How to target farm specific gear types in Diablo 4 (with locations)

Diablo 4 has kept players engrossed in the relentless pursuit of top-tier gear and the goal of attaining level 100. Yet the quest for improved gear persists; such is the nature of a Diablo game.

As you progress in Diablo IV, defeating formidable foes and ascending in rank, the game rewards you with robust gear. Completing dungeons, particularly the challenging nightmare dungeons, is a reliable way to acquire such equipment.

Recently, players have developed a strategy termed 'focus farming' to obtain preferred gear more efficiently. This method not only makes the process more manageable, but also lends a sense of purpose to each gaming session, instead of you just "hoping for the best" loot drops. The thing is, certain enemy types in Diablo 4 are known to drop specific gear slots more frequently.

How do know though? Well, direct confirmation comes from the Diablo 4 developers themselves. During a Developer Update Live Stream for Diablo IV in April 2023, Associate Game Director Joseph Piepiora disclosed that certain enemy types do indeed have a higher likelihood of dropping specific gear slot items.

Piepiora stated, "When you're fighting creatures of a certain monster family, like zombies or skeletons, those monsters have a higher chance to drop certain kinds of items. It's actually a bonus chance drop..."

It's important to note that 'focus farming' or 'target farming' is more efficient when you target dungeons hosting specific enemy types based on the item you seek. For instance, if you're in pursuit of Asheara's Khanjar, consider targeting the Maulwood Dungeon in the Fractured Peaks, populated with Bandits who have a higher propensity to drop Daggers and Helmets.

If you aim for Unique and Ancestral items, farming in nightmare dungeons boosts your odds. So any dungeon sigil you acquire should be put to strategic use. However, remember that these items are not guaranteed drops; they merely have an increased chance of dropping the said gear types.

Every enemy type in Diablo 4 falls under a specific monster family. Diablo IV features 16 monster families, each with various enemy types. The following sections detail each family and the respective enemy types. Typically, the types of enemies within a family spawn together as a horde, and players needn't actively seek out each member. Knowing the spawn location of a monster family should lead you to all its members in that specific area or dungeon.

Bandits are often identified by their human-like appearance. But don't let that fool you, as they are just as much a monster as the demons you encounter throughout your adventures. The following is a list of all bandits in Diablo 4:

A former tribe of Barbarians, Cannibals, now roam the land munching on their fellow humans. The Cannibals consist of a lot of different enemies, and they are as follows:

Cultists are easily identified by their red hoods and skull masks. You will usually find them at different ritual sites. However, there are many dungeons infested with Cultists as well. The following are the different types of Cultists you may encounter when exploring Hawezar and Kehjistan, specifically:

With an unwavering loyalty to Lilith, Demons roam the lands of Kehjistan and Hawezar along with their home, Hell. Demons are identified by their big demonic wings and, of course, a demonic look. The following are the different types of demons you will encounter in Diablo 4:

Drowned monsters are unique and can only be found near shorelines. They usually emerge from the sea and wreak havoc, led by a unique monster called the Merinth of the Deep (Drowned Witch).

Fallen are just as scary and chaotic as everyone remembers them from the previous games. You can mostly find them roaming the lands of Fractured Peaks and Kehjistan in the overworld. However, as stated earlier, it is best to target nightmare dungeons with the Fallen family types in them to maximize your chances of getting your desired loot. There are several Fallen types, and they are as follows:

Ghosts are found roaming all over Fracture Peaks. The Ghost family isn't the strongest enemy type in Diablo 4.

Goatmen might resemble the Fallen, but you can easily distinguish between them by looking at their legs and horns. The Goatmen's horns and legs are more Centaur-like and resemble the goat's structure. They are mostly found in massive hordes in the Dry Steppes region in the overworld.

Knights who worship Inarius in Diablo 4 do not have a lot of members in their family. But they work with what little they have, and let me tell you, they are tanky! They are extremely strong at higher levels and have a ton of health. They are also found in Kehjistan and Fractured Peaks.

Skeletons are the weakest monster family on the list, and their strength is in their numbers. Ironically, they also have the most members in the family. The only enemy type within this family that may give you a hard time is the Bow Warrior Corpse Bow. This one deals a lot of damage and has incredible range. Whenever you come across a bunch of skeletons, prioritize taking the Bow Warrior Corpse Bow out first.

Yes, Snakes are their own monster family type. You can mostly find them in swampy areas, such as the one in Hawezar. Some of them are a hybrid between humans and snakes and have the following members:

Spiders can usually be found in dungeons. But you can also sometimes find them in the Dry Steppes region. They have several types:

Like the Spiders, Vampires are also usually found inside different dungeons, but can also be found all around the western part of Fractured Peaks at night time, and they also have different types:

You can find several werewolves in the regions of Fractured Peak and Scosglen. The werewolves in Diablo 4 are not your typical werewolves, and come with different elemental powers.

Finally, we have the classic monster type, Zombies. You can find zombies in several regions of the Sanctuary, including Dry Steppes, Fractured Peaks, and Hawezar. They slightly resemble the Drowned due to their grayish tone. However, they are easily distinguishable as you will mostly find Zombies lurking in the dungeons, unlike the Drowned, who are always found near the shores.

Now that you're familiar with all the enemy types in Diablo IV let's look at what dungeons have these enemy types and what specific gear item each enemy type / dungeon therefore has a higher chance of dropping.

Click on the map images to see a higher resolution image of the locations.

You can increases your chances of getting better gear and higher rarity items by doing Nightmare Dungeons of the above mentioned dungeons. You can do Nightmare Dungeons upon reaching World Tier III after the completion of the main story campaign and a couple of steps.

First, you need to complete the Silence Whispers (missions marked in red), to earn Grim Favors. Once you have enough Grim Favors, you can return to the Tree of Whispers to earn a reward.

One of the rewards for the completion of Grim Favors is a Nightmare Dungeon Sigil, which converts your regular dungeon into a Nightmare version. The Nightmare version gives more experience points and better rewards. From that point on, you can do Nightmare Dungeons and will see more Sigils dropping.