Diablo 4: How to Get +5 to Core Skills on Gloves

If you've ever stared at someone's gloves showing +5 to Core Skills and Diablo 4 Gold wondered how that's even possible, you're not alone. The confusion usually comes from mixing up three different systems: Greater Affixes, Enchanting, and Masterworking.

Let's break it down clearly and show exactly how to reach +5 - and why it won't happen unless you start the right way.

1. First: Understand What a Greater Affix Actually Is

A Greater Affix (GA) is marked by a reddish star next to a stat. These:

Only appear on Ancestral items (Item Power 800+)

Drop in Torment difficulty

Cannot be added later (with rare seasonal exceptions like Sanctification)

Always roll at max value +50%

For Core Skills on gloves:

Normal roll: +1 or +2

Greater Affix roll: +3

That's the key. A Greater Affix automatically rolls above the normal cap.

Important Rule:

You cannot enchant a Greater Affix at the Occultist.

If you reroll a stat, it will always roll as a normal affix.

If you're starting with a +1 or +2 from enchanting, you have already eliminated the possibility of reaching +5.

2. Enchanting vs Greater Affixes (The Common Misunderstanding)

Many players think:

"If I reroll it enough times, I'll hit a max roll and that becomes a Greater Affix."

That's not how it works.

Enchanting:

Only rerolls standard affixes

Cannot produce a Greater Affix

Cannot upgrade a stat into a GA

If the item didn't drop with a red-star +3 Core Skills affix, you cannot create one.

3. What Masterworking Actually Does

Masterworking is a separate system entirely.

When you masterwork an item:

All stats increase gradually

At certain tiers, one random stat gets a "crit"

At 25/25, all stats turn blue

A crit roll further boosts a specific stat (brown/orange highlight)

Important:

There is no such thing as a "Masterwork Greater Affix."

These systems are separate.

Masterworking enhances what already exists. It does not change the affix type.

4. The Only Way to Reach +5 Core Skills

Here's the exact formula:

Step 1: Find Gloves With a Greater Affix in Core Skills

You need:

Ancestral Gloves

Red-star +3 Core Skills

Without this starting point, +5 is impossible.

Step 2: Fully Masterwork the Item (25/25)

Level it all the way up.

Step 3: Hit a Masterwork Crit on Core Skills

If the Masterwork crit lands on Core Skills:

+3 becomes +4

With a high-tier crit, it becomes +5

If the crit lands elsewhere, you'll need to reset Masterworking and try again.

5. Why Your +1 → +2 Didn't Work

You mentioned:

Rerolled to +1 Core Skills

Masterworked it

Ended up at +2

That's working exactly as intended.

Since you started with a normal affix:

The ceiling is much lower

Masterworking can only scale what exists

You were never on the path to +5 because the base stat wasn't a Greater Affix.

6. Efficient Farming Strategy for GA Core Skill Gloves

Since you can't force a GA, you need to farm intelligently.

Best methods:

High-tier Nightmare Dungeons

Helltides in Torment

Boss rotations in Torment

Target farming high Item Power gear

Focus on:

Item Power 800+

Ancestral rarity

Gloves specifically

Expect RNG. Greater Affixes are rare by design.

7. The Optimization Mindset

To consistently chase top-tier stats like +5 Core Skills, you need to think of gear progression as a layered process rather than a single lucky roll.

First, the item itself must drop with the correct foundation - in this case, a Greater Affix granting +3 to Core Skills. Without that starting point, no amount of crafting or upgrading can reach the maximum value. This means your primary goal is always farming better base items, not trying to "fix" mediocre ones.

Second, once you have the correct base, Masterworking becomes your scaling tool. Fully upgrading an item enhances every stat, but the real prize is landing a Masterwork crit on the specific stat you want. That's where the jump from strong gear to elite gear happens.

Finally, patience is part of optimization. High-end Diablo 4 gear is intentionally designed as a long-term chase. Even perfect builds rarely get their best items immediately, and repeated farming attempts are expected.

Players who succeed at min-maxing don't rely on luck alone - they focus on:

Farming efficiently for strong base drops

Investing materials only into promising items

Resetting upgrades when results don't hit key stats

When you adopt this mindset, the gear grind stops feeling random and buy Diablo 4 Gold starts feeling strategic.

Final Takeaway

If you want +5 Core Skills on gloves:

You must start with a Greater Affix (+3).

You cannot create one through enchanting.

You must fully masterwork the item.

You must hit a Masterwork crit on Core Skills.

That's it.

The system isn't bugged. It's not hidden. It's just layered progression.

Once you understand the separation between:

Greater Affixes (drop-based power ceiling)

Enchanting (stat adjustment)

Masterworking (stat amplification)

Everything makes sense.

And when that +5 finally appears?

You'll know you earned it.