Item levels
Item level is the single number behind every stat on a piece of gear. On Normal it follows the enemy's level; on Nightmare and Inferno it follows how deep the map is, which is why endgame gear comes from the last zones.
Where item level comes from
On Normal, an item from a level L enemy gets an item level between 10 × (L − 1) and 10 × L + 9, so a level 70 enemy drops item level 690 to 709. On Nightmare and Inferno every enemy is level 70, and the item level is set by the map instead: 700 plus the map's Normal level on Nightmare, or plus twice that on Inferno, give or take 5. The Cinder Crown 7, the final stage, drops 765–775 on Nightmare and 835–845 on Inferno.
A few cases ignore all of that. Mythic Rift bosses on Inferno drop 840–859. Black Mist items are always 850, Divine items 990, and Back slot items 1. Ancient legendaries take the top of their range.
Required level is item level divided by 10, rounded down and capped at 70. Everything from 700 up needs level 70.
How affixes roll
Each stat has a base value per item level. An affix rolls (1 + rarity bonus) × item level × that base, times a random number between 0.85 and 1.15. Ancient items always take 1.15. The rarity bonus and affix count are fixed:
| Rarity | Bonus | Primary affixes | Secondary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | +20% | 1 | 0 |
| Uncommon | +40% | 2 | 0 |
| Rare | +50% | 3 | 1 |
| Legendary | +60% | 4 | 1 |
Affixes are drawn from the slot's pool without repeats, after removing stats your hero cannot use (Strength only rolls for the Warrior, Intelligence only for the Sorcerer, and so on). Helms, chest armor, pants, boots, gloves and shoulders also roll Armor as an implicit stat on top of their affixes.
Because the formula is linear in item level, 20% more item level means 20% bigger rolls. A legendary Critical Hit Damage affix is 57.1%–77.3% at item level 700 and 68.5%–92.7% at 840. That is the whole case for farming Inferno's last maps over anything else.
Weapons
Weapons roll a speed between 0.8 and 1.2 and a damage number that is divided by that speed, so damage × speed, the DPS the tooltip shows, does not depend on the speed roll at all. A legendary weapon is 197–267 DPS at item level 700 and 235–318 at 840. The speed is random even on ancient weapons.
Which speed is better depends on what does your damage. Basic attacks come out (1 + attack speed) × weapon speed times a second, so for them only DPS matters. Abilities hit for a multiple of the weapon's damage number instead, so at the same DPS a slow, heavy weapon makes every ability hit harder, and a fast one does nothing extra for them.
Sockets and sell price
Gear with a required level of 30 or more rolls 0 to its slot's maximum sockets: 3 for weapons, 2 for chest armor and pants, 1 for helms, rings and necklaces, none elsewhere. Ancient items always get the maximum, and the blacksmith can add the rest for gold and ore.
Equipment sells for item level × 0.25, times 1.3 for weapons, rings and necklaces, plus 30% per rarity step above common, doubled for ancients. A legendary weapon at 700 sells for 432 gold. Upgrading does not change the price.
To see every affix and range for a slot at any item level, use the item roll calculator.