Salvaging is a mechanic that allows players to break down items, such as weapons and armor, into raw materials that can be used for Crafting and Training Artisans. It is very similar to World of Warcrafts' Disenchanting, a Sub-skill of Enchanting. Players must first obtain an Artifact from Haedrig Eamon, only then will they be able to salvage items. At first, the Artifact stays in the inventory like any regular item, but upon its first use, it becomes a UI element in the inventory, a picture can be seen below.
This system serves many purposes, such as breaking down unneeded items into raw materials to free up space, instead of running back to town once the inventory is full as well as re-using these raw materials from unneeded items to make very strong and random equipment for you to use. Also, raw materials can be used to upgrade Artisans, allowing them to provide you with better recipes for crafting, among other things.
Salvaged Items
There are currently 2 items known to be produced from Salvaging:
- Common Scraps
- Subtle Essence
These are low tier raw materials, and are used for basic training and crafting. There 2 more raw materials known to exist, but their names are unknown.
User Interface/Mechanics
In the Inventory, in the bottom right corner a closed chest can be seen. Upon clicking this Chest, it opens up and a Salvaging window opens in the middle of the screen. This Salvaging screen has 6 slots, items can be dragged into the slots, where the player can Salvage the items, resulting in raw materials for every item in every slot. It seems to work like the Horadric Cube. It is Unknown if a player can store items within it, for the purpose of freeing up space in his inventory.