How to Get Balazan's Maxtlatl in Diablo 4 & Its Unique Effects

Diablo 4 Season 9 has introduced a fresh wave of Diablo 4 Items exciting gear that encourages unique and powerful builds across all classes. One of the standout additions is Balazan's Maxtlatl, a pair of Spiritborn-specific unique pants that turn Thorns damage into a devastating Poison over time (DoT) machine. In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about this powerful item - including where to find it, what it does, and how to use it for maximum impact in Season 9.

What Is Balazan's Maxtlatl?

Balazan's Maxtlatl is a unique pants item exclusive to the Spiritborn class, introduced with the Vessel of Hatred expansion. It's designed to augment Thorns-based builds by layering on potent Poison damage, transforming defensive mechanics into lethal offense.

Core Stats

+373 Thorns
+457 Maximum Life
+121 Dexterity
+3 to Bastion (Spiritborn Passive)

Unique Effects

1. Each attack damages Close enemies for 150% of your Thorns, and also applies 100% of that as Poisoning over 3 seconds.
2. Each time you retaliate with Thorns, Poisoning damage is increased by 100% for 5 seconds, stacking up to 300% total.

This effect means that as you take hits and retaliate with Thorns, your Poisoning power ramps up drastically. When you buy D4 materials, which are Thorns-boosting gear like Razorplate, and combined with them, you can melt through elite mobs and bosses simply by being hit - a true "offensive defense" strategy.

How to Get Balazan's Maxtlatl in Diablo 4 Season 9

Finding this item takes effort, but there are several reliable ways to target-farm it. While Balazan's Maxtlatl can technically drop from general loot sources, boss farming and event participation are the most efficient methods.

Method 1: Slay Specific Bosses

1) Urivar - The Burned Knight

Location: Fields of Judgement, near Dust Plume Ridge in Nahantu
Access: Requires the Vessel of Hatred expansion
Summoning Cost: 12x Judicator's Masks

Urivar is a powerful new boss introduced in Season 9. After acquiring the masks, fight Urivar in his dungeon and open his post-fight loot hoard for a chance to obtain Balazan's Maxtlatl.

Tips to Farm Judicator's Masks:

Kill Astaroth or farm caches from Whispers of the Dead
Explore Kurast Undercity

2) Varshan - Malignant Horror

Location: Malignant Burrow, eastern Writhing Mire in Hawezar
Access: Available to all players
Summoning Cost: 12x Malignant Hearts

Varshan is a recurring seasonal boss who drops a variety of unique items. Use Malignant Hearts to open his hoard after defeating him.

Tips to Farm Malignant Hearts:

Complete Escalating Nightmare Dungeons
Explore Kurast Undercity
Open Whispers of the Dead caches

Method 2: World Bosses & Events

World content in Season 9 has a higher drop chance for uniques, and Balazan's Maxtlatl is among the items that can be randomly obtained.

Key Events to Farm:

The Gathering Legion (every ~25 minutes)
Helltides (spawn every hour)
World Bosses (Ashava, Wandering Death, Avarice, etc.)

Participating in these events is not only great for experience and materials, but also offers loot caches that have a decent chance of dropping this unique item.

Method 3: Gambling with Murmuring Obols

If you're stocked up on Obols, you can gamble at any Purveyor of Curiosities vendor in Sanctuary. Select the Pants option to give it a try.

This method is luck-based, but efficient when you have excess currency
Higher world tier increases the odds for rare and unique items

While RNG-heavy, this is a solid side strategy to Diablo IV gold for sale spend extra Obols when you're not boss farming.