How crafting works
Every crafted recipe follows the same pattern: one magic item of a specific base type + one perfect gem + one rune + one jewel transmutes into a Crafted item of the same base type. The result keeps nothing from the inputs — it rolls fresh with a set of preset mods (fixed per recipe) plus one to four random affixes, like a rare item with guaranteed bonuses. Both halves decide how good the outcome is, which is why crafted gear is a volume game.
Two rules trip people up. First, the base must be magic quality (blue) — rare, unique and set bases do not work. Second, the jewel can be anything: magic, rare or unique jewels are all accepted and the jewel's stats do not carry over, so use your junk jewels. The full recipe list with exact ingredients lives on our Cube Recipes database — this guide is about which recipes matter and how to roll them well.
The four crafted families
There are 36 crafted recipes: four families, each covering nine slots (weapon, helm, body armor, shield, gloves, belt, boots, ring, amulet). The family is set by the perfect gem, and each family shares a theme:
- Blood (Perfect Ruby) — life leech and bonus life. The popular ones: rings, gloves and amulets.
- Caster (Perfect Amethyst) — mana, mana regeneration and faster cast rate. The amulet is the most-crafted item in the game; the belt is the only belt with FCR outside of Arachnid Mesh.
- Hit Power (Perfect Sapphire) — a Frost Nova proc when struck, plus knockback on the gloves (the classic bowazon craft).
- Safety (Perfect Emerald) — flat damage reduction, resistances and enhanced defense. Niche, mostly for hardcore.
Character level and item level: the part that decides everything
Unlike Grand Charm rerolls, crafted output scales with your character. The formula is output ilvl = clvl/2 + input ilvl/2, each half rounded down — and the output ilvl gates which affixes can roll. Craft on a low-level character and the best affixes literally cannot appear.
The breakpoints everyone plans around:
- Amulets need output ilvl 90+ — the +2 class skills prefix requires affix level 90, which only an ilvl 90+ crafted amulet reaches. With an ilvl 99 amulet you need clvl ≥ 82; with ilvl 94, clvl ≥ 86; with ilvl 90, clvl ≥ 90.
- Blood rings want output ilvl 86+ — with an ilvl 99 ring you need clvl ≥ 74; ilvl 90 → clvl ≥ 82; ilvl 86 → clvl ≥ 86.
- Gloves want ilvl 76+ bases and clvl ≥ 66; belts want ilvl 85+ bases and clvl ≥ 68.
Gambled items roll ilvl between clvl−5 and clvl+4, so gambling an ilvl 99 amulet requires a clvl 95+ character, and ilvl 90+ requires clvl 86+. The standard routine: gamble amulets and rings on your highest-level character, then craft them on that same character.
Blood rings
Recipe: magic ring + Sol rune (#12) + Perfect Ruby + any jewel. Preset mods: +1–5 strength, 1–3% life leech, +10–20 life.
What you're chasing: 11% total life leech (preset plus the Carnage prefix), backed by affixes like 6% mana leech, +11 all resistances, +30 to a single resistance, +20 strength or +15 dexterity. A well-rolled Blood ring is best-in-slot for many melee and bowazon builds, which is why ilvl 99 rings trade for real value.
Level requirements: ring ilvl ≥ 86 (ilvl 99 is best — gamble on a high-level character). Character level ≥ 74 for an ilvl 99 ring, ≥ 82 for ilvl 90, ≥ 86 for ilvl 86.
Caster amulets
Recipe: magic amulet + Ral rune (#8) + Perfect Amethyst + any jewel. Preset mods: 5–10% faster cast rate, 4–10% mana regeneration, +10–20 mana.
This is the most popular craft in D2R — check any trading channel and the Ral rune demand gives it away. The dream roll is +2 class skills with 20% FCR: the 10% preset plus the "of the Apprentice" suffix, a combination no rare or magic amulet can match, plus life, strength or resistances on top. Remember the golden rule: the amulet must be ilvl 90+ or +2 skills cannot roll at all — anything lower is a waste of perfect amethysts.
Level requirements: amulet ilvl ≥ 90 (ilvl 99 preferred). Character level ≥ 82 for ilvl 99, ≥ 86 for ilvl 94, ≥ 90 for ilvl 90.
Blood amulets
Recipe: magic amulet + Amn rune (#11) + Perfect Ruby + any jewel. Preset mods: 5–10% faster run/walk, 1–4% life leech, +10–20 life. The chase roll is +2 class skills with 10% faster run, life and strength — a nice melee or PvP piece, but crafted far less often than Caster amulets since FCR is the scarcer stat. Same level requirements as Caster amulets: ilvl 90+ or don't bother.
Crafted gloves
Blood gloves
Recipe: magic Heavy Gloves / Sharkskin Gloves / Vampirebone Gloves + Nef rune (#4) + Perfect Ruby + any jewel. Preset mods: 5–10% crushing blow, 1–3% life leech, +10–20 life. You're chasing 20% IAS, +2 to an Amazon skill tree, 10% crushing blow and 6% total life leech. Only the exceptional and elite bases (Sharkskin, Vampirebone) are worth the gems.
Hit Power gloves
Recipe: magic Chain Gloves / Heavy Bracers / Vambraces + Ort rune (#9) + Perfect Sapphire + any jewel. Preset mods: knockback, 5% chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck, attacker takes 3–7 damage. Same chase stats as Blood gloves — 20% IAS and +2 Amazon skills — with knockback as the prize, which is why these are the classic bowazon craft.
Caster gloves
Recipe: magic Leather Gloves / Demonhide Gloves / Bramble Mitts + Ort rune (#9) + Perfect Amethyst + any jewel. Preset mods: +1–3 mana after each kill, 4–10% mana regeneration, +10–20 mana. Chasing +2 bow and crossbow skills, 20% IAS, 3% mana leech, +15 strength or dexterity, resistances and mana. Any tier of base works here.
Level requirements for all three: gloves ilvl ≥ 76, character level ≥ 66.
Caster belts
Recipe: magic Light Belt / Sharkskin Belt / Vampirefang Belt + Ith rune (#6) + Perfect Amethyst + any jewel. Preset mods: 5–10% faster cast rate, 4–10% mana regeneration, +10–20 mana. The chase roll is 24% faster hit recovery with 10% FCR, life and strength. It's a niche craft — Arachnid Mesh covers most casters — but it's one of the only other ways to get FCR on a belt.
Level requirements: belt ilvl ≥ 85 (prefer Sharkskin or Vampirefang belts so you keep 16 potion slots), character level ≥ 68.