The game Diablo 4 introduces the concept of salvaging gear early on, but players cannot actually perform this action and acquire salvaged items until they reach the first city and meet the Blacksmith. If you are searching for information on this topic because you are unsure of what to do, it is likely that you have not progressed far enough in the game.

In Diablo 4, a significant portion of your gameplay will involve collecting various gear. The best weapons and armor will be equipped, while the remaining items will be either sold or dismantled. When examining the item descriptions, you may come across the phrase “Unlocks new look on salvage,” but what does it mean? Let’s clarify the process of salvaging gear in Diablo 4 and the implications of this phrase.

How to Salvage Gear in Diablo 4
To salvage gear in Diablo 4, you will require the assistance of a Blacksmith, who becomes accessible once you arrive in Kyovashad (and subsequently in most cities). Therefore, it is essential to continue progressing through the campaign until you reach this point, if you have not done so already. Once you have arrived, you will have two options for handling your accumulated equipment.
- Sell them to the Weapons and Armor Vendors in exchange for Gold
- Salvage them with the Blacksmith in exchange for Materials

In order to gather salvage in Diablo 4, you need to interact with the Blacksmith. From there, you can choose the “Directly in Inventory” option to send individual gear items to be salvaged. Alternatively, you have the option to mark multiple items as Junk and then select “All Junk” under the “Salvage by item quality” category to process them all at once. However, it’s important to exercise caution when choosing to salvage all items in your inventory, as it’s recommended to only do so if you are certain you want to completely clear out your inventory.

By salvaging items, you will receive Materials such as Rawhide and Superior Leather, which can be used for crafting in the future. Unfortunately, you cannot see in advance what specific Materials you will receive, but as a general rule, the higher the quality of the item being salvaged, the better the resulting salvage Materials will be. The message “Unlocks new look on salvage” also indicates that salvaging an item will add its appearance to your wardrobe, allowing you to use it for transmogrification in Diablo 4.
