Should I Extract or Salvage in Diablo 4? A Comprehensive Guide

The age-old question in any loot-driven ARPG: what do I do with all this gear? In Diablo 4, the decision between extracting aspects and salvaging legendaries is crucial for maximizing your character’s power and resource accumulation. The short answer? It depends. You need to consider the aspect’s roll quality, your current build, your resource needs, and your long-term goals. Let’s dive deep into this dilemma and equip you with the knowledge to make the best decisions.

Understanding Extraction and Salvaging

Extracting Aspects

Extraction involves visiting the Occultist and paying a gold fee to remove a legendary aspect from an item. This action destroys the item, but it transfers the aspect into your inventory as a one-time-use power. You can then imprint this aspect onto another item, replacing its existing aspect (if any). The main advantages of extraction are:

• Preserving Powerful Aspects: Allows you to keep and reuse high-rolled aspects that significantly enhance your build.
• Upgrading Items: You can transfer a crucial aspect from a lower-level item to a higher-level one with better stats.
• Build Flexibility: Allows you to change the aspects on your gear as you experiment with different builds.

Salvaging

Salvaging involves visiting a blacksmith and destroying an item to obtain crafting materials. The type and quantity of materials depend on the item’s rarity (normal, magic, rare, legendary). The advantages of salvaging are:

• Acquiring Crafting Materials: Essential for upgrading your gear, crafting new items, and enchanting existing ones.
• Early Game Progression: A reliable source of materials when you’re still gearing up and haven’t amassed a large fortune.
• Transmogrification: Salvaging items unlocks their appearance for your character’s transmog collection, allowing you to customize your look.

The Decision-Making Process: Extract or Salvage?

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you decide:

1. Assess the Aspect:
   • Roll Quality: Is the aspect a high roll, a low roll, or somewhere in between? High rolls are almost always worth extracting. Low rolls are usually better off being salvaged.
   • Relevance to Your Build: Does the aspect synergize with your current build or a build you plan to use in the future? If it’s irrelevant, salvage it.
   • Uniqueness: Is this an aspect you haven’t found before, or one that’s particularly rare? If so, consider extracting it even if the roll isn’t perfect.
2. Evaluate Your Resource Needs:
   • Crafting Materials: Are you running low on crafting materials like Veiled Crystals, Baleful Fragments, or Abstruse Sigils? If so, salvaging might be the better option.
   • Gold: Are you struggling with gold costs for upgrading gear, enchanting, or aspect extraction? If so, you might consider selling some items instead of salvaging them (though salvaging rares is often still more profitable).
3. Consider the Item Itself:
   • Item Power: Is the item a high item power, or a lower item power. If it’s a lower item power, it’s probably better to extract from it and put on higher-level items.
   • Affixes: If the item is worth using, but the aspect isn’t great, it may be better to salvage.

General Guidelines

• Early Game (Levels 1-50): Prioritize salvaging for materials. You’ll need them to upgrade your gear as you level. Extract only the most impactful aspects that dramatically improve your build.
• Mid Game (Levels 50-70): Start being more selective with your aspects. Extract high rolls and those that are crucial for your build. You’ll likely have a decent stockpile of materials by this point.
• Late Game (Levels 70+): Extraction becomes the priority. You’re aiming for perfectly optimized gear, so saving the best aspects is crucial. Salvage only those legendaries with low rolls or irrelevant aspects.
• Legendary Items with Bad Stats: If you have a legendary item with excellent aspect, but poor stats it is almost always better to extract.

Additional Tips

• Stash Management: Your stash space is limited. Regularly clear out legendaries with undesirable aspects to make room for better finds.
• Codex of Power: Remember that some aspects are unlocked permanently in your Codex of Power by completing dungeons. You don’t need to extract these unless you find a higher roll version.
• Community Resources: Keep an eye on community guides and build recommendations to identify the most sought-after aspects for your class and build.
• Experimentation: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different aspects to find what works best for you.

Ultimately, the decision between extraction and salvaging is a balancing act. By carefully considering the factors outlined above, you’ll be well-equipped to make informed decisions that contribute to your character’s power and progress in Diablo 4. Understanding these choices will help you to maximize your character and push to the end game! You can learn even more about games and the science behind them at Games Learning Society (GamesLearningSociety.org).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the extraction and salvaging process in Diablo 4:

1. Can I extract an aspect from an item and then sell the item for more gold?

   • No, extracting an aspect destroys the original item. You cannot sell the item after extracting the aspect.

2. Do extracted aspects have level requirements?

   • Yes, the item you imprint the aspect onto must meet the level requirement of the aspect.

3. Are aspects that I extract account-bound?

   • No, extracted aspects are character-bound. You can only use them on the character that extracted them.

4. If I extract an aspect from a Sacred item, can I imprint it onto an Ancestral item?

   • Yes, you can imprint aspects from Sacred items onto Ancestral items, and vice versa.

5. Can I extract the same aspect multiple times?

   • Yes, you can extract the same aspect multiple times, but you’ll need to find it on different legendary items.

6. What happens if I try to imprint an aspect onto an item that already has an aspect?

   • Imprinting an aspect replaces the existing aspect on the item, destroying the old aspect in the process.

7. Is there a limit to how many aspects I can store in my inventory?

   • Yes, your inventory space is limited, so you’ll need to manage your aspects carefully.

8. Do different types of gear give different amounts of materials when salvaged?

   • Yes, the amount and type of materials you receive depend on the gear type (armor, weapon, jewelry) and its rarity.

9. Can I salvage unique items?

   • No, unique items cannot be salvaged or have their aspects extracted.

10. How do I know if an aspect roll is “high” or “low”?

    • The stat range is presented when you are extracting the item. Use third party sites or tools to see how the stats compare to the max.

11. If I’m short on gold, should I sell legendary items instead of salvaging them?

    • Consider selling lower-rarity items (blues and yellows) first. Salvaging legendaries provides valuable materials, which can be more beneficial in the long run.

12. Can I trade extracted aspects to other players?

    • No, extracted aspects cannot be traded.

13. Does the Occultist cost increase with each extraction?

    • The cost can increase, especially as your gear becomes more powerful.

14. How do I access the Codex of Power?

    • The Codex of Power is accessible at the Occultist.

15. Are all aspects available in the Codex of Power?

    • No, only certain aspects are unlocked through dungeons and added to the Codex of Power. Other aspects can only be obtained through legendary item drops and extraction.