Masterworking is a new endgame way in Diablo 4 to become even stronger and better on the battlefields. Masterworking gives the player the opportunity to improve their item through 12 steps. These are applied at the Blacksmith and use special crafting materials obtained in The Pit of the Artificers.
Before being able to enter, you’ll first need to be in World Tier 4, and then you’ll have to run a Tier 46 Nightmare Dungeon to complete a Priority Quest. The Obelisk used to access the Pit can be found in Cerrigar, a region of Scosglen, right next to the Waypoint.
To enter the Pit for each run, players will need to use Runeshards. These Runeshards can be obtained by completing various endgame activities such as Nightmare Dungeons, Helltide Chests, Legion Events, and Whisper Caches.
Tempering in Diablo 4 becomes available at level 15 and involves discovering and mastering Temper Manuals. These manuals are categorized into Weapons, Offensive, Defensive, Utility, Mobility, and Resource recipes. Items can have up to two Tempered Affix slots. Once a player finds and learns each manual, they can continuously apply them to equipment as long as they have the necessary materials. The acquired Temper Manuals are recorded and can be accessed in the Codex of Power. Every manual consists of three tiers, with Legendary versions offering the most potent enhancements.
At Level 50, players are automatically given a priority quest, “Tempering,” that’s guaranteed to award a specific Tempering Manual. It is completed at the Blacksmith in Kyovashad, and the award is contained in a treasure chest directly next to the Blacksmith.
Give your item to the Blacksmith and select the manual from the chosen category in the Tempering menu. In Diablo 4, when tempering gear with a manual, you cannot choose which specific Affix will be applied to the item; it is randomly selected from the 4 or 5 options listed in the specific manual.
Sacred Legendary Items can be tempered with only one Affix, while Ancestral Legendary Items can have two Affixes applied. However, these two Affixes must come from manuals belonging to different categories. For example, one manual from Offensive and the second from Weapons, not two manuals from the Weapons category.
In Diablo 4, players have the option to reroll tempered Affixes up to 5 times for each item. It’s important to note that this limit of 5 rerolls is per item and not per Affix. When rerolling an Affix, the game will randomly select another Affix from the same Manual, and it does not improve the existing Affix that you currently have on the item. It’s essentially a gamble each time you reroll.
Once you have used up all 5 rerolls on an item, the Tempered Affixes will become fixed, and you will not be able to reset them as you can with Masterworking. However, these Affixes will increase in power alongside the other stats on the item when you perform Masterworking. Therefore, it’s recommended to Temper your item before Masterworking to fully benefit from the enhancements.
One of the most significant aspects of Tempering in Diablo 4 is its potential impact on endgame builds by allowing players to boost the power of a single skill to extraordinary levels. For example, by using the Companion Innovation Temper Manual on multiple pieces of gear and getting +% Ravens Size rolls, players can significantly enhance the traditionally weak Companion Skill, Ravens. With enough rolls on this Affix, the Ravens skill could potentially reach the level of area coverage that is typically associated with a more powerful skill like Poison Creeper. This demonstrates the potential for players to customize and amplify specific skills to create unique and formidable character builds in the game.
Tempering Manuals can be obtained through farming in various locations, but they may not drop frequently in World Tier 2 and may not provide optimal results. Once players progress to World Tier 3, the drop rates for Tempering Manuals should improve, and players can acquire them from various sources such as Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, World Bosses, Ladder Bosses, and The Pit. By exploring these higher-tier areas and engaging in challenging content, players can increase their chances of obtaining the desired Tempering Manuals to further enhance their gear and abilities. The Pit is where you will find the best Tempering Manuals and the deeper you go, the better they should become.
Each rank of Masterworking increases an item’s base Affixes by 5%. Additionally, every fourth rank, known as a milestone rank, provides a significant boost of 25% to a single random Affix on the item. This mechanic allows players to gradually enhance their gear, making their items more powerful as they progress through the Masterworking process. By strategically choosing when to reach milestone ranks and improve specific Affixes, players can tailor their gear upgrades to suit their desired build and playstyle in the game.
After completing all ranks, a single item receives a 45% total increase in base affixes as well as a 75% buff to either a single affix, spread across three randomized affixes, or as a combination of 1 and 2 affixes. The Masterworking rank will appear at the top of the item’s tooltip, directly underneath its Item Power.
The Masterworking process is currently limited to Ancestral Legendary Items with two Tempered Affixes and Unique items. The Tempered Affixes that are applied to these items are included in the Masterwork rank upgrades.
Milestone Affix buffs occur at ranks 4, 8, and 12, and are visually represented in the item’s tooltip with different colored highlights. The blue highlight symbolizes one upgrade, the yellow highlight signifies two upgrades, and the orange highlight represents three upgrades. Players have the opportunity to receive these milestone upgrades to the same Affix, a combination of 1 and 2 Affixes, or three individual Affixes based on luck.
The Masterworking Upgrade Process is conducted through the Blacksmith. While there is no animation for non-milestone ranks (1-3, 5-7, etc.), players can quickly progress through these levels. For ranks 4, 8, and 12, a special animation accompanies the upgrade, but there is also a Skip button available to bypass it.
Players have the option to reset ranks of Masterworking if they are dissatisfied with the roll on a particular Affix. This reset process involves obtaining lower-level materials from The Pit. It’s important to note that resetting ranks does not refund any materials, so players should carefully consider this option before proceeding. The ability to reset ranks provides players with a chance to reroll Affixes and strive for more optimal upgrades on their gear, but they should weigh the potential benefits against the cost of using additional materials from The Pit.
Each rank upgrade requires Gold and other reagents you can find in the world.
| Reagent | Slot | Ranks |
|---|---|---|
| Rawhide | All | 1-8 |
| Iron Chunk | Armor | 1-8 |
| Veiled Crystal | Weapon Jewelry | 1-8 |
| Coiling Ward | Armor | 9-12 |
| Abstruse Sigil | Jewelry | 9-12 |
| Baleful Fragment | Weapon | 9-12 |
Masterworking can crit on the temper, it may be better to temper LAST if you want to avoid that.
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