Items Overview

Diablo 3 faced significant criticism regarding its itemization, which was later improved through the Loot 2.0 update. Players can anticipate changes to Diablo 4 items that will be well-received. It is essential to remember that the item system is subject to change throughout the game’s development, and it will only be finalized as we approach the release date.

Loot System

In Diablo 4, instanced loot will be introduced, meaning that when loot drops, only you can see your items. Other players will see them once you have picked them up and subsequently dropped them.

Smart Loot

Blizzard has confirmed that Smart Loot will return in Diablo 4, leading to a higher percentage of class-specific drops.

Item Types

Diablo players will recognize the types of equipable items. A list of the main known item types can be found below.

Item Quality

As item quality increases, an item’s affixes will improve, allowing players to explore aspects of their talents they may not have emphasized in their talent tree. This will enable players to create more diverse character builds.

Normal: 1 modifier
Magic: 1 random modifier
Rare: 2 extra random modifiers
Unique: Fixed affixes, class-specific
Legendary: 2 random modifiers and 1 Legendary modifier

Legendaries are being designed to offer customized skills beyond the skill system.

Set Items

Set Item: Set items may be introduced at some point but will not be available at launch.
Ancient Set: Set items may be introduced at some point but will not be available at launch.

Additional Tier

It is also worth noting that an additional tier of gear will unlock at the highest difficulty level, whereas specific Uniques will only drop at that level of difficulty.

Affixes

In Diablo 4, affixes, also known as bonuses or modifiers, are unique magical properties found on items throughout the game. Some affixes are specific to legendary items and are often linked to character classes.

Legendary Items

Legendary items are recognizable by their orange color, similar to Diablo 3. As players level up, they’ll acquire legendary and other items. In the endgame, players will pursue the Mythic tier, which is a step above Legendary. Some Legendary items in Diablo 4 can also modify skills, allowing for greater diversity in character builds. Additionally, set items can have equivalent power to Legendary items, further diversifying your character builds.

Runes and Runewords

Diablo 4 reintroduces Runewords, a popular feature from Diablo 2. Runewords allow players to combine runes with items, granting exceptional attributes. The game features two types of runes: condition runes and effect runes. Condition runes activate the next rune when certain conditions are met, while effect runes provide boosting effects when combined with a condition rune. When runes are combined, they create runewords.

Glyphs

Glyphs are exclusive to the Paragon Board, offering various benefits based on the number of active tiles within their radius. Players can slot glyphs into the Paragon Board.

Removed Systems

Diablo 4 will no longer include Ancient Legendaries, as mentioned in the Systems Design update. They will be replaced by a new, yet-to-be-named type of consumable item. These new items can be used to apply a random Legendary affix to any non-Legendary item, providing more build options for endgame items.

Diablo 4 will introduce a new type of consumable item (yet to be named) that can be earned by defeating monsters, just like other items. This consumable item will have one random Legendary affix and will only drop in the late endgame. Players can use it to apply that affix to any non-Legendary item.

This new consumable item introduces several features:
• It creates an “elective mode for items” that players can experience after they have familiarized themselves with Rare and Legendary items, as well as various affixes.
• It offers a way to introduce new gameplay methods without adding excessive power to endgame items.
• Rare items with the best affixes remain useful and valuable.

Mythic Items Removed

In a December 2020 developer update, Blizzard announced the removal of Mythic items. The reasoning behind this decision was to avoid invalidating other item qualities. The concept of random Legendary powers on an item has now been incorporated into the base Legendary design.