Horadric Cache

Horadric Cache with tooltip.

Horadric Caches (AKA "goodie bags") are awarded by Tyrael for completing all 5 bounties in one Act. This feature is only available in Reaper of Souls, and only in Adventure Mode. These "goodie bags" are much sought after since they have a chance to drop some special legendary items that can not be obtained any other way.

Each Horadric Cache contains a semi-random assortment of crafting materials, gems, Nephalem Rift Keystone Fragments, and may also contain Blood Shards, crafting plans or designs, and 1-3 rare, set, or legendary items.

Cache Drops Determined

There has been much debate about when and how the contents of a Horadric Cache are determined. Initially when RoS launched the cache contents were fixed when the cache was opened. This fact was exploited by players who gathered caches on Normal difficulty, then opened them in Torment 6 to get much larger stacks of gold, to increase the legendary drop rate, and potentially Imperial gems as well.

Blizzard promptly fixed this exploit and made it so Caches were set to the difficulty they were farmed/earned on, which became more important when Patch 2.0.5 boosted the legendary drop rate of caches farmed on Torment 2+.

While the difficulty level of the cache is set when farmed, the actual items in the cache are set when it is opened, and the smart loot will target the class of the character who opens it. Thus players can farm caches with their fastest character, then open them with another character who will find the loot in the cache themed to them; class-restricted items and especially the mainstat and other item affixes.

I tend to farm all of my Horadric Caches with one class, but I open them up with the other characters who still need a Ring of Royal Grandeur. Legendary items found in a Horadric Cache will be smart loot, and will roll based on the character opening them.

So, yes you can farm Bounties with a Crusader (for example), and open them up with a Witch Doctor to have any Legendary items found focus on Witch Doctor stats.

It's unclear if or how the legendary pity timer can be tied to finds from Caches, though players have speculated that it can be used to considerably increase the legendary drop rates from caches.

Obtaining Horadric Caches

Each game in Adventure Mode has five randomly-selected bounties per act. Completing all five in any of the Acts will allow all players in the game to collect a Horadric Cache from Tyrael. Everyone in the game gets a cache regardless of where they are or if they assisted in any of the bounties, and split farming is a popular strategy to obtain more caches quickly. Multiple players in the game spread out to do different bounties each, even clearing different acts at the same time, to complete all of the bounties as quickly as possible.

Split Farming was epidemic during the Reaper of Souls beta when every bounty completed awarded a small Horadric Cache, and all five in an act granted a large Horadric Cache. Blizzard adjusted that system so that the individual bounties only granted exp and gold, and only that to players in the area when the bounty is completed. But since Caches still go to everyone in the game, split farming remains a viable strategy, especially in Act One where the Ring of Royal Grandeur is the most sought after legendary item in the entire game.

Horadric Cache Contents

Horadric Caches are limited in what they can drop, and fairly predictable. Each Cache will always hold 5-10 materials (mostly white and blue), a potion or two, 1-4 gems (Marquise only), 2 Nephalem Rift Keystones, an occasional small stack of Blood Shards (random in number), 1 or 2 Rare items, and a very occasional legendary item.

A thorough study was undertaken by Diablo.IncGamers.com in early April 2014, when 102 bags gathered on Normal difficulty were opened (on video) and the contents recorded.

• Marquise Gems: 255 (2.5 per bag)
• Materials:
  • Reusable Parts: 347 (3.47 per bag)
  • Arcane Dust: 255 (2.55 per bag)
  • Veiled Crystal: 30 (.3 per bag)
• Rift Key Fragments: 202 (2 per bag)
• Health Potions: 154 (1.54 per bag)
• Blood Shards: 25 (1 per 4 bags).
• Rare Items: 127 (1.27 per bag)
• Legendary Items: 11 (1 every 9 bags)
• Crafting Plans: 0 (Very rare drop, depending on how many plans your Smith doesn't already know.)

Horadric Cache-only Items

There are a number of legendary items that can *only* be found in Horadric Caches, and only from certain acts. There is no other way to obtain these items other than via Horadric Caches, and many players spent much time farming all the bounties in specific acts in an effort to find one or more of these special legendary items.

Act One

Loot from 10 caches in one spot.

• Golden Gorget of Leoric
  • Amulet: After earning a massacre bonus, 4–6 Skeletons are summoned to fight by your side for 10 seconds
• Mad Monarch's Scepter
  • One-Handed Mace: After killing 10 enemies, you release a Poison Nova that deals 1050–1400% weapon damage as Poison to enemies within 30 yards.
• Pauldrons of the Skeleton King
  • Shoulders: When receiving fatal damage, there is a chance that you are instead restored to 25% of maximum Life and cause nearby enemies to flee in fear.
• Ring of Royal Grandeur
  • Ring: Reduces the number of items needed for set bonuses by 1 (to a minimum of 2).
• Sanguinary Vambraces
  • Bracers: Chance on being hit to deal 1000% of your Thorns damage to nearby enemies.

Act Two

• Cloak Of Deception
  • Cloak: Enemy missiles sometimes pass through you harmlessly.
• Coven's Criterion
  • Shield: You take 45–60% less damage from blocked attacks.
• Gloves of Worship
  • Gloves: Shrine effects last for 10 minutes.
• Illusory Boots
  • Boots: You may move unhindered through enemies.

Act Three

• Avarice Band
  • Ring: Each time you pick up gold, increase your Gold and Health Pickup radius by 1 yard for 10 seconds, stacking up to 30 times.
• Boots of Disregard
  • Boots: Gain 500 Life Regeneration per second for each second you stand still. This effect stacks up to 8 times.
• Burst Of Wrath
  • Two-Handed Axe: Killing enemies and destroying objects has a chance to grant 20% of your maximum primary resource.
• Envious Blade
  • Dagger: Gain 100% Critical Hit Chance against enemies at full health.
• Overwhelming Desire
  • Amulet: Chance on hit to charm the enemy. While charmed, the enemy takes 35% more damage.
• Insatiable Belt
  • Belt: Picking up a Health Globe increases your maximum Life by 5% for 15 seconds, stacking up to 5 times.
• Pride's Fall
  • Helmet: Your resource costs are reduced by 30% after not taking damage for 5 seconds.

Act Four

No legendary items are specially tied to Act Four Caches, but bounty bags earned in that act can contain the special legendary items from any of the other acts.

Act Five

Horadric Caches in bag form, from the RoS beta test.

• Pandemonium Loop
  • Ring: Enemies slain while Feared die in a bloody explosion and cause other nearby enemies to flee in Fear.
• Death’s Bargain
  • Pants: Gain an aura of death that deals 750-1000% of your Life per Second to enemies within 20 yards. You no longer regenerate Life.
• Salvation
  • Crusader Shield: Blocked attacks heal you and your allies for 20–30% of the amount blocked.
• Helltrapper
  • Hand Crossbow: 7–10% chance on hit to summon a Spike Trap, Caltrops or Sentry
• Soulsmasher
  • Two-Handed Mace: When you kill an enemy, it explodes for 450–600% of your Life per Kill as damage to all enemies within 20 yards. You no longer benefit from your Life per Kill.

Development

Horadric Caches were seen during the Reaper of Souls beta test. Initially they were awarded for every single Bounty, as well as finishing an Act of Bounties. Caches were also awarded from completing a Nephalem Rift (at that time the Rift Guardian only dropped a couple of items, like a random Elite, with the main reward coming in the bag back in town).

In those early days, Caches looked like bags, and came in two sizes, with Lesser Horadric Caches awarded for each bounty and Greater Horadric Caches for a full Act of bounties or a Nephalem Rift.