Diablo 4: How does salvage work? Diablo 4 guide
Salvage is an important mechanic for disassembling items in Diablo 4. Our guide explains how to choose salvage from a blacksmith, and how salvage can be linked to transmog - cosmetic changes to a character's appearance.
Last update: 29 March 2023
After some time spent in the world of Diablo 4, new mechanics come into play - on this page of our guide, we explain how salvage and transmog works. Our guide explains how to use Salvage while at a blacksmith, how to recognize items that add new transmog options (changing the character's looks without changing the active items).
Salvage at a blacksmith
Salvage is a mechanic that allows you to disassemble owned items at a blacksmith with the goal to obtain crafting ingredients. This way you can obtain ingredients much easier than you would buy them or find as loot.
All encountered blacksmiths offer this service - its the first tab in the blacksmith interface. You can mark unwanted items as Junk in your inventory - this way, one press of a button will dismantle them all.
You can also choose to group the items for Salvage based on the category (e.g. all common ones), or select individual items for salvage separately.
After a performed Salvage, you'll receive information how much and what ingredients you've received (this may be e.g. various types of leather).
Transmog based on Salvage
Salvage sometimes also has additional use - dismantling an item can unlock transmog which is getting the looks of an item without replacing the item in the active slot, maintaining the stat boost.
Items related to the transmog mechanic have a pickaxe icon and Unlock new look on salvage description. After dismantling such an item, you will receive a Transmog Unlocked message .
To equip new looks, visit a Wardrobe. First of these is in one of the buildings in Kyovashad.
Transmog allows you to change the appearance of the hero's clothes and weapons while maintaining the statistics , i.e. they will still be based on the equipment placed in the active slots in the inventory. Additional appearances can be unlocked by using Salvage on new items with the pickaxe icon.