In Diablo, or any action RPG for that matter, getting Legendary loot is all about looking at item stats and seeing how that might transform or serve as a key component in a potential build. A Whirlwind powered Barbarian, a fast stabby Rogue, a Druid that calls on the power of nature. In Diablo IV, not only will there be Legendary items to find but special Unique items that are designed on a per-class basis along the lines of some of the gear found in Diablo 2 and Diablo 3.

And with the flexibility to extract Legendary powers and use those Essences to transfer powers to different items or even create new Legendaries from Rare gear, not to mention certain Essences being able to be slotted into weapons or armour, Diablo IV’s complexity and level of choice is up there - and very deep.


Which is something we got a little taste of during our recent hands-on preview. But there was one brand-new thing we noticed, something called the Codex of Power. A collection of Legendary-like powers you can earn from completing dungeons which then get added to a library you can view at anytime from the map and progress screen.

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Diablo IV has something in the range of 140 dungeons, and one of the rewards for first-time completion is unlocking a Codex of Power entry.

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Diablo IV has something in the range of 140 dungeons, and one of the rewards for first-time completion is unlocking a Codex of Power entry. So yeah, there are a lot of entries to discover. As for what you can do with them, well, it’s best to look at Codex of Power entries as Legendary powers you can imbue on a Rare item and turn it into a Legendary. Some are class-specific, some are skill-specific, and others offer a general defensive or offensive buffs. You can also put them on an existing Legendary item to change its power.

But what makes them different from taking a Legendary item and extracting its power and then doing the same comes down to their value and purpose.


“Codex of Power entries is a feature that we've added in Diablo IV,” Joseph Piepiora, Associate Game Director on Diablo IV tells me. “The intention there was to ensure that there was some deterministic way for players to locate and find certain Legendary powers that could be useful for a variety of builds. And to expose them to the idea of these powers early on in their own progression. There’s also an incentive to explore the world, discover dungeons, and collect that power.”

Codex of Power entries are account-wide and one of their main draws is that the idea of trying out a new class means you’ll instantly have access to Legendary powers to create new builds with. And as mentioned above, they also add real incentive to head out into Sanctuary and complete each and every dungeon. In my hands-on preview I managed to unlock a Codex of Power entry specific to the Sorceress and was able to visit the Occultist to turn a Rare item into a Legendary very early on.


This bodes well for trying out new builds or even new classes the deeper you get into Diablo IV, not to mention being able to put something together with a mix of skills, passives, items, and Codex of Power entries.

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"The intention there was to ensure that there was some deterministic way for players to locate and find certain Legendary powers that could be useful for a variety of builds. And to expose them to the idea of these powers early on in their own progression."

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It’s worth noting that the Legendary powers are different from those you’d find on a Unique item, which is often class-specific and extremely powerful. What about existing Legendary items, do they lose all value? “You now understand the ideas behind creating a build and using that flexibility,” Joseph responds. “Of course, you also can find Legendary items with these powers as you're progressing through the game. And the potential power of those items that are dropping is higher. So there’s always the benefit that comes from looking for those Legendary items.”

So yeah, items and loot are still the goal for creating the ultimate demon-slayer in Diablo IV - but it’s very cool to see the options and choices you have expand with the Codex of Power.

Diablo IV is on track for a June 6, 2023 release across PC and consoles.