Diablo 3 Caldesann’s Despair Guide
Caldesann’s Despair is a recipe in Diablo 3 that allows you to augment your Ancient gear with Legendary Gems. This process adds a significant amount of power to your items, making it a vital step for any player who wants to push the highest levels of Greater Rifts.
In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know about Caldesann’s Despair, including:
- What it is and why it is important
- Who should use it
- How to get it
- How to augment your gear
- The best gems to use for augments
- Tips for optimizing your Caldesann’s Despair build
Table of Contents
Augments
Augments are a way to add power to your Ancient gear in Diablo 3. They are created using Caldesann’s Despair, a recipe in Kanai’s Cube.
To augment an item, you will need the following materials:
- An Ancient item
- A Legendary Gem
- 3x Flawless Royal Gems of the same type
The Legendary Gem must be at least level 50 for weapons and level 70 for armor and jewelry. The Flawless Royal Gems can be any type.
To augment an item, simply place the above materials in Kanai’s Cube and click the Transmute button. The Legendary Gem will be destroyed and the item will be augmented, adding a flat amount of your main stat to it.
The amount of main stat added by an augment is equal to 5x the level of the Legendary Gem. For example, a level 100 Legendary Gem will add 500 main stat to your item.
Which gems to use for augments
The best gems to use for augments are Flawless Royal Gems of the same type as your main stat. For example, a Barbarian will want to use Flawless Royal Rubies, while a Wizard will want to use Flawless Royal Topazes.
Using Flawless Royal Gems of the same type as your main stat will maximize the amount of power you gain from augments.
How to get the best gems for augments
The best way to get the best gems for augments is to craft them at the Jeweler. You can craft Flawless Royal Gems by combining 3x Perfect Gems of the same type.
Perfect Gems can be obtained by upgrading Flawless Gems at the Jeweler. You can also find Perfect Gems in Greater Rifts and from certain bosses.
Tips for augmenting your gear
Here are a few tips for augmenting your gear:
- Prioritize augmenting your most important items first. This will give you the biggest boost in power.
- Don’t be afraid to augment items that you are not planning on keeping forever. You can always remove the augment later using Kanai’s Cube.
- If you are pushing high Greater Rifts, you may want to consider augmenting your gear with multiple Legendary Gems. This can give you a significant advantage over other players.
Augments are a powerful tool that can help you take your Diablo 3 character to the next level. By following the tips above, you can make the most of this important fe
Caldesann’s Despair Builds
Caldesann’s Despair can be used to augment any Ancient item in Diablo 3. This means that there are many different builds that can benefit from this powerful feature.
Here are a few examples of Caldesann’s Despair builds for each class:

Barbarian
- Immortal King Hammer of the Ancients
- Mighty Tempest
- Whirlwind
Crusader
- Blessed Hammer
- Aegis of Valor
- Thorns
Demon Hunter
- Multishot
- Impale
- UE Multishot
Monk
- Sunwuko Wave of Light
- Inna’s Mystic Ally
- Crusader Palm
Necromancer
- Pestilence
- Blood Nova
- Bone Spear
Witch Doctor
- Pet Doctor
- Jade Harvester
- Mandibular Mandible
Wizard
- Tal Rasha Meteor
- Vyr’s Chantodo
- Delrasha Arcane Orb
These are just a few examples, and there are many other viable Caldesann’s Despair builds for each class. The best build for you will depend on your playstyle and the items that you have available.
How to optimize your Caldesann’s Despair build
When optimizing your Caldesann’s Despair build, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
- Augment your most important items first. This will give you the biggest boost in power.
- Choose the right gems for your augments. Use Flawless Royal Gems of the same type as your main stat.
- Balance your damage and toughness. Don’t sacrifice too much toughness for damage, or you will be too squishy.
- Make sure you have the right skills and passives. Choose skills and passives that synergize well with your build and playstyle.
By following these tips, you can optimize your Caldesann’s Despair build and take your Diablo 3 character to the next level.
Pushing Greater Rifts with Caldesann’s Despair
Caldesann’s Despair is an essential tool for pushing Greater Rifts in Diablo 3. By augmenting your gear with Legendary Gems, you can significantly increase your damage and toughness, allowing you to clear higher and higher Grifts.
Here are a few tips for pushing Greater Rifts with Caldesann’s Despair:
- Make sure your build is optimized. Choose a build that is known to be good for pushing Greater Rifts, and make sure you have the right skills, passives, and gear.
- Augment your most important items first. This will give you the biggest boost in power.
- Balance your damage and toughness. Don’t sacrifice too much toughness for damage, or you will be too squishy.
- Learn the mechanics of the Greater Rifts you are pushing. Each Greater Rift has different mechanics that you need to be aware of in order to clear it efficiently.
- Be patient and persistent. Pushing Greater Rifts takes time and practice. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t clear a Grift right away. Just keep trying and learning, and you will eventually reach your goal.
Here are some additional tips that may be helpful:
- If you are playing a group build, coordinate your play with your teammates. This will help you clear Rifts more efficiently and reduce the risk of mistakes.
- Use your consumables wisely. Potions, pylons, and shrines can all be helpful for pushing Greater Rifts.
- Don’t be afraid to take breaks. If you are feeling tired or frustrated, take a break and come back to it later. Pushing Greater Rifts can be mentally and physically draining, so it’s important to take breaks when you need them.
Pushing Greater Rifts with Caldesann’s Despair can be challenging, but it is also very rewarding. By following the tips above, you can increase your chances of success and clear higher and higher Grifts.
Conclusion
Caldesann’s Despair is a powerful tool that can help you take your Diablo 3 character to the next level. By augmenting your gear with Legendary Gems, you can significantly increase your damage and toughness, allowing you to clear higher and higher Greater Rifts.
If you are serious about pushing the highest levels of Greater Rifts, then you should definitely use Caldesann’s Despair. Just be sure to follow the tips in this guide to maximize its effectiveness.
Here are some key takeaways from this guide:
- Caldesann’s Despair is a recipe in Kanai’s Cube that allows you to augment your Ancient gear with Legendary Gems.
- Augments add a flat amount of your main stat to your item, making it a vital step for any player who wants to push the highest levels of Greater Rifts.
- To augment an item, you will need the following materials: An Ancient item, a Legendary Gem, and 3x Flawless Royal Gems of the same type.
- The best gems to use for augments are Flawless Royal Gems of the same type as your main stat.
- When augmenting your gear, prioritize augmenting your most important items first.
- Caldesann’s Despair can be used to augment any Ancient item in Diablo 3, so there are many different builds that can benefit from this powerful feature.
- When optimizing your Caldesann’s Despair build, be sure to augment your most important items first, choose the right gems for your augments, balance your damage and toughness, and make sure you have the right skills and passives.
- To push Greater Rifts with Caldesann’s Despair, be sure to make sure your build is optimized, augment your most important items first, balance your damage and toughness, learn the mechanics of the Greater Rifts you are pushing, and be patient and persistent.