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What to do with Gear in Diablo 4? A Comprehensive Guide

So, you’ve been slaying demons, plundering dungeons, and filling your inventory with mountains of loot in Diablo 4. Now what? Knowing what to do with all that gear is crucial to optimizing your character’s power and progressing through the game. The short answer: it depends! You need to assess each item based on its rarity, stats, and potential use. The primary options are equipping, selling, salvaging, extracting aspects, storing, or trading (within limitations). Understanding when to use each option is key to maximizing your resources and build. Now, let’s break this down further.

Equipping Gear: Is it an Upgrade?

The most obvious first step is to determine if the gear is an upgrade. Here’s what to consider:

Item Power: A higher Item Power generally means better base stats and a higher potential range for affixes. This is the first indicator of a potential upgrade.
Affixes: These are the magical properties that grant bonuses to your character. Look for affixes that synergize with your build and address any weaknesses you might have. Prioritize affixes that boost your core skills, survivability, or resource generation.
Sockets: More sockets mean more opportunities to enhance your gear with gems. Consider the potential for sockets when evaluating an item.
Level Requirement: Make sure you meet the level requirement to equip the item!

Selling Gear: The Gold Option

Selling gear is a straightforward way to earn gold. Here’s when it’s a good idea:

Common (White) and Magic (Blue) items: These items generally provide minimal crafting materials and sell for a decent amount relative to their usefulness. They are prime candidates for vendors.
Rare (Yellow) items with poor affixes: If a Rare item has low rolls on its affixes or affixes that don’t benefit your build, it’s likely better to sell it.
Excess gear after farming: When you’ve accumulated a large number of items and need some quick cash, selling off the lower-quality items is an efficient way to clear inventory space and bolster your gold reserves.

Salvaging Gear: Materials for Upgrades

Salvaging involves breaking down gear at a blacksmith to obtain crafting materials. This is often the superior option for enhancing your character in the long run.

Rare (Yellow) and higher items: Salvaging these items provides valuable materials needed for upgrading your gear, crafting new items, and imprinting aspects.
Legendary (Orange) items: Legendaries can either be salvaged after extracting the aspect (see below), or simply salvaged if the extracted aspect isn’t useful. Salvaging Legendaries nets you high-tier materials essential for end-game crafting.
Gear with unwanted affixes: If an item has a high Item Power but useless affixes, salvaging is often better than selling, as the materials will always be valuable.

Important Note: To salvage Legendary items, you must manually select them at the blacksmith using the hammer icon with the red background.

Extracting Aspects: Power on Demand

Legendary items come with powerful Aspects that can significantly enhance your character’s abilities. Before salvaging a Legendary, consider extracting its Aspect at the Occultist.

Legendary items with beneficial Aspects: If a Legendary item has an Aspect that is useful for your build, extract it before salvaging. This allows you to imprint the Aspect onto another item, essentially transferring the power to a piece of gear with better stats or affixes.
Aspect Rolls: Pay attention to the roll range of the Aspect. If it’s a high or perfect roll, definitely extract it. Low rolls can be salvaged.
Codex of Power: Aspects found in dungeons are stored in your Codex of Power and can be imprinted an unlimited number of times. Aspects extracted from items are single-use.

Storing Gear: The Long Game

Sometimes, you might want to hold onto gear for future use.

Gear for alternate builds: If you’re considering experimenting with different builds, storing gear with relevant affixes can save you time and resources later.
Gear for other characters: If you have multiple characters, you might find gear that is better suited for one of your alts.
Gear with perfect affixes: If you find a piece of gear with incredibly rare or perfectly rolled affixes, even if you don’t need it right now, it might be worth storing for future builds or trading (if possible).

Trading Gear: Sharing is Caring (Sometimes)

Diablo 4 allows for limited trading between players.

Tradable Items: Common, Magic, and Rare items can be traded, as well as gold, gems, elixirs, incense, and boss summoning materials.
Untradable Items: Legendary and Unique items are untradable. This makes finding the right gear more rewarding and prevents the game economy from being dominated by real-money trading.
Rare Items with Good Affixes: Since Legendary items are not tradable, Rare items with desirable affixes and good rolls become valuable for trading.

Prioritization Summary: A Simple Flowchart

Is it a Unique item? Equip if it’s an upgrade; Store for future builds if not. Uniques cannot be salvaged or traded.
Is it a Legendary item?
- Is the Aspect useful for your current or future builds? Extract the Aspect if so.
- Is the Aspect roll high? Save the Aspect for imprinting. If low, salvage the item.
Is it a Rare item?
- Is it a significant upgrade in Item Power and affixes? Equip it.
- Are the affixes good but not quite an upgrade? Consider storing for alternate builds or trading.
- Are the affixes poor? Sell or salvage based on your need for gold or materials.
Is it a Magic or Common item? Sell it.

Optimizing Your Gear Decisions

Beyond these basic guidelines, there are a few additional tips to consider:

Resource Management: Keep track of your crafting material reserves. If you’re running low on a particular material, prioritize salvaging items that provide it.
Build Synergy: Always prioritize gear that enhances your core skills and complements your overall build strategy.
Early Game vs. Late Game: In the early game, gold might be more valuable than crafting materials, making selling a more attractive option. In the late game, crafting materials become crucial for upgrading your gear to the highest level, so salvaging becomes the dominant strategy.
Experimentation: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different gear combinations and builds. Diablo 4 encourages players to try new things and find what works best for them.

Understanding these principles will empower you to make informed decisions about your gear and maximize your effectiveness in the world of Sanctuary. Good luck, and happy hunting!

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Diablo 4 Gear FAQs

1. What is Item Power and why does it matter?

Item Power is a numerical value that determines the base stats (attack for weapons, armor for armor pieces) and the potential range of affixes on an item. Higher Item Power generally translates to stronger items.

2. Should I always salvage Legendary items?

Not always. First, check if the Aspect is useful for your current or future builds. If so, extract the Aspect at the Occultist before salvaging. Also, consider the Aspect’s roll. If it’s a low roll, go ahead and salvage. If it’s high, save the Aspect.

3. Can I trade Legendary items in Diablo 4?

No, Legendary and Unique items are untradable in Diablo 4. This is a deliberate design choice to preserve the value of finding powerful gear and prevent the game economy from being dominated by real-money trading.

4. What’s the best way to get crafting materials?

The best way to get crafting materials is by salvaging Rare and Legendary items at the blacksmith. Different types of items provide different materials, so experiment to see what gives you the materials you need.

5. When should I start upgrading my gear in Diablo 4?

The article mentioned that once you’ve hit level 52, your gear drops will be standard, but most of the drops that you’ll be receiving won’t be better than the gear that you’ve equipped. This is when you should start considering gear upgrades in Diablo 4.

6. How do I extract Aspects from Legendary items?

You can extract Aspects from Legendary items at the Occultist, an NPC found in major towns. Extracting an Aspect destroys the original item, but allows you to imprint the Aspect onto another item.

7. What are the best affixes to look for on gear?

The best affixes depend on your class and build. However, some generally useful affixes include those that boost your core skills, increase your damage output, enhance your survivability, and improve your resource generation.

8. What should I do with Gems in Diablo 4?

Gems can be socketed into gear to provide additional bonuses. The best gems to use depend on your class and build, but they can significantly enhance your character’s power.

9. What are Uniques in Diablo 4 and what should I do with them?

Uniques are the rarest and most powerful items in Diablo 4. They have unique effects that can completely alter the way you play your character. If you find a Unique, equip it if it’s an upgrade, and store it for future builds if not. They cannot be salvaged or traded.

10. What are the limitations on trading in Diablo 4?

You can trade Common, Magic, and Rare items, gold, gems, elixirs, incense, and boss summoning materials. Legendary and Unique items are untradable.

11. Where is the best place to farm for Legendaries in Diablo 4?

There are several good places to farm for Legendaries, including Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, and Whispers. Experiment to find what works best for you.

12. What is the best class for solo play in Diablo 4?

Many players recommend the Necromancer, Sorcerer, or Barbarian for solo play due to their survivability and damage output.

13. What are the most important resources to collect in Diablo 4?

Important resources include gold, crafting materials (obtained from salvaging), gems, and elixirs.

14. Is it better to sell or salvage early in Diablo 4?

Early in the game, selling might be more beneficial as you need gold to upgrade your skills and buy items from vendors. As you progress, salvaging becomes more important to obtain the materials needed for crafting and upgrading your gear.

15. Where can I learn more about Diablo 4 builds and strategies?

There are numerous online resources available, including websites, forums, and YouTube channels. Experimenting yourself is also a great way to learn!

What to do with gear Diablo 4?