Diablo 4 may not have the most exciting itemization at launch, but a superbly rolled amulet for Sorcerers proves that the potential is certainly there. The key issue that players seemingly have with items in Diablo 4 is largely due to the potency of certain stats such as Cooldown Reduction, Vulnerable, and Skill Ranks trumping everything else. In past Diablo titles, and in other hack-and-slash games such as Path of Exile, the itemization system has already been solved to perfection – but unlike in current Diablo 4, there is more than one solution. Players feel pigeonholed into building their characters in one specific direction, and it ultimately hampers their enjoyment of Diablo 4's endgame.
Though Blizzard has acquiesced to most of the player suggestions and feedback provided before the Campfire Chat held on June 16, the majority of the changes will only be coming in Season 2, tentatively slated to release in late October. Itemization will be an even bigger issue to solve beyond the missing quality-of-life features in Diablo 4, but the developers have promised that Resistances will be the first attribute to receive its much-needed adjustments.
Despite the absurdly rare Grandfather and Harlequin Crest in Diablo 4 being game-changers for any class, a perfectly rolled Ancestral Legendary can be a worthy substitute. This seems to be the case for LakADCarry, who shared their Elementalist's Necklace on the Diablo 4 subreddit. Fully upgraded to a total Item Power of 752, it boasts a stunning +3 to Defensive Skills, +3 to Devouring Blaze, 23.0% Mana Cost Reduction, and 14.6% Cooldown Reduction on top of its Legendary Aspect that gives Core and Mastery skills an increased 60% Critical Strike Chance when cast above 100 Mana. Simply put: it's a thing of beauty.
The Sorcerer in Diablo 4 is a class that heavily relies on its Defensive Skills such as Flame Shield and Frost Nova, and the popular Arc Lash meta build uses all four Defensive abilities over the course of its rotation to sustain its melee-heavy playstyle. However, the Devouring Blaze and Mana Cost Reduction on the amulet, coupled with its Legendary Aspect, would make the item much more suited for a Firewall Sorcerer, as they specifically rely on a Mastery skill to stack up their damage.
As exciting as the amulet roll is, Diablo 4 players are wondering if Blizzard intends to push Item Power beyond its current cap. Endgame concepts such as World Tier 5 and a new level of gems have been datamined, and characters that play on the Eternal Realm will certainly not escape the changes. The reality and joy of hack-and-slash titles is the unchanging promise of better loot waiting just over the horizon.
Diablo 4 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
