Issues Arising from Itemization in Diablo 4

The community has been providing valuable feedback on the itemization in Diablo 4 since its release. Recognizing the issues raised, Blizzard has made itemization one of their top priorities for improvement. Although the changes are not expected until Season 4, it is important to examine the current problems with itemization in Diablo 4 and consider potential solutions.

Diablo 4 introduces five different item qualities: Common, Magic, Rare, Legendary, and Unique. These qualities form the core of the itemization process, but they have also exposed several weak points. One common issue is the existence of niche, situational affixes that only offer "damage" or "damage reduction," leading to an overwhelming number of affixes. Additionally, Common and Magic items often serve no purpose beyond selling or salvaging.

A lack of chase items in the game also diminishes the excitement of drops for both casual and hardcore players. While there are Uber Uniques that can be considered chase items, they have design flaws, such as being obtainable from only one source. Furthermore, the inability to trade Uniques or find items for all classes reduces the meaningfulness of item drops.

Currently, Uber Duriel is the only reliable way to obtain Item Power 925 loot and the elusive Uber Uniques, requiring extensive farming or purchasing from other players. Manual reviewing and analyzing of loot and affixes can also be tedious and unenjoyable.

Legendary Aspects

Legendaries in Diablo 4 are similar to Rare items, but with fully randomized affixes and an additional Legendary affix that can be extracted. However, due to their randomized nature, many Legendaries are only valuable for their extraction potential. Even if a Legendary has a perfectly rolled Aspect, useless affixes render it less exciting than a Rare item.

Diablo 4 also has Legendary Aspects that are rarely utilized and require rework. Some examples include specific requirements, long cooldowns, low power, or unreliable proc chances. The abundance of these underwhelming Aspects further contributes to player fatigue and diminishes excitement during loot showers.

Uniques

Uniques in Diablo 4 are often stronger than Legendaries, contrary to the original design intent. Uniques are meant to be chase items that define specific builds but cannot be traded among players. This limits their usefulness, as players are unable to trade them for items they need.

In previous iterations of Diablo, Unique items were both powerful and tradeable, allowing for a more dynamic item economy. To address the lack of excitement in item hunting, more modular Uniques could be introduced. Although implementing such items presents challenges, as mentioned in an interview with Blizzard, it could enhance unique itemization and make certain Uniques usable during character progression.

Possible Solutions

Improving itemization in Diablo 4 requires careful consideration and comprehensive revisions. While the perfect solutions may not be evident, the community has proposed several ideas to mitigate itemization fatigue.

• Use Common items as a base for item crafting to give them a purpose.
• Allow Magic items to roll with higher item affix ranges than other qualities.
• Buff or rework underperforming Legendary Aspects.
• Eliminate situational item affixes that are not utilized by players.
• Reduce the quantity of low-value drops and increase the investment required to obtain valuable loot.
• Introduce more modular Uniques that can be used by all classes.

Addressing itemization in Diablo 4 is a complex undertaking, eliciting passionate opinions from the community. What are your thoughts on how itemization should be improved? Share your ideas in the comments below!