Diablo 4 Season 11: Fast Legendary Rune Farming Guide

Since the Rune system arrived in Diablo 4, runes have become a resource nearly every player wants. They not only enable powerful Runewords that provide build synergies, but are also required consumables for crafting certain Mythic Uniques. With Season 11’s major adjustments to monster strength and defensive mechanics, the era of clearing Pit 100+ reliably without Mythic items is changing. Runes—especially those socketed into armor—now often deliver greater survivability than some support gems. Below is a D4 Season 11 legendary rune farming loop, explained step by step, for players who want large quantities of runes or specific rune types.

Why Use This Method

The method centers on exploiting Duriel’s Hoard and a materials loop. Each Duriel chest guarantees at least one legendary rune and frequently drops large amounts of Living Steel. Living Steel is then used to open Grigore’s Hoard, which yields Shards of Agony and Stygian Stones. Those shards and stones are converted to summon the Duriel Lair, whose boss drops Corrupted Horns of Duriel—the currency needed to open Duriel’s Hoard again. Compared with Kurast Undercity tribute spots, which can have high rune drop rates but are limited and inconsistent, this Duriel chest loop is more stable and sustainable for long‑term farming.

Step by Step

1. Preparation Upgrade Essence of Pain to Level 5

Upgrade the Essence of Pain Divine Gift to level 5. At max level, killing Pangs of Duriel or opening related chests can yield extra socketables such as Royal Gems, Gem Fragments, and Legendary Runes. Divine Gift experience is earned by killing monsters during Helltide, but the fastest method is repeatedly killing the Helltide Duriel boss, since he reliably grants Divine Gift experience.

2. Collect Corrupted Horns of Duriel

While upgrading the Divine Gift, collect as many Corrupted Horns of Duriel as possible; you’ll need them to open Duriel’s Hoard. Each character can carry up to 20 Corrupted Horns, so clear inventory space if drops stop appearing.

3. Place Purified Gift and Summon Azmodan

Put the maxed Divine Gift into a Purified Gift slot. Travel south of Zarbinzet to summon the open‑world Azmodan. Defeat Azmodan and choose Duriel’s Hoard from the three dropped chests. Opening Duriel’s Hoard requires five Corrupted Horns; with a maxed Essence of Pain in a Purified slot, the chest guarantees at least one legendary rune and often yields large amounts of Living Steel.

4. Core Farming Loop

• Open Duriel’s Hoard: Use Corrupted Horns to open the chest at the Azmodan location and collect legendary runes and Living Steel.
• Use Living Steel on Grigore: Spend Living Steel to open Grigore’s Hoard (summon and kill Grigore) to obtain many Shards of Agony and some Stygian Stones.
• Convert and Summon Duriel Lair: Convert Stygian Stones into more Shards of Agony, use those shards to summon the Duriel Lair, and kill the lair Duriel to get more Corrupted Horns.
• Repeat: Return to Azmodan and open more Duriel’s Hoard chests with the newly acquired horns. If a Duriel chest yields insufficient Living Steel, supplement from Helltide chests or other sources.
  
  

The loop’s key is the closed cycle Living Steel ↔ Shards of Agony ↔ Corrupted Horn: Duriel chest → Living Steel; Living Steel → Grigore → Shards; Shards → Duriel Lair → Corrupted Horn; Corrupted Horn → Duriel chest → runes and more Living Steel.

Comparison with Kurast Undercity Tribute Farming

Season 11 buffed Tribute of Harmony and Tribute of Mystique in Kurast Undercity, increasing rune and high‑value loot drops. However, tribute spots are scarce and not always available. The Duriel chest loop requires more steps but is sustainable and unlimited, making it better for long‑term rune farming and steady material accumulation. If you need a reliable, ongoing source of legendary runes, this loop is more practical.

Tips and Notes

• Inventory management: Keep space for Corrupted Horns and Living Steel to avoid missing drops.
• Divine Gift placement: Ensure your maxed Divine Gift is in a Purified Gift slot to trigger the chest guarantee.
• Efficiency: If your sole goal is runes, run Azmodan in public groups to speed up kills.
• Risk and reward: Duriel chests sometimes drop very large stacks of Living Steel (reports of 30–40+ in rare cases), which greatly accelerates the loop.
• Team play: Grouping for Azmodan and Duriel Lair kills shortens clear times and increases loop frequency.
  
  

Conclusion

In Season 11, runes matter more than ever. The Duriel chest loop leverages a maxed Essence of Pain and a Living Steel ↔ Shards ↔ Corrupted Horn materials cycle to form a stable, repeatable legendary rune farming method. If you’re missing specific runes or want to stockpile runes long term, this method is well worth trying. Run a few cycles, log your yields, and adjust the ratio of Grigore runs to Duriel openings to match your available time and resources.