Diablo 4: How to farm Shards of Agony

With the launch of Diablo 4 Season 8, the process of farming materials for endgame bosses has undergone some changes. While the old grind of collecting materials for summoning is gone, materials like Shards of Agony are still important for hunting down some of the game’s most coveted loot. These shards are now required to open boss loot hoards, not summon them, making efficient farming more important than ever.

In this guide, we discuss how to farm Shards of Agony quickly and effectively in Season 8.

Also Read: Best Diablo 4 builds to farm Belial (and other Lair Bosses)

What are Shards of Agony?

Shards of Agony are required to unlock boss loot hoard of Duriel (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Shards of Agony are a specialized endgame material in Diablo 4, originally used to summon the boss Duriel, King of Maggots. However, in Season 8, you don't need them anymore to summon bosses. Instead, they're now required to unlock boss loot hoards after a successful kill. This makes them a key resource for players to target farm Uber Uniques and other high-end gear.

How to farm Shards of Agony in Diablo 4 (all methods)

Here are the most efficient ways to get Shards of Agony in Diablo 4 Season 8:

Acquired from Specific Boss Hoards

Open Hoard of Grigoire (Best method)

Grigoire, the Galvanic Saint deals massive lightning damage (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Location: Hall of the Penitent, Dindai Flats region
Requirement: 12 Living Steel
How: Defeat Grigoire, the Galvanic Saint, then use 12 Living Steel to open his hoard. This is the most reliable way to earn Shards of Agony, as it has a guaranteed drop rate when the hoard is unlocked.

Tip: Living Steel can be farmed from Tortured Gifts of Living Steel in Helltide zones, each chest costing 300 Aberrant Cinders.

Open the cache of Varshan

Defeat Echo of Varshan to get Shards of Agony (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Location: Malignant Burrow, The Writhing Mire region
Requirement: 12 Malignant Hearts
How: Defeat Echo of Varshan and use the Malignant Hearts (12x) to unlock his chest. Varshan’s hoard can also drop Shards of Agony, though it’s not quite as consistent as Grigoire’s hoard.

Tip: Malignant Hearts are earned by completing Whispers of the Dead activities and opening Tree of Whispers caches. The Grotesque Debtors may also drop the Shards of Agony.

Hunt down world bosses across Sanctuary

Drop Type: Random
How: Participating in World Boss events gives you a chance to receive Shards of Agony. While the drop isn’t a guaranteed one, this is a great passive way to farm while targeting other objectives.

Tip: Keep tracking the in-game world boss timers and try to alternate between them for more opportunities.

Using Tribute of Titans

Use the Tribute of Titans item in the Undercity of Kurast region to augment your run to get better rewards (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Location: Undercity of Kurast
How: Use the Tribute of Titans item in this zone to augment your run. This activity's rewards include random Lair Boss Keys, and you have a high chance of yielding Shards of Agony.

This is considered the second-most optimal method of farming outside Grigoire, especially if you're looking to farm multiple boss currencies at once.

Also Read: Diablo 4: How do Unique and Legendary Tributes work

Why do you need Shards of Agony for Duriel?

Shards of Agony are primarily required to get access to the Hoard of Duriel, Maggot King (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

As of Season 8, Diablo 4 removed the requirement to use boss-specific materials to summon enemies like Grigoire or Varshan. This means you can now access their encounters more freely. However, if you want the real rewards, including a shot at Uber Uniques, you’ll still need to spend materials at the boss hoard chest after defeating them.

Think of the shard as a key — without it, you’ll beat the boss, but you won’t unlock the treasure chest.

Duriel, King of Maggots, is considered one of the toughest bosses in the game and is the go-to for Uber Unique farming. To loot Duriel’s hoard after defeating him, you'll need:

3 Shards of Agony

Even though the summoning process has been streamlined for a better experience, the resource grind still lives on. You’ll need to defeat Grigoire multiple times to gather the shards required for a single Duriel loot attempt.

Pro tips for efficient farming

Here are some ways to make your grind for Shard of Agony smoother:

Farm Helltides for Living Steel: While you don’t need it to summon anymore, Living Steel is often tied to general boss farming activities. Helltides also reward other important resources that pair well with your farming runs. So, go through these events between boss runs.
Team Up: Boss kills are faster when attempted in groups, and you may be able to rotate summons among party members to maximize rewards.
Stack Resistance: Grigoire deals heavy Lightning damage. Equip gear with Lightning Resistance or socket Topaz gems into rings and amulets for survivability.

Shards of Agony may no longer serve as a gateway to boss fights, but in Season 8 of Diablo 4, they are more important than ever. If you're serious about grinding Uber Uniques or defeating Duriel efficiently, you’ll need a decent stash of these shards on hand.

Check out our other guides:

About the author

Jagaran is an MMO and ARPG writer at Sportskeeda. His involvement in the gaming industry also includes working as a concept artist and as a narrative designer.
At age of nine, Halo: Combat Evolved kicked off his love for the medium. He looks back fondly on the times he visited cyber cafes, watching the older boys playing the game and shouting, "Master Chief!"
If given a chance to inhabit a game world, he would eagerly jump into the breathtaking world of Halo.
He admires Ben "CohhCarnage" Cassell for his engaging dialogue and gameplay as well as his critical thinking regardless of how much he loves the game, which encouraged him to spend countless hours in games and technically analyze them.
In his free time, he enjoys writing books, cooking, sketching, and the occasional game of football.

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh