Where is the Best Place to Farm Items in Diablo 3?

The “best” place to farm items in Diablo 3 isn’t a single location carved in stone, but rather a dynamic choice dependent on several factors: your character build, your current gear, your difficulty setting, and what specific items you are targeting. However, if we’re talking about efficient, all-around item acquisition for gearing up in general, Greater Rifts (GRs) are undeniably the best overall farming location. They offer the highest density of monsters, guaranteed legendary drops upon completion (at higher tiers), and the chance to level up Legendary Gems, essential for end-game builds. Beyond GRs, Nephalem Rifts (NRs), also known as Regular Rifts, are also excellent for farming Keystones needed to enter GRs, Death’s Breaths, and a steady stream of loot.

Understanding Item Farming in Diablo 3

Before diving into specific locations, it’s crucial to understand the core principles of item farming in Diablo 3. Efficiency is key. Maximizing your kill speed and monster density directly translates to more loot in less time. This means choosing a difficulty level where you can comfortably and quickly obliterate enemies. Consider the following:

• Difficulty: Higher difficulties increase the drop rate of legendary items and set pieces. Experiment to find the sweet spot between reward and clear speed. Torment XIII – XVI is a popular range for efficient farming.
• Build: Your character build should be optimized for speed and damage. Aim for builds that excel at Area of Effect (AoE) damage to quickly clear large packs of enemies.
• Paragon Level: While not directly tied to location, your Paragon level provides stat boosts that significantly enhance your farming efficiency.

Top Farming Locations and Strategies

While GRs reign supreme, other areas offer unique advantages:

Greater Rifts (GRs)

• Pros: Highest monster density, guaranteed legendary items upon completion (increasing with GR level), Legendary Gem leveling.
• Cons: Require Keystones to enter (farmed in NRs), no access to the Kanai’s Cube while inside.
• Strategy: Focus on clearing GRs as quickly as possible, ideally within 4-6 minutes. Don’t be afraid to lower the GR level if your clear times are too slow. Use the time efficiently by focusing on speed farming rather than pushing very high levels.

Nephalem Rifts (NRs)

• Pros: Excellent for farming Keystones for GRs, Death’s Breaths (used for crafting), and a steady stream of loot.
• Cons: Lower legendary drop rate compared to GRs.
• Strategy: Speed farming NRs is crucial. Build your character for maximum movement speed and AoE damage. Prioritize elite packs for higher loot chances. Vaults, accessed through the Kanai’s Cube, can appear in NRs offering bonus gold and potentially the Greed’s Realm portal.

Bounties

• Pros: Provide specific crafting materials (Act-specific Bounty materials), and the chance to obtain Ring of Royal Grandeur, crucial for many builds.
• Cons: Can be time-consuming and less rewarding in terms of raw loot compared to GRs and NRs.
• Strategy: Farm Bounties in groups to increase efficiency. Focus on completing all bounties in a single Act before moving on to the next. The Horadric Caches reward Act-specific materials, essential for crafting specific items in Kanai’s Cube.

The Vault (Greed’s Realm)

• Pros: Extremely high density of goblins, resulting in massive gold gains and numerous legendary drops.
• Cons: Requires a Puzzle Ring to enter, which must be placed in the Kanai’s Cube.
• Strategy: Quickly navigate the realm and eliminate all goblins. The end boss, Greed, drops even more loot. Ancient Vaults (obtained through Ancient Puzzle Rings) are even more rewarding!

Specific Zones with High Monster Density

Certain zones in the Adventure Mode world are known for their high monster density:

• Fields of Misery (Act I): Large, open area with a high concentration of monsters.
• Weeping Hollow (Act I): Similar to Fields of Misery, but with more enclosed areas.
• The Ruins of Sescheron (Act III): Offers a good mix of monster types and density.
• Pandemonium Fortress Levels 1 & 2 (Act V): Relatively linear maps with a consistent flow of enemies.

These areas are primarily used for farming experience and crafting materials, but they can also provide a decent amount of loot.

Target Farming Specific Items

If you are looking for specific items, consider these strategies:

• Bounties: Certain items, like the Ring of Royal Grandeur, only drop from Horadric Caches earned from completing bounties.
• Kanai’s Cube: Utilize the Cube’s various recipes to upgrade rare items to legendary, reforge legendary items, or convert set items.
• Kadala (Blood Shards): Spend Blood Shards at Kadala to gamble for specific item slots. This is a good way to target armor and weapon slots. Note that the item range and availability can change with patches and seasons, so keeping up with the latest information is key.

Key Takeaways for Efficient Farming

• Maximize Clear Speed: Choose a difficulty and build that allows you to quickly clear content.
• Focus on Density: Prioritize areas with high monster density.
• Utilize Kanai’s Cube: Crafting and reforging are essential for obtaining specific items.
• Join a Community: Farming in groups significantly increases efficiency.
• Stay Informed: Diablo 3 is constantly evolving, so stay up-to-date on the latest farming strategies and builds.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What difficulty should I farm on?

The ideal difficulty depends on your gear and build. Aim for a difficulty where you can kill most enemies in 1-2 hits and complete GRs in 4-6 minutes. Torment XIII-XVI is generally a good starting point for geared characters. Don’t be afraid to lower the difficulty if your kills are slow.

2. What is the best class for farming?

There is no single “best” class for farming. Each class has builds that excel at speed farming. Popular choices include Demon Hunter (Unhallowed Essence Multi-Shot), Barbarian (Whirlwind), Wizard (Tal Rasha’s Meteor), and Necromancer (Inarius Corpse Lance). Choose the class and build that you find most enjoyable and effective.

3. How do I get more Keystones for Greater Rifts?

Farm Nephalem Rifts on a difficulty that you can clear quickly. The higher the difficulty, the higher the chance of Keystones dropping from the Rift Guardian.

4. What are Death’s Breaths used for?

Death’s Breaths are a crafting material used in various recipes in Kanai’s Cube and by the Mystic. They are primarily used to upgrade rare items to legendary and to reforge legendary items.

5. How do I get a Puzzle Ring to enter The Vault?

Puzzle Rings can drop from any source of loot in the game, including monsters, chests, and Horadric Caches. They can also be gambled from Kadala, though this is not the most efficient method.

6. What is the best way to farm crafting materials?

Complete Bounties for Act-specific materials. For common crafting materials like Arcane Dust and Veiled Crystals, speed farming Nephalem Rifts is an efficient method.

7. How do I level up Legendary Gems quickly?

Complete Greater Rifts and upgrade your gems at the end of the rift. The higher the GR level, the higher the chance of successfully upgrading your gems.

8. Should I focus on farming gold?

While gold is useful, it is generally not the primary focus of farming. However, acquiring gold can be useful for empowering GRs. If you need gold, The Vault is the best place to farm it. Equip items with gold find bonuses to maximize your gains.

9. What is the best way to get Ancient items?

Ancient items have a chance to drop from any source of legendary items, but the chance increases with higher difficulties and higher GR levels. Reforging legendary items in Kanai’s Cube is another effective way to obtain Ancient items.

10. How do I use Kanai’s Cube effectively?

Kanai’s Cube is a powerful tool for crafting, reforging, and extracting legendary powers. Utilize the Cube’s recipes to upgrade rare items to legendary, reforge legendary items to obtain better rolls, and extract legendary powers to enhance your character build.

11. What is the best way to find specific set items?

Gambling with Kadala is one way, but not efficient. Completing Greater Rifts is usually the best approach. You can also convert set items using Kanai’s Cube to possibly get other items from the set that you don’t have.

12. What are Blood Shards used for?

Blood Shards are used to gamble for items at Kadala. They are a great way to target specific item slots, but the item rolls are random.

13. How do I unlock Kanai’s Cube?

Kanai’s Cube is located in the Ruins of Sescheron in Act III. You simply need to travel to the ruins and find the Cube.

14. Should I always join public games for farming?

Public games can be efficient for completing Bounties, but for other activities like GRs, it depends on the quality of the group. If you find a group of players who are dedicated to farming efficiently, it can be beneficial. Otherwise, solo farming may be more efficient.

15. Is it worth farming at low Paragon levels?

Yes! Farming is always worthwhile, regardless of your Paragon level. While higher Paragon levels provide stat boosts, you can still obtain valuable gear and crafting materials at lower levels. Focus on building a solid foundation and gradually increasing your difficulty as you progress.