Items
Attribute requirements
Attribute requirements on gear can be met through your base attributes(your str/dex/int naked). They can also be met through items. So if you have a base of 100 strength and wear armor that give you an additional 100 strength for a total of 200 strength, you are able to equip an item that requires 180 strength even though your base strength is only 100. Keep in mind that if you do this and change gear around and drop below the items required stat requirement, that item will stop granting you any of its stats. Item stat requirements are not effected by magical modifiers, quality, sockets.
A complete list of gear and attribute requirements can be found here. This is helpful for planning out item builds end-game.
Level Requirements
Items have inherent level requirements that increase as the base item level of the item increases and also is increased as the level of the magical modifiers on the item increases.
The item level requirement is determined by the level of the base item OR the level of the magical modifiers. Whichever one is higher determines the level required to wear the item. So, the more powerful the base item level or the magical modifiers, and the higher level is required to wear it. Pretty intuitive system.
Drop Rates
You incur a drop-rate penalty no currency items(scrolls and orbs) in areas whose monster level are more than two levels below your character level. You can find the monster-level of an area by hitting tab.
For every level that you are higher than the monster level you incur a 2.5% penalty to currency drops. A level 30 in a level 28 zone gets 100% currency drops. A level 30 in a level 20 zone sees 20% less currency drops.
Currency drops are not increased when you fight in zones higher level than yourself.
This penalty caps at level 68. So level 80 characters see 100% currency drops in level 68 zones, the same as level 68 characters would.
Increased Item Rarity and Increased Item Quantity
These modifiers can come from three sources. Your gear, monsters(can have wealth affix), and party bonuses.
Increased item rarity increases the chance of magic, rare, and unique items. With +50% increase item rarity you’ll find 50% more magic, rare, and unique items.
Each additional member of a party grants the entire party a +50% item quantity bonus. So a party of three will have a +100% item quantity bonus. PARTY UP FRIENDS!
In a party the person who scores the killing blow on a mob applies his or her +% increased item rarity bonus to that mob’s drops.
Quality
Weapons, armor, flasks, and gems randomly receive between +1% and +20% quality when they drop. You can also increase the quality of an item through using Blacksmith’s Whetstones, Armor Shards, Flask Quality Upgrades, and Gemcutters Prisms. The quality is capped at 20%.
Increased quality causes the following effect:
- On weapons – increased physical damage
- On armor – increased Armor rating, Evasion, or Energy shield depending on the type of armor
- On Flasks – increased life and mana recovery
- On Utility flasks – increased duration
- On Gems – the bonus is specific to each gem, check out this great resource that shows exactly how quality effects skill gems.
- On Maps – increases the item quantity bonus of all monsters killed on the map
Modifiers
Magic items can have up to two modifiers.
Rare items can have up to six modifiers. Rare items have:
- 1/12 chance of having six modifiers
- 4/12 chance of having five modifiers
- 7/12 chance of having four modifiers
All modifiers have an associated level and will only appear on items whose item level is greater or equal to the modifiers level. Confused? Me too. For example the prefix “studded” is a level 18 modifier and increases the base physical damage reduction rating. So this prefix can only appear on items whose item level is 18 or greater. You can view all the modifiers here.
Item Level
The item dropped is equal to that of the monster level of the map in which it dropped. See the monster level by bringing up the tab overlay. Rare and unique monsters have a +2 to their level, so they drop items that are the maps level +2. To check an item’s level pick it up by click it and while it is held by your mouse type /itemlevel in the chat box. This will display the items level.
Modifier Stacking
Modifiers that give a flat numerical bonus are calculated before modifiers that give a percentage bonus. So if you had a piece of armor that gave you +50 armor and +30% increase in armor, that 50 armor would be added to the base, and then the base + the 50 would be multiplied by 1.3 to arrive at the final armor benefit you receive.
Sockets
Sockets come in strength(red), dexterity(green), and intelligence(blue).
Sockets appear randomly on items. Higher level items have a chance to have more sockets than lower level items. You won’t start seeing four and five socket items until levels 30+.
Max amount of sockets:
- Two handed weapons – Six sockets
- Chest armor – Six sockets
- Wands, shields, and one handed weapons – Three sockets
- Everything else – Four sockets
Items are more likely to receive colored sockets that match their attribute requirements. For example a pure strength hammer will be more likely to roll red sockets then blue or green sockets.
Sockets can be linked. Links are displayed as a bar connecting the socket. Support gems placed in slots that are connected to a skill gem grant their benefits to that skill gem. One support gem can effect multiple skill gems, and one skill gem can be under the effect of multiple support gems.
Five and six link items(meaning all five or six sockets are linked to each other) are very rare and valuable. Pick up ALL five and six link weapons and armor. Four link helmets, gloves, boots, etc. are also valuable. This includes WHITE items.
