Farming Pincushioned Dolls in Diablo 4 requires a focused approach targeting specific endgame bosses and activities. The primary reliable sources for these dolls are two powerful lair bosses: the Beast in the Ice and Lord Zir. These bosses drop Pincushioned Dolls as a rare but significant reward, which are essential for summoning Andariel and accessing her hoard.
The best strategy to farm Pincushioned Dolls is to repeatedly defeat the Beast in the Ice, located in the Glacial Fissure dungeon southwest of Kyovashad. To enter this dungeon, players must craft a Glacial Fissure Nightmare Sigil at the Alchemist using resources like Distilled Fear and Sigil Powder at World Tier 4 difficulty. While the drop rate of the dolls is not guaranteed after each kill, persistent runs improve your chances of acquiring them. Due to its relatively high drop rate compared to other sources, this is the most recommended farming spot.
Lord Zir is another lair boss that shares the same loot table as the Beast in the Ice and can also drop Pincushioned Dolls. Lord Zir is found in different lairs and is considered slightly less efficient to farm than the Beast in the Ice, but still a viable source. In addition to defeating these bosses multiple times, players can convert specific materials from these bosses into Pincushioned Dolls via the herbalist in some cases, which can ease the collection process.
There is also a small chance to obtain Pincushioned Dolls from world bosses, but this method is less reliable and generally not preferred for focused farming. Prioritizing the Glacial Fissure dungeon and the Beast in the Ice boss gives the best return on time spent.
When farming, it is important to optimize your build and strategy for quick and efficient boss kills, especially using high damage, crowd control, and survivability skills. Efficient runs allow you to attempt more kills within a given time, thus increasing your overall doll yield.
The best way to farm Pincushioned Dolls involves crafting appropriate Nightmare Sigils to enter the Glacial Fissure, targeting the Beast in the Ice repeatedly, supplementing runs with Lord Zir kills, and considering material conversion options. With persistence and optimized gameplay, you can gather enough dolls to summon Andariel and unlock her coveted hoard.