Stop Farming Lord Zir: Here’s the Best Way to Get Arreat’s Bearing in Diablo IV Season 13

If you are still spending your Lair Keys farming Diablo IV bosses like Lord Zir in hopes of getting Arreat’s Bearing for your Barbarian build, it’s time to stop.

Season 13 completely changed the unique item drop tables, and many players are still wasting hours farming outdated bosses that no longer offer the best chances at the gear they need. Arreat’s Bearing has effectively moved to a new primary source, and understanding that change can save an enormous amount of time and frustration.

The new king of this farm is Bartuc, Lord of Chaos.

Arreat’s Bearing Has a New Primary Source

In previous seasons, many Barbarian players targeted Lord Zir for important unique drops. However, Season 13 shuffled the loot pools significantly, and Arreat’s Bearing is now much more reliably farmed through Bartuc encounters tied to Infernal Hordes.

Instead of simply finishing Infernal Hordes and fighting the Fell Council at the end, the goal now is to push your run further and accumulate enough Burning Ether to unlock Bartuc’s hidden chamber.

The magic number is:

• 666 Burning Ether

Once you hit that threshold, you can spend the Ether to open Bartuc’s chamber and fight him directly.

Why Bartuc Is the Best Farm

Bartuc’s loot table contains a massive pool of localized seasonal uniques, making him the most reliable direct-drop source currently available for Arreat’s Bearing.

That matters because targeted farming is everything in endgame Diablo IV.

Rather than relying on the enormous global loot pool from random bosses or generic content, Bartuc dramatically narrows the odds in your favor. If your goal is specifically Arreat’s Bearing, this is currently the most efficient path.

The strategy becomes:

1. Run Infernal Hordes
2. Push waves aggressively
3. Stack Burning Ether
4. Reach 666 Ether
5. Unlock Bartuc’s chamber
6. Farm his dedicated loot table

It is a far more focused grind compared to endlessly repeating older bosses with diluted rewards.

Secondary Farming Method: Belial and Betrayer Husks

If saving up 666 Burning Ether every run feels too slow or inconsistent, there is another highly effective option involving Betrayer Husks and the Belial encounter.

Here’s how it works:

• Take Betrayer Husks into the Belial fight
• Defeat Belial
• Spend the Husks afterward to access Belial’s Horde rewards

This system allows players to effectively tap into Bartuc’s dedicated loot pool indirectly through Belial Horde rewards.

In practice, this creates another strong pathway toward Arreat’s Bearing without requiring massive Ether accumulation during Infernal Horde runs.

Why Group Rotations Matter

To maximize efficiency, these boss runs should ideally be done in Torment-tier rotation groups with other players.

Rotation groups allow players to:

• Pool resources together
• Share summon materials
• Run more encounters per hour
• Multiply opportunities for Greater Affix drops

This dramatically improves overall farming efficiency, especially when chasing high-end rolls or perfectly optimized versions of uniques.

For players serious about endgame optimization, solo farming quickly becomes far less efficient than organized rotations.

The Horadric Cube: Your Backup Plan

Sometimes, even with optimized boss farming, RNG simply refuses to cooperate.

That is where the Horadric Cube becomes an incredibly valuable fallback option.

Instead of waiting endlessly for Arreat’s Bearing to drop naturally, players can:

1. Pick up any common white pair of pants
2. Place them into the Horadric Cube
3. Spend rare crafting materials
4. Upgrade them directly into a unique item

Because the item slot is locked specifically to pants, the possible outcome pool becomes significantly smaller. That gives players a more controlled way to target the unique they actually want.

Of course, randomness still exists, but the odds are far better compared to generic loot farming.

Why Arreat’s Bearing Is So Powerful

The reason players are chasing Arreat’s Bearing so aggressively is simple: the item is extremely strong for Barbarian minion-style builds.

The unique effect provides:

• An additional Ancient summon on non-ultimate skills
• A massive 30–40% damage multiplier

That kind of scaling can completely transform a build’s damage output.

Because the unique effect itself is so important, players should avoid immediately salvaging lower item power versions if the unique aspect roll is strong. A lower-power pair with a perfect multiplier can often outperform higher item power versions with weaker rolls.

The remaining stats can always be optimized later through crafting and cube upgrades.

The Best Farming Strategy for Arreat’s Bearing

To summarize the most efficient methods in Season 13:

Primary Method

• Run Infernal Hordes
• Reach 666 Burning Ether
• Unlock Bartuc’s chamber
• Farm Bartuc directly

Secondary Method

• Use Betrayer Husks
• Run Belial encounters
• Access Bartuc’s loot pool through Belial Horde rewards

Backup Method

• Use the Horadric Cube
• Upgrade common white pants into uniques
• Target the pants slot directly

Final Thoughts

Season 13 changed the farming landscape significantly, and many players are still following outdated guides and wasting resources on inefficient bosses.

If you are chasing Arreat’s Bearing, Lord Zir is no longer your best option.

Bartuc, Lord of Chaos, is now the centerpiece of the farm, and understanding the new loot structure can save countless hours of grinding while dramatically improving your chances at landing one of the strongest Barbarian uniques currently available in Diablo IV.