Diablo IV continues to evolve with each new season, and Season 11 is no exception. Among the numerous changes and additions, one of the most exciting updates is a new legendary rune farm that has quickly become a favorite among players. This method promises a consistent and highly efficient way to farm legendary runes, and in this guide, we’ll go through every step of the process to ensure you maximize your gains. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just getting into high-end farming, this guide will help you understand and master this system.
Understanding the Divine Gift System
At the heart of this legendary rune farm lies the Divine Gift system. Specifically, we’re focusing on a divine gift called Essence of Pain, categorized as a Helltight divine gift. While the description states that “pangs of Duriel can drop royal gems, Warborne Above Ashes Solarbite, and legendary runes,” its true value lies in its ability to interact with certain high-level chests, a mechanic that we’ll leverage extensively.
The first step is to level up the Essence of Pain divine gift to its maximum, level five. Leveling divine gifts is a gradual process that requires killing mobs within Hell Tide events. Each mob defeated grants a chance for your divine gift to gain experience.
Best Strategy for Leveling Essence of Pain
The most efficient method is to focus on Duriel, the boss inside the Hell Tide. Killing Duriel provides guaranteed experience for the divine gift, making it faster to reach the maximum level. During this process, pay special attention to Corrupted Horns of Duriel, which are dropped by Duriel. These horns are essential later for opening high-value chests, so ensure you collect as many as possible.
Tip: You can carry a maximum of 20 Corrupted Horns, so if you’re not seeing drops, check your inventory.
Once your divine gift reaches level five, it should be placed in the Purified slot within the seasonal interface. This is crucial because the purified divine gift will guarantee certain outcomes when opening chests, specifically legendary runes.
Farming Legendary Runes at the Outdoor Asmodan Boss
With your divine gift prepared, the next step is to head to the south of Zabrinzad, where the outdoor version of Asmodan spawns. Here, multiple players often farm simultaneously, so coordinating with others or waiting your turn may be necessary.
Steps to Open the Duriel Chest
Kill the outdoor Asmodan boss.
After the kill, three chests appear, but your focus should be on the Duriel chest.
Spend 5 Corrupted Horns of Duriel to open the Duriel chest.
Thanks to the level 5 Essence of Pain divine gift, the chest is guaranteed to contain at least one legendary rune. This makes it the cornerstone of this farming method.
Bonus Loot: Living Steel
The Duriel chest doesn’t just drop legendary runes. It also contains large amounts of Living Steel, which is a critical resource for the next part of the farming loop. In some instances, a single chest can yield over 40 Living Steel.
This dual benefit—legendary runes and Living Steel—makes the Duriel chest an indispensable component of the Season 11 farming strategy.
Using Living Steel to Summon and Farm Grigo
Once you’ve collected enough Living Steel from the Duriel chest, it’s time to use it efficiently. This involves summoning Grigo, another high-level boss located in a separate layer.
Steps to Farm Grigo
Travel to Grigo’s layer and summon him using Living Steel.
Kill Grigo and loot his chest repeatedly until you deplete your Living Steel.
Each Grigo chest provides Shards of Agony and occasionally Stygian Stones.
Important: Convert any Stygian Stones into Shards of Agony before proceeding to the next stage. These shards are necessary to summon the layer version of Duriel, ensuring the continuous loop of legendary rune farming.
Farming Corrupted Horns of Duriel via Layer Duriel
With Shards of Agony in hand, the next target is Duriel’s layer version. Unlike the Hell Tide Duriel, this version drops Corrupted Horns of Duriel, which are essential for reopening the Duriel chest at the outdoor Asmodan boss.
Steps to Farm Corrupted Horns
Summon and kill Duriel in his layer version.
Loot the chest using your Shards of Agony.
Collect Corrupted Horns of Duriel to replenish your stock.
If you do not reach the maximum of 20 horns, there are two alternative methods:
Re-enter the Hell Tide to farm additional Corrupted Horns.
Open Hell Tide chests to gain extra Living Steel for further Grigo summons.
This ensures your supply of Corrupted Horns is always ready, allowing you to repeat the entire loop indefinitely.
The Full Legendary Rune Farming Loop
By now, you can see how the pieces fit together. The complete loop is as follows:
Open Duriel Chest at Outdoor Asmodan: Use 5 Corrupted Horns for guaranteed legendary runes and collect Living Steel.
Summon and Kill Grigo: Use Living Steel to summon Grigo, loot his chest for Shards of Agony.
Summon Duriel Layer Version: Use Shards of Agony to summon Duriel in his layer version to collect more Corrupted Horns.
Repeat: Return to the outdoor Asmodan and use your replenished Corrupted Horns to open more Duriel chests.
If you ever run short on Living Steel, replenish it via Hell Tide chests. This creates a self-sustaining loop, ensuring that you can farm legendary runes continuously.
Efficiency Compared to Other Farming Methods
While this new method might not surpass the Tributes of Harmony in Kurast City in raw speed, it offers several distinct advantages:
Consistency: Each Duriel chest is guaranteed to drop at least one legendary rune due to the purified divine gift.
Dual Rewards: Legendary runes and Living Steel from each chest make the farm extremely profitable.
Resource Management: The loop naturally regenerates key resources like Corrupted Horns of Duriel and Shards of Agony, minimizing downtime.
Scalability: Multiple players can farm simultaneously at outdoor Asmodan, allowing for flexible group play.
For players who prioritize a steady supply of legendary runes without the uncertainty of random drops, this system is arguably the most reliable method available in Season 11.
Tips for Maximizing Your Farm
To truly optimize your farming efficiency, consider the following tips:
Inventory Management: Always keep track of Corrupted Horns of Duriel, Living Steel, and Shards of Agony. Exceeding the inventory cap can lead to wasted drops.
Hell Tide Participation: While Duriel is the main target, killing regular mobs inside Hell Tide events helps level your divine gift faster buy WAA Solarbite.
Team Up: Outdoor Asmodan can be challenging with multiple players competing for the kill. Grouping up ensures a smoother kill and loot acquisition.
Timing and Cooldowns: Be mindful of spawn timers for Asmodan, Grigo, and Duriel to minimize downtime between loops.
Convert Stygian Stones Efficiently: Always convert Stygian Stones into Shards of Agony to avoid wasting valuable materials.
Conclusion
Season 11 of Diablo IV introduces one of the most systematic and rewarding legendary rune farms yet. By leveraging the Essence of Pain divine gift, Corrupted Horns of Duriel, and a series of boss summons, players can establish a repeatable loop that guarantees legendary runes while also collecting other valuable resources like Living Steel and Shards of Agony.
The beauty of this method lies not just in its efficiency but in its self-sustaining nature. Every component of the loop feeds into the next, creating a seamless farming cycle that keeps your inventory stocked and your characters powered up. While other farms like the Tributes of Harmony remain valuable, this method offers a reliable alternative for those looking to maximize legendary rune gains with minimal randomness.
By following this guide, you can master the Season 11 legendary rune farm and ensure that your inventory is always brimming with high-quality runes, putting you one step ahead in Diablo IV’s competitive and challenging landscape.