In Diablo 2: Resurrected or even the original version, players are tasked with the impossible: to single-handedly defeat the three Prime Evils because Tyrael's too lazy and everyone else in Sanctuary is either dysfunctional, drunk, or dying. So how do players go about that task? By becoming powerful. And how do they become powerful? By doing the same things over and over again.
In any other medium, that would be the definition of insanity but this is the action RPG genre and the players love their item roulettes and piñatas. The good news is that over the years, the community has generally agreed on the best farming and grinding spots in Diablo 2: Resurrected so they can get the stuff they covet.
Updated on December 22nd, 2021 by Hodey Johns: While many gamers are just looking for a way to beat the game once, those who manage to crawl through Normal conquer Hell difficulties will be looking for something else. When it comes to veterans and pros, most of the game is all about farming, not just winning. To farm efficiently, players need to have the right gear and skills, but the most important thing to have is an idea of where to farm. At this point in the game, experience and gold are worthless, as are most items so players need to have a clear goal in mind when they farm. Five more areas have been added to this guide for more valid options.
15 Forgotten Tower, Black Marsh a.k.a. Countess Run (Act 1)
One thing to note about the Forgotten Tower is that it's not exactly an endgame farming zone. That means there are better spots for high-level Enigma Runeword farming. Still, it houses a mini-boss or Unique Monster that drops many other useful Runes. That would be the Countess.
As such, farming in the Forgotten Tower located in Black Marsh is called a Countess Run. Players simply need to enter the area, massacre everything maniacal and stinky that moves, grab the Runes at the end, and then rinse and repeat. They'll at least be rewarded by some starter or stepping stone Runewords.
14 Cow Level (Act 1)
After learning how to get to the cow level, players will be treated to more than just a silly area. The loot in this area is far superior to most other farming locations in the game, even the ones in this guide. It's no exaggeration that this is an Easter Egg hunt for valuable loot and runes.
As a heads up to longtime veterans, killing the Cow King will no longer prevent players from being able to enter the Cow Level in Diablo 2: Resurrected. This was true for the original game, but the remaster fixed this issue.
13 The Pit, Tamoe Highlands (Act 1)
So what Act 1 area will players want to visit if they're in Hell difficulty and are looking for a good boost in gear? The Pit in Tamoe Highlands. On the second level of this cave dungeon, there's a golden chest that drops a lot of good items. Players only need to bring their Magic Find gear and do the usual Pit run.
The area is easy enough— perhaps even easier than the Countess Run so many can get away with poor gear. To get there fast, however, players will have to teleport to the Outer Cloister instead and head out to Tamoe Highlands to search for The Pit.
12 Maggot Lair, Far Oasis (Act 2)
On to Act 2. One of the most fun dungeons in that phase of the game is the Maggot Lair located somewhere in the Far Oasis. The area is just a series of tunnels and has a high concentration of enemies along with a decent set of rewards at the end. Using an ideal Bonemancer or a Javazon build makes the farming run easy.
Some players don't prefer this because it's not exactly optimal for certain builds. Still, even melee-focused ones such as Frenzy or Whirlwind Barbarians will have a safe time here since enemies tend to block one another. They're essentially queueing up to be killed.
11 Ancient Tunnels, Lost City (Act 2)
The Ancient Tunnels is a familiar location. It's honestly just a re-skin or re-use of the Sewers layout under Lut Gholein. That's not a bad thing as that only means the enemy concentration in the area is superb. Moreover, the Ancient Tunnels contains enemies that contain no Cold damage or status immunity even on Hell difficulty.
Thus, it's a popular farming spot especially for Blizzard Sorceress builds. At the end of the dungeon, random Unique Monsters will spawn along with a sparkling treasure chest that contains endgame items. Again, just make sure to bring Magic Find gear or compensate for the lack thereof by repeating the run more times.
10 Arcane Sanctuary (Act 2)
To be clear, the enemies in Arcane Sanctuary are too spread out to farm for their materials. Taking on the game's most difficult bosses is a much better target to kill if that's the intended way to get ahold of loot.
But after getting some method of Teleport (either the Sorceress skill or the Enigma Runeword), there are Super Chests here that yield fantastic loot without having to battle. The Arcane Sanctuary is an ideal chest farming place for characters that aren't yet able to one-hit their opponents.
9 Lower Kurast (Act 3)
Speaking of chests, there's plenty of those to be had in a certain Act 3 location, namely Lower Kurast. It's abbreviated as LK. The farming method viable here might be useful for single-player only or offline sessions but worth a try anyway.
Because supposedly near the waypoint in Lower Kurast, there are bonfires with communal huts. Along with huts, they're also surrounded by chests or "super-chests" that contain high-level Runes. Opening those chests usually results in some easy and good loot.
8 Durance of Hate a.k.a. Mephisto Run (Act 3)
Despite all the options, one of the best ways to maximize a farming run or a farming spot in Diablo 2 remains killing bosses over and over again. Mephisto, for instance, gives out tons of items. It's all thanks to the fact that he shares his boss arena with several other Super Unique Monsters.
These minions themselves will also drop items. Other monsters are also present in the final room of Durance of Hate. Players don't even need to do the full run starting from Travincal. There's a waypoint ready in Durance of Hate for anyone in a rush.
7 Forgotten Temple, Upper Curast (Act 3)
One of the most popular methods of farming is to find a compact zone with easy-to-find treasures, then leave the game and do it all over again. The most elite and unique units, the better. In this case, make the most of a mercenary and head to the Forgotten Temple.
The map is smaller than most farming areas, but that's the advantage of the zone. It's easily cleared by a single player and every bit of the area is packed with lucrative units and treasures. After a run, reset the game and go again.
6 River of Flame (Act 4)
Moving on to Act 4, there aren't many waypoints in the area. That makes establishing farming spot favorites a bit more difficult. Hence, most players simply go to the River of Flame as both a gold mine and a gauntlet to see whether their characters have what it takes to survive some of the toughest encounters.
River of Flame has clustered monsters and lava that only a Barbarian with Leap or a Sorceress with Teleport can use to their advantage. On top of that, Hephasto the Armor is always itching to kill the players. Should they overcome these challenges, they'll be rewarded handsomely.
5 Chaos Sanctuary a.k.a. Diablo Run (Act 4)
In the event that they don't get anything substantial or desirable in the River of Flame, players can then proceed to the next big area which is Diablo's stronghold itself, Chaos Sanctuary. Similarly, it also houses some of the most powerful and most generous enemies in the game.
If the monsters don't drop anything eye-catching, then Diablo himself certainly will. It does help that Diablo is not too difficult a boss to dispatch. Diablo's attacks are easy to avoid and even a budget Bonemancer build can deal with him.
4 City Of The Damned (Act 4)
The enemies in the City of the Damned are among the easiest in the entire late game to kill. They rely on elemental and poison immunities, so a Sorceress or Poison Nova Necromancer may want to steer clear, but physical damage dealers will cut through these mobs like butter.
For players that need to get to max level, the game can slow to a crawl. Try farming this area. There will naturally be some runes and equipment to pick up that might help, but the experience gain in this area is without rival.
3 Nilathak's Temple a.k.a. Pindle Run (Act 5)
In Act 5, players don't even have to venture too far into Mount Arreat to get a good farming spot. The city of Harrogath already has one of the most frequented grinding places in the game. Nilathak's Temple is the place and players don't even have to do the full area clear.
The enemy they want is Pindleskin who's waiting for them near the entrance. Pindleskin's drop rate was nerfed but he still gives out some very high treasure class items. Just take note that anyone with a low life (less than 1,000) might get killed by Pindleskin in a few swings.
2 Frigid Highlands (Act 5)
Although the world is mostly randomly generated, one of the bosses always seems to be in a similar location every time. Eldritch and his goons are standard super unique that manage to be just north of the waypoint every time, making him a predictable kill and the easiest target.
Not every class is equally suited to beating the endgame, but everybody can take on the Frigid Highlands without much difficulty. In Act 5 on higher difficulties, it's almost impossible to find an area where immunities aren't all over the place, but the Frigid Highlands is one such area that anybody can reasonably farm.
1 Worldstone Keep a.k.a. Baal Run (Act 5)
Last but certainly not least, the famed Baal Run. Much like Mephisto or Diablo Runs, Baal Runs will always hand out great items to anyone who puts their back on killing bosses over and over again. Alternatively, players don't even need to go the full mile.
The three levels of Worldstone Keep are filled with many rare monsters that proceeding to Baal's room might not even be necessary. Again, it's up to the players or the rewards if they want to keep going. Either way, it's a fun endgame activity to repeat ad infinitum.
Diablo 2: Resurrected was released on September 23, 2021, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.