Dyes

Dyes are a feature of Diablo III and Diablo IV.

Diablo III
"Dyes change the color of a single piece of equipment. Their use has yet to save a single hero from hellish fire or venomous fangs, but they certainly make corpses look more distinct."

- Game Guide

Dyes made their debut in Diablo III. Prior to patch 2.4.3, each dye was a one-use bottle. As of the said patch, each dye is applied by Mystic and no longer sold by vendors.

A dye can change the color of an item's textures. As of patch 2.0., even legendary items can be dyed. Dying an item changes the color of armor or even makes it invisible (literally dying it into transparent color). There is a total of 22 different dyes, including two dyes that are only available to players who bought the Collector's Edition. Transmogrification does not reset the coloring, using the applied color for any item model you transmogrify the painted item into.

The dyes were first mentioned by Jay Wilson during an interview following Gamescom 2010. New dyes were originally unlocked by reaching new difficulties, but now they are just more expensive for more rich colors. Dyes cannot be purchased from vendors; no monsters, standard or Act Boss, can drop them. There are also restrictions on what dyes can be used on: due to bracers, belts, and jewelry not making an appearance on the hero, they are impossible to dye, no matter the item rarity. Oddly, weaponry and shields possess immunity to being dyed as well. In addition, each item has a set of textures that can and cannot be dyed, for example, armor will always have a yellow trim, no matter which color you apply to the changeable texture.

Note that dropped rare items are initially dyed with a random color. Gold prices of each dye are fixed, from 360 to 5040. More expensive dyes become available as players progress towards the maximum level, most expensive dyes (5040 gold) becoming available by level 55-60. In pre-2.0 version of the game, it was tied to difficulty instead.

Achievements
There are a few achievements related to dyes. They are listed below:
 * Pink'd: Kill all the bosses vital to the classic game's storyline while wearing a helm, chest, pants, gloves, shoulders, and legging armor dyed with Lovely Dye
 * I Just Blue Myself: Same as above, but include Reaper of Souls storyline bosses, and switch the dye color to Mariner's Dye
 * Color Coordinated: Dye a helm, chest, shoulders, pants, gloves, and legging armor the same color, then equip said items.
 * Rainbow Connection: Use all dyes, save for the Collector's Edition dyes, Vanishing, and All-Soap's.
 * Made it Work: Dye a helm, chest, shoulders, pants, gloves, and legging armor all different colors, then equip them.
 * Born to Dye: A no-brainer Achievement, all one needs to do is dye an item.

List of Dyes
Most of the time, the color of the bottle and the name of the dye reflect the true color it applies, with some exceptions. Dyes are listed below, from cheapest to most expensive:
 *  Bottled Cloud  (light gray / beige, Collector's Edition only, not consumed upon use). The gentle wind of the heavens cools the air, infusing the area with a soft glow.
 *  Bottled Smoke  (dark gray, Collector's Edition only, not consumed upon use). An eerie howl emanates from within as creeping shadows spill forth.
 * All-Soap's Miraculous Dye Remover (removes any other dye, giving the item its default coloring). The miraculous, mystical tonic that removes stains, cures rotfoot and tastes great! It's got what plants crave! Warning: Do Not Drink.
 *  Aquatic Dye  (cyan/aqua). Sailors from Lut Gholein distill the waters of the Twin Seas and apply the bright blue mixture to their sails in order to blend in and avoid detection by pirates.
 *  Spring Dye  (lettuce green). Bright green garb is traditionally worn during the Hearth Festival in Bramwell to celebrate the first thaw of springtime.
 *  Tanner's Dye  (brown). Leatherworkers use a variety of oils to seal their skins with a rich, natural brown pigment.
 * Vanishing Dye (item disappears completely, mostly used to 'remove' helms). Causes materials to vanish before your very eyes! Be sure not to apply this to your undergarments.
 *  Winter Dye  (light gray/silver). Jars of crushed Veilwood petals are buried in the snow throughout the winter to create this soft white hue.
 *  Autumn Dye  (amber/dark gold). The monks from the Order of Yir crush the first orange leaves of autumn into tea, and apply it to their robes during the Ceremony of the Harvest Moon.
 *  Cardinal Dye  (dark red). Once reserved only for nobility, this rich red pigment is now donned by both the influential and the courageous.
 *  Desert Dye  (tan). Sandy brown pigment is carried by the merchant caravans of the Dry Steppes to reflect the sun and hide dust.
 *  Ranger's Dye  (olive/camouflage). Hunters and bandits alike use the bark of the Gorsenna plant to blend in with the rustic green shadows of the forest.
 *  Royal Dye  (purple). For many years the color purple was forbidden to all citizens of Kingsport outside of the Royal Family.
 *  Elegant Dye  (wine red/magenta). The bright magenta colors of the Hezna flower are always a favorite amongst the fashionable elite of Caldeum.
 *  Lovely Dye  (pink). Named for the beauty of Queen Asylla, who once had a thousand gowns created in this beautiful pink color as a gift from King Leoric.
 *  Mariner's Dye  (cobalt blue). Officers of vessels navigating the Skovos Isles wear deep blue garments to indicate seniority.
 *  Summer Dye  (traditional chartreuse). This bright yellow dye is extracted from spices shipped from Kurast at great expense.
 *  Abyssal Dye  (black; technically very dark gray). The inky blackness seems to grow even darker when exposed to the sun, as though it were drinking in the very light that touches it.
 *  Forester's Dye  (dark spring green). The Wardens of Duncraig wear coats of rich green velvet while patrolling the woods for poachers and wolves.
 *  Golden Dye  (daffodil/electric yellow). Flecks of gold are melted into boiling oil to create a rare pigment used strictly by nobility.
 *  Infernal Dye  (bright blood red). The bottle is warm to the touch, seeming to flicker with bright red liquid fire.
 * Purity Dye (snow white). This mysterious mixture seems to make any material it is applied to impossible to soil, swirling and coalescing like a perfect white cloud.

Cut Dyes
There were originally two more dyes, removed from the game before release:
 *  Pale Dye  (beige). Many commoners use sunlight and minerals to bleach their garments an off-white color. Replaced with Bottled Cloud.
 *  Rogue's Dye  (dark gray). The preferred shade of those who do not wish to be seen, especially at night. Replaced with Bottled Smoke.

Diablo IV
Dyes return in Diablo IV. The system allows players to change the color palette of their armor pieces, such as changing silver to gold or replacing a white cloth for a black cloth, etc.

Each part of the armor can be dyed, including the helmet, chest, gloves, legs, and boots. Players can dye each piece with a different color palette, or apply the same palette to all of them.

Development
The game's dye system was challenging to implement because materials such as metal do not allow themselves to be dyed with inappropriate colors when they follow PBR (physically-based rendering) rules. To address this, the developers added data to armor that identifies specific material types and tells the dye system what color goes on what material, such as leather, fabric, metal, and other specific surfaces. The result is armor that is dyable in a range of colors that still feeling grounded and realistic.

Trivia

 * The Dye Removed flavor text is a possible reference to Idiocracy.


 * The "I Just Blue Myself" achievement name may refer to the 2003 series Arrested Development.