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Red Dust is quite a valuable form of currency in Diablo 4. Obtainable only in the PvP zones known as the Fields of Hatred, Red Dust allows players to gamble for high-level gear (much like with the Purveyor of Curiosities vendors), get some menacing-looking items for transmog, get some fun cosmetics for your mount, and acquire some Cursed Scrolls, which you can proc for short-term buffs.
Given that Red Dust can only be acquired by traversing the Fields of Hatred, it can be pretty tricky to obtain — especially if you go in without a plan — as there are going to be players, some in parties, that scour these PvP areas specifically looking for players to kill. However, there are several ways to optimize your time in the Fields of Hatred in order to get the highest amount of Red Dust in the shortest amount of time possible.
Best Red Dust Farming Locations
As seen above, there are two Fields of Hatred in the Diablo 4 overworld: one in Dry Steppes and the other in Kehjistan. These areas are both on the western side of the world map, and they're surrounded by higher-level zones, so don't think you can just march right into the PvP areas the moment you start the game. You'll need to level up for a bit before you can comfortably traverse west and find these Fields of Hatred.
How To Get Seeds Of Hatred
Though you do technically farm for Red Dust, you don't actually acquire it directly. You pick up Seeds of Hatred in the Fields of Hatred, and these Seeds can subsequently be turned into Red Dust (more on the process below). Seeds of Hatred can be acquired in multiple ways, though for the most part, it's done by defeating enemies. Players can, however, also find Baleful Chests hidden throughout the Fields of Hatred that contain large amounts of Seeds.
Best Baleful Chests Farming Route
Focusing on Baleful Chests is a pretty solid farming strategy. You get a lot of Seeds quite fast, and — though the chests are often surrounded by big enemy groups — it's still one of the safer ways to farm, as it doesn't put the entire focus on just fighting. The image below showcases all the consistent spawn locations of Baleful Chests in the Fields of Hatred of Dry Steppes (red stars), while the one above highlights the best farming route (in green).
The route is for Dry Steppes Fields of Hatred specifically, as these house a lot of Baleful Chests around the middle, creating the most effective and time efficient route. As is clear by comparing the two images, the route doesn't hit every single chest, and that is purposeful for time saving.
The southern and easternmost parts of the Dry Steppes fields are littered with enemies and have fewer chests to reward your efforts. This route will get you in and out quicker. Thus, it's most effective when done occasionally between other tasks in the game to give the chests time to respawn.
Tips For Farming Seeds Of Hatred
- Keep an eye out for Treasure Goblins. These devious little devils will try to flee when you attack them, but if you manage to chase them down and finish them, they'll drop many more Seeds of Hatred than the average mob.
- This may be quite an obvious one, but it's worth mentioning. Bring a group of friends. Being in a party means that you'll have an easier time dealing with other players and killing enemies, including the Seething Abomination, a boss that roams the two Fields of Hatred and drops the most Seeds of any enemy.
- A particularly useful trick is to turn off cross-play and switch to World Tier 1 (the game's easiest difficulty). Doing so, you'll get a sharp decrease of players in your area, and enemies will be much easier to defeat. Note that you do get less XP and worse gear drops in this World Tier, but the Seeds' drop rate remains unchanged.
How To Turn Seeds Of Hatred Into Red Dust
If you get killed in the Fields of Hatred, you lose all of your seeds, so it's imperative to turn them into Red Dust as quickly as possible (Red Dust isn't lost upon death). But doing so is its own challenge. To get Red Dust from the Seeds, you must activate an Altar of Extraction, which reside inside the Fields. You must then survive a horde mode challenge for about a minute.
The difficulty here is that every player in the Fields of Hatred gets alerted when an Altar of Extraction is activated, and with it being a PvP zone, chances are someone will try to kill you just for the fun of it. However, if you can survive for just one minute, then the Red Dust is yours. This is where previous tips come in handy, such as lowering the difficulty and/or bringing in a group.