Beyond the hunt for legendary items, Diablo 4 Gold's endgame is governed by a complex and demanding economy of specialized crafting materials. Gold, Forgotten Souls, Fiend Roses, Obducite, and a dozen other resources form a second layer of progression, a parallel grind that gates power advancement and dictates daily play patterns. This material chase creates a structured, often repetitive routine, as players must engage with specific activities to farm the currency needed to temper, masterwork, and refine their gear, turning the open world of Sanctuary into a series of optimized resource routes.

Each major upgrade system is locked behind a different material, funneling players into targeted activities. To raise a weapon's power via **masterworking** at the blacksmith, you need Obducite, found primarily in the deepest levels of Nightmare Dungeons. To enchant and re-roll a single stat on an item, you need Veiled Crystals and a mountain of gold, encouraging constant salvage and Helltide farming for yellow items. The rarest materials, like Forgotten Souls and Fiend Roses, are exclusive to Helltides, making these timed events mandatory for anyone seeking to perfect their gear. This design creates a clear, if rigid, daily checklist: run Helltides for souls and roses, run high-tier Nightmare Dungeons for obducite, and farm gold everywhere else.

This economy directly shapes the **experience** of the endgame. Freedom to experiment is curtailed by the steep cost of these materials. Attempting a new build isn't just about finding new gear; it's about having the thousands of gold, hundreds of veiled crystals, and dozens of forgotten souls needed to re-roll affixes, imprint new aspects, and upgrade the new gear to a competitive level. This makes commitment to a build feel permanent for all but the most dedicated grinders. The **masterworking** system, in particular, exemplifies this. Each of the 12 levels of masterworking requires more obducite than the last and has a chance to fail on the final upgrade, potentially destroying the materials invested. This injects a high-stakes, resource-sinking mechanic that can feel thrilling or brutally punishing.

Ultimately, this material economy is a tool for extending engagement and creating artificial gates. It ensures that even after finding a perfectly-rolled ancestral unique, there are still dozens of hours of targeted farming needed to fully upgrade it. For some, this provides a satisfying, long-term series of micro-goals. For others, it transforms the game into a chore list, where the joy of combat is secondary to the need to gather specific colored crystals from specific events. The economy of materials dictates that true power in Sanctuary isn't just about slaying demons, but about becoming an efficient, disciplined resource manager, turning the apocalyptic wasteland into a brutal, if beautiful, 9-to-5 job.