Diablo 4 is all about getting loot, and the new item system in the franchise's latest entry offers a fresh way to chase after that next big upgrade. It's a small but significant change, and players won't be able to experience it until they reach the early parts of the endgame.
As players make progress with their characters in Diablo 4, they will eventually encounter two new categories of loot that will play important parts in their builds. There are some important things to know about these items, and this guide aims to cover all of them.
What are Sacred and Ancestral Items?
Sacred and Ancestral items are vastly superior versions of the common gear pieces players get during their journey from levels 1 through 50. These are essentially new item tiers that only drop on higher difficulties—Sacred items start dropping on World Tier 3, while Ancestral gear only appears on World Tier 4.
The main difference between the three item tiers is their relative power levels in terms of raw stats. Naturally, as players progress through Diablo 4's power curve, they're going to start needing stronger gear to beat higher-level enemies. Sacred gear is better than normal ones, while Ancestral items are the best that players can equip on their character.
Items of all rarities, including ordinary white items to Uniques, have Sacred and Ancestral versions. Also, playing in higher difficulties won't always guarantee that a higher-tier item will drop. Players will still be at the mercy of RNG, but completing activities like Nightmare Dungeons or opening Tortured Gifts during Helltides tend to reward better gear than normal loot sources typically would.
Apart from having better base stats, Rare-tier Sacred and Ancestral items have one more affix than their regular Rare counterparts. They also get better minimum and maximum affix rolls, though item category isn't strictly the only factor that affects how high these stats can roll.
There's currently no way to upgrade a weapon from tier to tier, but players can improve their Sacred and Ancestral as they normally would in town Blacksmiths. Upgrade costs might get expensive, however, so mind those resources.
Keep in mind that while an Ancestral item will always have better stats than a Sacred or normal one, players should still be mindful of the affixes that they come with. There will be times when a Sacred Helmet is better than an Ancestral one if it means players get to enjoy more ranks into their Skills or better resistances against the element they are weakest to. Additionally, a Sacred item piece can be upgraded to compete with Ancestral gear—if players can get an item to reach a high-enough gear level, then it can still be useful well into the late game.
Diablo 4 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.