How to get Ancestral Items in Diablo 4

Ancestral items in the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred expansion pack are the best gear you can get, outside of Uniques/Mythic Uniques. In the past year, it was very cut-and-dry on how you unlocked this powerful gear. They were incredibly common to pick up, once you got to a high enough difficulty level in the game. However, in the interest of perhaps balance or simply to change things up, Blizzard Entertainment adjusted how this gear was found.

This change to finding Ancestral Legendary items came in the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred expansion. There was a complete rework to the item level system, alongside the difficulty system. If you’re trying to get the best gear in the game, we’re here to help you make that a reality.

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How to begin unlocking Ancestral items in Diablo 4

You can still get Ancestral items in Diablo 4, but it takes some serious work (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Players need to be on at least Torment I difficulty to start seeing Diablo 4 Ancestral Legendary items drop in Vessel of Hatred. However, the method of reaching that tier of content has changed since the initial launch of Blizzard’s hit Action RPG/MMO. Previous updates had players going to World Tier 3 and World Tier 4 for a shot at Ancestrals, but depending, you could also get Sacred items. These were a step below Ancestral.

However, as a part of this update, Sacred items have been removed from the game. If you still have some on the Eternal Realm, these will be labeled as “Legacy” items. Most Ancestral gear will too, from previous seasons.

If you want to unlock Torment I difficulty in Diablo 4 for a shot at Ancestral items, you need to hit level 60, which is the new level cap. Once you’ve done this, you need to clear Level 20 of The Pit of Artificers. This is incredibly easy to do, even as a fresh level 60, but if you have trouble, you can always recruit someone to help you through the Party Finder.

Once you’re on at least Torment I you have a chance to see Ancestral Legendary items and Uniques in Diablo 4. To sweeten the pot, all Ancestral gear has at least one Greater Affix - denoted by the Asterisk next to the stat. You can find these Ancestral drops from a wide variety of sources.

• Killing Monsters
• Helltide Chests
• Purveyor of Curiosities
• Nightmare Dungeons
• Pinnacle Bosses
• Whisper Caches
• Infernal Hordes
• Kurast Undercity
• Mercenary Bartering Caches
• Dark Citadel Rewards

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Ancestral drops from these are typically pretty rare, but there is one guaranteed way, and that’s through Infernal Hordes. This recently added endgame activity guarantees you an Ancestral drop, but it’s only once per clear of the dungeon. The chests you receive at the end have been adjusted to make sure you get one Ancestral piece of gear.

Perhaps the best place is through the Dark Citadel rewards, though those reset on a weekly basis, and are limited in supply. Mercenary Bartering is another great way to try and get them. It’s easy to get Pale Marks, and you stand a good chance of finding Ancestral gear in the caches you barter for.

Whisper Caches are another excellent source of Ancestral drops in Diablo 4. Not only is this easy to do, but it’s often one of the Season Journey objectives for each season. This remains the case in Season 6 - the current content update as of this writing. While any of the above options work, the best choices are Infernal Hordes, Dark Citadel, and Whisper caches.

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Check out our other Diablo 4 guides and features

• Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: All Nahantu Waypoint locations
• How to get Pale Marks in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred
• Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: Tips for leveling up fast (Season 6)
• Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: Tenets of Depravity guide