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Group Experience META

Last Updated:July 8, 2024|Change Log

General Strategy

In this article, we talk about the 4-Player most effective tactic available (META) for experience (exp) farming. The only real way to farm experience efficiently is in groups:

Group experience META's for Greater Rifts generally include great synergies that exceed normal support buffs.

150 Group META Runs

With the high powercreep over the years players can crush high Greater Rifts with ease. We recommend running the standard 4-Player Push META and farm Greater Rifts 150 to get experience. Each completed Rift grants around 1.150 trillion experience with permanent Pools from Mirror. Coordinated groups can run these in just a few minutes, resulting in insane experience per hour!

General Strategy

In an effective 4-Player group META, every party member has a defined role with different tasks. Here is an overview of the 4 roles usually played and tasks each role is best at:

Trash Killer
Nova Necro, Natalya DH, Meteor Wiz, Scythe Necro

This position usually requires a build with good Area of Effect (AoE) damage like Death Nova or Meteor and huge temporary buffs like Arcane Attunement, Spellsteal, Assimilation etc. The main task is executing the damage rotation properly in order to progress through the Rift. With a double-support setup, the build must also be powerful enough to finish off the Rift Guardian by equipping Bane of the Stricken.

Rift Guardian Killer
Rathma Necro, Corpse Spider WD, Invoker Sader, Impale DH

The RGK requires a build that revolves around high single-target damage, often combined with fast attack speed skills to stack Bane of the Stricken.

Main Support
zBarb, zDH, zMonk

The main Support role requires good pull abilities, good overall damage & toughness boost. The main task here is to pull monsters together (for Area Damage value) for the Trash Killer, drag Elite packs along, scout the map and keep up damage & toughness buffs.

Secondary Support
zDH, zMonk, zNec

The second Support usually provides even more toughness and damage buffs to the group. The main task here is often very simple: Keep up all buffs while sticking close to the damage dealer. Sometimes the second Support also helps to scout the map and engage enemies.

In double support setups, the most played choices are zBarb and zDH for a strong combination of pulling ability & damage, toughness and utility buffs. Without a Barbarian in the group, a zMonk with Cyclone Strike or a zDH with Natalya's Vengeance (4) Bonus can be used to pull enemies together.

Low GR Speedruns

Instead of running a coordinated high-end team, you can also combine fast low GR speedfarming builds with a support or two and just rush through GRs in 1-2min.

Rat Runs

This is the most figured out META, traditionally consisting of 2 LoD Mage Necromancers as Damage Dealers, a zNec and a zBarb. The runs are extremely fast and while it might not be the best EXP/hour it will clear way more rifts than 150 META runs, which means more loot and gem upgrades. After a long reign in past seasons, Rat Necros have slowly fallen off and can be replaced by other fast moving DPS builds but the general concept and gameplay remains the same.

The zNec leads the group, cursing every monster with Briggs' Wrath and applying the Critical Hit Chance debuffs from Brittle Touch on the enemies. They also freeze everything with Land of the Dead Frozen Lands to proc Krysbin’s Sentence and protect the damage dealers. The zBarb adds buffs, scouts and picks up the Health and Progression Globes as soon as possible! The most important buff to keep up is the crowd control immunity from Ignore Pain Mob Rule. The damage Necromancers stay close to slain enemies to get Essence back from Devouring Aura. Finally, they summon fully powered Skeletal Mage Singularity onto the Elites by hovering the cursor over them for focused damage.

At very high Paragon you can drop the zBarb completely and get a zDH in. That way the Necromancers get even more damage from Odyssey's End and Companion Wolf Companion. The tradeoff is the Necromancers can die very easily now without Ignore Pain and War Cry. This setup is only recommended for very experienced players. For 99% of players, however, we strongly recommend playing with a zBarb.

Alternative Setups

Despite what the name implies, "Rat Runs" don't always have the actual "Rat Necro" (aka LoD Mage Necro) in them. It is possible to mix in some other damage dealers without un-ratting the run. The important part is that you have zNecro in the team and you just mindlessly blast through the rift in under 2 minutes while everything is frozen. If it looks like a Rat Run, swims like a Rat Run and quacks like a Rat Run, then it's probably a Rat Run. Similar group compositions can also be played with other extremely fast moving builds such as:

Create your own META

In the end, there are plenty of ways to farm experience in Diablo 3. You can just group up with some friends and do Speed Great Rifts with almost any class and build. Pick whatever you enjoy!
Here are a few more general tips on how to build your group setup:

  1. Pick 1-2 Supporters
  2. Pick 1-3 Damage Dealers
  3. Create your own setup & have fun!

Historic Group EXP METAs

PatchSeasonMETA
2.6.315 (Boon of the Horadrim)RATS / LoN SB WD / Star Pact Wiz
2.6.416 (Season of Grandeur)Charge Barb / RATS / Bazooka Wiz
2.6.517 (Season of Nightmares)Vyr Wiz / RATS
2.6.618 (Season of Triune)Vyr Wiz / RATS
2.6.719 (Season of Eternal Conflict)WW Rend Barb / RATS / HF Sader
2.6.820 (Season of the Forbidden Archives)RATS / Spirit Barrage WD
2.6.921 (Trials of the Tempests)GoD DH / RATS / 150 LoD PSN Scythe
2.6.1022 (Shadows of the Past + 4th Cube)RATS / BATS
2.7.023 (The Disciples of Sanctuary)RATS / BATS / BIRDS
2.7.124 (Ethereal Memory)GODS / BIRDS / RATS
2.7.225 (Soul Shards)INNA / RATS
2.7.326 (Echoing Nightmare)RATS
2.7.427 (Angelic Crucibles)IMPALE / RATS
2.7.528 (Altar of Rites)Speed 150s / RATS
2.7.629 (Visions of Enmity)None (Paragon was capped at 800)
2.7.730+ (Final Patch)Speed 150s / RATS


As you can see above, there has been one constant META since the Rise of the Necromancer release: Rat Runs! The Legacy of Dreams "Rat" Skeletal Mage Necromancers with their insane clear speed still stand strong and are just slightly behind but provide an excellent transition into high Great Rift Pushing as Bones of Rathma Army of the Dead RGK Necromancer and Grace of Inarius Death Nova Trash Killer Necromancer.

Conclusion

There are plenty of options to farm experience efficiently in groups. Always communicate with your teammates to optimize Greater Rift times, Pool of Reflection uptime and town rotations. The current seasonal theme has probably the biggest impact ever on almost any build in Diablo 3 and certainly on the amount of experience points per hour. If you ever wanted a high Paragon Level this is the Season to do it. Happy farming!

Credits

Updated by wudijo

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