The Actual Problem With Map-Only Uniques

GGG, the problem's not them, it's Rares.

Your rares aren't interesting. When what makes a good rare is universally the same:

Weapons: (+damage, %damage) OR (+elemental damage x2 or x3), %ias, %crit, %crit multi, maybe +skills
Armor: +resist, +resist, +resist, +hp, +armor, %armor
Jewelry: %-based increases, +flat damage, (more armor mods)

And when it's disproportionally hard to get them to drop or craft such, it is understandable that you go with the approach to limit Unique (by definition consistent items) drops instead.

However, this is a cop-out. Get more interesting rare mods in the game, and the pressure on Uniques to be the end-all, be-all will be lessened. Which lines up with your design intent of Uniques, no?

I refer to this thread for further discussion.

Rare's are supposed to be the boring ol' meat and potatoes behind your character's strength. The uniques are the garnish. If you plan on garnishing your meat and potatoes with more meat and potatoes (AKA Map Uniques) then it should be hard to do.

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Rumthorp wrote:

Rare's are supposed to be the boring ol' meat and potatoes behind your character's strength. The uniques are the garnish. If you plan on garnishing your meat and potatoes with more meat and potatoes (AKA Map Uniques) then it should be hard to do.

That's an alternative argument yeah. I'm more inclined to treat all Uniques as garnish (or if as meat-and-potatoes, then early to mid-level meat-and-potatoes only) myself. By the way this has little to do with them dropping in maps only. I'm not complaining, I just think GGG is slightly off in their diagnosis.

If casuals like you could get them that means everyone can get them. If everyone had the rarest items in the game then that would make for a boring game. Why do you want a boring game?

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DirkAustin wrote:

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Rumthorp wrote:

If casuals like you could get them that means everyone can get them. If everyone had the rarest items in the game then that would make for a boring gaming. Why do you want a boring game?

Why should i play a game where i know i don't have a chance of getting the best items possible outside of a map system?

You can. Play enough or trade enough. You are rewarded for your effort. If you can't devote the time and effort then you don't get the reward. Sounds fair to me.

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Rumthorp wrote:

Rare's are supposed to be the boring ol' meat and potatoes behind your character's strength. The uniques are the garnish. If you plan on garnishing your meat and potatoes with more meat and potatoes (AKA Map Uniques) then it should be hard to do.

You have it completely backwards. Rares define characters and are the only unique aspect between gearsets due to the power of certain uniques like koams heart lions eye and thunderfist.

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Nephalim wrote:

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Rumthorp wrote:

Rare's are supposed to be the boring ol' meat and potatoes behind your character's strength. The uniques are the garnish. If you plan on garnishing your meat and potatoes with more meat and potatoes (AKA Map Uniques) then it should be hard to do.

You have it completely backwards. Rares define characters and are the only unique aspect between gearsets due to the power of certain uniques like koams heart lions eye and thunderfist.

And they have been nerfed appropriately.

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Rumthorp wrote:

If everyone had the rarest items in the game...

They were more than rare even before. There's a difference between rare and impossible to get (for 99% of the players base), you know?

I'd say, it would be okay to make such items map-drop only - any map. (or maybe, exclude the lowest one...) - but this may be difficult to handle against the overlapping non-map areas?