How To Salvage Items in Diablo 4
That's where salvaging comes in. Salvaging is one of the most important mechanics in Diablo 4, allowing players to convert unwanted gear into valuable crafting materials. These materials become the foundation of your character's power progression - used to upgrade weapons, improve armor, and enchant affixes at the Blacksmith and Occultist.d
In this complete guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about salvaging Diablo 4 Items: how it works, where to do it, what materials you get, when to sell instead of salvage, and how it ties into crafting and transmog systems.
Understanding Salvaging in Diablo 4
Salvaging is the process of breaking down equipment into useful resources. Instead of selling your extra gear for gold, salvaging transforms those items into materials that help you craft and improve the weapons and armor you actually use.
It's a cleaner, more efficient way to recycle your loot and keep your inventory under control. Every item you salvage adds materials directly to your crafting stash, so you never have to worry about picking them up manually.
Salvaging plays a crucial role from the very beginning of the game all the way into endgame. Early on, it provides essential ingredients for simple upgrades. Later, it becomes the only reliable way to obtain rare resources needed for Legendary and Unique item crafting.
Where to Salvage Items
You can salvage gear at the Blacksmith, one of the key artisans found in towns and major settlements across Sanctuary. You'll encounter your first Blacksmith early in the campaign, usually in Kyovashad, the main hub of the Fractured Peaks.
To locate a Blacksmith, look for the anvil icon on your mini-map or world map. When you approach and interact with them, you'll see several options in their interface:
Repair Equipment - Fixes broken or damaged gear.
Upgrade Items - Increases item stats for a fee and materials.
Salvage Items - Breaks unwanted gear into crafting materials.
Simply open the Salvage tab and choose the items you want to dismantle. You can either manually click on items one by one or use the convenient "auto-salvage" options at the top of the screen to quickly process multiple items of a certain rarity.
How to Salvage Items Step-by-Step
Salvaging in Diablo 4 is straightforward, but here's a simple breakdown to ensure you're doing it efficiently:
Find a Blacksmith: Head to any major town or city. Look for the anvil icon to locate the Blacksmith.
Open the Salvage Menu: Interact with the Blacksmith and navigate to the Salvage tab.
Select the Gear You Want to Salvage: You can:
Click items individually, or
Use the quick-salvage buttons for Common, Magic, Rare, or Legendary items.
Confirm the Salvage: Once selected, click the "Salvage" button to dismantle the items.
Collect Materials Automatically: The materials from the salvaged items will be added directly to your crafting resources inventory.
After salvaging, you'll notice small visual effects of the items breaking apart. You'll also see a quick summary of the resources you gained.
What You Get From Salvaging
Each time you salvage an item, you receive crafting materials based on the item's rarity. These materials are essential for upgrades, enchanting, and crafting at various artisans. While Diablo 4 doesn't explicitly list every single drop from salvaging, the general progression works like this:
Common (White) Gear: Grants Rawhide and Iron Chunks - basic resources used early on for upgrading weapons and armor.
Magic (Blue) Gear: Provides Veiled Crystals, which are mid-tier materials used for enchanting and upgrading.
Rare (Yellow) Gear: Offers additional Veiled Crystals and sometimes higher-tier materials depending on item level.
Legendary (Orange) Gear: Yields Forgotten Souls, Baleful Fragments, and Abstruse Sigils - rare crafting materials required for endgame gear enhancement.
Salvaging Legendary items becomes particularly important later in the game, since Forgotten Souls are required for most high-level upgrades.
Salvaging vs. Selling - What's Better?
Players often wonder whether they should salvage or sell items. The truth is, both actions have their place depending on your stage in the game and your goals.
Early Game (Levels 1-30)
At the start of your journey, crafting materials are scarce, and gold is somewhat limited. During this phase, you'll want to salvage most items, especially Magic and Rare ones, to gather resources for upgrades at the Blacksmith. These materials will help you strengthen your weapons, which in turn makes leveling faster.
Mid Game (Levels 30-70)
By this stage, you'll start to accumulate plenty of crafting materials and more gold. Here, you can balance the two approaches: salvage Rares and Legendaries, and sell lower-tier items if you're running low on gold. You can also buy Diablo 4 Gold to get quickly. Gold is still important for enchanting at the Occultist and respeccing your skills, so don't ignore it completely.
Endgame (Level 70+ and World Tier 4)
In the late game, salvaging becomes far more valuable than selling. You'll need Forgotten Souls, Baleful Fragments, and other rare materials to upgrade your endgame weapons and armor. Gold becomes less of a bottleneck because high-tier activities like Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, and World Bosses provide generous gold rewards.
In short:
Salvage most of your gear in early and late game.
Sell selectively in the mid game if you need gold.
Unlocking Transmogs Through Salvaging
One of the best hidden perks of salvaging in Diablo 4 is that it unlocks new item appearances for your character's wardrobe.
Whenever you salvage a weapon or armor piece that has a new look (one you haven't unlocked yet), it automatically becomes available as a cosmetic transmog. You can then visit a wardrobe in any major town to change your appearance to that style - permanently, at no cost.
Because of this, you should always salvage new-looking items at least once. Selling them instead will make you miss out on unique transmogs. Over time, salvaging builds your personal collection of appearances, allowing you to customize your look while keeping your gear's stats intact.
Tips for Efficient Salvaging
Visit the Blacksmith Regularly
Don't wait until your inventory is full. Make a habit of stopping by the Blacksmith every few dungeons or major battles. This keeps your bag clean and your resources stocked.
Use Auto-Salvage Options
The Blacksmith's interface includes buttons to automatically salvage all Common, Magic, or Rare items in your inventory. This saves time and prevents manual sorting.
Extract Before Salvaging
If an item has a powerful Aspect you haven't unlocked yet, take it to the Occultist to extract it first. Once extracted, you can safely salvage the remaining gear.
Prioritize Legendary Salvage
Legendary items provide the rarest and most useful materials. Even if you don't plan to use them, breaking them down ensures you'll have resources for future upgrades.
Don't Hoard Too Much
Materials automatically stack and take up no space, so there's no need to overthink it. Salvage freely - you'll constantly get more materials as you play.
Salvage After Events and Dungeons
Endgame activities like Helltides and Nightmare Dungeons drop large quantities of loot. Make salvaging part of your routine immediately after completing them.
Final Thoughts
Salvaging is one of those seemingly small features in Diablo 4 that quietly powers the entire game's progression system. Every material you gain from breaking down gear brings you closer to perfecting your build - from enhancing weapons and reforging armor to unlocking new visual styles for your character.
At first, it might feel like a simple inventory management tool. But as you climb through the World Tiers, you'll realize salvaging is the lifeblood of your crafting journey. The more efficiently you salvage, the faster you'll upgrade your gear, unlock transmogs, and maintain a steady flow of resources for endgame activities.
So, next time your inventory fills up with blues and yellows, don't just dump them for a handful of gold. Visit your nearest Blacksmith, break them down, and turn that clutter into power. In Diablo 4, salvaging isn't just housekeeping - it's the foundation of becoming an unstoppable hero in Sanctuary.