With the conclusion of Diablo 4 2.5.0 PTR, we can finally relax and take a look at some of the new changes in this patch.
As we all know, this Public Test Realm was also a preview of Season 11, so the appearance of Divine Gifts seasonal mechanic and unique items exclusive to new classes is not surprising. In comparison, the optimization and rework of the crafting system in the new season has attracted more attention from players, especially regarding the new crafting feature that IGGM wants to discuss: Sanctification.
Frankly speaking, after such a long period of player demand, this system added to Diablo 4 has not received the overwhelming praise expected; on the contrary, Sanctification has been the subject of much controversy. IGGM even asserts that if this feature is officially launched in Season 11 as it currently works in the 2.5.0 PTR, it will definitely cause most Diablo 4 items to become worthless, including your Mythic Uniques.
So, let’s follow IGGM’s perspective to see why this Sanctification system is so controversial and discuss how it will affect our items.
Sanctification Explained
You may have heard that the developers in Season 11 attempted to reduce the RNG of obtaining desired stats through Tempering and Masterworking. This would make it easier for players to obtain the stats they want, and would significantly reduce the chance of items breaking through Tempering and Masterworking.
This was originally an appreciable change. However, here’s the problem: while reducing the chance of item breakage, they introduced a new seasonal system that almost always results in item breakage: Sanctification. This means that even if you’ve invested more Diablo 4 gold and resources to get the best stats, you might lose everything because of the last step. Let’s explain.
The new feature in Season 11 called Sanctification requires all items to undergo this process, making it the final step in item upgrades. Once an item is sanctified, it can no longer be masterworked, tempered, or have its Legendary Aspects changed. This means you must complete all these upgrades before sanctifying an item.
So far, this seems fine, right? But the real problem is: when you sanctify an item, a random attribute is added. This means you have a chance to gain an extra Legendary Power, whether it’s useful or not. It might even upgrade an affix on the item to a Greater Affix. It can also add additional affixes to your gear from a range of special Sanctification affixes, such as increasing the utility of gems in a sanctified item, or making the item Indestructible during the sanctification process – it has no repair cost and cannot be destroyed.
However, note that all of this happens randomly and can only happen once. So, once your item is sanctified, you cannot reroll affixes, sanctify it again, or perform similar actions.
Sanctified Items Have Extremely High RNG
Based on our testing during the 2.5.0 PTR and feedback from other players, the process is highly random.
Imagine that the sanctification process might give you a very useful legendary power, such as a 20% damage increase to your weapon, while another outcome is simply making the item indestructible, or even worse or completely ineffective, rendering it practically worthless to your character. The difference between these two outcomes is enormous.
More importantly, this process can also be used on Mythic Unique items. The problem is that Mythic items couldn’t be sanctified before. Now, with this new crafting system, you can imagine that you might get a completely useless Harlequin Crest, while another might be ridiculously powerful. So, will the desire for power or the avoidance of enormous risks prevail?
Prioritize Sanctifying Duplicate Items
If you’re expecting the immense power the sanctification system will bring, then IGGM believes you should only use sanctification on duplicate items, not on your top-tier gear. As we mentioned before, this process is risky and can ruin an item, making it less effective than before. You might lose valuable affixes, rendering the item less desirable for your character build.
Therefore, don’t risk your core gear; prioritize using it on duplicate items that you don’t need or can’t use.
Of course, if you enjoy the adventure and crave the high rewards, you can use Sanctification on other legendary and unique items – it’s up to you. You can complete all the content of the game smoothly even without using sanctified items.
Currently, on Season 11 PTR servers, the power gap between items that don’t benefit from Sanctification and those that do is enormous. Imagine how devastating it would be if you chose to buy Diablo 4 gold at IGGM.com, and then temporarily masterworked and tempered the newly acquired items, only to have them completely destroyed during the sanctify process.
Therefore, IGGM believes that Sanctification mechanism must be different from the one on the PTR when Season 11 officially launches. Otherwise, this feature will face strong resistance from players in the new season, and there will be a lot of complaints from players about items being damaged due to sanctify.
