Fresh off the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred ban list, a new item is already proving itself to be one of the most valuable recent additions to the Blizzard RPG. Introduced alongside the expansion for Diablo 4 Season 6, the Shroud of False Death is a mythic unique, placing it in the elite echelons of the game’s most powerful and sought-after items. Indeed, it proved a little too potent during beta testing, and was part of a short list of items temporarily removed from the game ahead of the Vessel of Hatred launch. Now, it’s finally back – and it’s already feeling like a must-have for just about any build that can spare the space.
Finding those perfect item drops is key to completing your best Diablo 4 builds. While each class has its standout legendary aspects and unique items, the newly branded mythic uniques (formerly loosely dubbed “uber uniques” by the community) are the pinnacle of power. Getting your hands on the right one can be a colossal upgrade, that satisfying sensation of tangible progression that makes the best RPGs truly special. Now finally unleashed upon the Diablo 4 population at large, the Shroud of False Death may very well be that right item in question.
Despite the bold purple coloring that signals its elite rarity status, the Shroud of False Death doesn’t look that impressive at first glance. Like many other uniques, it has benefited from the recent boost to both all stats and maximum life from its initial incarnation as part of Diablo 4 patch 2.0.3 – the precursor update to Shroud’s return from the void.
What the chest piece does boast is a sizable resource generation increase. That’s a stat that is much harder to come by nowadays due to its removal from all but a few items, yet remains essential to many builds, including the numerous Spiritborn loadouts making use of the attack-amplifying Diablo 4 Rod of Kepeleke.
Shroud of False Death also has a fun unique effect: if you and your companions (including summoned minions and the new Diablo 4 mercenaries) haven’t dealt damage recently, you’ll enter stealth, moving much faster and gaining a massive damage upgrade on your next attack. That’s a welcome bonus, especially for the likes of Helltide farming, but it’s still not what makes the item essential.
The secret power Shroud of False Death bears is easily overlooked at first; a small line noting that it grants one extra level to all passives. That’s all of them, whether you’ve put points into them previously or not. That means it can both push the passives you need most to a level beyond their usual three-rank cap, and unlock all manner of other bonuses including damage, movement speed, and utility that you normally don’t have the spare points for.
If you’re already familiar with the ‘Shako’ – or the Diablo 4 Harlequin Crest, to give it its official in-game name – you’ll already know just how powerful additional skill ranks can be. Getting them on all your passives is an impressive power boost. In the video above, YouTuber Marco ‘MacroBioBoi’ C. demonstrates how it enables a bigger damage boost than even perfect legendary aspect rolls on some of his best ancestral items, while also awarding additional benefits including more armor and increased move speed from the unlocked passives.
Of course, the problem is that getting any of Diablo 4’s mythic uniques to drop is hard enough, let alone the specific one you want. Typically, it can require lengthy stretches farming the endgame tormented bosses – a much less arduous process than in previous seasons, certainly, but still no guaranteed solution.
The good news is that crafting at least one mythic unique is relatively straightforward, as you can get the two Resplendent Sparks needed from completing the season journey and then defeating either Uber Lilith or one tormented boss. Then, the hard part is getting the correct runes for the recipe. Using Tributes of Harmony when running the Kurast Undercity can be a pretty reliable way, as can farming tormented bosses – and hey, maybe you’ll get incredibly lucky and see the item drop naturally while you’re at it.
So does Shroud of False Death take priority over the Harlequin Crest? Probably not quite, but there’s basically no reason not to use it unless your build mandates another unique chest piece. In fact, if you have a unique helmet you’re rather attached to (my Crushing Fist Spiritborn build is particularly partial to its Harmony of Ebewaka), then you might fancy using your precious crafting materials on this new champion of the mythics instead.
As for what this means for the future of the ARPG, that’s a question only Blizzard can answer. Might this lead to a world where mythic uniques end up as best-in-slot items regardless of which of the Diablo 4 classes you pick? Is that even a problem, if obtaining them is nigh-impossible for all but the most dedicated blasters? I’m not sure I have the answer, but I probably will have a Shroud of False Death by the time the season is over.
If you’re still crushing your way through Blizzard’s new-look endgame, study our guide to the Diablo 4 Dark Citadel for everything you need to know about the multiplayer raid. Or take a break from Sanctuary with the best games like Diablo in 2024.
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