Season 11 introduced the Sanctification crafting system as a new way to push items further, and it did not take long for players to get attached to it. Right now, a lot of the Diablo 4 community agrees that it feels way too good to just be a “one and done” season-only system.
Sanctification is confirmed to only be a Season 11 mechanic for now, but plenty of players already want it to stick around. We have seen this before too, with similar reactions to Chaos Armor.
Why Players Like Sanctification So Much
At its core, Sanctification adds something Diablo 4 has been missing for a while: excitement during crafting. Slamming a Sanctified affix onto an item feels risky, rewarding, and meaningful, especially late into the endgame.
Players often describe it as a proper gear chase mechanic, where upgrades are not guaranteed but always tempting. That moment of deciding to go for one more upgrade, knowing it could go wrong, has been one of the highlights of the season.
For many fans of the franchise, it brings back that classic Diablo feeling of risk versus reward, instead of purely incremental upgrades.
The Big Problem: Bricking Items
As fun and awesome as it is, the system is still far from perfect. The biggest complaint by far is how Sanctification can replace an existing affix.
Losing a key stat on an otherwise great item at the final step feels punishing, not exciting. A lot of players say this single aspect turns a fun gamble into frustration, especially when it happens late into a build.
The general sentiment is not that Sanctification is bad, but that it needs guardrails if it ever becomes permanent.
Build Variety Still Feels Uneven
Another part of the discussion relates to build diversity. Especially Paladin players right now tend to mention that many endgame builds gravitate toward the same skills, and the few others that are viable basically feel under-supported by itemization.
Some players even say Sanctification highlights these gaps more clearly, since it shows which builds actually benefit from more in-depth gear investment and which ones fall behind.
Interestingly, this has pushed a part of the community back toward classes like Barbarian or others, such as those who simply now want to revisit Sorcerer builds that feel more flexible again this season.
Should Sanctification Become Permanent?
Although there is plenty of criticism, the overall community wish is pretty clear. The bigger part of the playerbase really likes the system and would rather see it refined, not removed.
Most believe Sanctification could work as a permanent endgame layer if Blizzard adjusts how affixes are replaced and adds clearer protections against bricking items. As it stands, Season 11 has shown that players enjoy meaningful risk, as long as it does not feel unfair.
For now, it remains to be seen if Blizzard plans to revisit the system after the season, but community interest is definitely there.
For more Season 11 updates and Lord of Hatred news, head over to our Diablo 4 news hub.
