In Diablo 4, Masterworking has replaced the old upgrading system, introducing a new way to enhance your gear. This mechanic allows you to significantly improve the stats of your Legendary and Unique items. With Masterwork materials found in endgame content, you can make your items more powerful than ever before.
Masterworking your gear is essential for optimizing your build, and this guide will explain how to unlock and use this system effectively.
Masterworking, introduced in Season 4, is the new crafting system in Diablo 4. This system replaces the previous method, allowing players to upgrade every Legendary and Unique item through 12 tiers of enhancement. Each tier requires specific materials found in The Pit, an endgame activity.
As you Masterwork an item, its affixes (the special attributes or bonuses) become stronger in small increments, typically by 5% per upgrade. After reaching the maximum tier, an item will be 45% stronger compared to its non-Masterworked version. Moreover, every fourth upgrade significantly boosts a random affix by 25%, including Tempered affixes. This makes Masterworking a critical part of creating the strongest possible builds in Diablo 4.
How To Unlock Masterworking
Unlocking the Masterworking system is straightforward. First, you need to complete your initial run in The Pit. Afterward, speak to the Blacksmith in Kyovashad to unlock the Masterwork tab. From here, you can start enhancing your items using the materials gathered from The Pit. Each upgrade requires a significant amount of resources and gold, so be prepared for some grinding.
Masterworking can be done at any Blacksmith, not just the one in Kyovashad.
Masterworking Process
When you Masterwork an item, its affixes’ values increase by 5% for the first three upgrades. Every fourth upgrade, however, enhances a random affix by 25%. This random boost can apply to any affix, including Tempered ones, and an affix can be enhanced multiple times.
Each item can be Masterworked up to 12 times, affecting both Legendary and Unique items. Unlike the old system, you can reset your Masterwork progress if you’re not satisfied with the upgrades. While the resources spent won’t be refunded, this feature allows you to try for better affix upgrades.
Masterwork Upgrades and Costs
Here’s a breakdown of the upgrades and their costs:
Tiers 1-4
- Tier 1: Affixes are 5% stronger.
- Cost: 100,000 Gold, 10 Common Upgrade Material, 3 Veiled Crystals, 10 Obducite
- Tier 2: Affixes are 5% stronger.
- Cost: 150,000 Gold, 10 Common Upgrade Material, 3 Veiled Crystals, 20 Obducite
- Tier 3: Affixes are 5% stronger.
- Cost: 200,000 Gold, 15 Common Upgrade Material, 3 Veiled Crystals, 30 Obducite
- Tier 4: A random affix is 25% stronger.
- Cost: 300,000 Gold, 15 Common Upgrade Material, 4 Veiled Crystals, 40 Obducite
Tiers 5-8
- Tier 5: Affixes are 5% stronger.
- Cost: 150,000 Gold, 25 Common Upgrade Material, 7 Veiled Crystals, 30 Ingolith
- Tier 6: Affixes are 5% stronger.
- Cost: 200,000 Gold, 25 Common Upgrade Material, 7 Veiled Crystals, 40 Ingolith
- Tier 7: Affixes are 5% stronger.
- Cost: 600,000 Gold, 30 Common Upgrade Material, 8 Veiled Crystals, 50 Ingolith
- Tier 8: A random affix is 25% stronger.
- Cost: 800,000 Gold, 40 Common Upgrade Material, 10 Veiled Crystals, 80 Ingolith
Tiers 9-12
- Tier 9: Affixes are 5% stronger.
- Cost: 375,000 Gold, 2 Legendary Upgrade Material, 9 Veiled Crystals, 1 Forgotten Soul, 20 Neathiron
- Tier 10: Affixes are 5% stronger.
- Cost: 450,000 Gold, 2 Legendary Upgrade Material, 12 Veiled Crystals, 1 Forgotten Soul, 25 Neathiron
- Tier 11: Affixes are 5% stronger.
- Cost: 2,000,000 Gold, 20 Legendary Upgrade Material, 10 Veiled Crystals, 3 Forgotten Souls, 50 Neathiron
- Tier 12: A random affix is 25% stronger.
- Cost: 10,000,000 Gold, 20 Legendary Upgrade Material, 50 Veiled Crystals, 10 Forgotten Souls, 250 Neathiron
