Communication and the Sacred Orb

I would much rather have more interesting and viable implicit modifiers added to underused base-types than add more RNG to what we currently have.

If we want players to make choices regarding their gear, it would be more fun to theorycraft with different base types rather than just choose the one with the highest number and roll dice to make it higher. We already do that with Blessed Orbs, and it's kind of frustrating already; there's no decision making here. Not to mention we already have varying levels of RNG in the quality department already (Armorer's Scraps < Hillock < Perfect Fossils)

One of the great thing about this patch's talent trees are the new possibilities and choices we can make with Mastery. Why not apply a similar logic to bases? I'd love to make an ES character with something other than a Vaal Regalia, but it's not reasonable - the choice is already made for me. Now, if Widowsilk Robes had a viable alternative stat, then some characters might value that higher than the ~9% ES gain. Previously, there was no player choice or agency in which base type we chose if we want to optimize, and now there's still none, but now I'll have to filter even more items.

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...the built-in Armour, Evasion of Energy Shield values on an armour piece can vary from their current values up to approximately 15% more (it varies item to item)

Will we know what % an item is at? Or will I need the wiki page open 24/7?

I guess I just don't understand. We've given significant feedback on the inclusion of more RNG factors and currency bloat, but this seems almost spitefully opposed to the players' requests.

Also, please don't patronize us by claiming we're upset because we misunderstood the function of armor stat variability or Sacred Orbs. We fully grasp the function and implication of how this will affect the core gameplay loop, and we don't want it. I appreciate your explanation, as always, but it really does feel like another hoop to jump through.

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Caedos wrote:

I would much rather have more interesting and viable implicit modifiers added to underused base-types than add more RNG to what we currently have.

If we want players to make choices regarding their gear, it would be more fun to theorycraft with different base types rather than just choose the one with the highest number and roll dice to make it higher. We already do that with Blessed Orbs, and it's kind of frustrating already; there's no decision making here. Not to mention we already have varying levels of RNG in the quality department already (Armorer's Scraps < Hillock < Perfect Fossils)

One of the great thing about this patch's talent trees are the new possibilities and choices we can make with Mastery. Why not apply a similar logic to bases? I'd love to make an ES character with something other than a Vaal Regalia, but it's not reasonable - the choice is already made for me. Now, if Widowsilk Robes had a viable alternative stat, then some characters might value that higher than the ~9% ES gain. Previously, there was no player choice or agency in which base type we chose if we want to optimize, and now there's still none, but now I'll have to filter even more items.

"

...the built-in Armour, Evasion of Energy Shield values on an armour piece can vary from their current values up to approximately 15% more (it varies item to item)

Will we know what % an item is at? Or will I need the wiki page open 24/7?

I guess I just don't understand. We've given significant feedback on the inclusion of more RNG factors and currency bloat, but this seems almost spitefully opposed to the players' requests.

Also, please don't patronize us by claiming we're upset because we misunderstood the function of armor stat variability or Sacred Orbs. We fully grasp the function and implication of how this will affect the core gameplay loop, and we don't want it. I appreciate your explanation, as always, but it really does feel like another hoop to jump through.

They did mention it would be filterable, so there has to be some way to check the value outright.

Do you honestly think this is the best way to make players pay attention to lower tier gear? I understand your attempt, and appreciate you at least trying, but it failed to hit the mark. You state that to the new player they wouldn't notice the difference, which roughly translates to the "average player" will not notice the difference. So then it basically affects the players who min-max or play uber end-game content, and it doesn't do it in a good way. No player willing to invest 10+ exalts into a piece of gear to craft it will ever look at a tier 2 base, if anyone is to invest that much surely they would only pick up the tier 1 base. But now they have to take what is the equivalent to a blessed/divine orb and hope for a 1 in 15 roll, and you made it 3 times rarer than an exalt. This will only frustrate the players it actually affects by including yet another currency dump, except this time it is for an incredibly minor stat.

In my opinion you only have three options at this point; remove the sacred orb, increase its drop rate to be between an exalt/divine orb, or drastically change what it even does while removing the 1-15% roll. I would never want you to undo any effort put in, so i would hope removing it is out of the question. Which means either increase it's drop rate, or try something new.

Problem: Players avoid the majority of gear that drops on the ground due to its lower base tier. Introducing unnecessary clutter.

Solution: Include fractured/synthesized items in the core drop pool. Making them as rare as seeing a tier 1-3 base or more. Along with introducing the sacred orb, but have it instead alter fractured/synthesized items while maintaining their potency.

Fractured item Example: Sacred orb re-rolls the item and the fractured modifier while keeping the current fractured tier. T1 lightning resist > T1 maximum life. T2>T2, T3>T3, etc.

Synthesized item Example: Sacred orb re-rolls the item and synthesized implicits while maintaining the number of implicits. 3 implicit modifiers > 3 implicit modifiers. 2>2, 1>1, etc.

This would give meaning to the lesser gear as they are fractured/synthesized. A T4 base would be worth grabbing if it had three perfect implicits, or a fractured T1 modifier. It wouldn't even break the game, as these items cannot be influenced or even altered by most league mechanics. Instead it provides another alternative to finding that perfect gear, all while still making it difficult and meaningful to achieve.

To me this feels fun and interesting, and it brings the synthesis league into the game as a core mechanic. It's not even a difficult mechanic to explain to players.

Look, at the end of the day it's your game built upon your vision. You put up the risk by investing your time and money into it, all while i sit in my room and enjoy it at no expense to myself. I do appreciate the changes you made for 3.16. Honestly they are amazing, fantastic even. You made the average game content easier to play for the casual or new player, all while still giving the end game player a version of content that is drastically more difficult and rewarding.

Although 3.16 is amazing, please do something about this sacred orb. It feels almost insulting to be introduced the way you designed it.

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KaseyM21 wrote:

Basically the floor value of items hasn't changed, but the ceiling value has.

Yep, they keep doing that, and it is bad, because it increases, rather than reduces, the power difference between a "normal" item that the average player has and a top-end item. Which has been a problem for this game for a looooong time, because you can't properly design e.g. boss fights around one player having .5m DPS and another having 250m.

More axes like this are good. Would like to see something like Ethereal items from D2 as well.

What is the Sacred Orb recipe for the challenge?

In essence, this system just vastly lowers the availability of perfect items, so negative reactions are going to be expected even if the overall impact is low on general run-of-the-mill drops. Personally, I'm just glad it wasn't also applied to weaponry.

Well, here we are two months later and... Sacred Orbs suck.

They solve a problem that shouldn't have been added the game in the first place. It simply means even less items are possible crafting bases... That's it. No one is going to pick up gear in late game that doesn't already have max base defense stats.

You've given us even less reasons to get excited about gear drops, and given us a super rare currency that feels terrible when it drops -would have rather gotten an Exalt.

Please revert this awful change.