Diablo 4: What to Do with Legacy Items
With Diablo 4: Loot Reborn, Blizzard completely reinvented how items work in the game. The update wasn't just a patch - it was a total overhaul of itemization, transforming how players find, enhance, and Diablo 4 Items optimize their gear. However, this overhaul also created an entirely new class of outdated items: Legacy Items.
If you've logged in after the update and noticed a red skull icon on some of your older gear, that means those items are now classified as Legacy. These pieces of equipment belong to the pre-Season 4 era of Diablo 4 and don't follow the new systems introduced in the Loot Reborn update.
In this article, we'll explain what Legacy Items are, how they work, and what to do with them - including whether you should keep, salvage, or sell them.
What Are Legacy Items in Diablo 4?
Legacy Items are essentially old gear pieces that were created before Loot Reborn changed the itemization system. These items were generated under the pre-Season 4 rules, which means they lack the new affix system, tempering options, and masterworking capabilities.
You can easily identify them by the red skull icon displayed on their item card. This visual cue marks them as "outdated" in terms of stats and mechanics.
When Loot Reborn launched, Blizzard wanted to prevent balance issues between old and new gear. Instead of deleting older items, they converted them into Legacy Items - allowing players to keep their hard-earned loot, even though it's now technically obsolete.
Why Legacy Items Are No Longer Viable
Before the Loot Reborn patch, item stats were relatively simple. Players could find items with affixes like "Damage to Close Enemies" or "Damage to Distant Enemies." These stats were static and lacked deep customization.
With the overhaul, Diablo 4 Items became significantly more complex and powerful. Now, Ancestral Items form the core of the system - they can be Tempered and Masterworked for customized stats and tiered upgrades.
Legacy Items, on the other hand:
Cannot be tempered (you can't add or reroll affixes).
Cannot be masterworked (you can't enhance their power tiers).
Have outdated affixes that no longer scale competitively.
Essentially, even if a Legacy Item looks strong at a glance, its lack of compatibility with current systems makes it inferior for high-end content such as The Pit, Nightmare Dungeons, or Buy Diablo 4 materials Torment-tier activities.