Diablo 4 Masterworking Guide Ranks Materials and Progression Tips

Unlocking the full potential of your gear in Diablo 4 just got deeper with the Masterworking system-a powerful endgame feature that lets you enhance your Unique and Ancestral Legendary items through 12 ranks of upgrades. Each rank boosts your gear’s affixes, culminating in massive 25% boosts at key milestones, transforming your equipment into true masterpieces of power. Ready to dive into the Pit of the Artificers and learn how to master this intricate crafting system? Here’s everything you need to know to unlock Masterworking and climb through all its ranks on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

With Masterworking, you can tinker your gear to make it the perfect fit for your build. The process is not easy, since it involves exploring dangerous dungeons, looking for specific materials, and a little bit of luck. However, the end result is completely worth it if you have the determination to face this devious challenge.

In this Diablo 4 guide, we’ve prepared a complete rundown covering all you need to know about how Masterworks work in Diablo 4, including a list of all Masterwork ranks.

How Masterworking works in Diablo 4

Masterworking in Diablo 4 is an endgame system that allows players to enhance the affixes on Unique or Ancestral Legendary items, boosting their stats and overall power. To unlock Masterworking, players must first complete a Tier 46 Nightmare Dungeon, which then grants access to the Pit of the Artificer, an endgame dungeon where Masterworking materials are obtained. Once unlocked, players can upgrade their gear at the Blacksmith by using materials like Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron, which are earned by completing tiers in the Pit. Each item can be Masterworked up to 12 ranks, with most ranks increasing all affixes by 5%, while ranks 4, 8, and 12 provide a 25% boost to a single random affix. Masterworking requires gold and specific crafting materials, and players can reset ranks at a cost, though materials are not refunded. The system encourages repeated runs in the Pit to gather resources and progressively enhance gear for maximum build power.

The Masterworking system is a new endgame crafting system as of season 4 that allows you to improve a piece of equipment. You can Masterwork an item up to 12 ranks, with each rank at a specific cost of materials and gold.

Different from Tempering, the Masterworking system raises the affix numbers already in the item, rather than adding new ones. In most Masterwork Ranks, the item receives a 5% increase in all affixes. But for ranks 4, 8, and 12, one affix is increased by 25%. Since the process is random, you can’t decide the affix that is receiving this massive upgrade.

On the other hand, albeit out of luck, there is a chance of the same affix receiving more than one upgrade. The game indicates how many upgrades an affix has received through a color system, going from blue (one upgrade) to orange (three upgrades).

You can only apply Masterworking upgrades to Ancestral Legendary items that have been fully tempered, which means having two Tempered Affixes, or to Unique items. In other words, this is the final phase of a process that involves the Tempering system as well.

How to unlock Masterworks in Diablo 4

To unlock Masterworking in Diablo 4, players must first reach World Tier Four, the highest difficulty level intended for characters level 75 and above. This requires completing the Fallen Temple dungeon at World Tier Three and then accepting the quest “Pit of the Artificer,” which grants access to The Pit, a new endgame dungeon. Clearing The Pit for the first time rewards players with essential Masterworking materials-Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron-needed to enhance gear. Once unlocked, players can visit any Blacksmith NPC to access the Masterworking menu, where they can upgrade the affixes on their equipment using these materials. Masterworking upgrades improve gear stats progressively, although the specific affix enhanced is random. Players can reset Masterwork ranks if desired, but this consumes additional resources. This system allows for deep customization and optimization of gear in Diablo 4’s endgame.

Before you can start powering up the loot from hell, there’s only one prerequisite you must meet to unlock the Masterworking upgrades. Your character needs to be on World Tier 4. This is the highest World Tier in the game, as of this writing, and is intended for characters above level 75 – although it’s not impossible to reach World Tier 4 before that.

With a character on World Tier 4, the game will automatically add the “Pit of the Artificer” quest to your journal. Completing this quest is mandatory for you to get access to The Pit, a new endgame dungeon. The Masterwork menu becomes available only after you have completed the first run of The Pit.

The possibility to Masterwork your items is softlocked behind a new type of dungeon, The Pit, the only location where you can find three materials – Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron – required to Masterwork an item.

How to use Masterworks in Diablo 4

To use Masterworks in Diablo 4, first ensure you have unlocked the system by completing a Tier 46 or higher Nightmare Dungeon, which grants access to The Pit and the Masterworking quest at the Blacksmith. Masterworking allows you to upgrade Ancestral Legendary or Unique items up to 12 ranks, enhancing all affixes by 5% per rank, with special 25% boosts on one random affix at ranks 4, 8, and 12. To apply Masterworking, bring the eligible gear and required materials-mainly Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron obtained from The Pit, Nightmare Dungeons, Infernal Hordes, or Kurast Undercity-to the Blacksmith. Open the Masterworking tab, insert your item, and confirm the upgrade by paying gold and the necessary materials. You can reset Masterwork ranks if the random affix boosts are not favorable, allowing optimization of your gear for your build.

After you have unlocked the Masterworking system, using it is pretty simple. To access it, you need to talk to a Blacksmith NPC and open the Masterworks menu, which gives you the option to choose one of the pieces of gear – fully tempered Ancestral Legendary or Unique – to upgrade.

In the menu, it’s possible to know to which rank you’re upgrading the item, the type of upgrade it will receive, and the cost. While some of the materials required are considerably common in the late game, The Pit is the only location where you can find three special materials – Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron – you need to upgrade your item.

With all the materials in hand, you can hit the upgrade button. Since part of the process is random and you can’t control which affixes are upgraded in rank 4, 8 and 12, you might end up not liking the results. If this is the case, you can simply reset the Masterwork rank to zero. You don’t recover the materials spent in the process up to that point – you actually have to spend more resources and gold to reset it. On the other hand, the reset is necessary if you want to maximize the right affixes for your build.

All Masterwork ranks and upgrades in Diablo 4

Masterworking in Diablo 4 allows players to enhance their Legendary and Unique items up to 12 ranks at the Blacksmith, significantly boosting all affixes on the gear. Each rank typically increases all affixes by 5%, while ranks 4, 8, and 12 grant a powerful 25% boost to one random affix, potentially stacking up to a 75% increase on that attribute. To masterwork an item, players need special materials like Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron, which are obtained by completing The Pit, an endgame dungeon. Only Ancestral Legendary items that are fully tempered or Unique items can be upgraded to the maximum rank 12. Masterworking ranks can also be reset if the random affix boost is unsatisfactory, allowing for optimization of gear stats.

Below you find what you need for each Masterwork Rank in Diablo 4.

All Masterwork ranks and costs

Masterworking in Diablo 4 consists of 12 ranks, each requiring specific materials and gold to enhance an item’s affixes. Early ranks (1 to 4) primarily use Obducite along with Iron Chunks or Rawhide and Veiled Crystals, costing from 100,000 to 300,000 gold per rank. Mid ranks (5 to 8) demand Ingolith and higher gold amounts, while the highest ranks (9 to 12) require Neathiron and millions of gold, with rank 12 costing up to 10 million gold and 250 Neathiron. Each rank increases all affixes by 5%, with ranks 4, 8, and 12 providing a significant 25% bonus to a single random affix. Resetting Masterworking ranks is possible but very expensive, costing 5 million gold plus various materials, making it a costly endeavor for perfect rolls. Recent patches have reduced costs for early ranks and resets but gold and Obducite costs remain high, emphasizing the endgame grind required for full Masterworking.

Want to discover the secret steps to unlock Masterworking in Diablo 4

To unlock Masterworking in Diablo 4, you must first reach World Tier 4, the highest difficulty level intended for level 75 players and above. After reaching this tier by completing the Fallen Temple dungeon in the Dry Steppes, you will receive the quest “Pit of the Artificer,” granting access to The Pit, a new endgame dungeon. Completing your first run of The Pit unlocks the Masterworking feature, allowing you to enhance your Unique and Ancestral Legendary gear at any Blacksmith NPC. Masterworking requires rare materials-Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron-found exclusively in The Pit, and can upgrade your gear up to 12 ranks, boosting affixes and significantly improving your equipment’s power.

What are the hidden tips to efficiently unlock Masterworking in Diablo 4

Hidden Tips to Efficiently Unlock and Maximize Masterworking in Diablo 4

• Reach World Tier 4 and Complete The Pit: Unlock Masterworking by completing a Tier 46 Nightmare Dungeon at World Tier 4, which grants access to The Pit of the Artificers dungeon. Farming this dungeon is essential as it provides the unique materials (Obducite, Ingolith, Neathiron) needed for Masterworking upgrades.

• Farm Materials Strategically: Focus on efficiently farming The Pit to gather sufficient Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron. These materials cycle as you progress through Masterworking ranks, so repeated runs at higher Pit tiers maximize your resource gain.

• Masterwork All Gear to Rank 12 First: Upgrade your gear through all 12 Masterworking ranks before focusing on optimizing the powerful 25% affix boosts at ranks 4, 8, and 12. This approach ensures you have the base improvements before targeting critical affixes.

• Target Key Affixes for 25% Boosts: The 25% affix boosts at ranks 4, 8, and 12 apply randomly to one affix. Aim to get these boosts on your most important stats (e.g., damage, critical hit chance, resistances) by resetting Masterworks if necessary. Although resetting costs resources, it can significantly improve your build’s effectiveness.

• Use the Blacksmith to Reset Masterworks: Take advantage of the ability to reset Masterworking upgrades at the Blacksmith. This allows you to retry for better affix rolls without permanently losing progress, enabling fine-tuning of your gear.

• Plan Your Build Ahead: Use a planner or build guide to know which affixes are most valuable to your character. This preparation helps you decide which Masterworking rolls to keep and which to reset, optimizing your gear’s performance.

• Gold Farming Is Necessary: Masterworking requires gold alongside special materials, so maintain a steady gold income. Don’t rush the process; invest time to gather enough resources for sustainable upgrades.

By following these tips-focusing on material farming, strategic upgrading, and careful affix targeting-you can unlock and maximize Masterworking efficiently, turning your gear into powerful assets for Diablo 4’s endgame challenges.