The reason why Diablo 4 Season 11’s build power is considered weaker than Season 10, besides the absence of Chaos Perks and Chaos Armors, is largely due to the changes in the equipment crafting system.
While Sanctification system in Season 11 can increase build strength, the rework of Tempering and Masterworking effectively limits the upper limit of build strength. So how can you craft the best equipment in Season 11? Let IGGM introduce the crafting process for Diablo 4 items this season.
Tempering
In Season 11, a normal legendary item inherently has 4 affixes. In Season 10, a normal legendary item inherently only has 3 affixes, so Season 11’s base items are stronger.
However, players can perform Tempering twice at the blacksmith, each time randomly obtaining an affix value from a specific category. If the desired affix isn’t obtained, it can be reset, but a failed reset will render the item unusable.
Unlike Season 10, which allowed two tempering attempts, Season 11 now allows items to be tempered only once. Players must pre-select and precisely choose the specific affixes they want, such as armor or elemental resistance, from categories like defense or utility, and then attach them to the item. The added value is randomized within a given range, but the affix type is entirely determined by the player and has no randomness. In terms of the number of affixes:
- Season 11: 4 (base) + 1 (tempering) = 5 affixes
- Season 10: 3 (base) + 2 (tempering) = 5 affixes
The total number of affixes for both Season 11 and Season 10 remains the same, but the acquisition method has changed. The new system removes the randomness of affix types during tempering, allowing players to craft precisely and avoid ruining equipment due to bad luck. If you are not satisfied with the affix value after tempering, you can consume materials to continue tempering until you are satisfied.
Normal Legendary gear requires 15 Veiled Crystals and 5 Abstruse Sigils per tempering, and Ancestral unique gear requires 25 Forgotten Souls and 25 Coiling Wards.
Masterworking
In Season 10, Diablo 4 items could be upgraded to level 12 through Masterworking. At levels 4, 8, and 12, a single existing affix would be randomly and significantly increased, while other levels would evenly increase all attributes.
In Season 11, the key increases at levels 4, 8, and 12 were removed. The new system adds up to 20 quality to items. Each quality upgrade only increases the item’s base attribute value and does not affect any existing affixes.
- For Armor: Increases Armor
- For Weapons: Increases Damage
- For Jewelry: Increases All Resistance
This means that in Season 11, regardless of how you upgrade the quality, the affix values on an item will never change. You can no longer significantly improve cooldown reduction or skill level affixes on an item through Masterworking.
However, once an item reaches quality level 20, it can be upgraded again. This upgrade will randomly add a Greater Affix, a new and stronger affix.
If you are not satisfied with the higher-tier affix you receive, you can re-roll using materials such as Obducite and Diablo 4 gold until you get the desired affix.
However, the maximum possible value of an affix in the new Masterworking is limited. For example, in Season 10, the +3 core skill on an Heir of Perdition could be upgraded to +6 through Masterworking. But in Season 11, the maximum is only +4. This change has the greatest impact on the strength of Season 11 builds.
Before proceeding to the final step, you must ensure the equipment has the correct aspects, as these cannot be changed after sanctification. Additionally, Jewelers can add extra sockets to equipment. Jewels can be changed at any time after sanctification, but the number of sockets must be determined beforehand.
Sanctification
Sanctification is a Season 11 new mechanic and may not be a core part of Diablo 4. Sanctification is performed in Heavenly Forge and requires Heavenly Sigils, primarily obtained from The Pit.
The result of Sanctification is completely random, and except for double aspect, other results are generally undesirable. Possible negative outcomes include obtaining useless affixes, replacing an existing affix, or adding a new, ordinary affix.
After Sanctification, the final stage, affixes and powers cannot be changed; only gems can be replaced. However, double aspect is the ultimate gear goal in Season 11, providing a significant damage boost.
Because Sanctification can destroy top-tier gear, players are hesitant to Sanctify their existing top-tier equipment and must find backup gear to gamble on the result, leading to immense pressure from repeated farming. However, Masterworking requires too much gold and materials, making even crafting backup gear extremely laborious.
The quickest way to acquire top-tier gear using Sanctification system is to buy Diablo 4 items and gamble with quantity. Unique gear can also gain additional power through Sanctification, offering immense potential, but it also carries the risk of being destroyed.
In short, the crafting process in Season 11 is simpler, but IGGM believes that crafting top-tier gear is significantly more difficult for average players than in Season 10, due to the inherent uncertainty and resource consumption involved.