Diablo 4 players split over new Season 4 gear upgrade costs

Diablo 4 devs recently gave us a bit more insight into how Masterworking will work in Season 4, and if you look closely, you can see the materials you need to upgrade your items. However, some fans are not super happy about it. 

The Masterworking process in Diablo 4 Season 4 is a new late-game upgrade system, specifically because you need fully Tempered items before you can actually do it.

Alongside that, you also need a considerable amount of materials from The Pit, which itself is also an end-game activity. As a result, Masterworking items can get a little grindy. 

If you look at the recent update from devs, you can spot that some of the material costs have increased quite significantly for Masterworking from PTR testing. At least, that’s what it’s looking like.

What we know for certain is that devs have also made it impossible for the Masterwork to fail, so it makes sense to balance it out that upgrade costs would increase for the live version of Season 4. 

Players have felt a bit split over theses changes, though. Some think that the changes and implementation of Tempering make sense for an in-game activity, and others say that it’s just too much investment. 

“I think the thing a lot of people complaining about the cost are overlooking is the fact that you should only really be Masterworking gear that is basically perfect already anyway to give it that last little push,” ‘Ubergoofer166’ explained on Reddit.  

“If you’re Masterworking everything you’re wearing only for you to find a better item and have to Masterwork it all over again, you’re doing it wrong,” they continued. 

This is a sound argument for the idea of an endgame system, but it’s difficult to confirm that this is the issue many players are having. In fact, it might have more to do with the little time more casual Diablo 4 players are willing or able to put into the game. 

“I really don’t understand the fascination with inordinate amounts of time spent grinding. Why do people love doing the same mindless sh*t over and over for so long?” one player asked.

Keeping a game like Diablo 4 balanced for all types of players can be challenging, but it’s clear that the devs are working towards a more rewarding endgame and loot system. 

The split difference in opinion is a bit of a classic ‘casual vs. hardcore’ players scenario, but that doesn’t mean either argument is less valid. At the end of the day, Diablo 4 is ever-evolving and we can expect more changes in future seasons which may turn the tide.