Recipes

This page lists Horadric Cube recipes and covers what has changed from the vanilla game.

Stacking
Flawless Gems, Perfect Gems, and all Runes are now stackable. They can be switched between their stacked and unstacked forms by cubing them. Some other items are newly stackable as well, and those items can be stacked/unstacked in the same way. Gems and Runes cannot be inserted into equipment sockets while in their stacked forms.

There are also convenient shortcuts for stacking/unstacking items without using cube recipes:
 * ctrl+shift+click - switches a single item between stacked/unstacked forms
 * ctrl+click (while holding item) - places an item in stacked form
 * ctrl+shift+click (while holding item) - places an item in unstacked form

Gear Modification
These recipes modify items - affixes on ingredient items are preserved.

Socketing Recipes
Sockets can only be added to socket-capable items that do not already have sockets. Items with existing sockets cannot gain additional sockets in any way, so these recipes won't work on them. The maximum sockets an item can get will always be restricted by the item base. Socket-capable items: helms, chests, shields, and non-throwing weapons.

New Items:
 * Larzuk's Puzzlebox - droprate similar to a high rune (same TC as Gul / Vex )
 * Larzuk's Puzzlepiece - droprate similar to Mal
 * Larzuk's Malus - can be purchased from Larzuk


 * The socketing recipes for regular items only work with "standard" items (not superior or inferior) and the eth bug involving them has been fixed in PD2
 * The socketing recipes for regular items each roll 1-6 sockets with equal chances, but the actual number of sockets added will still be limited by the item base (e.g. Grim Helm will get 1 socket 1/6 of the time and 2 sockets 5/6 of the time)
 * The recipes utilizing Larzuk's Puzzlebox and Larzuk's Puzzlepiece have equal chances for each resulting number of sockets

In addition to these recipes, corruptions also have a chance to add sockets. Note that items can get sockets from these recipes and also get corruption modifiers - they aren't limited to one or the other.

Besides recipes, the first quest in Act 5 (Siege on Harrogath) offers another way to get sockets. Larzuk will reward the player by adding sockets to an item of their choice:
 * Regular items receive the maximum amount of sockets (depends on the base and ilvl)
 * Magic items receive 1-2 sockets (equal chance for either outcome)
 * Other items ( Rare / Crafted / Set / Unique ) receive 1 socket

Upgrading Recipes
Set items and crafted items can now be upgraded. Set items use the same recipes as unique items, and crafted items use the same recipes as rare items. These recipes upgrade the item's base and do not affect item affixes.

Item requirements will be increased according to the item's new base. In vanilla, the required level was also increased further by +5/+7 (exceptional/elite) but this is not the case in PD2.


 * Although armor with Enhanced Defense normally has base defense set to its maximum value + 1, upgraded armor with Enhanced Defense has its base defense value randomly selected again.
 * Upgrading ethereal items will not increase their current durability according to however much their maximum durability increases - their current durability may actually be reduced by a seemingly random amount.
 * Unlike vanilla, upgrading a Circlet will turn it into a Coronet instead of the exceptional version (Tiara)

Other Modification Recipes
The repairing recipes have been merged, and now repair and recharge items without requiring any gems. There's also a new recipe that can be used to repair any item, including ethereal items.

New Items:
 * Vial of Lightsong can drop from any enemy (1:7.5 million chance)
 * Lilith's Mirror can drop from any enemy (1:25 million chance)

Mirrored jewels apply their "mirrored" status to any item they're inserted into - the targeted item cannot be used in cube recipes. Mirrored jewels retain their original color palette, but will modify the color palette of the item they're inserted into as follows:
 * upper jewel: white
 * lower jewel: black
 * 2 lower jewels: red
 * 3 lower jewels: green
 * 4 lower jewels: gold
 * upper jewel with any number of additional upper/lower jewels: silver

Note: "upper" and "lower" refer to where the jewels appeared in the cube after being mirrored, and are often used interchangeably with "white" and "black", respectively.

Gear Creation
These recipes create new items - any affixes on ingredient items are not preserved.

Equipment Creation Recipes
Recipes for creating arrows from multiple bolts and creating bolts from multiple arrows have been removed.


 * Bracketed formula ilvl values are rounded down

Tips
 * Rerolling magic items with perfect gems is a good way to get more opportunities at getting specific magic items. Magic items aren't typically competitive with other options, but magic charms have no alternatives so they're a popular choice for rerolling - grand charms are especially useful if they get +1 to a class skill tab.
 * Rerolling rare items with perfect skulls is a good way to get more opportunities at getting specific rare items. The ilvl will be reduced each time, so it's most effective on high level characters with high level items - it's particularly effective with items that have few useful high-level affixes (like rings) or Diadems since their high qlvl/mlvl completely counteracts lower ilvls. With repeated rerolling for other items, the ilvl can stabilize as high as ilvl 65 with a level 98+ character.

Imbuing Items
 * Besides recipes, the fifth quest in Act 1 (Tools of the Trade) offers another way to generate rare items. After returning the Horadric Malus, Charsi will imbue a zero-socket regular item of the player's choice. The imbued item will become a new rare item of the same type and have the same possible affixes (indistinguishable from "typical" rares except if it's Wirt's Leg), although there are some differences in the item generation:
 * (capped at 99)
 * if an ethereal item is imbued, the resulting item will also be ethereal (no other item stats matter)
 * if the item is capable of getting pointmods (staffmods), it will have much better chances than usual to get pointmods and for those pointmods to be higher level (+3 to multiple skills)
 * Note: Pointmod chances are increased based on the character's level, up to level 94
 * Popular imbue targets are diadems for characters of any level and pointmod-capable items for level 71+ characters. Imbuing other items at lower levels can result in useable items, but will usually prevent the best affixes from having a chance to appear.
 * While normally considered a downside, corruptions also have a chance to turn items into rares.

Promotion Recipes
The gem-promoting recipes are the same except the recipe for promoting Flawless Gems, which now requires a key in addition to the gems.


 * When additional flawless gems are included (up to 48), multiple perfect gems will be produced at the same 3:1 ratio (up to 16)
 * Flawless gems can only be promoted if they are in their stacked form - this may be an oversight and get updated in the future

The rune-promoting recipes now require a key in addition to the runes. These recipes no longer require any gems.

Consumables
Jewel Fragments and Hellfire Ashes are new items - they have no affixes and cannot grant any stats, but can stack up to 50 and be used in the same way as recipe ingredients.

Essences can now drop from bosses in Nightmare difficulty as well as Hell difficulty. (same drop chances)
 * Token of Absolution resets character skills/stats
 * Twisted Essence of Suffering drops from Andariel/Duriel (~16.1%/~21.3% chance)
 * Charged Essence of Hatred drops from Mephisto (~8.3% chance)
 * Burning Essence of Terror drops from Diablo (~8.3% chance)
 * Festering Essence of Destruction drops from Baal (~8.3% chance)

Killing the Cow King will no longer prevent you from opening the Secret Cow Level.

Uber Keys now have slightly different colors to help differentiate them, and are now also dropped by Blood Raven, Bloodwitch, and Izual in Hell difficulty. They can also be dropped during the Spire of Darkness event in maps.


 * Key of Terror drops from The Countess (1:11 chance) and Blood Raven (1:9 chance)
 * Key of Hate drops from The Summoner (1:8 chance) and Bloodwitch (1:9 chance)
 * Key of Destruction drops from Nihlathak (1:8 chance) and Izual (1:9 chance)

Relic of the Ancients, Pandemonium Talisman, Vision of Terror, Voidstone, and all their ingredients (except the uber organs and Hellfire Torch) are new items.

Characters can no longer freely exit/re-enter Uber Tristram while enemies remain within, and the same applies to the new Diablo-Clone fight. Note that only 1 uber zone (or map) may be opened per game.


 * Relic of the Ancients grants access to Uber Ancients for all players near the blood fountain
 * Sigil of Madawc drops from T1 map monsters (1:6400 chance)
 * Sigil of Talic drops from T2 map monsters (1:6400 chance)
 * Sigil of Korlic drops from T3 map monsters (1:6400 chance)


 * Pandemonium Talisman grants access to Uber Tristram for all players near the blood fountain (replaces the direct portal that used to be made with 1 of each uber organ)
 * Mephisto's Brain drops from Uber Izual in the Furnace of Pain
 * Diablo's Horn drops from Lilith (sometimes referred to as Uber Andariel) in the Matron's Den
 * Baal's Eye drops from Uber Duriel in the Forgotten Sands


 * Vision of Terror grants access to the new Diablo-Clone fight for all players near the blood fountain (DClone no longer randomly appears when Stones of Jordan are sold to merchants)
 * Prime Evil Soul drops from Mephisto/Diablo/Baal in Hell difficulty (1:85 from Mephisto, 1:65 from Diablo, 1:40 from Baal)
 * Black Soulstone drops from Uber Tristram bosses (12% chance per uber boss - unconfirmed)
 * Pure Demonic Essence drops from Map bosses (2% chance - unconfirmed)


 * Voidstone grants access to Rathma
 * Splinter of the Void drops from Shadow of Mendeln map event (40% chance - unconfirmed)
 * Trang-Oul's Jawbone drops from undead enemies (1:45k chance in Hell, 3x/9x rarer in Nightmare/Normal - unconfirmed)
 * Hellfire Ashes or Hellfire Torch (the former is just a stackable ingredient version of the latter)


 * Item must be a Vision of Terror or Voidstone that doesn't already have a difficulty level

Each difficulty level provides a higher chance of getting exclusive unique items from Diablo-Clone or Rathma when defeating them. If the item doesn't have a difficulty level, there is zero chance for such exclusive items to drop, although the fights are significantly easier. Difficulty level 1 is the same difficulty as previous seasons.

Crafting
Main article: Crafting

Corruptions
Main article: Corruptions

Maps
Main article: Maps