I've had some major contention with the way loot works in D3 for years now. So, here's a quick wish list of things I want Blizzard to avoid in a D4;
1) Rares being useless. The philosophy that rares *can* be as good in a slot as a unique I originally hated before D3 launched. Having been 7 years, and having played poe for a couple years now, I realize it's actually a very smart idea. Getting that perfect stat-ed, perfect rolled rare can actually be in itself a chase item, leaving something to look forward to dropping.
2) Main stat + Vit on every unique. Why even have these stats exist if they're on EVERYTHING. There's a good way to balance uniques, and that is to make a unique item be rolled around it's unique effect, while missing stats that something like a rare item could offer. This chest is amazing because of XYZ unique effect, but it's missing vitality, or resistance, so now I have a choice and a trade off.
3) Uniques 'power' being an absolute mandatory buff to a skill. This actually creates SO many problems. Firstly, you now HAVE to have this unique if you want to use a certain skill. Oh you really like this skill? Well unless you've obtained the power bracelet of 900% damage to that skill, why even try to use it? Secondly, now you don't get a choice of anything else in that slot. Thirdly, this is actually one of the root problems of having uniques rain all day long in D3, because players NEED that item to even enjoy using a skill.
4) Set bonuses in general. Really just read #3 on why these have been badly implemented in D3, the issues are the same; mandatory items that eat up slots that you HAVE to have to be effective. While I'll only miss them if they aren't in D4 on a nostalgic level, there IS a way to balance their power. The amount of pieces would have to be lowered in my opinion, probably 3 in total such as jewelry / armor / weapon. But the real balancing would be the set bonus. Take Tal Rasha set. You *could* have the set bonus be something that players can form their own builds around, such as taking the convention of elements buff and putting that on the Tal Rasha set; "you gain 30% damage to an element until you use a skill that matches that element, and then it rotates to the next element. These elements are Fire, Cold, and Lightning." Doesn't lock you into a skill, doesn't force you to 'wait for a window'. Just a suggestion.
5) Current Crafting. D3's crafting is just... not engaging. It's far too simple. Honestly just copy + pasting the way POE handles crafting would work. That system, while complicated at first, works VERY well to balance the line between deterministic crafting and RNG. You could change the currency orb system to where you have the same options, but at the bench and they would just cost different amounts of dropped mats.
6) Stats. D3 uses main stats to tell players who gets to wear what items. Vitality is also on everything, making both of these just a shoulder shrug when you see them. There's also a huge problem with resistances. Why on earth it was decided to add complication to resistances is beyond me. Not only does it create something that's harder to balance since the max resistances can vary so wildly, it's also confusing without a good reason. Is 97 to all resis good? I don't know, I have 19,000 resis!
'Main' stats need to instead provide the same bonus to every class, which in turn makes them sought after depending on what build you're trying to make. Instead of 'oh I'm a Demon Hunter, I have to stack dex', the player could instead say 'I want to play my Demon Hunter differently, so I'll stack strength for armor', without wrecking their damage because they didn't use the stat they 'have to'.
7) Gold pieces as currency. D3's currency is gold, and that system just flat out does not work. First off, in an effort to balance the fact that the only currency drops from the very first act of the game in the same form as the end game, you start off with 1-3 gold pieces dropping, and end up with millions in the end game. Second problem, it's easily farmed by bots, because it always drops. It's also not 'taken out of the economy' with any great rate. People just accrue more and more.
A quick suggestion would be to replace gold as it currently is, with a variety of single drop items that are fairly rare. A gold bar could drop (hypothetically a rare occurrence even at the end game) that would actually have value. It could have multiple uses; using it on an item could re-roll the stats. It could be used in crafting for the highest end crafts. It could be used to augment whatever rift / map style end game we get to make it more difficult / give better rewards. Anyone who's played POE might notice I just essentially suggested chaos orbs or exalted orbs, and for good reason; that system kicks ass. Not only would something like this be constantly pulled out of the economy because of it's multiple uses, it also introduces a very badly needed item in the form of a currency to trade with.
8) Dropped items that are just armor / weapons. There needs to be more then *just* armor and weapons to drop. The above mentioned currency item is a start. I'd also add even rarer types of the gold bar I suggested, such as say Crystal Orbs, Unobtainium Chunks, you name it.
We can actually take a look back at D2 for this category; Gems dropped, Runes, Charms, and Jewels. This all adds to the ever important part of a loot based ARPG; 'what could drop next'. POE has a dropped item, the divination card. They're essentially pieces to a whole item, with varying rarity. Sure the chances of that awesome giant 2 handed greatsword dropping are very low, but hey you've found 3/7 of the cards that'l turn into it. Maybe you could trade some players for the other cards? Adding a system of 'pieces' of an item could be another fun thing to add to this category.
9) D3's Gambling. A fun side mechanic from D2, but it's my opinion that it's FAR too prevalent in D3. That of course is just another symptom of D3 HAVING to drown you in uniques because otherwise builds won't work. It could be kept in D4 for sure, but I would make it pretty expensive to do so, so it's not spammable, keeping it leaning towards it's use from D2.
10) Ancient uniques. The idea that 'yay omg this awesome weapon dropped..... buuuuuut it's not its super mega rad elder void touched sun forged ancient version' just sucks. There's no good reason to carry this system over, because there shouldn't be a situation where we NEED to introduce power creep.
11) Not having Runewords. I, let it be known, LOVE runewords. It adds SO MUCH to the game! Hear me out. First, runes introduce chase items. Those highest end runes are what we dreamed of dropping back in D2 days. Secondly it's a pseudo deterministic system of getting an item since you get to choose which runeword to make, and what base item to use it in. Runes themselves are a form of trading currency. Runes also act on their own to augment gear, so there's a choice between gaining that stat or waiting for that 3 socket shield to drop so you can make that runeword, as an example. It also is an untapped potential for adding actual mystery to the game. Every season could see the introduction of say 1-3 runewords, but the players would have to find out what they are. And if runes cannot be unsocketed then it would be fun seeing if people are willing use their highest runes to try and find out the new runeword.
12) Uniques raining down. I honest to god forgot until this point that they're called legendaries in D3, it's been a quick minute for sure. Either way, I think it can be agreed upon that they need to drop far, far less. For a really, really bad example of what good drop rate would be, lets say it's Friday night and we sit down for a good 5 hours of playing some D4. I'd like to think somewhere in the realm of finding 4-5 during that time would be ideal. That's not accounting for people who will sit by their stash for 3 out of those 5 hours, and also not for the super speed clear people on the other end of that spectrum. I'm sure others would want double or triple that, it's just how I feel on that matter.
There's even more topics to cover, but this a good summery of what I'd personally like to see in that hypothetical D4.
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I've had some major contention with the way loot works in D3 for years now. So, here's a quick wish list of things I want Blizzard to avoid in a D4;
1) Rares being useless. The philosophy that rares *can* be as good in a slot as a unique I originally hated before D3 launched. Having been 7 years, and having played poe for a couple years now, I realize it's actually a very smart idea. Getting that perfect stat-ed, perfect rolled rare can actually be in itself a chase item, leaving something to look forward to dropping.
2) Main stat + Vit on every unique. Why even have these stats exist if they're on EVERYTHING. There's a good way to balance uniques, and that is to make a unique item be rolled around it's unique effect, while missing stats that something like a rare item could offer. This chest is amazing because of XYZ unique effect, but it's missing vitality, or resistance, so now I have a choice and a trade off.
3) Uniques 'power' being an absolute mandatory buff to a skill. This actually creates SO many problems. Firstly, you now HAVE to have this unique if you want to use a certain skill. Oh you really like this skill? Well unless you've obtained the power bracelet of 900% damage to that skill, why even try to use it? Secondly, now you don't get a choice of anything else in that slot. Thirdly, this is actually one of the root problems of having uniques rain all day long in D3, because players NEED that item to even enjoy using a skill.
4) Set bonuses in general. Really just read #3 on why these have been badly implemented in D3, the issues are the same; mandatory items that eat up slots that you HAVE to have to be effective. While I'll only miss them if they aren't in D4 on a nostalgic level, there IS a way to balance their power. The amount of pieces would have to be lowered in my opinion, probably 3 in total such as jewelry / armor / weapon. But the real balancing would be the set bonus. Take Tal Rasha set. You *could* have the set bonus be something that players can form their own builds around, such as taking the convention of elements buff and putting that on the Tal Rasha set; "you gain 30% damage to an element until you use a skill that matches that element, and then it rotates to the next element. These elements are Fire, Cold, and Lightning." Doesn't lock you into a skill, doesn't force you to 'wait for a window'. Just a suggestion.
5) Current Crafting. D3's crafting is just... not engaging. It's far too simple. Honestly just copy + pasting the way POE handles crafting would work. That system, while complicated at first, works VERY well to balance the line between deterministic crafting and RNG. You could change the currency orb system to where you have the same options, but at the bench and they would just cost different amounts of dropped mats.
6) Stats. D3 uses main stats to tell players who gets to wear what items. Vitality is also on everything, making both of these just a shoulder shrug when you see them. There's also a huge problem with resistances. Why on earth it was decided to add complication to resistances is beyond me. Not only does it create something that's harder to balance since the max resistances can vary so wildly, it's also confusing without a good reason. Is 97 to all resis good? I don't know, I have 19,000 resis!
'Main' stats need to instead provide the same bonus to every class, which in turn makes them sought after depending on what build you're trying to make. Instead of 'oh I'm a Demon Hunter, I have to stack dex', the player could instead say 'I want to play my Demon Hunter differently, so I'll stack strength for armor', without wrecking their damage because they didn't use the stat they 'have to'.
7) Gold pieces as currency. D3's currency is gold, and that system just flat out does not work. First off, in an effort to balance the fact that the only currency drops from the very first act of the game in the same form as the end game, you start off with 1-3 gold pieces dropping, and end up with millions in the end game. Second problem, it's easily farmed by bots, because it always drops. It's also not 'taken out of the economy' with any great rate. People just accrue more and more.
A quick suggestion would be to replace gold as it currently is, with a variety of single drop items that are fairly rare. A gold bar could drop (hypothetically a rare occurrence even at the end game) that would actually have value. It could have multiple uses; using it on an item could re-roll the stats. It could be used in crafting for the highest end crafts. It could be used to augment whatever rift / map style end game we get to make it more difficult / give better rewards. Anyone who's played POE might notice I just essentially suggested chaos orbs or exalted orbs, and for good reason; that system kicks ass. Not only would something like this be constantly pulled out of the economy because of it's multiple uses, it also introduces a very badly needed item in the form of a currency to trade with.
8) Dropped items that are just armor / weapons. There needs to be more then *just* armor and weapons to drop. The above mentioned currency item is a start. I'd also add even rarer types of the gold bar I suggested, such as say Crystal Orbs, Unobtainium Chunks, you name it.
We can actually take a look back at D2 for this category; Gems dropped, Runes, Charms, and Jewels. This all adds to the ever important part of a loot based ARPG; 'what could drop next'. POE has a dropped item, the divination card. They're essentially pieces to a whole item, with varying rarity. Sure the chances of that awesome giant 2 handed greatsword dropping are very low, but hey you've found 3/7 of the cards that'l turn into it. Maybe you could trade some players for the other cards? Adding a system of 'pieces' of an item could be another fun thing to add to this category.
9) D3's Gambling. A fun side mechanic from D2, but it's my opinion that it's FAR too prevalent in D3. That of course is just another symptom of D3 HAVING to drown you in uniques because otherwise builds won't work. It could be kept in D4 for sure, but I would make it pretty expensive to do so, so it's not spammable, keeping it leaning towards it's use from D2.
10) Ancient uniques. The idea that 'yay omg this awesome weapon dropped..... buuuuuut it's not its super mega rad elder void touched sun forged ancient version' just sucks. There's no good reason to carry this system over, because there shouldn't be a situation where we NEED to introduce power creep.
11) Not having Runewords. I, let it be known, LOVE runewords. It adds SO MUCH to the game! Hear me out. First, runes introduce chase items. Those highest end runes are what we dreamed of dropping back in D2 days. Secondly it's a pseudo deterministic system of getting an item since you get to choose which runeword to make, and what base item to use it in. Runes themselves are a form of trading currency. Runes also act on their own to augment gear, so there's a choice between gaining that stat or waiting for that 3 socket shield to drop so you can make that runeword, as an example. It also is an untapped potential for adding actual mystery to the game. Every season could see the introduction of say 1-3 runewords, but the players would have to find out what they are. And if runes cannot be unsocketed then it would be fun seeing if people are willing use their highest runes to try and find out the new runeword.
12) Uniques raining down. I honest to god forgot until this point that they're called legendaries in D3, it's been a quick minute for sure. Either way, I think it can be agreed upon that they need to drop far, far less. For a really, really bad example of what good drop rate would be, lets say it's Friday night and we sit down for a good 5 hours of playing some D4. I'd like to think somewhere in the realm of finding 4-5 during that time would be ideal. That's not accounting for people who will sit by their stash for 3 out of those 5 hours, and also not for the super speed clear people on the other end of that spectrum. I'm sure others would want double or triple that, it's just how I feel on that matter.
There's even more topics to cover, but this a good summery of what I'd personally like to see in that hypothetical D4.