If you’ve been grinding D4 Materials for Sale endgame content and have managed to collect a few Artificer Stones, you might be wondering: What exactly do I use these for? Are they worth saving? Can they be traded or sold? How do they fit into the crafting system?

In this deep dive, we’ll break down everything you need to know about the uses, crafting potential, and trade value of Artificer Stones in Diablo 4. If you’re looking to optimize your gear and get the most out of your farming efforts, this post is for you.

What Are Artificer Stones?

Artificer Stones are rare endgame crafting materials primarily used for Masterworking, which is Diablo 4’s ultimate item enhancement system. Masterworking allows you to push your best gear beyond its standard legendary or unique status, unlocking powerful stat boosts and additional modifiers.

Artificer Stones are one of the core materials used during this process, often alongside gold, Forgotten Souls, and Obols.

The Core Use: Masterworking Gear

Masterworking is done at the Blacksmith, and the process has multiple tiers. Artificer Stones become mandatory at higher levels of Masterworking.

Here’s how it works:

  • Levels 1–3: Use basic resources like gold and Veiled Crystals.

  • Levels 4–12: Begin requiring Artificer Stones for upgrades.

  • Level 12+: Each tier gets more expensive and the stat bonuses become more significant—especially on core affixes like Crit Damage, Cooldown Reduction, or Vulnerability.

Why It Matters

  • A +3% bonus to a core affix can be the difference between clearing a Nightmare Dungeon or getting overwhelmed.

  • Some builds require a perfectly Masterworked item to function at their peak potential.

  • The stat scaling with Masterworking can double or even triple the effectiveness of a particular stat.

How Many Stones Do You Need?

Masterworking can get expensive quickly. Expect to need:

  • 3–5 Stones per item for mid-level upgrades

  • 10+ Stones per item to fully Masterwork a single piece of gear

Since most builds rely on at least 4–5 core gear pieces, you’re looking at dozens of Artificer Stones if you plan to fully optimize a character.

💡 Tip: Prioritize Masterworking gear with multiple rolled stats that benefit your build. Don’t waste Stones on transitional items.

Can You Craft Artificer Stones?

Directly crafting Artificer Stones isn’t available to most players in the traditional sense. However, there are indirect ways to obtain or increase your chances:

  • Exchange Runeshards (from Helltide or Nightmare content) at certain vendors.

  • Deconstruct rare Artificer loot—some special gear drops contain embedded Stones or Stone Fragments.

  • Salvage Masterworked gear for a small return of Artificer Stones.

Crafting via vendors is limited, expensive, and RNG-driven. Your best bet is active farming, but these options help fill gaps.

Trade Value and Economy Impact

As of now, Artificer Stones are account-bound, meaning they cannot be traded or sold on the open market or to other players. This keeps the progression system personal and grind-based.

That said, their value in the in-game economy is still significant in terms of:

  • Build viability: A Masterworked item can elevate a Tier 40 build to Tier 70 readiness.

  • Seasonal competitiveness: In Seasons with leaderboards or challenges, Stones become a form of soft currency for player power.

  • Rarity: With drop rates limited and dungeon requirements high, simply having 20+ Stones is a sign of deep investment.

Smart Use of Stones

Here’s a checklist to ensure you’re using your Stones wisely:

✅ Do you have a BIS (Best-in-Slot) item?
✅ Are you in World Tier 4, farming efficiently?
✅ Does the item have two or more ideal affixes for your build?
✅ Have you already imprinted the desired Aspect?

If you answered “yes” to all of the above, go ahead and Masterwork. If not, hold onto your Stones until you’ve solidified your build.

Advanced Strategy: When to Use Stones

  1. Post-campaign: Don't even consider using Stones until you're deep into World Tier 3 or 4.

  2. Post-Enchanting: Reroll affixes at the Occultist before Masterworking. Don’t waste Stones on bad stat rolls.

  3. During Seasonal Content: Some Seasons feature crafting buffs or unique modifiers—save Stones for when it counts.

Conclusion

Artificer Stones are more than just another crafting material in Diablo 4 items—they’re the gateway to endgame dominance. Whether you’re looking to fine-tune a meta build or perfect a personal favorite, understanding how to use, acquire, and prioritize these Stones will put you ahead of the pack.

Don’t rush to spend them. Farm strategically, craft wisely, and you’ll have a character that not only survives Hell—but conquers it.