Of all the ingredients required to craft the Staff of Herding (needed for reaching Whimsyshire), the Gibbering Gemstone is by far the most difficult one to acquire. For this reason, I decided to create a guide to aid you in your quest to obtain it.
Update: The drop rate for the Gibbering Gemstone has been nerfed to bits. Blizz is aware of the issue and is hoping to fix it soon. If you’ve bene unlucky trying to get this to drop post-patch 2.0, then you’re not alone.
Why is the Gibbering gemstone so hard to acquire?
The Gibbering Gemstone drops from a rare mob in a rare spawn cave. When you make a new game, there is no guarantee that the cave will be spawned. In addition, the cave can spawn in one of 6 locations. Lastly, when you do find the cave, there is no guarantee that it will contain the rare mob who drops the gem. So grab some snacks and a beverage of choice…because finding the Gibbering Gemstone can take awhile.
Guide to Finding the Caverns of Frost & the Gibbering Gemstone
Step 1: Create a New Game
You’ll want to select Act III: Siegebreaker
Step 2: Bridge of Korsikk Waypoint
Head to the waypoint in Bastion’s Keep Stronghold and select the Bridge of Korsikk waypoint.
Step 3: Search for Caverns of Frost
From the waypoint, you’ll want to head north or east to start looking for the Caverns of Frost.
The Caverns of Frost is a rare spawn cave in the Fields of Slaughter, which means it won’t always be available. It’s a shared spawn with the Icefall Caves – so if you happen to see the Icefall Caves – exit out of your game and try again.
Caves can spawn in 6 locations throughout the Fields of Slaughter, but I’ve only seen the Caverns of Frost in 4 of these locations — all but the two northernmost spawns.
Update: 06/01/12 — All six spawn locations are now confirmed. CoF can spawn in any one of 6 places throughout the Fields of Slaughter.
Caverns of Frost Spawn Locations Map
The Fields of Slaughter contains a surplus of many of the most annoying mobs in Diablo 3 – for melee anyway. Casters will likely have it a bit easier, but for melee players it can get annoying real fast. There are more than a few mobs in this area with movement impairing effects – most notably knockback – which can really get frustrating when all you’re trying to do is find this stinkin’ cave.
Also, due to the sheer number of mobs in Fields of Slaughter, you can only effectively avoid them for so long before you eventually get caught in a lovely chain knockback party.
For this reason, some players may not want to search all the locations. The spawn just north of the waypoint is an easy one to check – so you can check that spot and remake your game, as needed, until you get the Caverns of Frost. However, there are quite a few rares in the area, so if you’re a glutton for punishment, like me, then just search until you find it. I actually had a Legendary drop on one of my runs through Fields of Slaughter. 🙂
Step 4: Enter the Caverns of Frost and Kill Chiltara
When you locate the Caverns of Frost, head on in and start looking for the entrance to level 2. This is where the mob will be that drops the Gibbering Gemstone.
Chiltara is a rare spawn mob, so she may not always be in there. If Chiltara is in fact waiting for you, then go ahead and mug her.
As far as I know, the drop rate for the Gibbering Gemstone is 100%.
Update: At the time of this writing, the drop rate was a 100% chance, but it seems Blizzard may have lowered that in 2.0.1. No word yet on whether this was intended, or whether it will be fixed, but lets hope so! More info here.
If you get this far, then congratulations! You’re well on your way to crafting a Staff of Herding. 🙂
I can confirm that the Caverns of Frost can spawn in the northernmost point
Awesome. Thanks. I’ll take your word for it & update the map.
I can confirm that it can spawn in the second northmost one. So in fact it can spawn everywhere.
Can confirm the spawn point tagged Unconfirmed. I believe I’ve had it two times now.
Can also confirm the unconfirmed.
I can confirm the randomness of this spawn. I found my Cavern of Frost spawn with the rare in the southeast location.
I farmed the 3 west sdie locations about 100 times, and after reading this I went and tried the southeast cave. Chilltara was at the end waiting for me with the Gibbering Gemstone. Thx
WOW this takes forever, not joking i have searched for chiltara with no luck in over 100 caverns of frosts in the past 3 days ever since i discovered the stupid unicorn level (cow level kicked ass, unicorn level is gay). Thanks for waisting several hours of my time bliz and turning one of the best parts of d2 in to something a child predator would use to lure little children into his rape van.
Well said bro
I’ve been trying to get “liquid Rainbow” and “Gibbering Gemstone” for 3 days now..
With the liquid rainbow.. Never once seen the guy that opens the cave, not even once..and i spent over 12 hours in total looking for only him, its beyond bad luck.. its just stupid.
Found the frost cavern many times, but never once seen the mob I’m supposed to kill. 100 tryes without luck.
A strange feeling of evil has risen within me, I want to hurt something or destroy something beautiful to rationalize my bad luck in getting these crap items.
Yea kinda got all the items now.. thanks for this guide its golden!! 😀
Dude! For real?! It took me only ~4 hours to get all the things for the staff. Already had the liquid rainbow but didn’t had the rest.
This guide lacks one detail. There are two caves that spawn in the Fields of Slaughter: Caverns of Frost low chance of finding Chiltara in here and Ice Fall Caves much better chance to get Chiltara and you also get a gold chest! It took me 4 runs to get the gem! First 3 runs I got Caverns of Frost and no Chiltara. Last round I got Ice Fall Caverns so i found Chiltara and the gem!
Some say that if you get Caverns of Frost you can already leave game and restart until you get Ice Fall Caves. Hope this helps!
I just got the gemstone, now all I need is the plan and gold.
Here’s a few things that sped up the process of hunting for the Gibbering Gemstone – each one being an “Aha!” moment hours into farming (and maybe I’m a newb for not knowing, but if there’s one, there’s a thousand):
1. You don’t have to re-select the quest to reset everything. Just leave game, then click “Resume Game.” Not only does this save you some time at the main menu, it also saves you the trouble of having to use the waypoint every time, because it just starts you right where you need to be. The spawns are still random, and it probably cut an hour or two of menu-hopping over a couple of days.
2. Level 2 of the Caverns of Frost only spawns a random yellow mob OR Chiltara. Which means, if you see a yellow mob right at the beginning of Level 2, one-shot it, and leave game – no use exploring the rest of the cave.
3. (And this is pretty obvious) When you’re running around in the field kiting about a thousand mobs, and you find your 100th Icefall Caves, it’s quicker to run in and leave game than it is to kill everything and leave game. Not only is the knockback a pain in the ass, but if you’ve made a full loop around the map, you’ve collected enough lag to stop a train. Combine that with your level 35 monk that hasn’t been auction-housed to the teeth, and a bunch of those worm guys that AOE the ground all around you, and you will die. And your newly-purchased gaming mouse will fly across the room, before you’ve even had a chance to unplug the USB cable.
Hope that helps someone. Good luck searching and have fun in Happyland.
#2 is not true. I just found Chiltara and then found a yellow boss further down the cave.
also confirmed that this is not true, I killed a yellow spawn, a blue spawn, and chiltara in the same lvl 2 caverns of frost
Wow. i got it first time. Nice guide
“Wow. i got it first time.” = Punch to throat.
Got Chiltara today after about 8 hours of trying ( Flash back to EQ) just to confirm there was a yellow named on 2nd level and Chiltara was by the stone to exit.
I have been trying for 2 hours and still no luck on finding Chiltara 🙁 I find the cave about every time I just can’t ever find this mob. Oh well.. back to trying!
P.S – This is the last piece i need for my staff to 🙁
Thanks for the info – took 8 hours to find Chiltara but was able to sell items enough over the 8 hours to make the 150k gold needed for the bell and render.
Interesting point: If you complete the quest objectives to destroy the Ballistae and the Trebuchet during one of your loops, then exit and Resume Game, the destroyed Ballistae will then show as craters on your map the moment you enter the Fields of Slaughter. Since the Caverns of Frost / Icefall Caves share a spawn with the Ballistae, this removes 3 searching spots from your future runs! Hope that helps.
I wish I had read the comments about the Icefall Caves. However, I got the gemstone off a Lacuni type mob in the Caverns of Frost. I don’t remember his name, but it was not Chiltara. This may be a change since 1.03 or simply something that’s always been possible but rare.
i spend 4 hours!! 4 fcking hours to find this fcking boss
Maybe I’m the luckiest ever, but I found all four pieces for this staff with practically no effort. This was the last I needed, and Chiltara spawned on my second visit to the cave.
I was trying for about and hour. I red above about the south east cave. After 3 restarts, I found the cave in the southeast. Bingo. So I think you can save a lot of time by only going for the southeast cave.
Totally just found one one my first run of the game and went to check what it was! xD
Do you need to be in inferno mode to find chiltara?
never mind. found it… did it on hell mode. as soon as i entered lvl2 chilara was just chillin’ there
Can you find it in normal mode? does it have to be caverns of frost or can i use icefall caves?
Nevermind found it. . .it is in the south east corner spawn
do i need the mats for the staff of herding to upgrade to different lvl nightmare hell etc. to be able to go them in the higher lvls, if not where in the lvls can i access the cow lvls.
Hmm… dunno if its just me but, after i read all the comments here, and figured out something that might work.
I mean it worked for me, so 🙂
First of all, i did what the guide said, entered the quest( act III/ quest 6) Made like 4-6 runs till i find the cave of frost.. NO luck…then found the cave like 2-3 times again. No boss..
Then after the comments, I tried the one, who said: try before you destroy the Ballistae . Cos the south-east cave is the lucky one.
So i tried, and the cave was there, and the boss was there 🙂 Happy days:)
And yes, i did it in Normal(mp10) mode, There was a blue and a yellow boss too before Chilara.
So my suggestion is:
Try ActIII/quest 5(“destroy the Ballistae” one),
Look for southeast cave,
and dont instantly leave, if there is other bosses:)
(^-^)y Cheers!
Ok….
So after trying for just about 6 hours, I searched online and found the advice of destroyng the ballistae & trebuchet first. Then, with those spots eliminated, I just searched for the Caverns of Frost. Eventually the Caverns appeared in the S.E. corner spot. I went inside, and on level 2, found good ‘ole Chiltara waitin’ for me, the very first time.
So…needless to say, THANKS to whoever figured that one out!
Also FYI…I had been looking with AND without MF and/or NV stacks to no avail. I think this drop is purely random, based on nothing more than some sort of % drop.
Knockback is not the wors for melee arcane enchanted is its f*****g bulls**t
Haven’t tried farming for this, but, i’ve only ever seen Caverns of Frost in the fields of slaughter after running due east from the waypoint (like 50% of the time it’s SE spawn or not at all) i run through when leveling paragon and getting keys from the pesky keywardens for Hellfire Ring so Breaking the ballistae is already completed as well.
Good Luck with that horrible Whim of yours to find that stupid place though 🙂
yea, finally found chiltara about about 6 hours, but no gemstone.. fml
I just found Chiltara after about 50 runs, no gemstone. I can’t imagine they would remove this one item with the new loot system, but perhaps they made it not automatic in 2.0.
same here, been farming for days, find chiltara now two nights in a row finally, only to not get the gem both times and the first time i was like, maybe my level is turned down too low, second time im barely alive still no gem >.<
Somehow the last patch has ruined the drop rate of the gem, so i wouldnt waste time on looking for chiltara and trying to get the gem till the next patch release. I killed Chiltara for 9 times, over a period of 2 days of cave slashing and no gem, epic ball drop by blizzard
It is FAAAAAAAR from 100%
The drop rate for the Gemstone is currently bugged. Check this post for more info.
So, I know this is probably no different, but I bought the console version for PS4 and have been after the Gem for well over 8 hours now. I have found Chiltara every time the cave happens to spawn, but she hasn’t dropped the gem once.
did Chilltara 2x and didnt drop it wth
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I do not have ros yet but is it possible to ther the gibbering gem without upgrading to ros?
Yes
I’ve killed Chiltara 21 times now and I still haven’t gotten the damn thing. If you play on harder difficulties she has a better chance to spawn, that’s what I heard. I play on Torment 4 and I find the cave almost every time, and she’s in it 100% of the time… BUT STILL NO STONE. Is it still bugged? Wtf.
I got caverns of frost and Chiltara
First try with no luck on the gem
100% drop rate, LOLLOLOL. More like 0%.
Torment 16, found Chiltara. No gem drop after 10 tries yet. Dunno what happened.
after 4 attempts got the cave but he didnt drop the gem redo 🙁
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So i have killed chiltara over a hundred times and still no stone so no, the drop rate is nowhere near 100.. also did it 25 times pre patch so that was wrong too.
Hi I play my dabio 3 on my switch can you help me thanks
Hi I play my dabio 3 on my switch I’m trying to find it. Do you have to be a higher level to get it or lower level
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