General Farming Guide

There are many different items, materials, and currencies to farm and use in Diablo 4. All are important and have their uses for your character and gear alike. Some are easy to gather, while others are tricky and can only come from specific areas or events. This farming guide aims to arm you with the best information to stock up on what you need to supercharge your progression!

Stock Goods

Stock Goods range from Plants, Ore, Skins, Salvage, Helltide, and Nightmare Dungeon materials. Each has its purpose and place to collect them. The general rule to remember with Stock Goods is ABC - Always Be Collecting!

Tapping on a node to gather these materials happens instantly and can even be done on your mount, so doing a hit-and-run on a few enemy covered nodes is possible if you want to risk it.

Plants

• Bundled Herbs are used to create Elixirs and upgrade your Potion.
• Angelbreath is used for higher level Elixirs.

Bundled Herbs nodes tend to be around the edges of terrain and structures alike. Keep an eye out for any nodes you may pass while traveling from one activity to another, and quickly gather them when seen. Lastly, you can receive a random assortment from a reward chest at the end of a Local Event. Completing a Side Quest can also reward a Plant Cache, granting a small stockpile.

Angelbreath can also be found worldwide but is a lot more scarce. During a Helltide, it can drop from a Fiend Rose node as well. Unlike Bundled Herbs, it has a chance of dropping from Elites in higher difficulties and Nightmare Dungeons. This helps when you're not being a worldly traveler on a particular day.

Ores

Iron Chunks are used for crafting on your gear.

Iron Chunk nodes tend to be around the edges of terrain and structures alike. Keep an eye out for any nodes you may pass while traveling from one activity to another, and quickly gather them when seen. Ore Veins drop Iron Chunks only, where as Glittering Ore Veins can drop Gem Fragments too. Lastly, you can receive a random assortment from a reward chest at the end of a Local Event. Completing a Side Quest can also reward an Ore Cache, granting a small stockpile.

Skins

• Rawhide is found by killing wildlife and beasts and is used for crafting on your gear.

Salvage

• Abstruse Sigil is primarily gained by salvaging Legendary jewelry.
• ‍Coiling Ward is primarily gained by salvaging Legendary armor.
• ‍Baleful Fragment is primarily gained by salvaging Legendary weapons.
• ‍Veiled Crystal is primarily gained by salvaging Rare items.

Abstruse Sigil, Coiling Ward and Baleful Fragment are rather straightforward. Each one comes from Salvaging a Legendary Armor, Weapon, or Jewelry piece. The amount of Legendaries you get of the three and break down correlates to how many of these materials you get. If you find yourself getting low on one particular material, you can take a chance and gamble at the Purveyor of Curiosities to get one or two more items to break down. You can also go to the PvP version of this vendor, however, you can only gamble Armor pieces. Lastly, going for the cheaper Tortured Gift of Protection (Armor) and Tortured Gift of Jewelry (Rings) can net you a few required materials.

‍‍Veiled Crystals come from Salvaging Rare Items. With that in mind, don't just ignore Rare Items on the ground. Make sure to pick up some of those to keep your Materials income high. If they do not provide you with a gear upgrade, simply Salvage them all to get some materials. This helps speed up your acquisition, so don't bypass all the Elites you see.

Helltide

• Forgotten Souls are found during a Helltide.

Forgotten Souls are mostly found from Tortured Gifts and special Bosses during Helltide and are critical to Enchanting gear and crafting. There are a few methods you can employ to collect them. There is a small chance when you kill an Elite they will drop a few. A better way is grouping up and target farming Aberrant Cinders in mass for Tortured Gifts of Mysteries, which guarantee some to drop. Lastly, look for Kixxarth, Helltide Assassin or the Portal Invasion event, as both can have a chance to drop Forgotten Souls.

Nightmare Dungeon

• Sigil Powder is primarily gained by salvaging Nightmare Sigils.

Sigil Powder comes from Salvaging, you guessed it, Nightmare Sigils. Since your intake of this material is directly linked to your intake of Nightmare Sigils, you need to plan accordingly. For an easier time, complete Whispers of the Dead from the Tree of Whispers to get Collections. Once opened, these Collections have a decent chance of dropping various other materials we have covered along with the possibility of a Nightmare Sigil. A better method is to run an easy Nightmare Dungeon. You usually get 2–4 Sigils per run, giving you room to keep certain Sigils to run and others to Salvage.

Unusual Materials

Unusual Materials are highly-level materials used primarily in late game crafting. Each has its purpose and place to collect them. The general rule to remember with Stock Goods is ABC - Always Be Collecting! Learning how to get as many of these materials is critical to your character's success in conquering the endgame!

Artificer's Stone

• Artificer's Stone are used to enter The Pit.

Artificer's Stone are found in small quantities by doing various activities around the world. Completing a Nightmare Dungeon, handing in 10 Grim Favors at the Tree of Whispers, defeating a World Boss, or opening a Helltide Tourted Gift can grant several at a time.

Masterworking Matierals

• Obducite

These crafting materials are the Mastery rewards for completing activities in Nightmare Dungeons. Since the number of materials required to get one item fully Masterworked (let alone all your items) is pretty steep, you want to run Nightmare Dungeons to complete Events, kill Elites and open Chests.

Resplendent Sparks

• Resplendent Sparks are used to target craft Mythic Uniques.

Sparks are primarily obtained from salvaging Mythic Uniques that drop in the world or from Tormented Bosses. You can also get 1 guaranteed from the first Torment 4 Boss you defeat as well as Uber Lilith. To craft a Mythic Unique, you need to obtain 2 Sparks and then travel to the Jeweler or Blacksmith. The former can be used to craft a Mythic Unique of your choosing as long as you also have the required Runes (which vary per item); the latter can be used to craft a random Mythic Unique that doesn't require any additional item materials.

Scattered Prisms

• Scattered Prism is used to add sockets to Ancestral Armor, Weapons, and Jewelry.

‍Scattered Prisms crafting materials that drop off primarily World Bosses, Treasure Goblins, Elites, and completing Legion Events. Sometimes efficient farming means effective usage! Save ‍Scattered Prism for gear pieces with the majority of the correct Affixes to know you're getting good value when using them.

Gem and Skull Fragments

Gem and Skull Fragments can be found off of enemies as you kill them. Incorporating Local Events for their Reward Chest is another great way to gather them. Fragments can drop from non-gather nodes including random chests, logs rock piles, etc. Gem Fragments specifically can also drop from Ore Nodes.

Note that there are 5 levels of Gems and Skulls. Upgrading them increases the stats they grant depending on the gear slot you socket them into.

You can combine Gem and Skull Fragments with Gold to craft any level of Gem or Skull you require. If you find you have crafted Gems or Skulls you no longer need, you can Salvage them to get the Fragments back to make a different one. With this knowledge, refer to your build guide to see which Gems or Skulls you need and how many.

Boss Summoning Materials

With the addition of new Bosses, there are certain materials you need to collect in the world. These materials are linked to certain activities you must complete to get them. Once you have gathered enough of them, you can summon the Boss and attempt to kill it. See the list below for all the important information on materials and where to get them. The first time you kill a Tormented version of any of these Bosses, you are guaranteed a Resplendent Sparks.

Echo of Varshan:

• Activity Required: Complete Whispers of the Dead
• Cosmetic Reward: The Flesh-Weld Rod Trophy

In order to summon Varshan, Defeat Grotesque Debtors while also completing Grim Favors. You require 4 Malignant Heart to summon Varshan.

Varshan drops a Mucus-Slick Egg required to summon Duriel. Only the player that summons Varshan receives the material.

This boss has a small chance (in comparison to Duriel and Andariel) to drop Uber Uniques!

Grigoire, The Galvanic Saint

• Activity Required: Participate in Helltide
• Cosmetic Reward: Demonbinder Mount Armor Cosmetic

In order to summon Grigoire, collect 12 Living Steel during a Helltide.

Grigoire drops a Shard of Agony required to summon Duriel. Only the player that summons Grigoire receives the material.

This boss has a small chance (in comparison to Duriel and Andariel) to drop Uber Uniques!

The Beast in the Ice

• Activity Required: Complete Nightmare Dungeons
• Cosmetic Reward: Skull Torch and Fell Steed Mount Trophies

In order to summon The Beast, collect 12 Distilled Fear when completing a Nightmare Dungeon.

The Beast drops Pincushioned Doll required to summon Andariel. Only the player that summons The Beast receives the material.

This boss has a small chance (in comparison to Duriel and Andariel) to drop Uber Uniques!

Lord Zir

• Activity Required: Collect components by defeating World Bosses or completing Legion Events
• Cosmetic Reward: Diadem of the Ancient Helm Cosmetic

In order to summon Lord Zir collect 12 Exquisite Blood from completing Legion Events or defeating World Bosses.

Lord Zir drops Sandscorched Shackles required to summon Andariel. Only the player that summons Lord Zir receives the material.

This boss has a small chance (in comparison to Duriel and Andariel) to drop Uber Uniques!

Duriel, King of Maggots

• Activity Required: Collect components by defeating Echos of Varshan and Grigoire, The Galvanic Saint.
• Cosmetic Reward: The Smoldering Brimstone Mount 

In order to summon Duriel, collect 2 Mucus-Slick Egg (from Varshan) and 2 Shard of Agony (from Grigoire). These materials only drop for the player that summoned Varshan or Grigoire.

This boss is the main source of Uber Uniques!

Anderial

• Activity Required: Collect components by defeating The Beast in the Ice and Lord Zir.
• Cosmetic Reward: The Smoldering Brimstone Mount 

In order to summon Anderial, collect 2 Pincushioned Doll (from The Beast) and 2 Sandscorched Shackles (from Lord Zir). These materials only drop for the player that summoned The Beast or Lord Zir.

This boss is the main source of Uber Uniques!

Currency

Currencies are your bread and butter to do almost everything in the game. Gold fuels your gear Upgrading, Enchanting, Extracting, and Imprinting Aspects on gear, Skill and Paragon point respecing, repairing, and more. Obols allow you to target gamble for a particular gear slot along with Red Dust (Armor only). Aberrant Cinders also let you target a particular gear slot for possible Legendaries and Uniques. Let's learn how to farm each one.

Gold

The first rule of making Gold is don't overspend what you have! Make sure you don't Upgrade every piece of gear, or Extract every Aspect you get, etc. If you do, you can never earn enough to outpace your spending. With this in mind here are the two best methods for generating Gold.

First, complete Whispers of the Dead. Whispers are a great source of Gold and are a required activity for collecting materials to summon one of the End Game Bosses. You can receive several MILLION Gold per turn in, making Whispers quite good! Get two things done at the same time - efficient!

Second, the best way to earn Gold is to sell unwanted Rare Items. Rare Items sell for a decent chunk of 10k to over 20k Gold for one item! A healthy half-hour of farming can net a lot of Gold to aid in your gearing, re-speccing, Enchanting, and more.

Obols

The best method for farming Obols is to simply find and complete Local Events. Grouping up while doing these can make completing them go even faster. Obols can also come from a Reward Cache by completing a Side Quest.

Aberrant Cinders

Gathering even just one friend to help kill enemies faster can yield more Aberrant Cinders during an hour of farming Helltide. Local Events have the highest yield of Aberrant Cinders due to enemy density and event rewards, so be on the lookout for them when traveling in a zone. Certain Helltide-specific Nodes drop guaranteed Aberrant Cinders, but only if they have a red hue around them. Regular gathering nodes have a chance to drop some as well. The roaming boss, Kixxarth, Helltide Assassin, drops plenty of cinders, too.

Red Dust

Red Dust only comes from purifying Seeds of Hatred by completing a purification ritual at an altar of purification in either the Dry Steppes or Kehjistan PvP zone. In general, it is best practice to farm enemies in these zones with a full group that sticks together to deter would-be attackers. Focusing on big Elite packs grants more Seeds of Hatred to convert. The roaming boss, Seething Abomination, drops 1,000s of Seeds of Hatred when killed. Be sure your group goes after it quickly, as its appearance tends to draw all players in the zone to it.

Just remember, if you die, your Seeds of Hatred drop. So, if you die, either have your party protect your dropped Seeds of Hatred or pick them up so they don't get taken away by an attacker. Once cleansed, they turn to Red Dust and cannot be lost anymore.

Gear

Legendaries and Uniques are the basis for your character's power. It's rather straightforward, KILL, KILL, KILL! For Uniques and Mythic Uniques, there are a few methods to get them you should be aware of.

Legendaries and Uniques are best found by the tried and true method of killing density. Find enemies and kill them! Some other tips to keep in mind while slaughtering the endless hordes are as follows:

• Regular enemies are good, Elites are better. Knowing where to find packs of Elites that respawn quickly to kill is the best way to find items. Some areas include PvP Zones, Helltide, Dungeons and Nightmare Dungeons.
• Overlap activities for gambling currency. Go around the world and complete Local Event Whispers to gain Obols while also gaining Grim Favors to turn in for Collections at the Tree of Whispers. This is an efficient way of getting currency to gamble for possible high-end items, and target items via the Collections. Getting and purifying Seeds of Hatred for the Armor-only gambler in PvP zones is another way.
• Completing Nightmare Dungeons. When you complete a Nightmare Dungeon, you get a guaranteed Legendary Item. Sometimes a Unique item takes its place! Running these at a Tier you can safely handle allows you more opportunities for potential upgrades.
• Fight Bosses. To farm Uniques and even Mythic Uniques, you want to fight Endgame Bosses. Each one has a different loot table allowing you to target farm specific Uniques for your build! If you dare to dream of getting a Mythic Uniques, Duriel and Anderial are your Bosses of choice.
• Fight World Bosses. Legendaries and Uniques can both come from the Weekly Reward Cache after defeating a World Boss.

Video

Credits

Written by Dredscythe
Reviewed by IBoilerUp