Enchanting Guide: Tiers, Success Rates & Protection Scrolls
Enchanting is where fortunes are made and treasuries are buried. A perfectly enchanted weapon can win a siege; a reckless enchant streak can erase a week of farming in ten seconds. This guide covers every enchant tier, the real success and destruction rates, when protection scrolls actually pay for themselves, and the cost-minimizing order of operations the top players follow.
Enchanting is the largest gold sink in the endgame. Before you slam a single scroll, price your materials on the economy wiki and set a hard budget. Read the gold farming guide if your war-chest isn't ready — you should never enchant on money you can't afford to lose.
Enchant tiers explained
Every gear piece can be enchanted from +0 up to +15, grouped into four tiers. Each tier changes the stakes:
- Safe tier (+1 to +5): failure does nothing except consume the scroll. Enchant freely here — no protection needed.
- Downgrade tier (+6 to +9): a failure knocks the item down one level rather than destroying it. Painful but recoverable.
- Destruction tier (+10 to +12): failure can destroy the item entirely unless a protection scroll is applied. This is where scrolls become mandatory.
- Mythic tier (+13 to +15): low success, high destruction risk, huge power spikes. Only attempt with protection and a saved war-chest.
Higher enchant materials are crafted through the crafting system; keeping your own supply chain is far cheaper than buying scrolls at market.
Success rate & expected-cost table
Rates below are per-attempt. "On fail" describes the outcome without a protection scroll. Expected scrolls-to-succeed is 1 ÷ success rate — use it to budget. Verify current scroll prices on the Auction House before committing.
| Enchant level | Success rate | On fail (no scroll) | Protection? | Expected scrolls to succeed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +1 → +5 | 100% – 80% | No effect | No | ~1.0 – 1.3 |
| +6 | 70% | Downgrade to +5 | Optional | ~1.4 |
| +7 | 60% | Downgrade to +6 | Optional | ~1.7 |
| +8 | 50% | Downgrade to +7 | Recommended | ~2.0 |
| +9 | 40% | Downgrade to +8 | Recommended | ~2.5 |
| +10 | 30% | Item destroyed | Required | ~3.3 |
| +11 | 25% | Item destroyed | Required | ~4.0 |
| +12 | 20% | Item destroyed | Required | ~5.0 |
| +13 | 12% | Item destroyed | Required | ~8.3 |
| +14 | 8% | Item destroyed | Required | ~12.5 |
| +15 | 5% | Item destroyed | Required | ~20.0 |
Reading the math: pushing +14 costs roughly 12–13 scrolls on average — and averages hide brutal streaks. Budget for double your expected cost so a run of bad luck doesn't force you to stop mid-attempt with a half-funded item.
Protection scrolls: when they actually pay off
A protection scroll converts a destruction into a downgrade (or a no-effect, depending on the scroll grade). The question is never "do they work" — it's "does the scroll cost less than the expected loss it prevents?"
The break-even rule. Use protection whenever the item's replacement cost × destruction chance is greater than the scroll's price. At +10 (70% fail, item destroyed), a scroll that costs a fraction of the item is always worth it. Below +8, where failure only downgrades, protection is usually a waste of gold.
Cost-minimizing order of operations
Follow this order to spend the least gold reaching a target enchant:
- Enchant the base item to +5 with no scrolls. This tier is free of risk — never buy protection here.
- Stock materials before entering the downgrade tier. Craft or buy enough scrolls to cover twice your expected count so you don't overpay mid-run at spot prices.
- Push +6 to +9 without protection. Failures only downgrade one level, and protection here rarely beats just re-enchanting.
- Apply protection from +10 onward, every attempt. This is the destruction tier; a single unprotected fail can cost your entire item.
- Set a stop-loss for the mythic tier. Decide your maximum scroll count for +13–+15 before you start, and walk away when you hit it. Chasing sunk cost is how treasuries die.
- Enchant your cheapest viable base, not your best. If a destruction happens, you'd rather lose a replaceable item. Enchant, then transfer or replicate the result if the system allows.
Frequently asked questions
At what enchant level can my item be destroyed?
From +10 onward. Failures at +6 to +9 only downgrade the item by one level; below +6 a failure has no effect at all. Always apply a protection scroll from +10 up.Do I need protection scrolls below +10?
Usually not. At +6 to +9 a failure only knocks you down one level, so re-enchanting is typically cheaper than protecting. Protection becomes mandatory only in the destruction tier (+10 and above).How many scrolls should I budget for a +14?
Expected cost is about 12–13 scrolls, but streaks are brutal — budget for double (around 25) so a bad run doesn't strand you mid-attempt. Price scrolls on the Auction House first.What is the cheapest safe order to enchant?
Enchant to +5 with no scrolls, push +6 to +9 without protection, then apply protection every attempt from +10 up. Set a hard stop-loss before entering the +13 to +15 mythic tier.When is a protection scroll worth the gold?
Whenever the item's replacement cost times the destruction chance exceeds the scroll's price. In the destruction tier that is essentially always true; below +8 it usually is not.Why is enchanting called the biggest gold sink?
Because expected cost scales steeply — a +15 averages around 20 scrolls, and unprotected destruction can vaporise a fully invested item instantly. Impulse enchanting drains more treasuries than any boss.Can I craft my own enchant scrolls?
Yes. Higher-tier scrolls and materials come from the crafting system. Running your own supply chain is far cheaper than buying scrolls at market prices.Should I enchant my best item or a cheap one?
Enchant the cheapest viable base. If a destruction happens you'd rather lose a replaceable item, then transfer or replicate the successful result where the system allows.Is enchanting pay-to-win?
No. Scrolls and materials are earned or traded in-game with gold, and paying players face the same success rates and destruction risk. There is no purchasable guaranteed enchant.How do I fund high-tier enchanting?
Build a liquid war-chest first via the gold farming guide, and only enchant with gold you can afford to lose. Set a stop-loss and never chase sunk cost into the mythic tier.