The never-ending quest for loot in Diablo 4 just got a little better with the introduction of an item level counter. These tiny numbers in an item's info card indicate its general usefulness, giving players an easier time identifying which shiny new helmet is worth keeping or not.

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However, what Diablo 4 doesn't tell players is that there are actually item level breakpoints that determine how strong a piece of gear can get. Knowing how this works may potentially save players the hassle of farming for a perfectly-rolled sword or ring, so here's a brief explanation of how it impacts gear selection in the game.

What are Item Level Breakpoints?

Item level or gear score breakpoints in Diablo 4 essentially determine which power tiers a piece of equipment belongs to. The breakpoints are as follows:

The general summary of an item's power is indicated by the score it has near its name when inspected in the inventory. However, what many players don't know is that items start rolling with higher base stats once they breach the breakpoints above. If an item is upgraded past a breakpoint, all of its stats will receive major boosts.

For example, an IL140 Ring may have a Critical Strike Chance roll bracket of [1-3%] among a handful of other stats. If the player upgrades this same ring until its item level reaches 150 or higher, then that same Critical Strike Chance roll bracket will increase to [3-5%]. These aren't the exact numbers, but that's the gist of how reaching a new breakpoint tier affects an item.

With that said, players will want to keep the chart above handy as they level their characters. Upgrading an item to the next tier might be more valuable than just simply looking for a replacement, especially when the item in question has the perfect stat combinations needed for a build to shine.

Most equipment in the late game can be upgraded at the Blacksmith up to a total of five times, and each upgrade increases their item level by 5 points. Ideally, players will want to keep items that are at least 15 points away from reaching a new breakpoint. Any more than that might be too costly, especially in the late game, where rare resource costs begin to balloon.

Diablo 4 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.