The Diablo 4 Season 11 PTR is currently ongoing, and players are already testing all the new features, including Sanctification! This is basically a new crafting mechanic, but for endgame only.
On paper, it sounds really cool. You can add a bonus Legendary Aspect, upgrade Affixes into Greater versions, or even make your gear indestructible.
But after early PTR testing, the reality is a bit different. Players are calling the system “pure lottery,” and not in a good way.
What Sanctification Does
Sanctification is designed as the final upgrade step for top-tier gear. This means that it is the one thing you do at the very end, after Tempering, Masterworking, and Enchanting (aka rerolling stats). Once applied, it locks the item permanently, making it unmodifiable but potentially granting powerful upgrades such as:
- Adding a bonus Legendary power
- Turning an Affix into a Greater Affix
- Adding a special Sanctification Affix
- Replacing an existing Affix with a random Sanctified one
- Making your item indestructible
Players can access this celestial crafting by using Heavenly Sigils or finding Heavenly Anvils after defeating Lesser Evils during events like Helltides.
What Players Found in PTR Testing
On Reddit, someone shared detailed testing from the PTR, Sanctifying 32 Mythic Uniques and 29 regular Uniques to see what kind of results the system could give.
And let’s just say, the results were not exactly “heavenly”:
Mythic Items (32 tested):
- 40.6% gained new Aspects
- 18.8% got Greater Affixes
- 15.6% gained an extra Affix
- 6.3% replaced an Affix
- 18.7% became indestructible
Unique Items (29 tested):
- Only 3.4% gained Aspects
- 10.3% Greater Affixes
- 58.6% added an extra Affix
- 10.3% replaced Affixes
- 17.2% no durability loss
Even more disappointing is that every Mythic that gained an Aspect rolled weak or irrelevant ones, such as helmets locked to defensive or utility affixes only.
“None of them felt like a GG item,” wrote the player. “Sanctification is pure lottery and will generate more frustration than dopamine, worse than Masterworking.”
Community Reaction So Far
Feedback is very split for now, but most players agree the RNG feels excessive. Comments called the system “Temper 2.0” and “a way to brick Mythics you can only roll once.”
However, there are also comments defending it as an optional, high-risk system meant for ultra-endgame experimentation. It is not something you are supposed to use on every item, but more just a way to try and get the ultimate piece of gear.
For now, Sanctification looks like a risky gamble that could either make your item a dream or completely ruin it. With Season 11 still in PTR, there is time for Blizzard to change the system, rework affix pools, or add safeguards before launch. However, do not expect it, as it is really meant to be an ultimate “high risk, high reward” kind of feature, and right now, it does exactly this.
But one thing is for sure: Diablo 4’s endgame crafting still walks a fine line between excitement and frustration.
