Should I Salvage Legendaries in Diablo 4? A Comprehensive Guide

Yes, you absolutely should salvage Legendary items in Diablo 4, but with a few crucial caveats. Salvaging isn’t just about blindly breaking down everything you find. It’s a strategic decision tied to your current game state, your build, and the availability of resources. Understanding when and why to salvage Legendaries will significantly impact your progression through Sanctuary. The decision hinges on whether you need the Aspect, crafting materials, or if you’re simply swimming in gold.

The Core Principle: Aspects First, Materials Second

The primary reason to hold onto a Legendary item, at least initially, is for its Legendary Aspect. These Aspects, which grant powerful bonuses and drastically alter your character’s abilities, can be extracted at the Occultist. Once extracted, you can imprint that Aspect onto another item, often a Rare item with superior stats.

Think of Legendary items as having two components: the item itself (stats, affixes) and the Legendary Aspect. Early to mid-game, the Aspect is almost always the more valuable component. You’ll likely find Rare items with better stats than the Legendaries you initially acquire. Therefore, extracting the Aspect from a Legendary and imprinting it on a more suitable Rare item is the optimal strategy.

When Salvaging is the Right Choice

Once you’ve extracted the Aspect from a Legendary item, or if the Legendary Aspect is useless to your build, salvaging becomes a viable and often preferable option. Here’s when you should consider salvaging:

• Useless Aspects: If the Legendary Aspect on the item is irrelevant to your current build or any build you’re planning, salvage it. Don’t hoard Aspects you’ll never use.

• Material Shortages: Salvaging Legendaries provides crucial crafting materials, specifically Veiled Crystals. These crystals are essential for upgrading your gear at the Blacksmith and imprinting Aspects at the Occultist. If you’re constantly running low on Veiled Crystals, salvaging unwanted Legendaries is a must.

• Late-Game Optimization: Once you reach the late game (World Tier 3 and beyond), you’ll likely be swimming in gold and focused on optimizing your gear. At this point, the crafting materials from salvaging Legendaries become even more valuable than the small amount of gold you’d get from selling them.

The Alternative: Selling

Selling Legendary items should be reserved for specific scenarios:

• Severe Gold Deficit: If you’re desperately short on gold and need to repair gear, respec your skills, or purchase essential items from vendors, selling a Legendary might be a necessary evil. However, try to avoid this if possible.

• Early Game Scarcity: In the very early game (levels 1-20), gold might be tighter than materials. A well-rolled Rare item might give you a short term boost if you sell a legendary item.

Why Salvaging is Generally Superior

• Crafting is King: Diablo 4 emphasizes crafting and upgrading your gear. Crafting materials, especially those obtained from salvaging Legendaries, are vital for progressing through the game’s difficulty tiers.

• Aspect Reusability: Once you extract an Aspect, you can imprint it on multiple items. This makes the Aspect far more valuable than the item it originated from.

• Long-Term Investment: Salvaging builds a stockpile of materials that will be invaluable in the late game when you’re constantly upgrading and optimizing your gear.

Considerations for Specific Item Slots

• Weapons: Weapons tend to provide a good return of materials when salvaged, especially given their higher sell price. If you are low on materials, consider starting with weapons.

• Armor: Armor pieces provide a consistent supply of crafting materials.

• Jewelry (Rings & Amulets): Jewelry can sometimes drop with exceptional affixes that you might want to keep for alternate builds. However, if the affixes are useless, salvaging them is a good choice.

Understanding Affixes and Potential Builds

Before immediately salvaging a Legendary, take a moment to consider the potential of its affixes, even if the Aspect is currently useless to you. The game is constantly evolving and being rebalanced, so those affixes might be part of a build that becomes powerful in a future patch. Keep these Legendaries in your stash if you have room.

Managing Your Stash Space

Stash space is a precious commodity in Diablo 4. If you’re hoarding Legendaries “just in case,” you’ll quickly run out of room. Be ruthless in your decision-making. If you haven’t used a particular Aspect or item in a significant amount of time, it’s probably safe to salvage it. Also, consider creating multiple characters with mules.

Leveraging the Codex of Power

As you extract Aspects, they are added to your Codex of Power. Aspects in the Codex of Power are always at their lowest possible roll. Consider this when determining if an Aspect should be extracted from a Legendary. If the Legendary has a high roll for an Aspect that is already in your Codex of Power, you may want to extract it to replace the low roll version you have already.

Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

Diablo 4 encourages experimentation. Don’t be afraid to try out different builds and combinations of Aspects. Salvaging Legendaries is a part of that process. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t, and you’ll accumulate valuable crafting materials along the way.

The Psychological Factor

Finally, there’s a psychological aspect to consider. It can be hard to “let go” of a Legendary item, especially if it was difficult to obtain. However, hoarding items you’ll never use is detrimental to your progress. Embrace the cycle of finding, extracting, imprinting, and salvaging. It’s all part of the Diablo experience.

Additional Resources

For more information on Diablo 4 builds, crafting strategies, and general gameplay tips, visit reputable gaming websites and forums. Consider exploring resources provided by academic communities focused on game design and learning, such as the Games Learning Society (GamesLearningSociety.org).

FAQs: Salvaging Legendaries in Diablo 4

1. What crafting materials do I get from salvaging a Legendary item?

You primarily receive Veiled Crystals, which are essential for imprinting Aspects and upgrading your gear at the Blacksmith. You may also receive other crafting materials, depending on the item type and level.

2. Is it ever better to sell a Legendary item instead of salvaging it?

Generally, no. Salvaging provides valuable crafting materials that are crucial for progression. Selling should only be considered if you are desperately short on gold.

3. Can I salvage Unique items?

Yes, you can salvage Unique items. Similar to Legendaries, this will provide a large amount of crafting resources.

4. What’s the difference between salvaging and extracting an Aspect?

Extracting removes the Legendary Aspect from the item, allowing you to imprint it on another item. Salvaging destroys the item and provides crafting materials. You cannot do both.

5. How do I extract a Legendary Aspect?

Visit the Occultist NPC in any major town. You’ll need to pay a gold cost and provide crafting materials to extract the Aspect.

6. Can I re-salvage an item after extracting its Aspect?

Yes, once the Aspect is extracted, you can then salvage the now “empty” Legendary item for crafting materials.

7. Does the item level of the Legendary affect the materials I get from salvaging?

Yes, higher-level items tend to yield more and potentially rarer crafting materials when salvaged.

8. Where do I salvage items?

You salvage items at the Blacksmith NPC in any major town.

9. What’s the Codex of Power, and how does it relate to salvaging?

The Codex of Power stores Aspects that you’ve extracted. It allows you to imprint those Aspects on items, but the Aspects in the Codex are always at their lowest possible roll.

10. Should I keep multiple copies of the same Legendary Aspect?

Only if they have different rolls. If you have multiple of the same Aspect and it is in your Codex of Power, you should extract the highest roll to use.

11. Does difficulty (World Tier) affect the quality of materials I get from salvaging?

Yes, higher World Tiers generally provide better crafting materials when salvaging items.

12. What should I do with gems in Diablo 4?

Gems should be kept. As players level up throughout Diablo 4, they can then take these gems to a Jeweler who will upgrade multiple into an even better Gem.

13. What are the most important crafting materials to look for in Diablo 4?

Veiled Crystals (from salvaging Legendaries), Rawhide (from salvaging common armor), Iron Chunks (from salvaging common weapons), and Forgotten Souls (from Helltides) are crucial crafting materials.

14. Is there a way to “target farm” specific crafting materials?

Not directly, but focusing on specific activities (like Helltides) can increase your chances of obtaining certain materials (like Forgotten Souls). Salvaging Legendaries is the most reliable way to obtain Veiled Crystals.

15. Are there any Legendaries I should never salvage?

If you are not limited by stash space, and the Legendary has a high rolled version of an Aspect, it is best to keep for extracting at a later time to imprint.