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Should you salvage or sell in Diablo 4?

Salvage in Diablo 4 is an important way to get crafting materials, though you lose out on gold in the process.

Josh Broadwell

June 7, 2023 1:20 PM

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Item salvage in Diablo 4 is essential not just to keep your pockets free of clutter, but to get some of the most useful items you need for high-level crafting and upgrades. Salvaging is quick and costs you nothing, though make sure to spare a thought for what you’re giving up. Once you salvage something, it’s gone for good.

Should you salvage or sell in Diablo 4?

You absolutely should salvage any gear you don’t need or want. Do not sell your gear. Selling gear is only advisable if you’re desperate for gold, and even then, you can get plenty of gold by completing side quests or defeating enemies in the open world.

Salvaging gear might not get you gold, but it does give you resources which are substantially more valuable. What you get specifically depends on an item’s category and upgrade status, though in general, you can expect skin and hide items, along with ore chunks of all descriptions. 

You’re guaranteed to end up with scores of common gear and no small number of low-powered magical and rare items just from wandering the world and defeating enemies. Make it a habit to head to the blacksmith every time you enter a settlement to clear it all out and stock up on resources.

You can then use these resources to upgrade the gear that you do want to keep, though just because you get a windfall of silver ore and veiled crystal doesn’t mean you should use it immediately. Just as you should think carefully before salvaging, so too should you plan ahead before using the resources you get from salvaging.

Salvaging is also the only way to unlock new transmog looks.

Diablo 4 salvage – How to salvage equipment

You can salvage equipment in Diablo 4 at any blacksmith, free of charge. Blacksmiths are fairly common throughout the towns and settlements of Diablo 4’s first three acts in Fractured Peaks, Scosglen, and the Dry Steppes, though slightly less so everywhere else. Make sure you’re activating fast travel points so you can easily return to a blacksmith when you need one.

Blacksmiths exist to upgrade weapons or salvage gear, so all you need to do to is interact with one and select the salvage option – the giant pickaxe in a red square on the left side of the screen. Then, choose the equipment you want to salvage. Salvageable gear has a pickaxe icon in the top right corner of its inventory slot. With the Salvage option active, you can just select any piece of equipment that you want to salvage, and the process happens instantly. 

You can also salvage several pieces en masse by choosing a gear classification under the Salvage icon – common, magical, and so on. Bear in mind that these options instantly destroy all gear of the corresponding category, so make sure to give it all a good once-over before deciding to salvage. The last thing you want to do is get rid of some pants with enviable bonus stats.

If you're still getting used to how things work in Sanctuary, check out our Diablo 4 beginner's guide for some handy tips and how to get a mount so you can ride across the lands in style.

Josh Broadwell

Contributing Editor

Josh is a freelance writer and reporter who specializes in guides, reviews, and whatever else he can convince someone to commission. You may have seen him on NPR, IGN, Polygon, or VG 24/7 or on Twitter, shouting about Trails. When he isn’t working, you’ll likely find him outside with his Belgian Malinois and Australian Shepherd or curled up with an RPG of some description.