From set pieces to weapons to jewellery, every build has its required pieces. And this guide will hopefully help you get your first version. There are tricks to upgrading your pieces into the very best it can be, but if you’re just starting to build, then any version will often do. This guide will require you to have the Reaper of Souls expansion pack, and you should already be levelled to 70 and working on Paragon.
First, you will want to be in adventure mode. If you are playing a season, then you can just jump right in. Obviously, Seasonal characters can get a free set for completing the first four chapters of the season journey (I’m not covering this). But if the free set that season isn’t what you want, you still need supporting pieces, or you got a free set, and this is a second character, then this information is more than valid. If you are playing Non Season, then at least one of your characters must have completed the campaign. And Non-Season doesn’t get a free set, so farming is your way to victory!
Second, you will need to collect the cube for Zoltan Kule. More information than you need here:
https://us.battle.net/d3/en/game/guide/items/kanais-cube
Next. Know what you want. Beginners can look at a build online and try to duplicate that. I personally like iceyveins however, there are many good websites out there. Also, don’t just know the set, but also the accompany legendary pieces, and the cubed items as well. Since you’re farming a build you may get a natural drop on a belt while you’re concentrating on bracers. You never know.
You will want to run regular Rifts (yellow) at as high of a difficulty as you can reasonably do in 5-8 minutes. At a minimum of Torment 1. If you are just starting out, I would recommend picking everything up for the crafting materials, however, that will likely also increase your time up to 10 minutes per rift. What you are trying to get are Death’s Breaths, Forgotten Souls (from salvaging any legendary items you aren’t going to use), and blood shards. It is possible to get legendary items form any enemy, chest, or breakable in the game, but you are most likely to get them from Elites, Champions, and Rift Guardians (RG). You get Deaths Breaths from Elites, Champions and RGs. You will get Blood Shards from RG only.
When you are finished the rift, spend your Blood Shards on the item you want from Kadala. Most of these items will just be rare (yellow) items, but occasionally you can get a legendary or set piece directly.
Then take your lvl 70 yellow pieces to the Zoltan Kule to use the cube. Use the Hope of Cain recipe to Upgrade Rare items into a legendary or set piece. It will cost you Deaths Breaths and materials from your salvaged Normal, Magical, and Rare pieces. Upgrade as many as you have materials for.
Some slots have specific sub-sets. For example, If you were a wizard and wanted the Wand of Woh, you would spend at Kadala on 1-handed weapons. But if you’re upgrading rare items at the cube, only a rare wand will ever have a chance of being a legendary wand like the Wand of Woh. Any other 1-handed weapons would be a waste. It is for this reason, if trying to get legendary weapons and off hand items, it often better to craft a rare lvl 70 item at the blacksmith, and upgrade those, instead of gambling blood shards. Thankfully, most of the armor won’t matter, as shoulders are shoulders, and gloves are gloves, etc.
When you are out of materials, go the blacksmith and salvage anything you don’t need. Including useless legendary items you just got from the cube. Since items are easily farmed, I wouldn’t worry much about pieces you don’t need unless they are ancient. And then run another rift collecting every Deaths Breath and legendary and other needed materials you find. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
At times you will have a natural drop of a set piece. And RNG does not always favour you and give you a set piece you already have. But, don’t throw that away. Compare the two pieces and take the lesser piece to the cube and use Skill of Nilfur to convert a set item. This will change the set item to another piece from the same set. But if you read the fine print you will notice that it does not work on sets of 2. So basically the jewellery-only set items don’t work with this recipe. Also, when it says you will not get the same piece, what they mean is gloves will not be gloves. Gloves can turn into shoulders. And on a second attempt, those shoulders could turn back into gloves. But eventually, it will be a piece you need. Each attempt will cost you Deaths Breaths and Forgotten Souls.
And that is it. It is that simple, but RNG makes it a grind. Which is kind of the point in a game like this. I would like to remind you, this guide does not tell how to improve an item. Which is why I didn’t touch on bounties and special Cache materials. That’s another guide for another player to write. But every season, I always hunt out my first of each gear for the build I want to play, and then worry about getting those pieces to be the best they can be.
I hope this helps. Happy Hunting.
and anytime someone asks how to farm their equipment, feel free to link back to this thread
Edits will be made based on feedback as necessary
