Loot Progression and You!

[Carapace]

Hey guys!

I've seen a couple threads pop up about this, so I going to make a clarification post in the idea of transparency of that which may not be so obvious.

With the new expansion, there is a definite shift in where the higher level loot drops. This was done to encourage players to play the later campaigns more and make higher level items worth a bit more by effectively making fewer amount of them that meet the level requirements of high level players. Don't fret! There is more content planned that will allow more ways to get that loot differentiation, and more types in the near future.

So where is the line?

EDIT: Downtown Suburbs is the line in the sand as of the patch 9/7/12

The line in the sand gets drawn at Downtown Suburbs. Any of the campaigns before this will yield loot rewards up to level 25 only, whereas everything from Gallows up through the new content will drop up to level 30 gear. As more items get created, they will become more special and relevant seeing as they are only available starting at level 25 and the like.

Moving forward into future expansions this will continue, as Gallows Alley and possibly Red Light get left maxed out at level 30 loot and all of the other campaigns beyond move up to support the new levels.

What about vanities?

Vanities are unaffected in this, as they are level independent. If you're farming for a particular vanity however the loot acquired in the process will more likely be sell through junk to a level 30 for the AH or alts and the like.

Additionally, it should be noted that expansion specific vanities pieces (in this case the Stone Armor and Stone Robe Armor) will only drop in an area that supports level 25-30 loot, or loot appropriate to the new expansion level range and above. Specifically if you're in a zone that drops say the Stone Armor Helm, and you are only level 23, the chance for that item to drop does not exist. You must be level 25+ or in a zone that begins with level 25 or higher monsters. This has not been done before, and may not be something continued in the next expansion whenever that comes around, but I feel it it appropriate to disclose.

I expect that it will be the same moving forward with special vanities tied to an expansion level range as a base, in order to help it feel more "special" but still allow for higher drop rates than some of the more rare vanity drops. But again nothing is set in stone

Thanks everyone!

-Cara