How to get Staff of Herding in Diablo 3: Explained

Diablo 3 has played host to several different unique items that are lore-friendly and expand upon the events of Diablo 2. One of these items is the Staff of Herding, a unique staff that, on its own, does not seem very impressive. With a base damage of 3.5 per hit, it doesn’t seem like the best item to use in any build. But the item has a different purpose in the game.

Before we get to what the purpose of the Staff of Herding is, we will first need to know how to get it. Unlike most other unique items in Diablo 3, the process of acquiring this staff is not as straightforward as it normally is.

How do you get the Staff of Herding in Diablo 3?

Acquiring the Staff of Herding requires you to meet a few specific requirements. Unlike other unique items, you have to craft this item using specific components. First off, you will need the Plan: Staff of Herding item, which is a blueprint required to craft the Staff of Herding itself. The plan can be found by defeating Izual in Act Four, however, it is a random drop so you will have to be lucky to get it.

Once you get the plan, give it to the Blacksmith. After this, you will have to get a collection of five different items from across the game’s various acts. Two of them can be acquired in Act One, two of them in Act Two, and the last item can be acquired in Act Three. These are the items needed and where you can find them in their respective acts.

• Black Mushroom — This item can be found in Act One, specifically during the third main quest titled “A Shattered Crown” if you are playing through the campaign. To find the item, head on to the Tristram Cathedral level one and search the area to find a specific kind of room. This room should be in the shape of a square with two entry points.
  The Black Mushroom itself has a random spawn location because the room can spawn in any location in the Cathedral. Look around to find it and you should get the Black Mushroom.
• Leoric’s Shinbone — This is the other item you can find in Act One. During the ninth main quest titled “The Imprisoned Angel,” you will have to trudge through Leoric’s Manor. Keep exploring the manor till you find the waypoint in the area. From the waypoint, take the route south till you reach a crossroad.
  Take the eastern route on the crossroad to get to a small room with a fireplace in it. Search the fireplace for the Burnt Logs item. Clicking on it will grant you Leoric’s Shinbone. If the Burnt Logs haven’t spawned, you should reset the game and try again till they do.
• Wirt’s Bell — This is one of the two items that require you to get to Act Two. Once you reach the Caldeum outpost in Act Two, make your way to Squirt, the peddler in the region. Peruse through his inventory till you find Wirt’s Bell and purchase it. Ensure you have enough gold because the item costs 100,000, which might be expensive in the game’s early stages.
• Liquid Rainbow — This is the other item in Act Two. First, head to the Dahlgur Oasis and search for the NPC named Zaven the Alchemist. He doesn’t always spawn here, so reload the game if you don’t find him. Once you do, save him from death and he will help you unlock the Mysterious Cave region in the area.
  Inside this cave, you have a chance to find the Mysterious Chest. This chest is a random spawn as well, so reload if necessary. Once you find it, open it to get the Liquid Rainbow.
• The Gibbering Gemstone — The final item required to craft the Staff of Herding can be found when you get to Act Three. The Gibbering Gemstone is found in the Caverns of Frost region on the Fields of Slaughter. The Caverns of Frost is a random spawn dungeon on the Fields of Slaughter, so reload the game if another dungeon, like Icefall Caves, spawns in the area.
  When you’re in the Caverns of Frost, search for a Lacuni named Chiltara. Defeating Chiltara has a chance to drop the Gibbering Gemstone, and if not, you will have to reload the game again.

One major thing to remember here is that if you’re playing on the console version of Diablo 3, the process of acquiring the Staff of Herding is much easier. For one, the price of crafting reduces to 5,000 gold. Secondly, the items required to craft the Staff only consist of the Black Mushroom, Leoric’s Shinbone, and the Gibbering Gemstone.

Related: What is Passability in Diablo 3? Explained

Now that you have the Staff of Herding, it is time to talk about its purpose.

What do you do with the Staff of Herding?

The Staff of Herding is required to access the hidden location of Whimsyshire. This location is an Easter egg in the Diablo series, very similar to the Secret Cow Level of Diablo 2. The aesthetics of this level are completely opposite, however, with a more technicolor, cheerful theme to it, at least on the outside.

Whimsyshire is full of dangerous beasts that will attack you on sight. This place is full of treasure, so make sure you clear everything while you’re here. To access the location, head to New Tristram with your Staff of Herding and teleport to the Old Ruins waypoint. Once you’re here, follow the path upwards till you get to the quest icon.

In this location, you will encounter the Cow King’s Grave and the Ghost of the Cow King. After his death in Diablo 2, he makes his return in spirit form and will recognize the Staff of Herding you have. After a brief conversation, the Ghost of the Cow King will open up the portal to Whimsyshire and you should be able to access it.

Crafting the Staff of Herding is quite straightforward, but finding the plan itself might not always be so.

What is the drop rate for the Staff of Herding plan?

As mentioned earlier, to craft the Staff of Herding itself, you will first need to get the Plan: Staff of Herding item. The drop rate for this item varies depending on a few factors, but one thing is certain, it always drops from one specific story boss.

One of the Act Four bosses, Izual, who players might remember from Diablo 2, makes his return in Diablo 3 as a fallen angel and former lieutenant of the Archangel Tyrael. To find this boss, you will have to make it to the Gates of Heaven first.

Once you get here, go through the Crystal Colonnade and make your way to the Gateway of the Silver Spire, which looks like a giant archway. Head through here and you will enter the first level of the Silver Spire. Going forward, you will eventually reach The Great Span and encounter Izual himself. Be prepared for a long fight.

Defeating him in Diablo 3 is just as tiresome as it was in the previous game because he has a large health pool and high damage for this stage of the game. Persevere and defeat him for a chance to get the Plan: Staff of Herding drop. The chances of getting this drop are highly dependent on your magic find rate, so the higher it is, the better the chances of finding the plan.

Unlike the older versions of Diablo 3, the Staff of Herding is now considered a Legendary weapon, and as such, there is only one version of it that can be used across all difficulties. Now that you know how to get and use it, one last question must be answered.

Is the Staff of Herding one-time use?

The short answer to this is no. Once you craft the Staff of Herding, you can use it as many times as you want to access Whimsyshire and plunder its riches. At one point in time, you had to upgrade your Staff of Herding to use it on higher difficulty levels, back when Diablo 3 had four difficulty levels. But as of today, the game has 16 different Torment difficulty levels so that is no longer the case.

Now, as long as you craft the item once and carry it in your inventory, all you have to do is go back and talk to the Ghost of the Cow King to access Whimsyshire. Each time you reset the game, you can talk to Ghost of the Cow King again to open a new portal to Whimsyshire that will reset the location and grant you fresh rewards once more.

For best results, we recommend running multiple rounds of Whimsyshire with a group of friends or a full party of players to ensure maximum rewards. The more players you have, the more drops you will gain, while the higher the difficulty level, the better your quality of rewards will be. Your magic find rate will also influence these rewards so get it as high as it can go without affecting your damage.