What You'll Learn

This guide explains the full process for unlocking the torch in Diablo 4, from collecting the three Prime Evil splinters to tracking down Deckard Cain's journals and clearing the final Uber encounter. If you want a clean step-by-step route, better preparation for the boss fight, and a smoother way to manage your farming time and gear and upgrade costs, this walkthrough covers the full loop.

How the Torch Unlock Works

The torch unlock has two main requirements. First, you need one of each Prime Evil splinter: Splinter of Destruction, Splinter of Terror, and Splinter of Hatred. Second, you need to find all 10 of Cain's journals scattered across the base game regions of Sanctuary.

These steps do not need to be completed in a strict order, so the most efficient approach is usually to work on both at the same time. Farm endgame content for splinter chances, then sweep journal locations when you want a break from combat-heavy runs.

Once you have one of each splinter, place them in the cube and transmute them into Wirt's Lucky Coins. After you finish the journal objective, a follow-up quest appears at the Imperial Library. That leads to Cain's memory, Old Tristram, the wishing fountain, and finally the Uber portal.

Step 1: How to Get the Three Splinters

Farm the Prime Evils on High Torment

The most direct method is farming the relevant Prime Evil bosses on Torment 10. These fights are scaled higher, effectively pushing the challenge well beyond a normal baseline and making them feel closer to a much harder monster power bracket. That means better rewards overall, but it also means the splinter grind can be inconsistent if random drops are not cooperating.

Each of the three bosses can drop its associated splinter:

• Splinter of Destruction
• Splinter of Terror
• Splinter of Hatred

This is the more skill-and-gear-dependent route, but it has one big advantage: even when splinters do not drop, you are still collecting loot, crafting materials, and other useful resources for your build. For players already pushing difficult content, this is often the best use of time.

Use Seasonal Reputation Caches

The easier alternative is to progress the seasonal reputation board and open its reward caches. Splinters can appear there as well, and this method is appealing because it lets you farm almost any seasonal content instead of repeating one specific boss over and over.

The exact cache that drops a splinter can vary, and the rewards remain partially RNG-driven, but this route is excellent for players who want broader progression. It also keeps your farming session productive if you still need seasonal rewards, boss materials, or general Diablo 4 endgame gold for upgrades and rerolls.

Even after the main reputation track is finished, repeatable or infinite-style cache rewards can still provide more chances. That makes reputation farming a viable backup plan if direct boss drops are not going your way.

Group farming is generally better if your goal is efficiency. More players usually means faster clears, more consistent runs, and stronger overall loot flow. If the event rules in your current season favor party scaling, it can also improve your effective splinter farming pace.

Solo play is still perfectly viable, especially if your build is already stable and you prefer full control over pacing. Just be aware that this event can become a time sink when RNG is cold, so a stronger economy for repairs, rerolls, and consumables helps. That is one of the few places where a healthy build experimentation budget matters as much as raw damage output.

Step 2: Transmute the Splinters into Wirt’s Lucky Coins

Once you have one of each splinter, place all three in the cube and transmute them. The result is Wirt's Lucky Coins, which are required for the final fountain interaction in Old Tristram.

Do not misplace them, salvage them by mistake, or leave them behind before heading into the final sequence. They are the key item that turns all of your prep work into access to the Uber portal.

Step 3: Find All 10 Cain Journals

The journal hunt is much faster than the splinter grind. Most players can finish it in roughly 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how quickly they move between locations and whether they stop to listen to each entry.

There are 10 journals total, and they are all found in the base game areas of Sanctuary. That means you do not need expansion content to complete this step. As you get close to a journal, a small teal marker appears on the minimap, making the final approach easy once you are in the correct area.

You do not have to collect them in order, but they form a chronological story about Deckard Cain's travels. The lore itself is a nice bonus, and because the entries are short, they never slow the route down for long.

Why the Journals Matter

After all 10 journals are collected, a quest appears at the Imperial Library. This triggers the next phase of the event and gives you access to Cain's memory. In practical terms, the journals are the account progression gate that proves you have finished the exploration side of the unlock.

The good news is that this part does not need to be repeated every time you want another torch. Once the journals are done, future attempts only require farming the splinters again.

Step 4: Go to the Imperial Library and Enter Cain’s Memory

With all journals completed, head to the Imperial Library and speak with Cain. He opens a dark blue portal leading to Cain's Memory. Inside, you enter a version of Old Tristram, which is the final staging area before the Uber battle.

Move down into the village and find the fountain. Make sure Wirt's Lucky Coins are in your inventory before interacting with it. This is the moment that consumes your setup and opens the red portal to the boss encounter.

Before you click, double-check gear durability, consumables, skill setup, and inventory space. If you are still rerolling key affixes or replacing weak pieces, it is worth finishing that first. Events like this can become expensive between repairs and tuning, which is why players often keep extra Diablo 4 gold for upgrading gear and reset costs during seasonal progression.

The final fight is the real test. The portal opens after the fountain wish, and the encounter is not something you want to enter undergeared. If you leave incorrectly, you can lose the attempt, so treat this like a committed run.

Important Portal Rules

• If you exit the game, you cannot simply return and continue the same attempt.
• If you take the red portal out of the encounter, you may lose access.
• If you need to repair or reset briefly, use your town portal carefully and return through your own portal rather than abandoning the instance.

The safest approach is to go in fully prepared so you do not need to leave at all.

Core Fight Mechanics

The encounter features multiple Prime Evils at once, and the biggest mistake is tunneling one target too hard while ignoring the others. Try to keep their health totals relatively even. If you burn one down too early, the fight can spiral when revives or overlapping mechanics start to punish your positioning.

Many players find Diablo to be the most threatening part of the trio, especially when pressure builds and the arena fills with hazards. Watch the floor constantly during longer attempts.

One of the most dangerous patterns is the shared triangle laser setup. When the bosses begin to align for this, the safest place is often in the middle of the formation rather than far outside it. Recognizing that pattern quickly can save the run.

Recommended Preparation

• Bring enough damage to finish all three bosses close together.
• Prioritize survivability if your build is fragile, especially mobility, mitigation, and sustain.
• Keep the arena readable by avoiding overcommitting during cluttered phases.
• Save burst windows for moments when all three health bars can be equalized.
• Repair before entering so you do not risk an awkward exit.

If your build is still in the middle of optimization, this is one of those fights where extra rerolls and upgrades can make a larger difference than another hour of practice. Players often underestimate how quickly crafting and enchantment costs stack up, which is why some maintain extra Diablo 4 gold for rerolling affixes before taking on event bosses.

Can You Do the Uber Fight in a Group?

Yes, and grouping is one of the best ways to farm torches efficiently. Only one player needs to make the wish to open the portal, and everyone in the group can receive a torch from the clear. If every player brings a full set of coins, you can repeat the process back-to-back and chain multiple torch attempts in one session.

This makes coordinated groups much more efficient than solo repetition, especially if all players are strong enough to keep the boss health bars synchronized. It is one of the cleanest ways to reduce downtime and stretch your farming materials further.

Yes. The full torch reward can be farmed repeatedly. After your first completion, you do not need to redo the journal hunt. Future attempts only require another set of the three splinters, which means the repeat loop is much shorter.

That also means you can keep farming for better rolls if your first torch is mediocre. As with most repeatable endgame grinds, the real bottleneck becomes time, consistency, and the cost of keeping your character tuned for difficult content. For players balancing several builds or alts, maintaining enough Diablo 4 gold for seasonal builds and repairs can help keep the farm comfortable instead of frustrating.

Best Order for Efficient Farming

If you want the cleanest route, use this order:

Start with seasonal content and high-value endgame activities that can award reputation caches. This gives you a broad chance at splinters while also feeding your normal character progression.

Once you need a break from combat, sweep all 10 journal locations in one short session.

If you still lack one or more splinters, switch to targeted Prime Evil farming on high Torment until the set is complete.

Transmute the splinters, visit the Imperial Library, enter Old Tristram, make the wish, and run the Uber fight.

This route minimizes wasted time and keeps every session useful, whether you are after event progress, loot, or simply more efficient D4 gold farm value from the content you are already clearing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Entering the Uber fight before your build is ready.
• Forgetting to bring Wirt's Lucky Coins to the fountain.
• Leaving the encounter the wrong way and losing the attempt.
• Focusing one boss too hard instead of balancing all three.
• Ignoring floor effects during long phases.
• Assuming journal completion has to be repeated on every farm.

Avoiding these errors is often more important than squeezing out a little more damage. Clean execution saves more runs than greed.

Final Thoughts

The torch unlock is a satisfying mix of endgame farming, exploration, and a high-pressure boss finish. The longest part is collecting the three splinters, especially if drops are unkind, but the rest of the process is straightforward once you know the sequence: farm splinters, collect journals, transmute the materials, enter Old Tristram, make the wish, and defeat the Uber trio.

If you are already active in seasonal content, this is a good side goal to pair with your normal progression. It rewards strong preparation, smart grouping, and careful boss pacing. And because the journal step is permanent, repeat attempts become much more manageable once the first clear is done.

FAQ

No. The journals are all in the base game regions, so the unlock can be completed without expansion content.

What is the fastest way to get splinters?

For many players, group farming high Torment bosses is the fastest direct route. Seasonal reputation caches are the best passive alternative.

Do I have to collect Cain’s journals every time?

No. You only need to finish the 10-journal objective once. Future torch runs only require a new set of splinters.

What is the hardest mechanic in the Uber fight?

The shared triangle laser pattern is one of the most dangerous. Getting into the middle quickly is often the safest response.

Should I do this event before finishing my build?

Usually no. It is better to enter with stable defenses, enough damage, and enough resources for repairs, upgrades, and item tuning.