Item hunting is one of the mayor objectives in Diablo games, besides questing and leveling. The item system in Diablo III has been simplified and streamlined, when compared to the predecessor. The loss in itemization depth and replay value is countered by allowing franchise newcomers to instantly see if an item is an upgrade or not.
Items come in three large categories: Armor, Weapon, and Other
Contents
Armor
Armor refers to any non-held equipment. Most of them provide Mainstat, Vitality and other defensive bonuses.
There are 11 total armor slots:
- Head
- Torso
- Waist
- Shoulders
- Wrists
- Hands
- Legs
- Feet
- Rings (2 slots)
- Amulets
Weapons
Weapons include anything held in the hand, even if they player doesn't hit monsters with it.
| One-Handed | Two-Handed |
|---|---|
| Axes | Axes |
| Maces | Maces |
| Swords | Swords |
| Spears | Polearms |
| Daggers | Staves |
| Shields | Bows |
| Crossbows |
Class Restrictions
All classes can use all types of armor, although most classes have a special type for one of the slots. Weapons are restricted by class and each class has at least one special weapon type.
| Restrictions | Special Items | |
|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | Staves, Bows and Crossbows | Might Belts(Belts) and Weapons (1&2H) |
| Crusader | Crusader Shields(OH) and Flails (1&2H) | |
| Monk | Spirit Stones(Head), Fists(1H) and Daibos(2H) | |
| Demon Hunter | All 2H but Bows and Crossbows | Cloaks(Torso), Hand Crossbows(1H) and Quivers(OH) |
| Wizards | Polearms and 2H Maces | Wizard Hats(Head), Wands(1H) and Sources(OH) |
| Witch Doctors | Voodoo Mask(Head), Ceremonial Knives(1H) and Mojos(OH) |
Follower Gear
Each of the followers can equip a weapon, 2 rings, an amulet and a special item particular to each follow
- The Templar can equip one-handed swords, axes, spears and daggers, along with a shield and a Templar Relic
- The Scoundrel can equip either bow or crossbow and a Scoundrel Token
- The Enchantress can equip staves, swords, axes, and maces along with a Enchantress Focus
Item Quality and Color
Every item has a quality level associated with it and each quality level has a color associated with it
- Junk - grey
- Normal - white
- Magic - blue
- Rare - yellow
- Legendary - orange
- Set - green
Ironically, the most common quality level of item drops is Rare.
Grey, Normal, Magic, and Rare items are useless in Diablo III after reaching level 70. This is a massive ideology departure from Diablo II Lord of Destruction.
Set items have their own color but are considered legendary in terms of drop rate.
Gems
Weapons, Jewelry as well as Head, Torso, and Leg Armor can have sockets for Gems. These Gems provide additional effects, depending on where they are socketed.
There are five types of Gems in a range of qualities: Ruby, Topaz, Emerald, Amethyst and Diamond.
In Addition, Patch 2.1 introduced Legendary Gems that mostly socket into Jewelry and provide various effects.
Check the main article for more information