What is Item Power in Diablo 4?

Every equipment item in Diablo 4 has a range of stats and attributes. A lot of these stats are specific to the item type, or to its affixes (buffs, basically), but there are a few stats every item has: Sell Value, Durability, and Item Power. Sell Value and Durability are self-explanatory, but the meaning of Diablo 4 items Item Power isn’t so obvious.

Some players are treating Item Power as the same (or as a multiplier of) item level (or “ilevel”), which is a hidden stat common in previous Diablo games. I’m not sure that they’re technically the same thing, but they’re definitely closely related, so I’m going to use the terms somewhat interchangeably in this guide (as most fans already are).

Item Power is a stat that tells you how good an item is overall. Think of it like OPR (Overall Performance Rating) in FIFA, or PP (Performance Points) in Gran Turismo. It’s calculated based on an item’s basic stats and affixes (buffs) but tells you nothing about how effective an item will be for you, your class, or your specific character.

Does Item Power matter in Diablo 4?

Item Power matters in Diablo 4, but it’s not necessarily the most important item stat. It matters if you’re a casual player, or if you’re just starting out because it gives you a way of comparing your weapons, armor, and items without needing to understand all the nitty-gritty of every other stat. I mostly used a combination of Item Level and Sell Value to determine which items to equip during the early game.

All that said, as I progressed I became more interested in specific stats, and selected equipment that buy Diablo 4 items  best synergized with my abilities and gear.