Why This Method is King

Guaranteed Rune Drops (Attunement Rank 1+)
Scales with Diablo 4 Items Tribute Power (better attunement = better Rune quality)
Synergizes with other content (you'll naturally earn Tributes by running Nightmare content anyway)
Highly repeatable (zero downtime if you manage your Tribute supply)

Tribute of Harmony Explained

The Tribute of Harmony is the engine behind this farming loop. It's a rare consumable that drops from Nightmare Dungeons and Escalating Nightmares, especially at higher tiers.

When activated in the Kurast Undercity, the tribute modifies the dungeon with a mix of bonuses and penalties:

Rewards Upgrade: Guaranteed Rune drops at Attunement Rank 1+
Starting Timer: 75 seconds
Time Bonus Penalty: -25%
Potion Drop Penalty: -30%

This design forces efficient play. The penalties increase difficulty, but the reward-guaranteed Runes are worth the tradeoff.

The higher your Attunement Rank during the run, the rarer and more numerous the Runes you'll walk away with.

Farming Strategy Loop

To maximize Rune income, follow this 5-step cycle:

1. Farm Nightmare Dungeons (Tier 31+)

Focus on fast clears to build up Tribute of Harmony drops.
Escalating Nightmares have the best drop rates.

2. Collect Tributes of Harmony

Stockpile at least 5-10 before heading to the Undercity for efficiency.

3. Enter Kurast Undercity

Apply one Tribute of Harmony before each run.

4. Speedrun the Dungeon

Push for the highest Attunement possible to increase Rune quality.
Bring AoE-heavy builds that can wipe mobs quickly.

5. Collect Runes and Repeat

Re-enter with more Tributes.
Funnel Runes directly into buy Diablo 4 Items Mythic crafting or save them for high-end rune-words.