Diablo IV: How to Get and Use Ancestral Oath

 

Diablo IV is filled with powerful legendary and unique items that can drastically enhance your character's effectiveness and alter your entire build approach. Among the more coveted pieces for certain classes—particularly Druids and Barbarians—is the Ancestral Oath. This potent item isn't just a stat booster; it's a build-defining tool that can turn an average character into Diablo IV Items a formidable force in both PvE and PvP content.

In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about the Ancestral Oath—including how to get it, the best places to farm it, drop mechanics, and how to use it effectively across different builds.

What Is the Ancestral Oath?

Ancestral Oath is a Unique Two-Handed Weapon (typically an axe or polearm) that drops in World Tier 3 or World Tier 4 content. Its primary strength lies in boosting ancestral powers, a category of class-based modifiers or procs that scale with item level and gear synergy.

Core Attributes of the Ancestral Oath:

High base damage for a two-handed weapon

Adds bonuses to ancestral affixes

Increases critical strike chance and critical strike damage

Grants unique passive effects, such as increasing the chance for ancestral skill effects to trigger or doubling their potency

Often includes bonuses to Fortify, Overpower, or Spirit Generation (Druid) depending on the drop

Because of its scaling properties and synergy with many core builds, the Ancestral Oath is especially valuable for players pushing Nightmare Dungeons, endgame Helltides, or PvP zones like the Fields of Hatred.

How to Get Ancestral Oath in Diablo IV

Obtaining the Ancestral Oath depends on reaching higher world tiers and engaging with endgame content. Here's a step-by-step path to acquiring it.

1. Unlock World Tier 3 and World Tier 4

You'll need to be in World Tier 3: Nightmare or World Tier 4: Torment for Ancestral gear to even begin dropping. Here's how to unlock these tiers:

World Tier 3: Complete the Cathedral of Light Capstone Dungeon in Kyovashad on World Tier 2 (Veteran) at around Level 50

World Tier 4: Complete the Fallen Temple Capstone Dungeon in the Dry Steppes, recommended for Level 70+

Once you've unlocked these tiers, you'll have access to Ancestral-tier loot, which includes the Ancestral Oath.

2. Best Content to Farm for Ancestral Oath

The Ancestral Oath is a random unique drop from any eligible loot source in the right world tier. However, some content types have higher drop rates for Uniques, making them ideal farming targets:

a. Nightmare Dungeons

Nightmare Dungeons offer elite density and bosses with high loot drop rates

Look for dungeons with "Increased chance to drop 2H weapons"affixes if they appear

b. World Bosses

These massive global events occur every 6 hours or so and have an increased chance of dropping uniques

World Boss caches from Season Journeys or Tree of Whispers turn-ins also have a high chance to reward uniques

c. Helltide Events

During Helltides in World Tier 3 and 4, you can open Mysterious Chests (Tortured Gifts of Weaponry) for 250 Aberrant Cinders

These chests have a high chance to drop powerful weapons, including uniques like Ancestral Oath

d. The Tree of Whispers

Completing Whispers gives you Grim Favors, which can be traded for loot caches at the Tree

Prioritize Weapon Caches or Druid Class Caches (if available) for a chance at targeted drops

3. Target Farming Tips

Equip gear with Increased Item Drop Chance, +Magic Find, or use Elixirs for higher drop quality

Use Seasonal Powers (if in a Seasonal Realm) that increase Unique drop rate or boost boss drops

Reset dungeons with high elite packs for efficient Nightmare Dungeon farming

How to Use Ancestral Oath in Builds

Depending on your class, Ancestral Oath can synergize with various skills and passives:

Druid Build Synergy

Storm Claw Druid or Werewolf Shred Druid builds benefit greatly from Ancestral Oath when the item enhances critical strike damage, attack speed, or resource generation.

Boosts the uptime of Shred and Claw

Critical strike enhancements pair well with Raging Shred

Fortify and Spirit generation allow you to stay in the fight longer

Companion Druids can also use this item if it rolls with +Companion Skill Damage or +Ancestral Bond, making it ideal for minion-focused builds.

Barbarian Build Synergy

Bleed Barbarian or Rend/Thorns Barbarian builds can use Ancestral Oath effectively due to its high base damage and chance-based proc synergy.

Enhance Thorns builds if it rolls with Overpower Chance

Works with Walking Arsenal or Unconstrained passives

Combine with Rupture, Iron Maelstrom, or Steel Grasp to capitalize on high crit scaling

Stat Priority When Using Ancestral Oath

Critical Strike Chance / Damage

Strength or Willpower, depending on class

Core Skill Damage (Shred, Rend, etc.)

Overpower Damage (especially for tanky builds)

Lucky Hit Chance (for builds relying on procs or affixes)

Is Ancestral Oath Worth Using in Endgame?

Yes—if you get a good roll.

Because Ancestral Oath scales heavily with build synergies and item affixes, its power grows as your gear improves. In Season 9 and beyond, builds that focus on proccing effects, maximizing Fortify, or high crit rotation will benefit the most from this item.

However, if your build relies heavily on one-handed weapons or specific aspect interactions from other D4 materials, you might want to prioritize flexibility over raw two-handed power.

Conclusion

The Ancestral Oath is one of those game-changing uniques in Diablo IV that opens the door to new builds and power ceilings. Whether you're a Druid tearing through Nightmare Dungeons with a crit-heavy Werewolf build or a Barbarian smashing through Helltides with raw physical force, Ancestral Oath can be the cornerstone of your setup.

To get it, make sure you're in the right world tier, target content with high Unique drop rates, and leverage every possible drop bonus from events, dungeons, and world bosses. Once you secure one with strong rolls, your build potential will increase exponentially.

Happy hunting, and may the RNG gods bless your grind.