Season 11 is shaking up gear again, and honestly, these changes are a big deal. Blizzard said they wanted to bring tempering and masterworking back to their “core ideas,” which are customization and prestige. In simple terms, they want players to feel like they’re building the gear they want—not fighting the system the whole time.
Before we even jump into tempering, there’s one change that affects everything: gear is going back to dropping with four affixes instead of three. Loot Reborn cut it down to three because tempers acted like bonus affixes, but now we’re returning to the old four-affix gear style. This means a little more RNG when hunting for the perfect drop, but the upside is huge—you can’t brick it anymore.
Tempering: You Finally Pick the Exact Affix
The old tempering system was basically a slot machine. You had two tempers, each with limited charges, and each recipe could roll one of several possible affixes. If you didn’t hit the one you needed, tough luck—the item was done, and you had to salvage it. Everyone has had that moment where one bad temper ruined a perfect item.
Season 11 fixes this completely. You now choose the exact tempers you want to apply. No random rolls, no guesswork, no “please don’t hit the wrong one,” and no more bricking. You only get one temper slot instead of two, but since you can pick the exact affix, it’s actually better.
Here’s the difference in a simple table:
Tempering Comparison
| Old Tempering | New Tempering |
|---|---|
| Random affix roll | You pick the exact affix |
| Two tempers | One temper |
| Limited charges that could brick items | Charges refill forever |
| Easy to ruin great gear | You cannot brick items anymore |
This alone will save players hours of frustration. If you want “chance for Earthquake to cast twice,” you just take it. Done. Move on with your day.
Masterworking: Now About “Quality,” Not Affix Power
Masterworking in Season 4 became the most painful system in the game. You had 12 ranks, and every time you reached 4, 8, or 12, the game randomly boosted one of your affixes. If you were trying to hit the same stat three times (to turn it orange), you’d end up resetting your item over and over—and every reset cost 5 million gold. It took around 125 tries on average to perfect one item. That’s not “endgame grind.” That’s torture.
Season 11 changes masterworking completely. Instead of boosting affixes, you now boost quality. Quality affects the base stats of your item:
- Weapons get more base damage
- Armor gets more armor rating
- Jewelry gets stronger resistances
Here’s a simple look:
What Quality Boosts Now
| Item Type | What Quality Improves |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Base damage |
| Armor | Base armor |
| Jewelry | Resistances |
You now have 20 ranks instead of 12, and each rank gives a small bump to quality. When you reach max quality, you get a capstone, which upgrades one of your non-greater affixes into a Greater Affix. And yes—your temper can become a Greater Affix too.
Even better, if the capstone upgrades the wrong affix, you can reroll it. It costs Obols + Neathiron (an old material making a comeback), but you don’t have to reset the whole item ever again.
This is a huge improvement over the old system.
Sanctification: The New Final Upgrade
Once your item is fully tempered and masterworked, you can take it one step higher with Sanctification, the new endgame finish line for gear. Think of it as your last, final upgrade—after you sanctify an item, you can’t change anything except the socket.
Sanctification can do some wild stuff. It can:
- Add a bonus legendary power
- Turn another affix into a Greater Affix
- Add a special sanctified affix
- Replace an existing affix with a random sanctified one
- Or, sometimes, just make the item indestructible (not exciting, but still not a brick)
When you sanctify an item, you get one roll, and that’s it. The item stays strong either way, but if you hit something crazy—like a bonus legendary—and you already have 4 Greater Affixes, you can end up with truly insane gear.
A Simple Table of How Gear Progresses Now
| Step | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Find item | Drops with 4 affixes |
| 2. Temper | You choose 1 exact temper |
| 3. Masterwork | Raise quality to Rank 20 and earn capstone Greater Affix |
| 4. Sanctify | Final upgrade with special bonuses |
This whole flow is way more stable and way less stressful. You always know what’s happening, and your item never suddenly becomes useless.
Final Thoughts
Season 11 is shaping up to be the most player-friendly gear system Diablo 4 has had so far. Tempering is no longer a gamble. Masterworking no longer drains your gold while you pray for RNG to be kind. Sanctification gives you a cool chase system without ruining your item if you don’t hit the jackpot.
In short, you get more control, more choice, and a clearer path to perfect gear. And most importantly, no more bricking.
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