Magic, Rare, Craft items — what to keep and what to toss?
Item Level. Determined by area/monster level. Charms, jewels, rings too.
Affix Level. Calculated from ilvl, determines which affix tiers can spawn.
Higher alvl = stronger prefix/suffix pool. e.g. +2 Skills requires alvl 90+
Key: Higher ilvl → better affixes possible → why Hell items are valuable
Affixes are the mods on magic/rare items. Split into prefixes and suffixes. Magic items get up to 2, rare items up to 6 (3 prefix + 3 suffix). Affix Encyclopedia →
Rare items are only valuable when they beat the popular unique for that slot. Use the comparison uniques at the bottom of each slot as your benchmark — if it doesn't beat them, it's usually safe to discard.
Large charms can generally be discarded.
A charm's ilvl is set by the dropping monster's level. Only grand charms from high-level bosses like Hell Baal (lvl 99), Diablo (lvl 94), or Nihlathak (lvl 95) can roll the top-tier +1 Skill Tab + 41~45 Life combo.
| Drop Source | ilvl | Max Life Suffix |
|---|---|---|
| Hell Baal | 99 | +41~45 Life |
| Hell Diablo / Nihlathak | 94~95 | +41~45 Life |
| Regular Hell area (area lvl 85) | 85 | +36~40 Life (max) |
This is why "Baal GC" and "Diablo GC" are expensive in trade. Same +1 skill tab, but the life suffix tier depends on the drop source.
Socketed base items for runewords can be very valuable. Ethereal bases are popular for mercenary gear.
| Base | Sockets | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Monarch | 4 | Spirit shield — only non-paladin 4os shield |
| Dusk Shroud | 4 | 4os elite armor — Fortitude etc. Low Str req |
| Mage Plate | 3 | Enigma — low Str requirement |
| Phase Blade | 5-6 | Grief, Last Wish — indestructible elite sword |
| Archon Plate | 3-4 | Enigma, Fortitude — high def, moderate req |
| Ethereal Weapon/Armor(ETH) | — | Merc only: 50% bonus Def/Dmg, cannot repair |
Crafted items are made via Horadric Cube, combining fixed mods + random affixes for potentially unique-beating performance.
Item dropped → Is it Unique / Set?
Does it have 2+ S-tier mods?
Is the A-tier mod combination strong?
Note: Trade value varies by season/server economy. Above criteria are for self-use perspective.
LootCube