Ever since Blizzard started reworking the clunky parts of Diablo 4, one thing has remained constant: Monsters shower you with more loot than you can carry in your inventory.
That might sound like a good thing—and admittedly, it's fun for a while—but it becomes a real problem the further you progress your character. It doesn't take long to dread having to pick up a bunch of useless items on the floor just so you can see what's going on. And legendary items don't feel all that legendary when all you see is orange items in the endgame.
The upcoming expansion, Lord of Hatred, is hopefully going to fix that with the help of a crafting system taken straight out of Diablo 2. No longer will you toss less-than-perfect items in the trash; now you can stuff them into the Horadric Cube and gamble for big-ticket upgrades.
Blizzard gave a tiny peek at the system during the recent Diablo 30th anniversary Spotlight video. Reddit user contablecrab grabbed several screenshots from the brief footage of the cube so we can see what kind of things it can do.
Much like the cube in Diablo 2, you can place items into it with other materials and combine them into something new. In Diablo 4's version, you can take things like unique items and recycle them into a new one, giving you a reason to pick up duplicates that you'd otherwise ignore. It also can turn lower-quality items into legendaries, which by definition means we'll actually see those items drop again even when you're well into the endgame.
This system alone implies a big shift in how Diablo 4 is played. Normally, you hit max level and play until the best items drop. But in Lord of Hatred, the opportunities for the best items will be everywhere. My favorite action RPGs give you opportunities to find powerful gear in various ways that aren't just completing dungeons, and the Horadric Cube seems like a sign that Diablo 4 will finally let you gamble on upgrades throughout your journey. Not only will it make items more exciting because of the possibilities they hold, but it will also give you those moments where you make something outstanding that completely changes how you put together your build.
Compared to games like Path of Exile 2, Diablo 4 has struggled to get away from feeling like you're following a recipe when you build a character. You pick the stuff that works for the skill you want and you go to the dungeons that give you the loot you need. The Horadric Cube, and the crafting options that come with it, will make the path to demon-slaying godhood varied and full of surprises. And, frankly, that's the fun of playing loot games: chasing after the thrill of finding something incredible.
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The Spotlight only shows five examples of what you can craft with the cube, but I expect to see a lot more options when Lord of Hatred arrives on April 28.
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