Rare Sand Dweller not ticking on "A Rare Phenomenon" achievement

For months I’ve had only one mob type to kill for this achivement, a rare sand dweller, which I have farmed for several hours over that same time period in every place they are recorded to spawn according to various D3 info sites. So far as I can tell no one has reported this as a bug for this achievement, but after this farming I saw multiple yellow sand dweller spawns, which could only be this type and not the rock giants or the other one (if there is another type, cant remember) - i.e. in the desolate sands, these can only be sand dwellers. None of these registered for the achievement so I am at a loss as to why this will not give me the achievement. This is not counting the hours of rift and greater rift farming in which it is almost impossible that I’ve not gotten a single one of this specific mob type as a rare.

The problem is that in rifts and in some areas farming I cannot tell if this is a sand dweller or a rock giant, but notwithstanding I’ve gotten about 20 yellows in the desolate sands alone that must be this type, so I believe it is a bug.

July 2019…

March 2020…

April 2020…

Are you definitely killing yellow mobs (rares) rather than blues (champions)? Are you running with Nemesis bracers, to give chances of pylons on the maps to spawn the rares you need?

Yes running with nems, and yes i checked to make sure that they are yellows not blues, the achievement name also indicates this, A Rare Phenomenon - banner is yellow.

I might have not been clear, I know that folks have tagged this achieve before but I wanted to report my specific mob issue is all. I know this sort of thing happens and has been reported.

Try Forgotten Ruins.

https://us.diablo3.com/en/blog/8608455/patch-107-now-live-2-12-2013

Rare Sand Dwellers will now spawn in The Forgotten Ruins

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Story time: I farmed this zone months ago having seen that exact portion of the patch notes, never saw one, so I figured it was bugged, did some other testing and what note before posting. I thought confidently I’d concluded this to be a bug. However, before I said I tried all that I thought i should just check it out again. Went on, and on my second try I found one… GG. Thanks.

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Why does the desolate sands ones do not count?
I found a rare one, I even printed it, since it was my second time killing one haha

I assume it’s because they’re not ‘Sand Dweller’ rare. There are several mobs that look the same (different color though), but have different name. Before doing this kind of achievement, search it first to see where they spawn. Certain rares and champions only have one place that spawns so.

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It’s strange, because sand dweller (normal) spawns on Desolate Sands.
Thank you for the tip, but I’d rather not search, because it’s more fun to just search at the game itself haha
Thank you

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I can confirm that the Rare Sand Dweller i found in the Forgotten Ruins after just 20 min of trying and refreshing Adventure Mode. Since it was the last Rare Monster I needed it also gave me the achievement.

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I had been bashing my head at Stinging Winds and Desolate Sands, and two minutes into Forgotten Ruins I had my achieve (lucky pylon spawn w/Nems.)