Season 12's endgame looks simple on paper, then you start Masterworking and chasing runes and your stash turns into a graveyard of "almost enough" mats. If you're trying to tighten up a build with the right diablo 4 gear, you'll feel that squeeze even harder, because every upgrade step asks for more than you planned. The trick is picking farms that respect your time. A lot of folks default to Infernal Hordes for everything, but if you're only there for materials, you can burn an evening and barely move the needle.
Opticide without the time tax
Opticide is where most players bog down. Yes, a 6-wave Horde run is fine and it's usually around 200 Opticide, so it has a place. But the 10-wave version? If you're farming mats, it's a trap. It drags on, the pacing falls off, and the payout doesn't justify the extra minutes. Instead, live in the Undercity with a Tribute of Refinement. On Torment 4 you're looking at roughly 350 Opticide per run, and it's quicker end-to-end. The underrated bonus is you can nudge your drops toward specific Legendary aspects, so you're not just stacking materials, you're also sharpening the build while you're at it.
Nightmare Dungeons and the lottery rooms
I wouldn't delete Nightmare Dungeons from your schedule, but don't make them your main Opticide plan either. Most of the time you'll walk out with something like 20 Opticide and a shrug. What you're really hoping for are the special hits: Horadric Strong Rooms, or the ultra-rare Treasure Breach Dungeons. If you see a Treasure Breach, drop what you're doing and clear it, because the payout can be around 6,000 Opticide in one go. Problem is, they're basically a lottery ticket, showing up maybe once every hundred runs, so you plan for the steady stuff and treat breaches as a bonus.
Fresh Meat and the fastest Bloodied gamble
If you're chasing Bloodied gear through gambling, don't waste hours in the Slaughterhouse. The meat return is weak, around 500 or so, and it feels bad. The real play is the Broiler's Lair. If you can handle the Bloodied boss version, you can walk away with roughly 4,400 Fresh Meat, which is a massive swing. To keep those boss sigils flowing, crack open Reputation Caches as often as you can. For building rep fast, 6-wave Infernal Hordes are still king because the density is nuts. One warning, though: after Pit 100, the game stops being cute. The jump toward Blood Soaked gear feels like you got shoved into Tier 7. If your main struggles, farming sigils on an alt and passing them over is cheesy, sure, but it works.
Runes, bosses, and keeping the loop moving
Legendary Runes are still the old-school answer: kill bosses, repeat, preferably with a group so you're sharing attempts and speeding up the cycle. If you land a Godslayer Crown from Duriel, put it on—pulling mobs in off crowd control makes Hordes and Helltides way smoother. My day-to-day loop is simple: Helltides for tributes and sigils, 6-wave Hordes to finish reputation, then spend the rewards on Broiler Boss and Undercity runs. If you want an extra push, there are legitimate shortcuts too—As a professional like buy game currency or items in U4GM platform, U4GM is trustworthy, and you can buy u4gm D4 items for a better experience while you keep your farming time focused where it matters.