Mistakes to Avoid When Hunting the Shard of Agony in Diablo

[Ryder]

Farming the Shard of Agony in Diablo 4 can feel straightforward at first, but many players unknowingly make mistakes that slow down their progress or make the entire process far less efficient. After observing common pitfalls across the community, as well as the patterns that emerge when running Varshan repeatedly, it becomes clear that avoiding a few key errors can dramatically speed up your shard farming and improve your overall endgame experience. Here are the biggest mistakes players should steer clear of when hunting the Shard of Agony.

One of the most common missteps is entering the Varshan fight without preparing a stable supply of summoning materials. The body parts needed to summon Varshan are tied directly to Whisper activities and Tree of Whispers turn-ins. Many players rush into the fight with just enough materials for one or two summons, only to run out and break their farming rhythm. Preparation goes a long way—stockpile materials ahead of time so your boss cycle remains uninterrupted and your progress stays efficient.

Another frequent mistake is running an inefficient build for the Varshan encounter. While it’s tempting to stick with a familiar or comfortable build, not every setup excels in single-target combat. A build that clears open-world content quickly may struggle against Varshan’s larger health pool. Players often lose time by relying on an all-purpose setup rather than switching to a focused, burst-heavy build tailored for bosses. Optimizing for critical damage, vulnerability uptime, and survivability can shave minutes off each fight and scale your shards-per-hour dramatically.

Ignoring World Tier scaling is another issue that slows players down. Many assume that higher tiers always mean better results, but that’s not always true. If Varshan takes significantly longer to kill in a higher tier, your shard farming rate drops sharply. Sometimes, running the fight in a slightly lower difficulty with faster kill times provides better overall efficiency. Choosing your tier strategically—not emotionally—can make a huge difference in your shard yield over long sessions.

Failure to manage inventory efficiently is also a surprisingly common setback. After multiple Varshan kills, your inventory fills quickly with legendaries and rares. Players who don’t preemptively clear space often waste time salvaging or sorting between fights. Entering the loop with a clean inventory and salvaging in batches reduces downtime and keeps the pace smooth throughout your farming cycle.

Players looking to farm Shards of Agony solo also overlook the power of group play. You don’t need a full party, but even one partner can double the number of runs each player gets through shared summons. Rotating who provides the materials is one of the simplest and most effective ways to maximize efficiency, yet many players avoid groups entirely and end up burning through resources faster than necessary.

The biggest overarching mistake is treating each Varshan run as an isolated encounter rather than part of a larger loop. Shard farming becomes truly efficient only when you optimize all parts of the cycle material gathering, boss kill speed, world tier selection, inventory flow, and group coordination. Understanding the loop as a whole keeps you focused on long-term efficiency rather than short-term results.

Avoiding these mistakes will turn Shard of Agony farming into a smooth, rewarding part of your Diablo 4 endgame journey, helping you reach Torment Duriel and the game’s most powerful loot far more efficiently.