Diablo 4 Season 11 will arrive with a trimmed and rethought crafting loop after developers explained why Tempering and Masterworking were changed and what comes next. The team spoke with creators Raxxanterax, Rob, and DuQ via Icy Veins and outlined the reasoning behind the redesigns and a few experiments they plan to run.
Why Tempering and Masterworking Changed
The original idea for Tempering was to make early crafting meaningful, a system that rewarded risk when improving lower-rarity bases. Over time the mechanic started to feel punishing instead of useful “bricking” an item often just felt like a waste. The reworked Tempering now lets players directly target the affix they want, which should remove much of that frustration.
For Masterworking, the new approach keeps the same overall flow but strips out layers of extra RNG. The developers admitted they may have removed too much of the unpredictable thrill and are considering adding a small amount of randomness back in later updates to restore some of the “hype” players miss.
The crafting road ahead
Crafting has become a bigger focus for the team. They floated a “zero to hero” path idea where even white, blue, or yellow items could serve as viable bases for endgame gear, making the whole progression more intentional and less gated by rarity. The developers also confirmed that loot filters and stash improvements are in active development, which should help manage any extra gear the system produces.
Sanctification as an experiment
The new Sanctification mechanic is being treated as a live test. It lets players gamble for powerful late-game bonuses and is meant as an ultimate crafting option to see how players respond before the team commits to it long term. The developers want to balance giving players meaningful choices while avoiding systems that feel either punishing or hollow.
The broad goal is simple: make crafting feel rewarding, reduce needless frustration, and keep some of the moments that make finding or forging a better item memorable.
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