Item Power and Breakpoints Explained

Item Power determines a piece of gear's overall quality in Diablo 4 (D4). Read on to learn what Item Power is, how it works, what affects the stats of drop items, what Item Level breakpoints do and each breakpoint range, and how item bonuses can be rerolled and given huge buffs.

What is Item Power?

A Measure of an Item's Overall Quality

Item power is a simple way to determine a piece of gear's overall quality. It is the summation of everything contributing to an item's total power: Your current level, the item's Base stats (Armor and Damage), and Affixes (Bonus stats and buffs). Item Rarity, on the other hand, does not necessarily affect Item Power.

How Does Item Power Work?

Item Power is Dependent on Your Level Item Power Determines Gear Stat Ranges

Item Power is Dependent on Your Level

Simply, the higher your level is, the higher Item Power you receive from dropped items. The quality of gear increases as you progress through the story and increase your level through completing quests and defeating enemies.
Leveling Guide: How to Level Up Fast

Item Power Determines Gear Stat Ranges

Some pieces of gear will have Affixes attached to them. These buffs increase certain stats or skills, like your attack speed and basic skill damage.

Affixes have a range that determines how powerful the stat buff is: For example, a [2.5 - 3.0]% increase to Attack Speed. This range increases the higher the Item Power.

Item Level Breakpoints Explained

Season 6 Item Level Breakpoints

Item Power has certain tiers or “breakpoints”, which are based on player level. Obtaining an item past a certain level will increase its item power while obtaining an Ancestral item will grant the maximum of Item Power 800. Affix values will vary depending on the respective ranges shown in the table above.

Previous Item Level Breakpoints

The table above shows the Item Power breakpoints of previous seasons. The reason for the change is due to character levels being re-adjusted with the new Realm-wide Paragon system.

Legacy Items with Item Power over 540 will be readjusted to 540, and the Affixes on these adjusted items will be rerolled at the highest values in their respective ranges.

This information is found on the Season of Hatred Rising patch notes.

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