The game remains in Early Access, and the developer has announced a broad Act 4 item and blessing overhaul. Exact drop tables, item names, and balance values may change.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
Use equipment to shape a hero around a small group of useful affixes rather than chasing the highest color on every slot. Ordinary items can appear as drops or shop stock, and bosses are reliable checkpoints for loot. Rarity improves the quality and quantity of affixes, while tier reflects the realm’s progression. For farming, clear the highest Darkness you can finish quickly and reliably; Darkness 30 is the verified cap for item-drop quality, so going beyond it is mainly a challenge choice. Keep promising Mythic, Unique, and Immortal pieces, sell obsolete ordinary gear through the shop, and use the Armory’s tier filters and presets to manage large collections.
How the system works
Equipment, lore, rarity, and tiers
Items are split into equipment and lore. Equipment is worn by a hero and changes stats or enables build effects through affixes. Lore items contain world-building text and are stored for collection purposes rather than increasing combat power.
The current equipment layout has ten main slots: weapon, head, torso, hands, waist, feet, ring, amulet, relic, and jewel. A complete loadout should be evaluated as a package because one item may provide a key defensive or utility affix while another supplies the damage needed to make the build function.
Rarity runs from Simple and Common through Rare, Epic, Mythic, and Immortal. Higher rarity generally means better or more numerous affixes, but a well-rolled lower-rarity item can still be a practical upgrade during progression. Tier is separate from rarity. The currently documented realms provide Tier 1 in the Outer Circle, Tier 2 in the Endless Desert, and Tier 3 in the Darkmoor.
- Ordinary equipment uses generated affixes and can appear in drops or shop stock.
- Unique items have a fixed list and preset affixes rather than fully random rolls.
- Immortal is a rarity with special acquisition rules; the currently documented Immortal items are also Unique.
- Lore books are collection items, not combat equipment.
| Term | What it changes | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Rarity | Affix quality and quantity | Compare useful rolls, not only the color. |
| Tier | Progression level tied to a realm | Replace old-tier gear when the new item has comparable or better rolls. |
| Unique | Fixed item identity and preset effects | Build around its special effect when it supports your hero. |
| Immortal | Special rarity and acquisition conditions | Treat it as a collection or build-defining target rather than routine loot. |
Rarity and tier are not interchangeable. A Tier 3 Rare can be a sensible upgrade over a Tier 2 Mythic when its affixes fit the build, while a poorly matched Mythic may remain in storage.
Acquisition
Where to get better gear
The normal loop is straightforward: enter a realm, kill enemies and bosses, collect item drops, return to the hub, compare the haul, and spend gold in the shop. Bosses are especially important because they provide dependable loot opportunities and help unlock stronger shop rarity progression in the documented system.
The shop is useful both as a buying location and as a way to turn unwanted equipment into gold. Unique and lore items are exceptions to ordinary shop selling rules in the community reference, so inspect an item before disposing of it. The Armory also received quality-of-life improvements, including item transfer, preset sorting, and filtering by item tier.
Unique items can drop from Death’s realm but are not normal shop stock. Immortal items require specific conditions and do not follow ordinary realm-drop rules. Because those conditions can be affected by future updates, use the item’s in-game description and current achievement or location requirements instead of relying on an old farming route.
- Prioritize bosses when you need a quick set of meaningful loot rolls.
- Check the shop after progression milestones and spend gold on slots that solve a real build weakness.
- Use Armory presets for different heroes or archetypes instead of rebuilding every loadout manually.
- Keep one copy of unusual Unique gear until you know whether its effect is required for a build or collection goal.
| Goal | Best practical route | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Early progression | Clear the highest comfortable realm | New realm tiers usually matter more than squeezing extra difficulty from weak gear. |
| Replacing a slot | Run bosses and inspect shop stock | Both sources provide concentrated opportunities for upgrades. |
| Unique hunting | Target the relevant act, location, or condition | Unique gear is not ordinary random shop inventory. |
| Gold farming | Collect excess drops and sell nonessential gear | Equipment sales are a more useful income source than relying only on enemy gold. |
The official notes confirm stronger Tier 3 progression and a 100 percent item-drop buff in the Act III transition. They do not publish a complete best-in-slot ranking or a universal percentage for every item source.
Farming
A reliable gear-farming routine
Start with a difficulty that you can clear consistently without long pauses or frequent deaths. Faster completed runs usually produce more useful attempts than an ambitious setting that fails before the important bosses. Once a realm becomes comfortable, increase Darkness and test whether the extra enemy pressure still improves your completion speed.
Darkness 30 is the verified ceiling for maximum item-drop quality in the public ruleset. Darkness values above 30 can still increase challenge and enemy density, but they should not be treated as a guaranteed source of higher individual rarity. Use them when your build is stable and you want more action, not because every item is expected to roll better.
For general upgrades, target affixes that improve the hero’s actual failure point. Damage, cooldown, movement, experience, survivability, summon bonuses, and offer-related affixes can all be valuable depending on the character. Avoid keeping an item merely because it is Mythic if its rolls do nothing for the build.
- Choose the highest Darkness that produces repeatable full clears.
- Use item-drop or luck effects when they do not cripple the rest of the build.
- Sell clear duplicates and outdated pieces after checking their affixes.
- Keep a small reserve of flexible gear for alternate heroes rather than filling every stash slot.
- Recheck patch notes before a long targeted farm because item pools and unique effects can change.
| If you need... | Prioritize... | Avoid... |
|---|---|---|
| A general upgrade | Relevant primary stats and survivability | Color alone |
| A Unique | Its documented source condition | Assuming the shop can sell it |
| Tier 3 gear | Darkmoor progression and consistent clears | Staying on an older realm only for familiar drops |
| Gold | Extra equipment with no useful affixes | Selling lore or special items without checking their purpose |
Public references agree that item quality and drop progression cap around Darkness 30, but a complete current formula for every item-drop modifier is not officially published. Treat exact community percentages as estimates unless the game displays the value directly.
Use cases
How to build and manage loadouts
Build loadouts around a clear plan: direct attacks, casts, summons, status effects, defensive sustain, or a hybrid. Start with the hero’s strongest mechanic, then use equipment to cover its limitations. For example, a fragile damage build may gain more from movement, revival, health, or cooldown support than from another small damage roll.
Unique equipment deserves a separate comparison because its preset effect can be stronger than a generic item with higher displayed rarity. Immortal pieces are even more specialized. They are collection targets and build anchors, not automatic replacements for every slot.
The Armory is most useful when you create presets for a main damage setup, a safer farming setup, and an experimental setup. Filter by tier before comparing items, then judge each slot by the full combination of affixes. Remove obsolete gear from active presets before selling it so you do not accidentally break a working character.
- Use generic gear for flexible progression and Unique gear for specialized interactions.
- Keep one farming preset with movement, survivability, and item-related bonuses if available.
- Keep one pushing preset focused on the damage or summon engine that clears your hardest content.
- Do not copy a community loadout blindly; check whether its affixes match your unlocked talents and blessings.
| Loadout type | Main priority | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Progression | Balanced damage and defense | Unlocking the next realm or Darkness level |
| Farming | Clear speed, movement, survival, and item quantity support | Repeating reliable runs for upgrades and gold |
| Boss push | Damage uptime, cooldown, and boss survivability | Attempting a new personal difficulty record |
| Experimental | One unusual Unique or synergy | Testing a mechanic before committing stash space |
A community-made save editor exists and advertises changes to gold, items, affixes, and values. It is not an official game feature. Back up saves before using any third-party tool, and do not treat edited results as evidence of normal drop rates or intended progression.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
Common questions
Can you sell items?
Yes. The shop supports selling ordinary equipment for gold. Community documentation lists Unique and Lore items as exceptions, so check an item’s identity before selling or discarding it.
What is the best way to farm gear?
Run the highest realm and Darkness setting that you can clear quickly and consistently, prioritize bosses, and return to the shop between runs. Darkness 30 is the verified item-quality ceiling in the public ruleset.
Does higher Darkness always give better items?
No. Public developer notes state that Darkness 30 still gives maximum item drops. Higher settings are mainly for challenge and additional enemy pressure, not guaranteed higher rarity.
Are Immortal items better than Mythic items?
They are rarer and have special acquisition rules, but “better” depends on the build. An Immortal effect that does not support your hero may be less useful than a well-rolled Mythic.
Should I keep lore items?
Keep them if you want the Library collection or story text. They do not provide normal combat bonuses and can be treated separately from equipment management.
Is an item editor an official feature?
No. Save editors are third-party tools. They can modify inventory data, but they are not part of the normal game loop and may create unsupported or corrupted saves.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialOfficial Act 4 development update and delay notice
- CommunityDeath Must Die Item reference
- CommunityDeath Must Die Shop reference
- ReferenceCommunity item documentation PDF
- CommunityThird-party save editor repository