Diablo 4’s Lord of Hatred expansion introduced Warlock’s unique 2H sword, Anathema of the Primes. While seemingly simple, this sword fundamentally changes how Warlock Archfiend Demonforms function.
If you’re building around this form, this weapon is essential. This article, brought to you by IGGM, provides all the information on obtaining and using Anathema of the Primes in Diablo 4.
Anathema of the Primes Effects
Anathema of the Primes is a unique 2H sword that can be equipped by Warlock class. It’s a crucial tool for dealing damage to various enemies, bosses, and other players in combat. This weapon plays a vital role in enhancing a character’s combat abilities and overall strength, allowing players to more effectively tackle various challenges in the game.
When equipped, when your core abilities hit an enemy, the damage taken is increased by 30%, stacking up to 90%. Furthermore, all Archfiend Demonform Skill Variants are reclassified as core abilities and consume Wrath instead of Dominance.
This second point is what truly makes Anathema of the Primes a key to build, not just a stat-boosting weapon. Each Demonform variant you activate stacks damage amplification, and the resource conversion from Dominance to Wrath completely changes your skill rotation. You no longer need to manage two separate resource pools for your most important skills.
How to farm?
According to IGGM, there are currently four ways to obtain this weapon. Each method requires a different amount of time and has a different degree of randomness. Let’s take a look.
Farming Andariel at Hanged Man’s Hall (best method)
Andariel is the only boss that specifically drops Anathema of the Primes. She is located in Hanged Man’s Hall and requires a Greater Lair Key to open her chest.
So, first, you need to obtain Greater Lair Keys by defeating low-level Lair Bosses. Lord Zir, Grigoire, and Beast in Ice all have a chance to drop Greater Lair Keys when you open their chests.
Note that Greater Lair Keys are extremely rare at lower Torment levels. The drop rate increases from Torment 6 onwards, but it remains low. Therefore, don’t expect to consistently obtain Greater Lair Keys at Torment 6 or lower.
Generally, the higher Torment level, the higher the key drop rate. You need to manage your key farming attempts wisely and treat each Andariel challenge as an extra reward, not a guaranteed one.
If you’ve spent a lot of time and effort without obtaining a key, you can directly buy Diablo 4 Greater Lair Keys from IGGM.com. This provides the fastest and safest way to acquire them, saving you from further struggle.
Craft it with Horadric Cube (guaranteed)
In addition, Horadric Cube provides a guaranteed path to Anathema of the Primes. This recipe requires:
- A Common 2H Sword
- 1 Enhanced Primordial Dust
- 1 Raw Primordial Dust
Using these materials with Upgrade function on Horadric Cube will grant you Anathema of the Primes; there is no randomness involved. Raw Primordial Dust is almost ubiquitous. Enhanced Primordial Dust might be slightly harder to obtain, but it’s not as rare as a Greater Lair Key.
Gamble at Purveyor of Curiosity
Gambling at Purveyor of Curiosity in Diablo 4, spending Murmuring Obols, can yield a random weapon with attributes ranging from Magic to Mythic Unique. Anathema of the Primes might appear here, but the chance is extremely low.
Therefore, IGGM believes a more efficient approach is to collect Common 2H Swords cheaply at Purveyor of Curiosity and then use them in Horadric Cube recipe mentioned above.
General World Drops
Like other unique items, Anathema of the Primes can drop from enemies and chests in the open world. Participating in Gathering Legions events, killing World Bosses, and running Nightmare Dungeons increases the drop rate.
Meanwhile, Helltide Events are also worth paying attention to, as chests may contain Diablo 4 items for sale. Although they refresh hourly and aren’t ideal for concentrated farming, they’re worth trying if you’re already in Helltide.
Related Builds
This weapon opens up several builds for Warlock. Two builds stand out in particular.
Demonic Smash Rampage Build
This build combines Anathema of the Primes with Lurid Pact. Lurid Pact is a unique ring that significantly increases Berserk damage and expands its area of effect with each enemy kill. The final effect is similar to the Leap Barbarian. When using this combination to deal with dense Helltide mobs, Lurid Pact’s area damage becomes very powerful after three to four hits.
Sin Demon build with Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis route is another common choice for players in Diablo 4, and community feedback indicates it performs well. However, there is currently more extensive testing data for Demonic Smash Rampage build. IGGM also recommends this as the first build for new players.
In short, using Core Skills and no Demonform variants wastes most of the potential of Anathema of the Primes. The damage amplification stacking mechanism is designed to reward players for cycling through multiple Demonform variants, rather than repeatedly using the same skill.
This concludes IGGM’s coverage of Anathema of the Primes, a new weapon introduced in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred expansion. We hope this helps you improve in the game and create a better build.
