Diablo 4: How to Get Boss Summoning Materials

In Diablo 4, the quest for powerful Diablo 4 items has taken on new significance with the buffs introduced in the Season of the Infernal Hordes. Among these items, Uniques have become essential to many builds, especially those seeking to dominate the endgame. To obtain these Uniques, players must face pinnacle bosses—endgame versions of campaign and seasonal bosses that offer a high challenge and valuable rewards. However, to summon these bosses, you'll need specific summoning materials, which can be challenging to acquire. This guide will explain how to efficiently farm these materials.

Understanding Summoning Materials in Diablo 4

Summoning materials are essential for engaging with Diablo 4's pinnacle bosses, the main source of Mythic Uniques in the game. These materials drop from various endgame activities, such as Helltide and Nightmare Dungeons, and are required to summon bosses in specific dungeons. Each pinnacle boss can be summoned in two states: Normal and Tormented. Normal bosses drop a single kill's worth of loot with a 1.5% chance of yielding a Mythic Unique. Tormented bosses, however, drop five kills' worth of loot, making them more cost-effective and increasing the chance of obtaining valuable Diablo 4 items.

Summoning Materials and Their Farming Locations

Here's a breakdown of the summoning materials you'll need and the best places to farm them in Diablo 4:

Stygian Stones

    Best Farm: Infernal Hordes - Resource Chests (T6+)

    Related Bosses: All Tormented Bosses

Stygian Stones are crucial material for summoning the Tormented versions of all pinnacle bosses. These stones are best farmed through the Infernal Hordes activity, where they drop from resource chests in Tiers 7 and 8. On average, you can expect to collect around two Stygian Stones per run, with the potential for more during particularly good runs. Given their importance, ensuring a steady supply of Stygian Stones is vital for farming Tormented bosses efficiently, which can lead to acquiring top-tier Diablo 4 items and accumulating Diablo 4 Gold.

Exquisite Blood

    Best Farm: Helltide - Hell Fiend Boss

    Related Boss: Lord Zir (9 Normal, 27 Tormented)

Exquisite Blood is required to summon Lord Zir, one of the more popular pinnacle bosses, especially for those seeking the Fractured Winterglass Unique for Sorcerers. The best source for this material is the Hell Fiend boss in Helltide. To summon this boss, you must sacrifice three Baneful Hearts at the boss's altar, marked as a Whisper objective on your map. While Exquisite Blood can also drop from World Events, the Hell Fiend remains the most reliable source. To summon the Tormented version of Lord Zir, you'll need 27 samples of Exquisite Blood.

Distilled Fear

    Best Farm: Nightmare Dungeons (T21+)

    Related Boss: Beast in the Ice (9 Normal, 27 Tormented)

Distilled Fear is one of the easier materials to farm, as it drops consistently from T21+ Nightmare Dungeons. Each dungeon run will typically yield one or two units of Distilled Fear. This material is also found from Treasure Goblins, though they are less reliable. You'll need 27 units to summon the Tormented variant of Beast in the Ice, a boss known for its challenging mechanics but valuable rewards.

Living Steel

    Best Farm: Helltide - Tortured Gifts

    Related Boss: Grigoire (9 Normal, 27 Tormented)

Living Steel is another essential material, especially for those looking to summon Grigoire. This material drops from Tortured Gift chests in Helltide, with the Gift of Living Steel chest being the most lucrative, dropping five units at once. This chest costs 275 Aberrant Cinders and spawns twice per Helltide, making it a key target during these events. A full Helltide clear should provide enough Living Steel to summon Tormented Grigoire multiple times, allowing you to farm valuable Diablo 4 Items efficiently.

Malignant Hearts

    Best Farm: Whisper Caches

    Related Boss: Varshan (5 Normal, 15 Tormented)

Malignant Hearts are more challenging to farm, primarily dropping from Whisper Caches. Each cache may yield a heart or a body part that can be exchanged for Malignant Hearts at the Alchemist. These hearts are also found in Helltide and World Boss fights, though less commonly. Fortunately, summoning Varshan only requires 15 Malignant Hearts for the Tormented variant.

Pincushioned Dolls

    Drop Source: Beast in the Ice

    Related Boss: Andariel (2 Normal, 6 Tormented)

Pincushioned Dolls are guaranteed drops from the Beast in the Ice boss. To summon Andariel, the toughest pinnacle boss in Diablo 4, you'll need these dolls. Normal difficulty drops one doll, while Tormented difficulty drops five. Be well-prepared before challenging Andariel, as she's known for her high difficulty.

Sandscorched Shackles

    Drop Source: Lord Zir

    Related Boss: Andariel (2 Normal, 6 Tormented)

Sandscorched Shackles always drop from Lord Zir, with Tormented kills providing five units. These shackles are essential for summoning Andariel, alongside Pincushioned Dolls. Farming Tormented Lord Zir is the most efficient way to gather these materials.

Shards of Agony

    Drop Source: Grigoire

    Related Boss: Duriel (2 Normal, 6 Tormented)

Shards of Agony drop from Grigoire and are needed to summon Duriel. Normal difficulty drops one shard, while Tormented difficulty drops five. Summoning Duriel also requires Mucus-Slick Eggs, making this one of the more complex summoning processes in the game.

Mucus-Slick Egg

    Drop Source: Varshan

    Related Boss: Duriel (2 Normal, 6 Tormented)

Mucus-Slick Eggs are obtained by defeating Varshan. These eggs, along with Shards of Agony, are necessary to summon Duriel. Farming the Tormented variant of Varshan is recommended to gather these eggs more efficiently.