The Diablo team just revealed all of the itemization changes that are coming to Diablo IV Season 4. The scope of this update is truly massive, with tons of adjustments to the current systems in the game. Here is everything you need to know!

Base Item Updates

   A smaller pool of affixes.     
   More relevant and potent affixes.     
   Ex. Ranks of a single Core Skill.     
   Only Sacred items in World Tier 3.     
   Only Ancestral items in World Tier 4.     
   Affix values are punchier so they can be felt.     
   Rare item affixes down to 2 from 4.     
   Legendary item affixes down to 3 from 4.

Additional Updates

   Legendary items dropped from monster level 95+ are always 925 item power.     
   Gems are simpler, better and have a much longer crafting tail.     
   Salvage, crafting and rewards all retuned:     
   Significantly reduced item drop rates (less time sorting, more time slaying)     
   Item rerolling gold cost capped.     
   Material removal and consolidation.     
   Forgotten Souls from Whispers of the Dead, rare drop globally from elites.

Unique Items

   Many Uniques can drop in World Tier 1 and 2.     
   All Uniques can drop in World Tier 3.     
   Uber Uniques can start dropping from monster level 55, and they drop at 925 item power.

Codex of Power Updates

   All Legendary Aspects are now available in the Codex of Power.     
   Salvaging Legendary Items will store the highest roll you have into your Codex of Power.     
   Legendary Power rolls now have a wider roll value to accommodate for these changes.

New System: Tempering

The first of the 3 new mechanics that are being introduced to the game is Tempering. Once you start playing the game in Season 4, new items, which are called Manuals, are going to start to drop from monsters. These Manuals will have 4 affixes which can be applied to your items by going to the Blacksmith. Only one of these affixes will be added at random, but each item is going to have a certain amount of rerolls, called Tempering Durability, which you can use before the change becomes permanent. Crafting system that allows you to add cool new affixes. Ancestral items can have up to 2 tempered affixes, which brings the total of main stats an item can have to 5.

New System: Greater Affixes

Greater Affixes are another new addition to the game, which will provide players with even more opportunities for chasing strong items. Greater Affixes are stronger versions of normal affixes that can start appearing on all items that are Ancestral Legendary or Unique. These affixes are 1.5 times stronger than regular ones, and they can only drop from enemies. This provides another layer of item power in the game, with the strongest stats being reserved for these exclusive drops.

New System: Masterworking

Masterworking is going to replace the regular upgrade system that was already in the game with a more intricate one. Instead of being able to upgrade all of your stats only, you will also have a significant boost to one of them as well. Mastercrafting is going to have 12 upgrade ranks, and for each 4 ranks, you will receive a massive upgrade to one of your affixes. This feature will also work on Unique items, and Tempered affixes can also be Masterworked. The crafting materials for this new system can be farmed from a new endgame system called the Artificer's Pit.

More information on these systems is likely to come in the upcoming PTR, and we will keep you up-to-date on anything new that comes out!