Introduction: Why Season 12 Changes Everything

Ladies, gentlemen, and heroes of all ages, welcome to the most unexpected farming revolution in Diablo 4 history. Season 12 has arrived, and while the mechanical changes might seem subtle on paper—tweaking existing activities rather than introducing completely new systems—the results are anything but subtle. Here's the truth: if you mindlessly run the same old rotations you've been doing for seasons, you're going to feel punished. The game will feel limiting, slow, and frustrating. But if you adapt? If you pivot to what's actually valuable this season? You can progress at breakneck speed. If you find yourself falling short on currency to fuel these new strategies, you can simply buy Diablo 4 Gold to keep your gear competitive while you hunt for the perfect drops. Whether you're diving into the new Paladin class (trying every build imaginable at proper endgame power levels) or sticking with your favorite veteran class, this guide will show you exactly where to focus your time for maximum returns.

Part 1: Nightmare Dungeons Are Back (And Better Than Ever)

I know what you're thinking: "Nightmare dungeons? In THIS economy?" But hear me out. Between Helltide, the Undercity, and The Pit, it's easy to write off Nightmare Dungeons as obsolete. That would be a massive mistake.

Blizzard has done two things: added brand new Nightmare Dungeon affixes AND significantly buffed existing ones. The result? Nightmare Dungeons might be MORE relevant now than during the season that actually focused on them as the core mechanic.

How to Approach Nightmare Dungeons in Season 12

The strategy is simple but specific:

1. Craft sigils at the Occultist

2. Check for high-value affixes (we'll cover exactly which ones below)

3. Run ONLY the valuable ones

4. Repeat

5. Don't waste time on mediocre affixes. The god-tier rolls are so lucrative that you should be cycling through sigils aggressively to find them.

The Must-Run Nightmare Dungeon Affixes

1. Herodrick Strong Room (The Obducite Jackpot)

· Why it's valuable: Obducite is the single biggest material sink in the game for masterworking. While a solid Infernal Hordes run might net you ~100 Obducite and a regular Nightmare Dungeon gives a few dozen, the Herodrick Strong Room affix changes everything.

· The numbers: On Torment 4, with full reward bonuses, the strong room chest consistently drops 2,500–2,800 Obducite. That's not a typo. That's approximately 25-30 regular dungeon runs worth of Obducite in a single clear.

· Pro tip: This affix doesn't benefit significantly from longer dungeons, so don't worry about dungeon selection—just run whatever you get this on.

2. Treasure Breach (The Goblin Paradise)

· Why it's valuable: This rare affix fills the dungeon with loot goblins. And in Season 12, goblins are dropping Obducite in meaningful quantities. There's even a specific goblin variant that drops EXTRA Obducite.

· The numbers: In my single experience with this affix (these are rare, so cherish them), I walked away with approximately 7,000 Obducite from one dungeon run.

· Pro tip: This affix scales with dungeon length. Run this on a longer dungeon like Nantu—more space means more goblin spawns means more Obducite. Herodrick Strong Room? Skip. You want sprawling maps for this one.

3. Murmuring Oals Focused (Obducite Lite)

Why it's valuable: Sometimes you can't find the god-tier affixes, but this one is reliably excellent.

The numbers: On Torment 4, I've been getting around 1,000 Obols per run. For the time investment, that's exceptional value for gambling purposes.

4. Gem Reserve Affixes (The Gem Fragment Windfall)

There are two tiers here:

· Generic Blue Gem Reserve: Decent amounts of every gem type from chests throughout the dungeon. Solid, but not spectacular.

· The REAL Treasure: Specific gem archetype affixes (Diamond Reserve, Emerald Reserve, Sapphire Reserve, etc.). These are higher rarity and ABSOLUTELY INSANE.

· The numbers: My colleague Josh ran an Emerald Fragments dungeon and got 32,000 emerald fragments from a single run. Thirty-two thousand. That's not a rounding error.

· Pro tip: If you see one of these specific gem affixes, drop everything and run it immediately. Stock up on gems for the entire season.

5. Vile Splendor (The Gold Mine)

· Why it's valuable: This affix gives all elites the new Gilded affix, making them drop piles of gold.

· The numbers: I entered one of these dungeons with 440 million gold. I exited with 510 million gold. That's 70 million gold in a single run for doing what you were already going to do—kill elites.

6. Materials Reserve (The Forgotten Soul Solution)

· Why it's valuable: Forgotten Souls are a MAJOR bottleneck for ancestral gear upgrading in Season 12. This affix directly addresses that.

· The numbers: Even on a basic run, this gives roughly 180 Forgotten Souls. To put that in perspective, that's nearly an entire Legion event's worth of Souls, and Legions happen far less frequently than you can run dungeons.

· Pro tip: If you're hitting the Forgotten Soul wall (and you will), prioritize this affix aggressively.

7. The Mythic Affix (The Grail)

1. What it is: An exceedingly rare Mythic-tier Nightmare Dungeon affix. You'll know it when you see it—the game makes it very clear.

2. What it does: Guarantees a spawn of a Mythic Unique Treasure Goblin in the dungeon.

3. The reward: Killing this goblin drops:

· FIVE Mythic Uniques (yes, five at once)

· A bag containing a Resplendent Spark

· Legendary runes

· The experience: When we first ran this, we had no idea what to expect. We saw "Mythic Affix" and jumped in together. What happened next left us absolutely stunned.

· CRITICAL ADVICE: If you get this affix, DO IT IN A GROUP. Share the wealth. Let other players experience this ridiculousness and walk away with five Mythics. There's no downside—only legendary loot and eternal gratitude from your fellow players.

Part 2: The Ashnadan Overworld Invasion

Now let's talk about the OTHER massive value engine in Season 12: Ashnadan, The Worldbreaker.

What Is Ashnadan?

Ashnadan is an overworld invasion boss that can be summoned at any time by interacting with idols in his arena. You can modify his mechanics by choosing different wards (Andariel, Duriel, or Bile variants), which changes both the fight AND the rewards.

The Chest System

The chest you open at the end correlates to the ward you chose:

Why Ashnadan Is Essential in Season 12

1. The baseline loot from these chests is already excellent:

· Tons of Legendaries

· Good number of Ancestrals

· Occasionally Uniques

· But here's where it gets interesting: there appears to be a hidden "crit chance" on the loot roll. Sometimes—seemingly randomly—you'll hit a jackpot that adds massive quantities of secondary materials or keys.

2. I've personally seen:

· 15 Nightmare Dungeon Sigils drop from a single chest

· Massive piles of lair boss materials

· And yes, sometimes the Tribute of Titans (more on that below)

Getting Chest Keys

You earn chest keys by doing invasion-related activities. The most farmable is Bile, because:

1. Bile keys come from The Pit

2. Everyone runs The Pit for glyph levels anyway

3. Even if you're not farming XP there, you NEED Pit runs for glyphs

4. You can convert those Corrupted Eyes into Ashnadan chest opens for essentially free bonus loot

The Andariel Chest Special: Tribute Farming

The Andariel chest specifically giving tributes is worth highlighting because it can drop ANY tribute from the pool. This includes:

· Tribute of Titans: Gives extra lair boss keys, which you can use to farm more boss materials. It's the circle of life, and it's beautiful.

· BUT HERE'S THE BIG ONE: It has a chance to drop the Mythic Unique Tribute for the Undercity.

The Mythic Unique Tribute

This item still works exactly as it always has: it's a near-guaranteed Mythic Unique drop at the end of an Undercity run for every player who participates.

· REQUIREMENT: You need a united party to run it together.

· ADVICE: If you get this, do it in a group. Share the wealth. There's zero reason to be greedy—everyone gets the Mythics.

Part 3: The Complete Farming Loop

Here's how Season 12's optimal gameplay loop should look:

Step 1: Establish Your Baseline

· Run The Pit for glyph levels AND Bile keys

· Save your Bile keys for Ashnadan

Step 2: Ashnadan Rotation

1. When you have keys, summon Ashnadan

2. Choose chests based on what you need:

· Need tributes? Andariel chest

· Need Hordes compasses? Duriel chest

· Need general loot? Bile chest

3. Open chests, hope for jackpots

4. Pay attention to any Tribute of Titans or (if RNGesus blesses you) Mythic Unique Tributes

Step 3: Nightmare Dungeon Hunting

· Take your sigil powder to the Occultist

· Craft sigils in bulk

· Scan for the high-value affixes listed above

· Run ONLY the valuable ones

· Salvage the rest for more powder

· Repeat

Step 4: Profit

· Accumulate Obducite, gems, gold, and Forgotten Souls at unprecedented rates

· Upgrade your gear faster than ever

· Use Tributes from Ashnadan to target specific rewards

· If you get a Mythic Affix or Mythic Tribute, GROUP UP and share the wealth

Final Thoughts

Consider this your PSA: Nightmare Dungeons are ABSOLUTELY CRACKED for drops right now, and Ashnadan invasions are a hidden gem of efficiency. Target these activities, seek out the affixes and chests we've discussed, and watch your progression accelerate. If you're looking to fast-track your build even further, be sure to check out MMOEXP, where you’ll find a wide selection of Diablo IV Items for sale to complement your farming efforts.