Blizzard recently confirmed the Diablo 3 Season 24 Release Date alongside a worldwide Diablo 3 Season 24 Start Time.
Whilst we have plenty of details about the new Season 24 rewards, Haedrigs Gift and more, it's the new Ethereals that are worth exploring. Which explains the name of the season being 'Ethereal Memory'.
Read on, we'll explain everything you need to know, including most importantly how you can farm ethereals fast in Diablo 3 Season 24. But first...
What Are Ethereal Items?
Ethereals were a primary feature of Diablo 2, but with Blizzard looking to celebrate the game and the impending release of Diablo 2: Resurrected they've cooked up something new for Dianlo 3.
In Season 24, Ethereals take a new form as a new rare and very powerful weapon of choice for your class. It's worth noting that they are only available to use in Season 24 and you won’t be able to use them with any character in after this season ends.
So why should you care? Well, according to the devs you can keep the Ethereal transmogs forever (beyond the end of Season 24) if you find ALL 21 Ethereals available in Season 24 before the season comes to a close. That's 3 each for all 7 classes available in the game. Here's what we've been told:
Collecting all 21 Ethereals during Season 24 will reward players with the Feat of Strength, Ethereal Recollection. Players who accomplish this will have all Ethereal transmogrify options available for future seasonal and non-seasonal play. - Blizzard.
This is by no means easy and if you are keen on securing that special transmog achievement you'll need an effective approach to farm all 21 fast. Hence, this guide. So read on for all the help you'll need.
How To Get Ethereals In Diablo 3 Season 24?
First up, let's cover HOW you get ethereals in Diablo 3 Season 24. We've broken this down into bullet points so it doesn't get confusing:
- According to Blizzard, Ethereals "can only be dropped by monsters, chests, and destructibles".
- They are also account bound and that means you can't trade Ethereals from one player account to the next.
- You do not need to have a level 70 character to get ethereals to drop. In fact, there's a good reason to have a low character for farming ethereals (we'll explain that further down).
- You cannot acquire ethereals through Kanai's Cube or from Kadala.
- Based on players on the PTR, it would seem that Etherelas can drop for any class, regardless which you are using at the time.
How To Farm Ethereals Fast in Diablo 3 Season 24
According to Diablo 2 expert Rhykker, the drop rate of ethereals is 1 in 100 and as we mentioned earlier, they actually drop more quickly if you have a low-level character.
According to Maxroll.gg, "there is a large spike in legendary drops at level 31, making it harder to find Ethereals beyond that point".
The sweet spot, according to Rhykker, is level 11. Although you'll need the assistance of some friends, because the fastest way to get all 21 will be playing in a group and speed running.
If you're simply trying to find ethereals in the fastest possible way in order to complete the transmog achievement, then you should follow the guide in the video below. Although, do note, the Ethereals you earn this way will be a really low level. However, if you're doing it just to get the Transmog achievement, this is the fastest way possible.
The long and the short of it is that you need to be in a group and repeat T6 rifts over and over.
First you need to make a brand new level 1 character and get them to level 11. Next your level 11 character needs to start a T6 rift as the party leader, inviting a high level player to join. One your friend joins, the party leader can leave the game and rejoin with a higher level character. But the game remains a level 11 T6 Rift.
As Rhykker points out, there's very little reason to do this "unless you're pulling off, some loot table shenanigans" which is exactly what you need to do.
The reason being, as explained you have a higher % chance of ethereals dropping from a level 11 game than if you had a higher level. But because you'll be using a beastly higher level character, you should be able to rush through it with both absolute ease and in the fastest time possible.
Rinse, repeat until you have all three Ethereals for your class, and then start again with another class until you gain all 21.
It's suggested that this method could take around 15 hours of grinding T6 rifts to get all 21. But remember, you do have three months to do this.