123Games - Should players farm ancient shards on every character before moving onto a new difficulty level in Diablo IV?

Should players farm ancient shards on every character before moving onto a new difficulty level in Diablo IV?

In Diablo IV, the decision to farm Ancient Shards on every character before advancing to a new difficulty level is influenced by several factors related to gameplay mechanics and character progression.

Understanding Ancient Shards

Ancient Shards are valuable resources used for crafting and upgrading gear, particularly in higher difficulty levels where the stakes and rewards are greater. Farming these shards effectively can enhance your character's performance as you tackle tougher challenges.

Difficulty Levels and Farming Strategy

Difficulty Progression

Diablo IV features multiple difficulty tiers, including Normal, Hard, Expert, and Penitent, leading to the more challenging Torment levels. Each tier increases both the challenge and the rewards, such as experience points (XP) and loot quality

Farming Before Advancing

Resource Accumulation: Farming Ancient Shards at lower difficulties allows players to accumulate resources that can significantly aid their progression in higher difficulties. This is especially true if players plan to engage in more challenging content that requires better gear and upgrades
Character Readiness: Ensuring that each character has a sufficient amount of Ancient Shards can make transitioning to higher difficulties smoother. Players often recommend maximizing resource gathering before facing tougher enemies, as the increased difficulty also means stronger opponents and potentially more complex mechanics
Loot Quality: While higher difficulties do not necessarily guarantee better loot quality, they do increase the quantity of loot dropped. This means that farming on a higher difficulty can yield more shards over time, but players should be able to clear content efficiently at those levels

Recommendations

Farm on Each Character: It is advisable to farm Ancient Shards on each character before moving to a new difficulty level, particularly if players have not yet optimized their gear or skills for tougher challenges.
Evaluate Performance: Players should assess how quickly they can clear content at their current difficulty level. If they can efficiently farm shards at a higher tier, it may be beneficial to do so rather than grinding at lower levels