How to reach max level and Item Power in Diablo 4

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Here's how item power breakpoints work

Like all great RPGs, reaching the level cap and Item Power max in Diablo 4 is the pinnacle endgame goal everyone chases. How can you make your character as strong as they can possibly be? You hit the max level, of course!

However, the idea of "max level" is a little complex with Diablo 4, as your character level has multiple "max levels" and item power levels don't actually seem to have one at all — although they do have stat breaking points, which are actually even more important.

In this Diablo 4 guide, we’re going to teach you how to min-max your character and set some aspirational goals for endgame gear.

There are two max player levels in Diablo 4, although the game technically only presents it as one.

When you make a fresh character, you’ll start at level one. As you complete campaign missions or kill enemies, you’ll gain XP, level up, and earn skill points to improve your build. This is pretty standard RPG stuff. This will continue until you reach level 50.

At level 50, you will enter the second phase of leveling up your character by unlocking the Paragon system. Instead of gaining skill points every level, you will instead earn four Paragon points per level — up to level 100.

If you need help getting XP, check out our XP farming guide.

Level 100 is the game's true cap, and you will no longer earn any XP past that point. There are also other ways to get Paragon and skill points (like Altars of Lilith and the region-wide Renown system, specifically), but leveling is the primary way to increase your character's power.

As you increase your level and take on harder and harder content, items will actually become the main way that you increase your character's power, which we’ll discuss below.

Unlike player levels, the max item power situation in Diablo 4 is far more intricate and complex. Whenever an item drops — regardless of its quality — it will be assigned a general "Item Power," which appears just under the item's name and type.

This number shows, at a glance, the relative strength of the item so you can quickly compare it to the other loot in your inventory and on your person. (However, as you grow in power, it's important to pay attention to an item's affixes as well, as they’re ultimately a better measure of an item's real power).

The Item Power can range from Item Power 1 at low levels to over Item Power 725 at the top levels. And in those 725+ levels, there are actually six unique breakpoints to consider when assessing your gear. Here are the breakpoint ranges in order from worst to best:

This video from TagBackTV does a great job at explaining the differences in breakpoints.

At each of these breakpoints, stat levels see a meaningful increase. Item affixes and bonuses see their minimum stats brought up and their maximums expanded. Basically, items you get at a higher breakpoint are — typically — significantly more powerful than items in the previous breakpoint.

The great thing about this system is that once you start really grinding for endgame gear, you can actually upgrade your weapons into a new breakpoint — if they’re close enough. Because upgrading gear at the Blacksmith increases your Item Power by +5 each time, you can move an item from one breakpoint into the next if it's within 25 Item Power.

For example, you can upgrade an Item Power 710 item three times and its stats will increase exponentially once it hits Item Power 725. On the flip-side, an item that drops with Item Power 699 or lower will never be able to increase to the next breakpoint.

The best way to get max Item Power weapons and armor in Diablo 4 is to play on the higher difficulties — World Tier 3 and World Tier 4 — and beat endgame content like Helltides, World Bosses, and Nightmare Dungeons.

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