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Diablo II: Resurrected

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Boss Runs Overview

By
Nathan Garvin

A detailed description of Bosses and choice Super Unique enemies in Diablo 2: Resurrected, why and how you should farm them, and how their item drop rates work.

Act Bosses

Bosses in Diablo 2 Resurrected come in two forms; Act Bosses (Andariel, Duriel, Mephisto, Diablo and Baal) and non-Act Bosses (Blood Raven, Griswold, Radament, The Summoner, Izual and Nihlathak). For the sake of this page, assume we’re referring to Act Bosses, as the non-Act Bosses function more like Super Uniques when it comes to item drops.

There are many reasons to farm bosses in Diablo 2 Resurrected; first, Act Bosses do not have immunities, so any character can kill them (getting to them is another matter). Second, they spawn in the same location - Diablo is always going to be hiding out in the Chaos Sanctuary. Their attacks are also predictable, so you can gear up for the task at hand. Finally, and most importantly, they drop significantly more items than other monsters do - typically 3-6 drops per kill.

With a few players in the game, enough Magic Find and of course, some luck, you should be able to accumulate a glorious arsenal of unique and set items by farming Act Bosses.

The routine for farming Act Bosses is more or less the same from boss to boss - use a Waypoint to get as close to the boss as possible (Catacombs Level 2, Durance of Hate Level 2, River of Flame, Worldstone Keep Level 2), then quickly look for the next level and work your way towards the boss. For a Sorceress (and characters with [Enigma], this means teleporting around until you find the stairs down, but it’s not a bad idea to kill Unique monster packs en route, as they can drop magical items, too. Work your way to the boss, kill them, then start a new game or Town Portal and seek out a new target.

Below you’ll find a list of the Act Bosses, their locations and their Monster Level (mLv), which will determine what kinds of items they can drop (a higher Monster Level means a higher Item Level, which in turn means higher-tier loot can be dropped):

Boss mLv by Difficulty Location
Andariel 12/49/75 Catacombs Level 4
Duriel 22/55/88 Tal Rasha’s Chamber
Mephisto 26/59/87 Durance of Hate Level 3
Diablo 40/62/94 Chaos Sanctuary
Baal 60/75/99 Worldstone Chamber

Check out the individual boss pages for more information on farming them.

Super Unique Enemies

Like Bosses, Super Unique enemies are found in static locations throughout the game, making them relatively easy to hunt down and hence farm. Otherwise, Super Uniques function much like Unique enemies in that they have random modifiers, minions, and immunities appropriate for their monster type and modifiers. Unlike Uniques, however, Super Uniques always have some set modifiers along with the random ones - [Shenk the Overseer] is always Extra Strong, [Eldritch the Rectifier] is always Extra Fast, and [Pindleskin] is always Fire Enchanted. Super Uniques tend to have to drops when defeated, along with several potions.

While not as lucrative on a kill-by-kill basis, some Super Uniques are worth mentioning for the sheer speed with which they can be farmed. Once you’ve [rescued Anya] in Act 5 you’ll get a portal taking you right to [Pindleskin], which will persist so long as you don’t claim the Halls of Vaught Waypoint. Likewise, if you travel to the Frigid Highlands Waypoint, you can go north to find [Eldritch the Rectifier] and south to find [Shenk the Overseer], both a few screens from the Waypoint. Even moderately well-equipped characters can kill both Eldritch and Shenk within seconds (provided they don’t roll up immune - they’re always immune to cold damage, at the very least), and all in all the speed with which these runs can be completed makes up for the fewer drops you’ll get.

You can also regularly find a few other creatures of note en route to popular running spots: Blood Raven can be found in the Burial Grounds area, which is where you’ll be heading to plunder the [Mausoleum], Bonebreaker always spawns in The Crypt, Dark Elder can be found in the Lost City, en route to the Ancient Tunnels, etc. A selection of Super Uniques you may encounter on the way to, near or within prime farming locations follows (all stats refer to Hell difficulty):

Super Unique mLv Immunities Modifiers Act Location
Blood Raven 88 Act 1 Burial Grounds
Bonebreaker 86 Lightning Extra Strong, Magic Resistant Act 1 The Crypt
The Countess 82 Fire, Cold Fire Enchanted Act 1 The Forgotten Tower
Dark Elder 80 Magic Extra Fast, Magic Resistant Act 2 Lost City
Bremm Sparkfist 86 Lightning Aura Enchanted, Lightning Enchanted Act 3 Durance of Hate Level 3
Maffer Dragonhand 86 Lightning Extra Strong, Extra Fast Act 3 Durance of Hate Level 3
Wyand Voidbringer 86 Lightning Mana Burn, Teleportation Act 3 Durance of Hate Level 3
Grand Vizier of Chaos 88 Lightning Extra Strong, Fire Enchanted Act 4
Infector of Souls 88 Fire Extra Fast, Spectral Hit Act 4 Chaos Sanctuary
Lord de Seis 88 Cold Aura Enchanted, Extra Fast Act 4 Chaos Sanctuary
Shenk the Overseer 83 Cold Extra Strong Act 5 Bloody Foothills
Eldritch the Rectifier 84 Cold Extra Fast Act 5 Frigid Highlands
Pindleskin 86 Poison Fire Enchanted Act 5 Nihlathak’s Temple
Colenzo the Annihilator 88 Fire Fire Enchanted Act 5 Throne of Destruction
Achmel the Cursed 88 Magic, Poison Act 5 Throne of Destruction
Bartuc the Bloody 88 Lightning Enchanted Act 5 Throne of Destruction
Ventar the Unholy 88 Poison Extra Fast Act 5 Throne of Destruction
Lister the Tormentor 88 Fire Spectral Hit Act 5 Throne of Destruction

While there are numerous Super Uniques in the game (far more exist than are listed above), only [Shenk the Overseer], [Eldritch the Rectifier] and [Pindleskin] are regularly run, as the three of them together can be killed faster than most other Super Uniques can be individually found and killed.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Activision Blizzard
  • Platforms,
    PS4, PS5, Switch, XB One, XB X|S
  • Genre
    Action RPG, Hack-n-slash
  • Guide Release
    20 September 2021
  • Last Updated
    1 March 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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The guide for Diablo 2 Resurrected seeks to help new players find their footing in Sanctuary by providing build advice and information on gear and how to farm it.

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