Sigil Powder is the key to crafting and upgrading Nightmare Sigils in Diablo 4, but getting it isn’t as straightforward as slaying demons. Here’s how to farm this rare crafting material and make the most of every Sigil you find.
Where to get Sigil Powder
Visit the Occultist to salvage Nightmare Sigils and Infernal Compasses for Sigil Powder. Complete Nightmare Dungeons to obtain these items as rewards or loot from enemies. Participate in world events after level 15 or open Whisper Caches for additional sources.
Before worrying about Sigil Powder at all, you need to unlock Nightmare Sigil crafting and higher tier Nightmare Dungeons.
Once you’ve fully unlocked the capabilities of The Occultist in town, you’ll notice a “Salvage Sigils” button on their menu. Click on it and you’ll be able to dismantle any Nightmare Sigils that you don’t want. Doing so will net you some Sigil Powder – the amount is based on how high a tier the original Nightmare Sigil was.
As for which Nightmare Sigils you should dismantle, consider ones with an undesirable Tier Level (Sigils that are too high or too low are good candidates) or Affixes that are annoying for your build to handle. If you need more Nightmare Sigils to dismantle, simply run some Nightmare Dungeons and you’ll come back to town with more.
What to spend Sigil Powder
Sigil Powder serves as the primary currency for acquiring new Nightmare Sigils from the Occultist in towns. You can exchange it for Nightmare Sigils of various tiers, allowing you to target specific dungeon difficulties and affixes that match your character’s build and progression goals. The powder also lets you craft higher-tier Sigils as you advance through the endgame, providing access to more challenging content with better rewards. Since Nightmare Sigils are consumable and disappear after completing their associated dungeons, maintaining a steady supply of Sigil Powder ensures you always have access to endgame content without relying solely on random drops from Whispers or other sources.
Once you have a fistful of Sigil Powder, you can select the other Sigil Powder-based menu for The Occultist: Craft Sigils.
The Occultist will craft Nightmare Sigils in either five or 10 Tier groups. The first 20 Tiers are Sacred Nightmare Sigils, and are best for World Tier 3 players. Tiers 21-100 are Ancestral and ideal for World Tier 4 and endgame players.
The higher the Tier you’re looking to craft, the more expensive it will be. A Tier 1-5 Nightmare Sigil only costs three Sigil Powder, for example, while Tier 91-100 Nightmare Sigils will run you 450 Sigil Powder a pop.
Best way to farm Nightmare Sigils for salvaging
Nightmare Sigils drop reliably from endgame activities in Diablo 4, making them ideal for quick salvaging into Sigil Powder at the Occultist.
Top Farming Methods
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Run high-tier Chaos Rifts, which spawn randomly between Helltides and Infernal Hordes (or in Nightmare Dungeons with the Chaos Rifts affix); they offer strong Nightmare Sigil rewards as of Season 10+.
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Clear Nightmare Dungeons you can complete fast-monsters drop sigils of equal or higher tiers, so push your limits for volume; partial clears with resets (e.g., exit after trash packs, wait 2:30, re-enter) boost efficiency.
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Complete Whispers of the Dead bounties and turn in Grim Favors at the Tree of Whispers for caches that drop sigils scaled to your highest cleared tier.
Salvaging Loop for Efficiency
Craft unwanted sigils in your target tier range using powder from prior salvages, then immediately salvage them for net powder gain to sustain the cycle-especially effective once Occultist crafting is unlocked post-Tier 3+ dungeon.
Advanced Loops (Season 11+)
Farm materials like Living Steel from Helltide chests to summon bosses (e.g., Duriel via Shards of Agony), salvage boss drops for powder, craft more sigils, and repeat for self-sustaining high-volume Nightmare Sigils including uniques like Mythic Prankster.
Best Chaos Rift locations for high sigil drops
Chaos Rifts in Diablo 4 Season 10+ offer high Nightmare Sigil drops, especially those with the Chaos Rift affix on sigils, and spawn most reliably in specific endgame zones.
Prime Locations
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Nightmare Dungeons with Chaos Rift affix: These generate multiple rifts inside (zoom out map on entry to spot clusters near boss); clear rifts for sigils while farming rep and materials-most concentrated source.
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Helltides: Rifts appear frequently across the zone (visible on map); summon Blood Maidens for Aberrant Cinders to open chests, which drop Chaos Rift sigils reliably (10-20 per full run).
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Between Helltides/Infernal Hordes: Random spawns in open world, but less predictable; prioritize Torment III for efficiency without excessive deaths.
Maximizing High Sigil Drops
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Farm Helltide chests first (Urn of Chaos Nightmares boosts sigil odds), stockpile sigils, then chain Nightmare Dungeons to spawn 5 rifts each for loops.
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Target Rare/Mythic Rifts (yellow/orange icons, Torment-only for Mythics) for top rewards, but disable crossplay to reduce player competition.
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Disable crossplay and roam solo instances for uncontested clears; partial dungeon resets sustain sigil flow.
