In Diablo 4, gold is an important resource primarily needed for crafting. This allows players to sell improved items. However, why this might be the worse choice in certain cases is explained here on MeinMMO.
At the latest when improving items through “Masterworking”, many players in Season 4 of Diablo 4 realize that it costs a lot of gold. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus is as poor as a church mouse.
This issue has been acknowledged by the developers, and they first reduced the gold costs for crafting workbenches. Additionally, on May 28, 2024, patch 1.4.1 went live, which lowered the gold costs for “Masterworking”.
To increase gold in Diablo 4, players sell their old items. However, one player advises on Reddit to break down the items that have been “masterworked” through crafting, as that is much more worthwhile.
Recycle materials by breaking them down
Why shouldn’t I sell improved items? On Reddit, the user “MRxSLEEP” recommends on May 27 not to sell your “masterworked” equipment. It is better to break them down. By breaking them down, you receive a portion of the materials back that you used for “Masterworking”.
An example: You upgraded an item to level 3 in Masterworking and spent a total of 60 Obducite for the three upgrades. If you break down the item, you will get back 30 Obducite from levels 1 and 2, along with cloudy crystals and other materials:
So instead of gold, you at least get back a large portion of the materials by breaking down – except for the ones you invested for the last upgrade. What you receive in materials when breaking down also depends on the current Masterworking level of the item.
Especially at higher Masterworking levels, this is a significant amount of materials. If you sell an item that has been “masterworked” to level 10 instead of breaking it down, you lose about 100 Obducite, 260 Ingolith, 50 Low Iron, cloudy crystals, and other materials (source: wowhead.com).
The new crafting is also important for your builds in endgame. Here you see a tier list of the strongest builds in Season 4:
The most important materials are found in one place
Why are the materials so important? Obducite is one of the new materials in Season 4 that you need for crafting, alongside Ingolith and Low Iron. You can exclusively obtain these materials in the pit, the new endgame dungeon. There, you have to slay monsters and defeat a boss within a time limit of 15 minutes.
As a reward, depending on the pit level, you receive materials for Masterworking. The higher the crafting level, the rarer the materials you need – first Obducite, then Ingolith, then Low Iron. And during the course, you are likely not just going to upgrade one item set but several. You will then receive part of it back through breaking down.
With patch 1.4.1, you can now also convert them directly into other materials at the alchemist without needing to go through the workbenches.
You also shouldn’t just sell items that you’ve inserted gems into. By doing so, you lose the gems that you could use for your other items. Break down the items or deselect the stones first at the jeweler.
Regarding breaking down, you need to be a bit careful in Diablo 4 now. Since Season 4, a change has been introduced that allows you to break down your entire inventory. This function does not stop at Uniques or Uber Uniques. But you can take precautions and implement certain measures: Diablo 4 has received a useful change in crafting – But you need to be extremely cautious with it
