With luck and skill, you’ll survive more than a few battles, and find yourself looking to replace your worn-down or outdated equipment. This is wise.
You can buy new items from merchants. You can find new items in treasure chests, or clutched by decaying skeletons (both moving and unmoving).
But, with the help of some talented allies, you can also create new items, and upgrade existing ones.
Most commonly, you’ll acquire crafting materials by salvaging items that you don’t need. When you acquire an item that isn’t an improvement over your current gear, you can sell it to a merchant for gold, or salvage it by speaking to Haedrig, the Blacksmith. Every piece of gear you can wear can also be salvaged for materials, from common (white) items all the way to legendary and set items. Each salvaged item yields different materials based on your level and the quality of the item. You can check your current supply of crafting materials by opening your inventory and clicking the anvil icon on the bottom left (PC) or by navigating the radial menu to the bag icon and selecting the anvil in the submenu (PS4 or Xbox One).
You can also improve your artisans by giving them gold and materials to buy new equipment and further train their skills. With enough practice, they’ll gain a level and unlock the knowledge required to craft even better items.
You’ll find unique recipes in your travels: formulae and plans that you can share with your artisans. Some of the most valuable and precious items in the game must be forged or designed from plans found this way.