How to unlock Masterworking in Diablo 4

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Masterworking in Diablo 4 is an endgame activity unlocked via the Pit

Diablo 4 Masterworking
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Masterworking in Diablo 4 provides a way to increase the affixes you have on each piece of gear, though you won't be able to access it until the endgame. By following the process you can incrementally improve the stats by a percentage as your work through each rank of Masterworking, taking you through the higher levels of Diablo 4. This system provides a way to really maximize the power you can develop, but as a fresh addition for Diablo 4 Season 4 it isn't quick or easy to understand at first. If you want to know how to unlock masterworking in Diablo 4, I've laid out all of the details below.

How do you unlock Masterworking in Diablo 4?

Diablo 4 Masterworking The Pit

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

The Diablo 4 Masterworking option in Season 4 is unlocked through the following process:

  1. Complete a Tier 46 Nightmare Dungeon by reaching World Tier 4.
  2. This will unlock the Pit of the Artificers, a new kind of timed dungeon.
  3. Complete a round of the Pit. This involves killing a set amount of enemies in ten minutes, then killing a random boss.
  4. If you're successful, you'll come away with Obducite, a Masterwork material.
  5. As you complete the Pit at different tiers, you'll unlock Obducite (1-20), Ingolith (21-40) and Neathiron (41+).
  6. Head to any Blacksmith and select the "Masterworks" option.
  7. Here, you can upgrade Unique or Ancestral Legendary items. This costs a variety of Gold and materials, including the special Pit resources mentioned above.

Masterworking a piece of gear buffs the affixes on it each time, either boosting all affixes by 5% or increasing one random affix by 25%. You can also reset Masterworks at the Blacksmith for free.

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As you work through the tiers of Masterworks on a piece of gear, they'll become more expensive, as well as cycling from Obducite to Ingolith and Neathiron, in that order - providing you with the motivation to keep completing the Pit at higher levels.

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

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