With new footage revealed by IGN for the upcoming Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred expansion, we’re finally getting a clearer picture of one of the most important systems in the game—itemization. And if the early data is accurate, this expansion isn’t just tweaking gear… it’s fundamentally changing how weapons scale, feel, and progress. For players looking to stay ahead, you can buy Diablo 4 Gold to better prepare for these shifts. Let’s break it all down.

Level Cap Increase & Item Power Scaling

The expansion introduces:

· Level cap increase: 60 → 70 

· Higher item power tiers (900+) 

· Stronger Ancestral gear

At first glance, this looks like a standard vertical progression bump. But the real story is hidden in weapon scaling.

Weapon DPS Is Exploding (And That Changes Everything)

From earlier previews:

· A 900 item power one-handed weapon showed ~815 DPS 

· Current live game (800+ gear): ~300–350 DPS 

That’s already 2–3x stronger

But the IGN footage takes it even further:

· A max-level character shows 3,454 weapon damage 

This is where things stop making sense under the current Diablo 4 system.

Why This Breaks the Current Damage Model

Right now in Diablo 4:

· Weapon damage is standardized across loadouts 

· A 1H + shield setup = same total damage as 2H

· DPS is mostly tied to:

o Item Power

o Masterworking

In other words: your weapon type barely matters for base damage

But the new numbers suggest:

· Weapon damage is no longer normalized 

· There are new scaling sources beyond item power 

What Could Be Changing?

Based on the footage and item previews, there are a few likely scenarios:

1. Local Weapon Multipliers (BIG Deal)

We may finally be getting true ARPG-style weapon scaling, including:

· % Increased Weapon Damage

· % Attack Speed (local to weapon)

This system already exists in Diablo III, where:

· These stats scale the weapon itself 

· Then multiply with all other damage bonuses

This is a massive shift from Diablo 4’s current additive-heavy system.

2. Weapon-Specific DPS Identity

Instead of all weapons converging to the same DPS:

· Different weapons (even within same tier) may have different base values 

· Uniques could have higher or specialized DPS ceilings 

This would finally create:

· “Big drop moments”

· Meaningful weapon upgrades

· Real chase items

3. New Damage Sources (Gear-Based Multipliers)

We’ve seen hints of:

· % Damage modifiers on weapons 

· Main-hand weapon damage bonuses (previously seen on shields)

Possible expansion:

· Rings, amulets, or off-hands boosting weapon DPS directly 

· Hybrid scaling systems (flat + multiplicative)

Why This Matters for Builds

Currently, weapon progression in Diablo 4 feels like this:

Find decent Ancestral → Done

With these changes, progression could become:

· Incremental upgrades → noticeable power spikes

· Gear optimization → actual DPS differences

· Build identity → tied to weapon rolls, not just affixes

This is especially important because:

· Skill trees are losing passive power 

· That power needs to be replaced somewhere 

Weapons appear to be the answer.

What Happens to Eternal Realm Gear?

Blunt truth:

· Current gear will likely be completely outscaled 

· New item power tiers + DPS scaling = hard reset in value 

This was expected, but now it’s confirmed: The expansion effectively redefines “endgame gear.”

What to Watch Next

More details are expected during Blizzard’s upcoming developer stream (Campfire Chat). Based on what we’ve seen, here are the key things to look for:

· Confirmation of local weapon multipliers 

· Clarification on damage normalization changes 

· New affix pools (weapon-specific stats?)

· How Paragon and gear scaling interact 

Final Takeaway

If these changes hold, Lord of Hatred could fix one of Diablo 4’s biggest weaknesses: Weapons finally matter.

Not just as stat sticks—but as:

· Build-defining items

· Progression milestones

· Power spikes you can feel

And honestly, that’s something Diablo has been missing.

If you’re prepping for the expansion, now’s the time to:

· Stop over-investing in Eternal gear

· Start planning for new scaling systems

· Keep an eye on weapon mechanics—they’re about to become the most important part of your build

For those looking to get a head start, you can buy cheap Diablo IV Items from MMOEXP to stay ahead of the curve. More updates are coming soon, and this system could still evolve—but right now, all signs point to a much deeper, more rewarding itemization future.