Diablo 4 Season 4 is set to revolutionize the game's gear upgrade mechanics with the introduction of the Masterwork system. This innovative feature allows players to significantly enhance their gear's affixes, offering a substantial boost to their stats. Central to this system are new Diablo 4 materials—Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron—each playing a crucial role in the Masterwork upgrades. With the introduction of The Pit and its unique challenges, players can now delve into new depths of customization and power. This article provides an in-depth look at the Masterwork system, how to farm the essential materials and the strategic benefits they bring to your Diablo 4 experience.

The Masterwork System in Diablo 4 Season 4

The Masterwork system is a new mechanic introduced in Diablo 4 Season 4, designed to enhance the affixes on your gear, thereby significantly boosting your stats. This system operates through the use of specific materials—Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron—which are essential for upgrading your gear. Each material corresponds to different tiers of upgrades, with higher tiers providing greater enhancements but also requiring rarer materials.

Masterworking Materials and Their Uses

    Obducite: Used for upgrades ranging from +1 to +4, applicable to Magic items.

    Ingolith: Used for upgrades ranging from +5 to +8, applicable to Rare items.

    Neathiron: Used for upgrades ranging from +9 to +12, applicable to Legendary items.

Each material is tied to specific levels of Masterworking, with higher levels requiring more challenging efforts to obtain the necessary materials.

How Masterworking Works

Once you have acquired the necessary materials, you can use them in the Masterworking tab at the Blacksmith. The process is available only for Diablo IV items that have been fully tempered. Fully tempered means that the item has reached the maximum number of affixes through the new Tempering system, another addition in Season 4.

    Upgrade Mechanics: Each Masterworking upgrade enhances all affixes on your gear by five percent. However, at critical upgrade points—specifically at +4, +8, and +12—one random affix is boosted by 25 percent.

    Rerolling Affixes: If the random affix chosen for the 25 percent boost is not to your liking, you can reroll it by spending additional Masterworking materials.

The Pit: New Endgame Activity

The Pit of Artificers, commonly referred to as The Pit, is the new endgame activity in Diablo 4 Season 4. This feature introduces a dungeon-like environment where players can farm the essential Masterworking materials. The Pit is structured in tiers, with each tier offering different levels of rewards based on the difficulty.

Farming Masterworking Materials

To successfully farm Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron, players must navigate The Pit's tiered system. The materials drop as follows:

    Obducite: Tiers 0 to 29

    Ingolith: Tiers 30 to 59

    Neathiron: Tier 60+

The higher the tier, the more challenging the dungeon and the rarer the materials. Players can also exchange higher-rarity materials for multiple units of lower-rarity ones at the Alchemist, but not vice versa.

Entering The Pit

To gain access to The Pit, you must first complete a tier 46 Nightmare dungeon. Upon completion, you need to collect Runeshards through various endgame activities like Helltides and other dungeons. These shards activate the Obelisk in Cerrigar, which transports you to The Pit.

The Pit's Challenges

Once inside The Pit, players have a limited time to clear the dungeon, defeat all enemies, and face a boss at the end. Successfully defeating the boss within the time limit grants you one type of Masterworking material. Moreover, each successful boss defeat allows you to challenge higher tiers of The Pit.

Strategic Benefits of Masterworking

The Masterwork system and the materials from The Pit open up new avenues for character builds and playstyles. Here's how each material can impact your gameplay:

    Obducite (Magic items): Early to mid-game players can use Obducite to significantly enhance their Magic gear, making it easier to progress through more challenging content.

    Ingolith (Rare items): Mid to late-game players can utilize Ingolith to upgrade Rare items, optimizing their builds for specific roles or enhancing their overall performance.

    Neathiron (Legendary items): Endgame players can maximize the potential of their Legendary gear with Neathiron, achieving peak performance and tackling the most challenging content Diablo 4 has to offer.

Diablo 4 Season 4's Masterwork system brings a fresh and dynamic way to upgrade gear, with Obducite, Ingolith, and Neathiron being central to this enhancement process. The introduction of The Pit provides a challenging yet rewarding endgame activity that keeps players engaged and striving for higher tiers. Sell your D4 items/materials for Diablo 4 gold, you'll become richer and stronger.

MMOexp Diablo 4 Team