Rites) | Speed 150s / RATS |
| 2.7.6 | 29 (Visions of Enmity) | None (Paragon was capped at 800) |
| 2.7.7 | 30+ (Final Patch) | Speed 150s / RATS |
As you can see above, there has been one constant META since the Rise of the Necromancer release: Rat Runs! The Legacy of Dreams "Rat" Skeletal Mage Necromancers with their insane clear speed still stand strong and are just slightly behind but provide an excellent transition into high Great Rift Pushing as Bones of Rathma Army of the Dead RGK Necromancer and Grace of Inarius Death Nova Trash Killer Necromancer.
Conclusion
There are plenty of options to farm experience efficiently in groups. Always communicate with your teammates to optimize Greater Rift times, Pool of Reflection uptime and town rotations. The current seasonal theme has probably the biggest impact ever on almost any build in Diablo 3 and certainly on the amount of experience points per hour. If you ever wanted a high Paragon Level this is the Season to do it. Happy farming!
Credits
Updated by wudijo