Vaal Fragment Changes in 1.2.4d

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In update 1.2.4d, bosses of corrupted Maps have a high chance to drop a Vaal Fragment or Vaal Skill Gem.

I really like the idea even though I don't farm them. Maybe I should start now...

The problem here is that, usage-wise, Vaal Orbs are already spread out too thin relative to their drop rate. and this just exacerbates the problem.

btw

im pretty amazed by your focus

you take a non-issue and provide it with a non-solution, meanwhile pretty solid issues (like crit/dagger meta, uber-bows and hack-dominated races) rest quietly waiting for all non-issues to be fixed. heck, even commented on.

you want people to get more vaal fragments? just make CZ spawn more fragments from the vessel, not just one. here, solved


your proposed non-solution is just that - not a solution. but, all 10 people vaaling their maps are happy i guess. all remaining will do what they are forced by trading sim - buy frags from farmers.

People might not think this does enough, but this is probably meant to be a conservative move they can amend later. It is better than going to far and having to nerf something because god knows all the whiners would go ballistic.

I was expecting an extremely awesome change at the end of a lot of text and was highly disappointed. The rarity of Vaal orbs only allows for us to RIP them on meaningful corruption chances, not on maps for a "chance" to obtain a single sacrifice fragment.

Why not just allow fragments to drop from the Apex of Sacrifice bosses?

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Barl wrote:

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It was intentional that Vaal Fragments didn't drop in the existing end-game (or from bosses people already run like Piety or Dominus), because we designed the content to be an alternative end-game activity.

We didn't want to increase the spawn rate of Corrupted Areas (as we have to manage the amount of complex distractions that players run into while playing), and we didn't want to make Fragments drop from existing end-game activities that players already performed. We also wanted to tie the new way of getting Vaal Fragments into something Vaal-themed.

This was and remains a terrible design decision. You guys just aren't getting it. Have you read the hundreds and hundreds of feedback posts detailing why? Farming low level content was NEVER a good alternative to end game activity.

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In update 1.2.4d, bosses of corrupted Maps have a high chance to drop a Vaal Fragment or Vaal Skill Gem. This change works extremely well in testing. It encourages people to play corrupted Maps which are a lot more random and fun due to their crazy eight mods or through being unidentified. It also makes the dual-boss Map mod a lot more exciting.

A small band-aid that does little to nothing to alleviate the poor design decision of having to farm LOW LEVEL CONTENT for access to END GAME ACTIVITIES.

Go back to the drawing board. Read the hundreds of feedback posts on this, because you guys are still lost on this one.

ya this all day, GGG you need to take note of what this guy said.


The thing that doesnt seem to be clicking with GGG is that maps are the ONLY thing to play in endgame. None of your fixed content is worth playing because of the xp penalty at high levels, you made the change to 2%, doesnt matter, made farming corrupt zones a thing, doesnt matter, it will always be shit because its not rewarding at all, the mobs are too weak, drop shit items and give you sod all xp. You cant have an alternative to maps until you have an alternative to maps, that means zones at a level that is worth farming them when you are 85-95. You are the ones who thought it was a good idea to make no static zones in the game worth playing in endgame, mechanics implemented on purpose make maps the only place to go so I really dont understand why you try and force players into content you have intentionally made too unrewarding to play, it just doesn't make any sense.


I love the game and I love you guys at GGG and this change IS positive, its just adding something and that is cool, more options is always better. But is this something you sat down and worked out in order to fix a 'problem' you have with the game? Because if so I really have to question how detached from your game you have become....

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Achilion wrote:

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ropumar wrote:

This change will make no diference. People wont use their vaal orbs, not worth it.

exactly ... farming fragments and masters will remain tedious :(

this is exactly correct. A small amount of people Vaal maps, theyre rippy as shit, with affixes like bloodmagic and temp chains out there the tiny minority that vaal maps will continue to do so and everyone else who doesnt still wont because as tedious and shit as it is, its easier just to farm the side zones or buy the sets. At best this is a little add-on for people who already corrupt maps, thats all it is. I dont see this having any impact at all, the chance to get a fragment vs vaaling a map and potentially making it unplayable through stupid affixes that shouldnt even really be in the pool anyway, not worth it at all. Vaal orbs are way too precious to use them like this, 50% of the reason I used to farm corrupt zones was to ACQUIRE vaal orbs through gem recipe, not spend them. I feel like you dont understand your game. I dont want to be harsh but I wonder about how long you guys have actually spent properly playing your game in the last year, not just testing a little run through here and there. Nice little change but will really have 0 effect and if you put serious thought into this and this is what you came up with? Seriously, take 3 months off, play your own game 8 hours a day and then you'll start to understand the game from the point of view of people who have put 1000s of hours into actual proper playing who look at changes like this and just think...

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I_NO wrote:

it DOESN'T DO ANYTHING.

If this was something you just came up with on an offhand thought and added it because it was a positive change even though essentially completely meaningless then yeah, fair play, its positive so why not.

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sidtherat wrote:

btw

im pretty amazed by your focus

you take a non-issue and provide it with a non-solution, meanwhile pretty solid issues (like crit/dagger meta, uber-bows and hack-dominated races) rest quietly waiting for all non-issues to be fixed. heck, even commented on.

you want people to get more vaal fragments? just make CZ spawn more fragments from the vessel, not just one. here, solved


your proposed non-solution is just that - not a solution. but, all 10 people vaaling their maps are happy i guess. all remaining will do what they are forced by trading sim - buy frags from farmers.

Yeah let's change the whole meta in a small side-patch, makes sense x)

On topic: good change in theory, but would work better with old Vaal orb drop rate imo. Vaal orbs are way too rare already.

Also ITT: Give them the little finger and they'll take your whole arm.

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Xavderion wrote:

Yeah let's change the whole meta in a small side-patch, makes sense x)

On topic: good change in theory, but would work better with old Vaal orb drop rate imo. Vaal orbs are way too rare already.

Also ITT: Give them the little finger and they'll take your whole arm.

gief me that arms for my arm collection... need to get them all

Pretty sure it only went well in testing because testers had an infinite supply of vaal orbs. Now add the relative scarcity of them from the real game and it becomes just as time consuming and annoying as the rest of the ways to farm fragments.

You could at least tone down on usage of vaal orbs by masters (by tone down I mean cut in half - 1500 vaal orbs for 6Ling a corrupted item is nuts) while you're at it.

It seems to me that changes are never actually thought through enough lately.

I am waiting for the next patch notes that says

"Exploiting the game to find out if a level has a corrupted zone or not is now a Bannable offense, Sorry guys, we cant fix the game to stop it doing it, besides, there is nothing wrong with the game, so we will just ban you instead. There, Game fixed".