Level Requirement

How is "Required Level" of magic and rare items determined?

Does it have something to do with affix levels of the affixes in the item?

That is correct. It's the level requirement of the base item or any of the affixes, whichever is highest.

Lanceor wrote: 2 years ago

That is correct. It's the level requirement of the base item or any of the affixes, whichever is highest.

I wasn't actually talking about the level requirements of the affixes. I was talking about the affix levels (alvl) of the affixes. According to https://www.purediablo.com/diablo-2/prefixes, they are not the same. I think you are right that it's the level requirements of the affixes, not the affix levels, that determine the level requirement of the item.

On a different but relevant topic, I'm told that the level requirements of affixes are adjusted if the item is upgraded. A number is added to the level requirement of an affix. And the number is different from normal to exceptional compared to from exceptional to elite. Is it true?

If I am not wrong, the alvl determines whether it can be dropped by a particular monster.

Upgrading an item doesn't change the level requirement of the affixes. It does change the level requirement of the base item though.

Edit: See below - Necrarch seems to know more about it.

As for affix level it is NOT linked to the requirement level but to where it can be found indeed.

As said above, requirement level of any dropped item = MAX (each affix req level, base req level)

Upgrading is more complex actually,

I thought at first that it would be new level req = MAX (highest affix level req, new base level req).

But no, it's not like that it works, I think there is also a minimal additional level req added when you upgrade, so take care when it's significant (e.g. getting over lvl 30 for LLD).