Aspects are the cornerstone of gear upgrades in Diablo 4. While Season 4 introduced Tempering and Masterworking, Aspect Imprinting remains crucial for defining your build. To get the most out of this mechanic, you need to understand:
- Aspects are skill or stat modifiers that significantly alter how a skill or action functions, sometimes even granting new passive abilities.
- Each piece of gear has a single Aspect slot, limited to specific categories based on the gear type (e.g., weapons primarily have Offensive Aspects).
- Legendary gear is ideal for Aspect Imprinting due to its superior stats.
To Imprint an Aspect:
- Extract the desired Aspect by salvaging gear at the Blacksmith’s Salvage tab. This destroys the item permanently.
- The extracted Aspect is added to your Codex of Power for unlimited use, with the highest power version taking precedence.
- Visit the Occultist and select the “Imprint Aspect” tab.
- Place the item to be imprinted, choose the Aspect from your Codex, and confirm the imprint.
Keep in mind that Aspect Imprinting can be costly, requiring resources beyond just Gold. However, you can replace imprinted Aspects as often as your budget allows.
To maximize your chances of obtaining valuable Aspects:
- Progress quickly to World Tier 3 or 4 and farm Helltides.
- Engage in activities like Nightmare Dungeons and Infernal Hordes.
- Focus on acquiring Legendary gear, as they are the only items that come with imprintable Aspects.
- Target specific dungeons known to reward base versions of Aspects.
By strategically farming and imprinting the right Aspects, you can dramatically enhance your character’s power and create a formidable, synergistic build that decimates the forces of Hell.