Diablo 4 has introduced a multitude of new features, mechanics, and systems to enhance the player's experience as they journey through the brutal and unforgiving world of Sanctuary. Among the most exciting aspects of character progression is the Tempering system. Tempering allows players to significantly enhance their gear, enabling them to craft even more powerful weapons and armor as they move toward endgame content.

 

In this guide, we'll break down what Tempering is, how it works, and provide you with tips on how to leverage this feature to create crazy upgrades for your character.

 

What is Tempering in Diablo 4?

Tempering is a mechanic that allows players to upgrade the rarity and power of their existing equipment. This system is built around using specific resources, obtained from various activities, to enhance your items beyond their initial potential. The goal of Tempering is to take a good piece of equipment and make it great, or even legendary in some cases.

 

The feature is designed to improve the crafting and gear upgrading systems in Diablo 4. It allows players to focus on specific aspects of gear, whether it's boosting a weapon's damage, improving armor for better survivability, or fine-tuning a piece of gear to suit their desired build.

 

How Does Tempering Work in Diablo 4?

In Diablo 4, Tempering works similarly to enchanting and crafting systems found in previous Diablo titles. However, it's more targeted at enhancing existing gear rather than creating new items. This means that your gear will maintain its original item level but receive new bonuses, affixes, and even upgrades that will significantly increase its effectiveness.

 

To begin the Tempering process, you need to meet certain requirements:

 

1. Unlocking the Tempering System

The Tempering system becomes available later in your playthrough, once you reach a certain stage in the game. Typically, you'll need to progress through main story quests and reach a specific town or blacksmith NPC who offers the Tempering service. This could be after completing certain Acts or hitting a level cap.

 

You will also need to unlock the option to craft or upgrade your gear through the blacksmith, as this will provide the foundational systems needed for Tempering.

 

2. The Resources Needed

Tempering requires specific crafting materials and currency to perform the upgrade. These materials vary depending on the item you're attempting to temper and what kind of upgrade you want to achieve. Resources could include:

 

Essence of Power: A rare resource that infuses gear with elemental power or enhanced stats.

 

Legendary Materials: Items dropped by elite monsters, dungeons, or world bosses that help upgrade your gear to legendary tier.

 

Crafting Materials: Herbs, ores, and other resources that can be gathered from the world to improve the overall quality of your gear.

 

In some cases, you might also need gold, as this is a common currency for most crafting and upgrading actions. You can buy Diablo 4 Gold directly.

 

3. Upgrading Gear

The actual Tempering process involves selecting an item from your inventory and applying resources to it. You can temper weapons, armor, and accessories, depending on what the blacksmith or crafting NPC offers. The upgrade process is typically tiered, meaning you'll apply resources in stages to maximize the potential of your gear.

 

Weapon Tempering: Upgrades to weapons will improve damage output, critical hit chance, attack speed, or elemental damage depending on your selected resources.

 

Armor Tempering: Armor upgrades focus on improving defense, resistances, or adding useful affixes such as life regeneration, damage reduction, or crowd control immunity.

 

Accessory Tempering: Rings, amulets, and other accessories can be upgraded to enhance stats like movement speed, damage boosts, or critical hit modifiers.

 

Once the tempering is done, the item will be marked with an upgrade indicator, letting you know the item's new stats and effects. This makes the item much more powerful and tailored to your needs.

 

Best Ways to Farm Resources for Tempering

While the Tempering system provides you with amazing upgrades, it requires significant resources to reach the next level. Here's a breakdown of how to efficiently farm materials for Tempering:

 

1. Completing Dungeons and Boss Fights

Boss fights and elite dungeons are some of the best places to farm high-quality materials for Tempering. These activities drop rare Essence of Power, Legendary Materials, and other resources essential for the upgrade process.

 

World Bosses: These massive bosses appear in open-world events and are an excellent source of rare crafting materials.

 

Dungeon Runs: Elite dungeon bosses, especially on higher difficulties, have a chance of dropping Legendary Materials and other rare Diablo 4 Items that are crucial for tempering upgrades.

 

2. Farming Specific Areas for Materials

Some specific regions in Sanctuary are more likely to drop particular crafting materials. For example:

 

Ashen Hills may yield high amounts of Essence of Power.

 

The Frozen Pass might drop Frost-infused materials, which can boost your cold damage or resistances.

 

Research the best farming zones or keep an eye on world events and public activities to maximize your time spent gathering.

 

3. Engaging in Side Quests and Bounties

Side quests and bounties often reward you with crafting materials and gold, which can go toward your tempering upgrades. Make sure to prioritize these tasks while exploring, as they can be a more consistent source of materials compared to random drops.

 

4. Trading with Other Players (Future Feature)

In future updates, trading might become an available feature, allowing you to buy or sell rare crafting materials. If this becomes a prominent aspect of Diablo 4, you could potentially trade for rare materials instead of farming them, saving you valuable time and effort.

 

5. Crafting and Salvaging Items

Crafting your own gear and salvaging unwanted items can provide additional crafting materials. Salvaging rare and legendary items is often a great way to receive Essence of Power or Legendary Materials, which you can then use to upgrade your gear.

 

Tempering Strategies for Maximizing Upgrades

To get the most out of your Tempering process, you'll need a strategic approach. Here are some pro tips to help you get crazy upgrades:

 

1. Focus on Key Stat Prioritization

Before upgrading any piece of gear, carefully consider your character build and prioritize key stats. If you're a melee warrior, focus on upgrading damage, life steal, and armor. For a ranged spellcaster, prioritize mana regeneration, cooldown reduction, and elemental resistances.

 

Weapon Upgrades: If your character relies on critical hits, target upgrades that enhance critical strike chance and damage multipliers.

 

Armor Upgrades: For a tanky build, prioritize damage mitigation, armor rating, and health bonuses.

 

2. Use Resources Wisely

Don't just apply your resources to anything. Make sure you temper high-tier gear and legendary items for maximum benefit. Applying resources to common or rare items can be a waste of valuable materials if they're not part of your long-term build.

 

Focus on Legendary Items first for the best return on investment.

 

Don't waste resources on items you're likely to replace soon unless they serve a specific purpose in your build.

 

3. Upgrade Gear Gradually

Don't rush to temper everything at once. Gradually upgrading your gear as you collect resources is a great way to maintain the effectiveness of your build. This way, you're always making incremental improvements without overwhelming yourself with material requirements.

 

4. Combine Tempering with Enchanting

Tempering and enchanting (or socketing) are complementary systems. Tempering your items increases their overall power, while enchanting or adding gems can further enhance specific attributes or skills. For example, if you temper a weapon for physical damage, you can then socket it with a gem that boosts critical strike damage or adds an elemental effect.

 

Conclusion

The Tempering system in Diablo 4 is an exciting and dynamic feature that gives players the ability to customize and upgrade their gear in a way that aligns with their personal playstyle. By understanding how the system works, efficiently farming resources, and focusing on high-value upgrades, you can turn your gear into powerful, game-changing items that help you take on the toughest challenges in Sanctuary.

 

Whether you're aiming to dominate endgame content, level up your gear, or simply maximize your character's potential, Tempering is the way to go. Keep upgrading, keep farming, and soon you'll have a set of gear that turns you into a true force of nature in Diablo 4!