Corrupted Essences Guide | Diablo 4 Corrupted Eye of Belial & Corrupted Claw of Andariel Guide

In Diablo 4 Season 11: Season of Divine Intervention, the Lesser Evils (Azmodan, Belial, Andariel, and Duriel) have invaded Sanctuary, bringing special rare items called Corrupted Essences. Two of the most sought-after are the Corrupted Eye of Belial and the Corrupted Claw of Andariel, which players often shorthand as Diablo 4 Corrupted Eye of Belial and Corrupted Claw of Andariel. These items (along with two others from Duriel and Azmodan) are central to Season 11’s endgame. 

This comprehensive guide covers what these corrupted essences are, how to farm and obtain them, where to use them, required amounts, and tips & tricks to maximize your gains. 

We’ll also list all corrupted essences in Season 11 (including Belial’s Eye, Andariel’s Claw, etc.), and ensure you have every bit of info on these items. Let’s dive into all the “comprehensive fing s*”* about corrupted essences in Diablo 4 Season 11.

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Corrupted Essences are special seasonal items (essentially demonic body parts) dropped by the Lesser Evil bosses in Season 11. Each Lesser Evil has a unique corrupted essence associated with them. They serve two main purposes for players:

• Unlocking “Divine Gifts”: Turning in a corrupted essence to the NPC Hadriel in the Heavenly Forge unlocks powerful Divine Gift bonuses tied to that boss (more on this later). This is part of the seasonal questline progression.
• Opening Bonus Loot Chests (“Lesser Evil Hoards”): After defeating certain bosses or events, special chests (hoards) appear. You spend corrupted essences to open these hoards for extra rewards. Each hoard corresponds to a specific Lesser Evil and requires that boss’s corrupted item (e.g. Belial’s Eye opens Belial’s chest, etc.).

In total there are four corrupted essences in Season 11 – one per Lesser Evil:

• Corrupted Eye of Belial: Dropped by Belial, Lord of Lies (in the Pit of the Artificer).
• Corrupted Claw of Andariel: Dropped by Andariel, Maiden of Anguish (in the Kurast Undercity).
• Corrupted Horn of Duriel: Dropped by Duriel, Lord of Pain (during Helltide invasions).
• Corrupted Tongue of Azmodan: Obtained from hoard chests after defeating Azmodan, Lord of Sin (at Fields of Desecration, near Zarbinzet).

If you’ve heard of “Purified” Essences (e.g. Purified Eye of Belial), note that those are extremely rare versions used for a hidden event and different from the corrupted ones – for this guide we’ll focus on the standard corrupted essences that most players farm.

Corrupted Eye of Belial is the corrupted essence of Belial, and you obtain it by defeating Belial himself during a Season 11 invasion event. Here’s how to farm the Diablo 4 Corrupted Eye of Belial:

• Location & Event: Belial invades The Pit of the Artificer (often just called “the Pit”) in Season 11. The Pit is an endgame dungeon/activity (introduced in Season 4) accessible via a totem in Scosglen. In Season 11, Belial can replace the final Pit boss as part of the Belial Pit Invasion.
• Triggering Belial’s Spawn: To make Belial spawn as the final boss in the Pit, you need to destroy multiple Green Eyes scattered in the dungeon during a run. These eerie green eye objects are corruption nodes – destroying several of them triggers Belial to appear in place of the usual boss at the end of that run. (If you don’t do this, you might get a normal “Pit Boss” instead.)
• Fighting Belial: Belial is a tough fight but any players in the area can join since the Pit of the Artificer is open-world (not a private instance) in Season 11. Make use of crowd-control dodges and avoid his deceptive attacks. If you struggle solo, try to have friends or other players around when you trigger him.
• Obtaining the Eye: When you defeat Belial, there is a chance he will drop the Corrupted Eye of Belial as loot. In practice, this drop is fairly likely if Belial spawns, and many players report getting at least one Eye per kill. (If you’re extremely unlucky it might not drop every time, but in our experience it often drops upon his defeat.)
• Repeat Runs: Belial is not guaranteed to spawn every Pit run – you must actively trigger him by destroying the eyes. So, to farm multiple Eyes of Belial, repeat the Pit runs and be sure to clear those green eyes each time. Once Belial appears and you slay him, collect any dropped Eye of Belial. Remember, you can only hold up to 20 corrupted essences total (all types) at a time – don’t let them cap (see Tips below).

Quick Tip: The Pit of the Artificer can be challenging for your rank. Ensure your build is strong or consider grouping up. The good news is Belial’s invasion is an open-world event, so other players can assist in the fight if they are in the vicinity. Coordination with others can make farming Belial’s Eye faster and safer.

The Corrupted Claw of Andariel drops from Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish, during her invasion event in Season 11. Here’s how to get Diablo 4’s Corrupted Claw of Andariel:

• Location & Event: Andariel invades the Kurast Undercity – a special Season 11 version of the Kurast dungeon area. This is part of the Andariel Kurast Undercity Invasion activity.
• Invasion Mechanics: In the invaded Undercity, Andariel’s presence spawns shadowy “shades” that try to drain your time, and she corrupts Spirit Beacons in the area. (Spirit Beacons likely refer to objectives that you activate in the Undercity event; under Andariel’s influence they become more dangerous but also grant more progression when activated.)
• Finding Andariel: Andariel is not guaranteed to appear on every run of Kurast Undercity. Typically, you need to fully complete the Undercity event (max out the “attunement” or progress, which goes faster thanks to those buffed Spirit Beacons) to have a shot at Andariel spawning as the final boss. She replaces the normal Pit Boss of that dungeon when conditions are met.
• Fighting Andariel: If she appears, prepare for a fight – Andariel has powerful poison attacks and summons minions. However, like Belial, this is in an open scenario, so others can help if they’re running the event too. Dodging her poison spray and clearing her spider adds will be key.
• Obtaining the Claw: Defeating Andariel gives a chance for Corrupted Claw of Andariel to drop. Keep in mind “chance” – it may not drop every single kill, but players report a decent drop rate when she does spawn. You may need to run the Undercity invasion a few times until she appears and then hope for the drop.
• Repeat Runs: Because Andariel doesn’t spawn every time, farming her claw can be a bit RNG-dependent on the spawn. “A few runs may be necessary in order to encounter her,” as noted in one guide. Once she does spawn, kill her and loot any Corrupted Claw of Andariel. Repeat as needed. (If you hit the inventory cap of 20 essences combined, spend some before farming more claws – see Tips below.)

Quick Tip: Focus on completing the Undercity event objectives quickly (use those Spirit Beacons) to maximize the chance that Andariel appears as the final boss. If she doesn’t show up at first, reset and run it again. Bringing a party can help clear the invasion faster – plus you’ll all have a shot at the claw if she spawns.

The Corrupted Horn of Duriel comes from slaying Duriel, Lord of Pain, during Helltide invasions in Season 11. This one requires a bit of setup. Here’s how to farm Diablo 4’s Corrupted Horn of Duriel:

• Location & Event: Duriel invades the regular Helltides in Season 11, effectively replacing the usual Helltide boss (Blood Maiden) with himself as the ultimate foe. The Duriel event is sometimes called the Duriel Helltide Invasion.
• Helltide Mechanics: During a Helltide, as you slay enemies and complete events, the “threat level” increases. When you reach Maximum threat level in a Helltide, special elite monsters called Pangs of Duriel will start spawning. These Pangs are mini-bosses/ambushers tied to Duriel.
• Collect Baneful Hearts: Defeating Pangs of Duriel has a chance to drop Baneful Hearts. These are key items needed to summon Duriel. Baneful Hearts are rare drops, often coming from Helltide Tortured Gift of Mysteries chests (the 75-cinder mystery chests) or possibly the Pangs themselves. You will need two (2) Baneful Hearts to proceed.
• Summoning Duriel (Pained Altar): Once you have at least two Baneful Hearts, find the Pained Altar within the Helltide area (it’s an interactable altar, often at a fixed spot in the zone). Use the two hearts at the altar to summon Duriel. (In Season 11 this summoning works similarly to summoning the Blood Maiden in past seasons, but now it brings out Duriel.)
• Fighting Duriel: Duriel will emerge, and you’ll have to defeat him. He’s a melee powerhouse with deadly charges and poison attacks. Dodge his burrowing and stack poison resistance if possible. Unlike Azmodan (who is considered even harder), Duriel is tough but “nowhere near as difficult as Azmodan,” according to reports. Still, be prepared or bring allies – other players in the Helltide can help fight Duriel since it’s an open-world spawn.
• Obtaining the Horn: Slaying Duriel will drop the Corrupted Horn of Duriel. In fact, many have found the horn is guaranteed on the first kill from a proper summon (and possibly a high drop rate thereafter). One player noted, “I managed to get it on my first attempt, so it could be something that is guaranteed,” when summoning Duriel. Either way, if you beat Duriel, check your loot for the horn.
• Repeat/Alternate Farming: If you need additional Horns (after turning in one for the quest, for example), you may repeat the process – though note the Baneful Hearts are very rare, making repeated summons time-consuming. Duriel can also spawn randomly in Helltide without using the altar, but that’s unreliable. The sure way is using the hearts. As always, be mindful of the 20-essence inventory cap when farming multiple horns.

Quick Tip: Farm Helltides efficiently – focus on events and Mystery chests to find Baneful Hearts. It might take several Helltides to get two hearts due to low drop rates, so plan accordingly. Also, join forces with others in Helltide; if someone summons Duriel, everyone around can share credit and potentially loot a horn, making it beneficial to team up. Don’t forget to pick up any horn drop – it’s easy to miss in the flurry of Helltide loot.

The Corrupted Tongue of Azmodan is a special case. Instead of dropping directly from killing Azmodan, you obtain Azmodan’s Tongue by opening Lesser Evil hoard chests that spawn after defeating Azmodan. This makes it a loot-within-loot situation. Here’s how it works:

• Azmodan’s Return (Fields of Desecration): Azmodan spawns in the Fields of Desecration near Zarbinzet as part of the Azmodan Invasion event for Stygian stone. Uniquely, Azmodan can be fought at any time – he’s essentially a static world boss in that location for Season 11 storyline. (Think of it like a zone event that’s always available).
• Defeating Azmodan (Static Spawn): Engage Azmodan in the Fields of Desecration and defeat him. He’s a very tough boss – likely the most challenging of the four evils, with hard-hitting fire and sin attacks (many consider him harder than Duriel). Bring a strong build or allies. When Azmodan falls, he doesn’t drop his Tongue directly; instead, something special happens: Lesser Evil Hoards appear around the area.
• Lesser Evil Hoards: After Azmodan’s defeat, you will see up to three chests spawn – one for each Lesser Evil (Belial, Andariel, Duriel). These are Belial’s Hoard, Andariel’s Hoard, and Duriel’s Hoard (named after each boss). You can now use your previously collected corrupted essences to open these hoard chests for extra loot. Specifically:
  • Belial’s Hoard requires 5x Corrupted Eye of Belial to open.
  • Andariel’s Hoard requires 5x Corrupted Claw of Andariel to open.
  • Duriel’s Hoard requires 5x Corrupted Horn of Duriel to open.
  • (Each of those costs “five pieces” of the respective essence to unlock the chest’s rewards.)
• Obtaining Azmodan’s Tongue: Any of these Lesser Evil hoard chests has a chance to contain the Corrupted Tongue of Azmodan when opened. In other words, Azmodan’s Tongue is a random drop from the loot chests you open using the other essences. You might get a Tongue from Belial’s chest, or Andariel’s, etc. – it’s RNG. According to one source, “You have a chance of obtaining a Corrupted Tongue of Azmodan by opening any of the Lesser Evil hoards.”. It may take several chests to find one.
• Farming Tongues: Because you need to spend Eyes/Claws/Horns to open hoards in hopes of a Tongue, farming the Tongue effectively means farming the other three essences first. Plan to kill Azmodan multiple times. Each Azmodan kill gives you an opportunity to open up to three hoards (if you have the essences saved up). Save at least 5 of each other essence so you can open all chests in one Azmodan kill for maximum Tongue chances. If you don’t get a Tongue, you’ll need to gather more essences and try again on a subsequent Azmodan kill.
• Azmodan as World Boss: In addition to the always-available spawn, Azmodan can also appear as a timed World Boss in the regular world boss rotation. When he spawns as a world boss (announced on the map, on a schedule), defeating him will allow you to open Azmodan’s own Hoard chest. The Azmodan’s Hoard (his personal chest) appears on world boss defeat and is opened by using Corrupted Tongues of Azmodan you’ve collected. This is basically the end-goal of collecting tongues: you turn them in for loot.
• Using Tongues on Azmodan’s Hoard: Unlike the other chests, Azmodan’s Hoard has no minimum number of tongues required – you can open it with 1 or with 20, etc., and it will consume ALL the Tongues you have when you open it. The more tongues you stockpile, the bigger the payout when you finally open his hoard. It’s wise to gather several before using them on Azmodan’s chest for a large reward burst.

Quick Tip: Treat Azmodan’s static fight as a “loot event” – come prepared with as many Eyes, Claws, and Horns as possible so you can open all the hoards when he dies, maximizing your shot at a Tongue. Also note that Corrupted Tongue of Azmodan is rarer than the other essences (since it’s essentially one step removed in the loot chain). Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a Tongue every Azmodan kill; just keep farming the other bosses and opening those chests. Once you do have a few tongues, wait for Azmodan’s world boss spawn to cash them in for his hoard loot. (More on usage next.)

Now that you know how to get them, what do you do with Corrupted Eyes, Claws, Horns, and Tongues once you have them? There are two primary uses: opening Lesser Evil Hoard chests for loot, and unlocking Divine Gifts (seasonal powers).

• Opening Lesser Evil Hoards (Bonus Loot Chests): As discussed, after defeating Azmodan (static spawn event), three chests can appear: Belial’s Hoard, Andariel’s Hoard, Duriel’s Hoard. To open each, you need 5 of the corresponding corrupted essence. For example, “Use the Corrupted Claw of Andariel to open Andariel’s Hoard at the end of the seasonal activity. Five pieces of the claw are needed to open the chest and receive the rewards.”. Each chest you open will spill out high-tier loot – a great source of legendary and unique items, crafting mats, and sometimes even the Corrupted Tongue of Azmodan as a bonus drop. Essentially, farming Eyes/Claws/Horns lets you “buy” extra loot rolls from these hoards. Note: Azmodan’s Hoard (after world boss Azmodan) is opened by spending your collected Tongues – it consumes all tongues you have for an equivalent shower of loot. There is no 5-piece minimum for Azmodan’s chest; even 1 tongue can open it, but it’s best to save up many. These hoards are a major reward mechanic in Season 11, so use your corrupted essences here liberally (just don’t carry more than 20 at once – see Tips). Opening hoards is also the fastest way to farm Azmodan’s Tongue itself, as described above.
• Unlocking Divine Gifts (Season 11 Powers): Each corrupted essence is also tied to unlocking “Divine Gifts”, which are special buffs you can equip in Season 11 for powerful bonuses (like increased XP gains, extra loot drops, etc.). To unlock a Divine Gift, you need to turn in the corresponding corrupted essence to Hadriel (the angel NPC) at the Heavenly Forge. In fact, the Season 11 questline will prompt you to bring these items to Hadriel. For example, once you obtain Duriel’s Horn, the quest updates asking you to “return it to Hadriel.” Submitting the item unlocks that boss’s Divine Gifts for your character. Each Lesser Evil has two Divine Gift upgrades you can then use:
  • Duriel’s Gifts: Essence of Pain & Essence of Squalor (unlocked by Horn of Duriel) – these give Helltide bonuses, like extra gem drops from Pangs of Duriel, etc.
  • Andariel’s Gifts: Essence of Anguish (unlocked by Claw of Andariel) – provides rewards like bonus Murmuring Obols per event rank.
  • Belial’s Gifts: Essence of Lies (unlocked by Eye of Belial) – grants bonuses in the Pit (chance for extra upgrade in Pit runs).
  • Azmodan’s Gifts: Essence of Hellfire (and possibly Essence of Shadows) (unlocked by Tongue of Azmodan) – tied to World Boss rewards and other perks.

(The names and effects of each gift reflect the demon’s theme – e.g., Belial’s “Lies” gift causes malignant eyes to beam you in the Pit as a drawback, Andariel’s Anguish spawns lightning siphons in Undercity, etc., when in corrupted state.) You can equip one Divine Gift at a time to modify your gameplay. **In short, you must use each corrupted essence once to unlock the full slate of seasonal powers. Tip: You don’t lose the essence item when opening the hoard chests, but turning it in to Hadriel will consume it (one-time). However, you only need to turn in each type once for the unlock; after that, any duplicates can be spent on hoards freely.

• No Other Uses: Beyond opening chests and unlocking gifts, corrupted essences aren’t used for crafting or anything else. If you happen to come across Purified Essences (purified Eye/Claw/Horn/Tongue), those are for a hidden “Purified Altar” event (a secret boss encounter) and not used in the above systems. Corrupted essences themselves cannot be directly “purified” by the player; the purified drops occur randomly in place of corrupted ones on rare occasions.

Farming these items can be time-consuming, so here are some pro tips to optimize your grind and avoid pitfalls:

• Beware the Inventory Cap (Max 20): You cannot hold more than 20 corrupted essences (total) in your inventory at once – if you do, no more will drop until you go below 20. This is a hard cap. For example, if you already have 20 combined Eyes/Claws/Horns/Tongues, killing another boss or opening a chest will yield nothing (you’ll essentially waste the drop). To avoid this, spend your essences regularly instead of hoarding too many. A good rule is to stay at 19 or fewer. Notably, drops can push you over 20 if you were at 19 (e.g. you have 19 and a boss drops 5, you might momentarily have 24), but once you’re at 20 or above, nothing new will drop until you’re under 20 again.
  • Stash Doesn’t Help: Storing extras in your stash does NOT bypass the cap – the game checks your inventory count only, not total owned. So tossing some in the stash and continuing to farm won’t work; you must actually use or drop them.
  • Tip: If you’re mid-farm and nearing the cap, you can actually leave new essence drops on the ground temporarily while you go spend others, then come back and pick them up. The dropped items won’t vanish immediately, so this tactic can let you exceed the cap momentarily as long as you don’t pick the extras up until you’ve made space.
• Best Way to Spend Essences: Open Azmodan’s extra chests to spend your essences and get loot. The game itself suggests using them “on Azmodan near Zarbinzet to open extra chests” as soon as you can. In practice, this means: whenever you have ~15+ combined essences, go fight Azmodan at Fields of Desecration and dump 5 of each (if available) into the hoards. This not only prevents hitting the cap but also gives you chances at Tongues and lots of loot. Essentially, don’t hold onto essences unnecessarily – spend them for rewards, then farm more.
• Group Up for Tough Bosses: Belial, Andariel, Duriel, and especially Azmodan are all endgame bosses, balanced for level 100 players with good builds. If you’re struggling solo, try to find a group or community farming these. Many players farm “lair bosses” (Lesser Evils) together. Since Belial and Andariel invasions are open-world events, having multiple players increases damage output and makes mechanics easier to handle. For Duriel Helltide, coordinate with others to share Baneful Hearts or take turns summoning so everyone gets a Horn. And for Azmodan, a group can burn him down much faster (he has a lot of health and deadly attacks).
• Belial Spawn Trick: In the Pit of Artificer, always remember to destroy the Green Eyes (ideally all of them) to guarantee Belial’s appearance. If Belial isn’t spawning, you might be missing some of those eyes. They can be tucked in side rooms, so explore thoroughly. You need to hit “multiple” eyes in one run (players report at least 3 or more). Once Belial appears, you’re on the right track to farm Eyes of Belial.
• Andariel Spawn Chance: The Kurast Undercity event may not always spawn Andariel. To maximize odds, complete the event as efficiently as possible (activate all Spirit Beacons, kill elites quickly) – higher attunement progress might influence her spawn. If she doesn’t spawn, don’t waste time: reset the instance and run it again. It may take a few tries. Persistence is key; her Claw is needed for both chest openings and Divine Gift unlock, so it’s worth the effort.
• Duriel Farming Efficiency: Since Baneful Hearts are the bottleneck, optimize your Helltide farming:
  • Only open Tortured Gift of Mysteries chests (cost 75 Aberrant Cinders) as these have the best chance to drop rare items like Baneful Hearts. Regular chests have lower odds.
  • Participate in Helltide events and kill as many elites as possible; sometimes Pangs of Duriel spawn from events once at max threat.
  • If you get one Baneful Heart, consider focusing on another Mystery chest instead of spending cinders on normal chests, until you have two hearts.
  • If you’re in a group and multiple people get hearts, you can take turns summoning Duriel multiple times in one Helltide (just remember the 5-minute reset on boss spawns and the essence cap).
  • Duriel’s Horn drop seems likely on a successful summon kill, so you usually only need to do this a couple of times to get what you need.
• Azmodan Strategies: Azmodan (especially world boss version) hits very hard. Dodge or break line-of-sight on his big attacks (like meteor drops or massive frontal blasts). If you’re melee, be extra cautious of his ground effects. Having high fire resistance or damage reduction helps. Because he’s the culmination of the Lesser Evil storyline, expect a challenge. The reward, however, is the ability to dump all your saved Tongues for a mountain of loot. If you have many Corrupted Tongues of Azmodan saved up, open Azmodan’s Hoard when you have as many as possible for the best loot value – it doubles as a satisfying “loot explosion” moment since it consumes all tongues at once. Just ensure you’re ready for the fight or have backup.
• Don’t Forget Hadriel: It’s easy amid all this farming to forget to actually turn in one of each corrupted essence to Hadriel to unlock your Divine Gifts. Be sure to do this when you first get each type. The questline will guide you (Hadriel is located at the College of Light in Ked Bardu, via the Heavenly Forge). Unlocking the gifts not only powers you up with useful buffs (e.g. bonus Obols, extra drops, etc.), but also completes seasonal Journey objectives. After unlocking, any duplicate essence is purely for farming chests and maybe the secret Purified event.

By following this guide, you should now know exactly what the Corrupted Eye of Belial and Corrupted Claw of Andariel are in Diablo 4, how to efficiently farm them (and the other corrupted essences like Duriel’s Horn and Azmodan’s Tongue), and how to use them for maximum benefit. Season 11’s lesser evils won’t go down easy, but with the Wardens of Light’s Divine Gifts in your arsenal and these farming tricks, you’ll be reaping Belial’s eyes and Andariel’s claws by the handful. Good luck slaying the demons and may your hoards be ever full!