Hero Siege Filter system is much simpler than you think. The problem is that there are highlight filters and the Tarethiel Market filter that players often confuse with the Loot filter. But don’t worry. This guide covers all three and what is suitable for your build. There is also a naming glitch that makes half the community think their highlight filter is broken; we’ll learn about that as well.
What You’ll Read:
The Loot Filter vs. Highlight Filter vs. Market Filter
First, let’s make sure you know the difference between these three. If you’re sure you do, skip this part.
The loot filter controls which drops show up on the ground at all. If you hide items below your standards, they never appear. The highlight filter outlines items already showing and adds a marker on the minimap. Both are in the same settings window, but they’re configured independently. That’s why an item can appear on the ground without being highlighted.
The Tarethiel Market filter is a different thing entirely. It’s the search tool for the trading house, and Panic Art Studios reworked it as part of the Season 10 patch. However, neither the loot filter nor the highlight filter changed this season.
How to Import and Export a Filter
Press ESC, then click the filter icon to open it.
To import a filter, hit the Filter button, click Import, and paste the actual filter data into the box. Not a link to where it’s hosted, the data itself.
You can build your filter about an hour before a new season goes live. Once the patch downloads, switch to local mode and set everything up there. Save it or export it, then import it onto your character the second the season opens.
Best Starter Loot Filter (Normal Difficulty)
Configure your helmet first, then use “copy to all” to apply it everywhere. Disable life beforehand if it’s pulling in too much junk. Here’s what to prioritize by archetype:
| Archetype | Priority stats |
|---|---|
| Attacker | Enhanced damage first, then flat physical damage and attack speed. Skip leech on gear; hunt it on charms instead, especially mana leech for boss fights. |
| Caster | Plus skills are the biggest DPS lever (raising mana cost), paired with flat elemental damage and damage multipliers. Cast rate is your attack-speed equivalent. |
| Summoner | Same priorities as casters, but watch for the separate “summons” affix tag on gear. |
| All builds (defensive) | Life and resistance charms. Resistances matter per boss, not just overall. Faster hit recovery stops early stun-locks; a little magic find helps you gear up faster. |
Optimizing Your Loot Filter for Higher Difficulties
The affixes you’re hunting don’t change between difficulties. You’re just raising the bar. It’s a two-step process every time: adjust the item tier filter, then set every item’s affix requirement higher, slot by slot.
Nightmare
Set your item tier filter, then push every affix to B-tier or higher across all item types. That’s the whole transition. If you’re not running Graxy’s premade filter, the same two steps apply. Just pick your own affixes to keep visible.
Early Hell
Same principle, pushed further: only A-tier and better bases show up. Keep superior quality switched on even though you can toggle it off. Being able to filter by affix already does the heavy lifting, so superior items still slip through when they’re worth grabbing.
Endgame Filter (H5+)
Don’t touch this filter until you’ve actually unlocked H5. Import it early, and it hides gear you still need. From there, trim satanic tiers to taste. S-tier mythic rings, amulets, gloves, belts, and charms are worth keeping visible by default, along with high-defense armor.
Slot-by-Slot Filter Tips and Tricks
Socket filtering sits at the top of the highlight filter and exists to help you spot runeword bases early, both to use and to sell. It stops mattering once you’re only showing items with affixes you want, since a socketed base will highlight from the affix anyway. Treat it as a leveling and early-Hell tool, not a permanent setting.
| Slot | What to prioritize |
|---|---|
| Armor | Damage reduced (bottom right column), huge for leveling |
| Gloves/Rings/Amulets (Attacker) | Enhanced damage, crit chance, crit damage |
| Gloves/Rings/Amulets (Caster) | Plus skills, skill damage %, cast rate, gloves with both are exceptionally strong |
| Boots | Movement speed; drop each tier once you outroll it |
| Shields | Movement speed early, or strip to just skills if you don’t use one |
| Belts | Hunt a high-life roll; check build-specific damage rolls at endgame |
| Charms | Your flexible slot, patch whatever’s missing, keep a few off-meta affixes for alts |
| Vials | Instant flasks only (bottom left column) |
| Socketables | Leave on default until Hell 1 |
| Weapons | Disable weapon types your build can’t use |
Why Your Highlight Filter Isn’t Working
If you set your highlight filter to arcane skill damage and gear with “arcane” in the name, and it still isn’t lighting up, you’re not looking at a bug. Hero Siege has three separate, similarly named affixes: additive arcane skill damage, additive arcane damage, and plus arcane skill damage.
“Additive” modifiers only buff attacks. They do nothing for skills tagged “cast.” Plus X skill damage only applies to casts of that matching type. Set your filter to the wrong one, and matching gear will drop right past you, highlighted or not.
This isn’t arcane-specific. The same additive-versus-skill split exists for fire, cold, lightning, and poison. Before assuming your filter’s broken, double-check you picked the affix that actually matches how your skill deals damage.
That’s everything about the Hero Siege filter. Still confused about something? Write it in the comments.
FAQ
Can you highlight runes in Hero Siege now?
Runes couldn’t be highlighted before Season 6, when a UI overhaul was promised to fix it. That was several seasons ago. Check in-game yourself, since no current source confirms whether it’s changed.
Does a loot filter carry over to a new character?
Yes. Configure a filter once, generate a code, and import it onto your next character. It’s already finished; no rebuilding required.
