Diablo 4 season 1 bringing a big change to item level requirements

No more item drops way over your level

Diablo 4 Season 1 is already full of updates aimed at improving the overall quality of life for players. But a recent tweet by the Associate Game Director of Diablo 4, Joseph Piepora, indicates another big change is coming. Starting in Season of the Malignant, Sacred Items will have a level requirement cap of 60, and Ancestral Items will have a level requirement cap of 80.

In the current system, these items have no such cap meaning you can be level 55 and get a Sacred Item drop that requires level 65. Levels don’t come quite so easily in Diablo 4, so it makes it hard to get excited about something you can’t use for potentially days. It’s always bittersweet when you see a cool drop, only to realize you won’t be using it any time soon.

Why is this such a big deal?

With the improved item level requirement caps, it will be a more streamlined process of gearing. Each item tier will now essentially have its own bracket. Sacred Items will essentially be used up to level 60, after which you will begin looking for Ancestral Items.

It will also be a lot easier to obtain endgame gear for alt characters. If you are on a level 100 character in the existing format, you can get a nice Ancestral Item drop for another character, but it may require level 100. With the new system, the absolute highest item level requirement for such an item would be 80.

Honestly, the existing item-level cap system doesn’t make much sense. It was probably more of an overlook on the part of Blizzard rather than an intended feature. This is just another overall win in the quality of life department for Diablo 4. Now all I want to see is some Sorcerer reworks.

Diablo 4’s first seasonal update, Season of the Malignant, launches on all platforms on July 20.