Crafting in Diablo 4 changed a lot with the Lord of Hatred expansion. It added the Horadric Cube with Transfiguration, the Talisman with set bonuses and, since Season 15, three crafting routes to Mythic Uniques. This guide explains what Tempering, Masterworking and Enchanting do, what the Horadric Cube offers and what to do with an item before Transfiguration locks it. It reflects the game as of 19 October 2026, Season 15 and patch 3.2.3.
Crafting systems after Lord of Hatred
Older guides talk about Sanctification, World Tiers and a different level cap. None of that applies anymore. The level cap is now 70, the old World Tiers were replaced by the Normal to Penitent and Torment I to XII difficulties, and Sanctification gave way to Transfiguration in the Horadric Cube. Here is the current overview:
| System | What it does | Where or with what |
|---|---|---|
| Tempering | adds an affix to an item | Tempering Manuals |
| Masterworking | raises item quality up to 25 | Obducite |
| Enchanting | rerolls one affix | Occultist |
| Gems and sockets | gems from Gem Fragments, sockets via Scattered Prism | Jeweler |
| Rune Crafting and Mythic Crafting | runes, plus Mythic Uniques from runes and a Resplendent Spark | Jeweler |
| Horadric Cube | affix rerolls, transmutation, rune crafting, Transfiguration, Mythic upgrade | after the Lord of Hatred campaign |
| Talisman | Charms and Seals with set bonuses | Lord of Hatred expansion |
Tempering and Masterworking
Tempering adds a new affix to an item. Which affixes you can add depends on your Tempering Manuals. That way your gear gets the stats your build needs even if the drop did not roll them.
Masterworking raises an item’s quality up to level 25. Each level adds 1% to the item’s base value and its affixes. At level 25 you also get a Capstone bonus on a randomly chosen affix. The material is Obducite, which comes from Nightmare Dungeons, Infernal Hordes and the Kurast Undercity. How to get into those activities is covered in our endgame guide.
The Occultist: Enchanting
The Occultist handles Enchanting. It rerolls one affix on an item into a different one. Keep in mind that the item becomes account-bound afterwards. Enchanting is the fix when an otherwise great piece has one useless affix.
The Horadric Cube
The Horadric Cube came with Lord of Hatred and unlocks once you finish the expansion’s campaign. Without Lord of Hatred you do not have it. What each edition includes is covered in our editions and price article. In short, the Cube can do the following:
- reroll affixes on an item,
- transmutation,
- targeted rune crafting,
- Transfiguration,
- Upgrade Direct Item to Mythic, turning an item into a Mythic Unique.
Transfiguration replaces Sanctification
Transfiguration replaced Sanctification, the seasonal system from Season 11. The item gets an extra effect and also becomes Unmodifiable, so you cannot change it any further. Leave Transfiguration for the very end, once the item is tempered, masterworked and socketed.
Mythic upgrade
Since Season 15 the Horadric Cube can turn an item into a Mythic Unique 1:1 while keeping its affixes. The result is tagged “Crafted” and you can only wear one.
Talisman: Charms and Seals
The Talisman is another Lord of Hatred addition. It is made up of Charms and Seals and grants set bonuses. We have not yet verified individual sets and their bonuses from two independent sources, so we do not cover them here.
Jeweler, Blacksmith and the routes to Mythic Uniques
The Jeweler crafts gems from Gem Fragments, removes them from gear without destroying them and runs Rune Crafting and Mythic Crafting. Sockets are added with a Scattered Prism from World Bosses and Treasure Goblins. All seven gems including Topaz and qualities up to Grand are covered in our Jeweler and gems guide.
Since Season 15 there are three crafting routes to Mythic Uniques:
- Horadric Cube: Upgrade Direct Item to Mythic, 1:1 with affixes kept.
- Jeweler: Rune Crafting and Mythic Crafting from runes and a Resplendent Spark.
- Blacksmith: Mythic Cache.
We do not cover the Alchemist after Lord of Hatred here. We have not confirmed what the vendor offers from two independent sources, and we do not publish what we have not verified.
When crafting starts to pay off
While leveling to 70 you swap gear for better drops all the time, so pouring materials into every piece makes little sense. Crafting really kicks in during the endgame on Torment difficulties. Ancestral items drop from Torment I, and higher Torment levels bring more Legendary, Unique and Mythic items. What awaits you after level 70 is explained in our leveling and Paragon guide.
Before you lock an item
Transfiguration in the Horadric Cube makes an item Unmodifiable, so leave it for the very end. Before that, sort out the following on an item you want to keep:
- a socket via Scattered Prism and a gem that fits the slot and your build,
- a bad affix rerolled with Enchanting at the Occultist,
- the missing affix from a Tempering Manual,
- quality through Masterworking up to 25.
Crafting changes arrive with patches and seasons. You will find the latest tweaks in Blizzard’s official patch notes and in our Diablo news section.
Join our GamersTogether Discord to ask other players how they build their gear and to find a group for the endgame.
FAQ
A Horadric Cube function that replaced Sanctification, the seasonal system from Season 11. The item gets an extra effect but becomes Unmodifiable, so you cannot change it any further.
Tempering adds a new affix to an item based on a Tempering Manual. Masterworking raises the item’s quality up to 25, and each level adds 1% to its base value and affixes.
Yes. The Horadric Cube came with Lord of Hatred and unlocks only after you finish its campaign.
Since Season 15 there are three ways: the Horadric Cube upgrade 1:1, Rune Crafting and Mythic Crafting at the Jeweler, or the Mythic Cache at the Blacksmith.
One affix is rerolled into a different one and the item becomes account-bound.
Information verified on 19 October 2026. More Diablo 4 guides are waiting in our Diablo 4 hub.