This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about Tempering and Masterworking in Diablo 4 Season 4-what they are, how to use them, tips for maximizing their benefits and how to get Diablo 4 Items.

What is Tempering?

Tempering is a new gear enhancement mechanic in Diablo 4 Season 4 that allows players to improve the base stats of their items, making them more effective and powerful.

Unlike traditional enchanting or rerolling, tempering focuses on increasing the intrinsic qualities of the gear-such as its base damage, armor, or defense values-before you apply any affixes or magical properties.

How Does Tempering Work?

Tempering is done by using a special resource called Tempering Stones, which you earn from endgame content like Nightmare Dungeons, Rifts, and other high-level activities.

Each tempering stone used increases the base stat of the item by a certain percentage, stacking up to a maximum cap per item.

Items have a tempering tier that determines how many times they can be tempered. Higher-tier items can receive more tempering upgrades.

Benefits of Tempering

Improved base stats lead to a higher overall item power level.

Increases damage or defense before affixes are calculated, meaning all subsequent bonuses scale better.

Makes even rare or magic items potentially viable with enough tempering.

What is Masterworking?

Masterworking is a complementary system to tempering. Once you have tempered an item to a certain threshold, you can masterwork it to unlock special, powerful affixes or bonuses unique to that item.

How Does Masterworking Work?

Masterworking requires special materials called Masterworking Essences obtained from endgame content and crafting.

Only tempered items that have reached a minimum tempering level can be masterworked.

Masterworking an item adds one or more unique affixes that significantly boost your stats or grant special abilities.

You can only masterwork an item once, so the choice should be made carefully.

Benefits of Masterworking

Adds powerful, sometimes game-changing affixes to your gear.

Can provide unique effects not available through regular affixes, such as cooldown reductions, elemental damage boosts, or defensive buffs.

Masterworked items become cornerstones of high-level builds.

How to Temper and Masterwork Your Gear: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Gather Tempering Stones

Run high-level content like Nightmare Dungeons, World Bosses, and Rifts to farm tempering stones.

You'll need a fair number to fully temper your key gear pieces, so prioritize your best items.

Step 2: Temper Your Items

Visit the Tempering NPC or use your crafting menu to apply tempering stones to your gear.

Focus on your main weapons and armor first, as these benefit the most from base stat increases.

Temper until you reach the max tempering tier for that item.

Step 3: Collect Masterworking Essences

These essences are rarer and can be crafted or found in specific endgame zones.

Save your essences for your best tempered gear.

Step 4: Masterwork Your Items

Use the Masterworking interface once you have the required materials and your item is sufficiently tempered.

Choose which affixes you want to unlock carefully, as they can define your build's performance.

Once masterworked, the item cannot be masterworked again.

Tips for Efficient Tempering and Masterworking in Season 4

Prioritize Key Gear Pieces

Tempering and masterworking can be resource-intensive, so focus on your core pieces:

Weapons: Tempering increases damage output directly, making it the highest priority.

Chest and Helmets: These usually have high base defense values, so tempering them greatly improves survivability.

Jewelry: Less tempering potential but masterworking jewelry can unlock powerful utility affixes.

Balance Your Resources

Don't spend all tempering stones or essences on minor items.

It's better to have a few fully tempered and masterworked pieces than many partially upgraded ones.

Coordinate With Your Build

Some builds benefit more from damage increases (weapon tempering).

Others need survivability boosts (armor tempering).

Masterwork affixes should complement your skills and playstyle.

Keep an Eye on Seasonal Changes

Season 4 sometimes tweaks tempering and masterworking mechanics. Stay updated with patch notes.

New affixes or changes to material farming can affect your strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Temper and Masterwork the Same Item Multiple Times?

You can temper an item multiple times up to its tier cap.

Masterworking, however, can only be done once per item.

Do Tempered Stats Affect Legendary Items?

Yes, tempering works on all item rarities, including legendary gear, boosting their base stats.

Are Tempering Stones and Masterworking Essences Account-Bound?

Typically, yes. These crafting materials cannot be traded between players.

Is Tempering Worth It Early in the Season?

Tempering is best invested after acquiring solid gear. Early on, focus on leveling and finding decent base items.

Conclusion

The Tempering and Masterworking systems introduced in Diablo 4 Season 4 add exciting layers of customization and power growth for players. By improving your gear's base stats and unlocking unique affixes, you can tailor your character to handle the toughest endgame content more efficiently.

Mastering these systems requires patience and resource management, but the payoff is substantial, you can buy diablo 4 gear more easily now. Prioritize your main weapons and armor for tempering, save your essences for the best gear, and always consider how each upgrade fits your build and playstyle.

With this guide, you're well-equipped to make the most of Diablo 4's tempering and masterworking mechanics and push your exile toward legendary status.