The future of itemization and locked crates

[Rare]

Hello Everyone. This discussion is about a couple things. I hope that you all can give your input as well as these are just my thoughts and opinions on the subject matter. I would like to apologize in advance for the length. The discussion includes:

1.The current state and future of gear itemization.
2.The future of legendary/mythic/arcane gear.

Itemization:

The main objective here is to give an opinion on where STS should go from here. To be perfectly honest, I think the “itemization” introduced in Dragon Enclave is falling short of what STS intended. I won’t say it is a failure as it is a new concept STS is trying and something they can build upon. However, I do not think it is working quite as they envisioned. We haven’t seen the next phase yet, so I don’t know. In any case, first, I would like to breakdown MY idea of how itemization should work. I apologize again for the lengthy thread and hope those who comment will take the time to read it.

First, lets talk about how itemization “should” work. The concept that STS put forth was to stagger introduction of gear to make the game more enjoyable for a longer period. I take this to mean “keeping PVE interesting and viable for longer.” To accomplish this, I think STS should consider a new way to stagger items. The main issue we are seeing is that people do not feel comfortable buying the current gear in anticipation of something greater just around the corner. To some (the wealthy) this doesn’t really matter. For others it is VERY important. I suggest staggering item “types” rather than introducing new gear (whether it be new gear or new rarity) into the game at different intervals. Let me explain.

First, lets quickly breakdown the different classes and the legendary gear that is “most desired.” The desirability is, of course, my opinion and may be different from other opinions. I am a PVE player so my opinion is based on elite viability of gear. I am using the gear types from the last two seasons (Magma, Architect) as well as SOME types from the past.

Rogue Weapons:

1.Brutality/Potency
2.Tactics
3.Ripost

Rogue Armor:

1.Will/Brutality/Potency
2.Tactics/Stability
3.Other

Warrior Weapons:

1.Will/Assault
2.Tactics
3.Fatality

Warrior Armor:

1.Will/Assault
2.Grace/Tactics
3.Other

Sorcerer Weapons:

1.Brutality/Assault
2.Fatality/Stability
3.Other

Sorcerer Armor:

1.Security/Assault
2.Force
3.Other

The idea to introduce the gear in phases based on desirability. However, we can’t have phases where none of the desirable gear is in the loot table. So my suggestion would be to stagger item types. Here is an example.

Phase I: Top Tier Weapon, 2nd Tier Armor,
Phase 2: Top Tier Weapon, Top Tier Armor

This is pretty simplified for the sake of brevity (haha Ikr). This could be stretched even longer by adding a third tier if you separate armor from helmets. This will provide farmers and players something to strive for without having to worry that the next wave of gear will make their current gear obsolete. Or even for players that aren’t aware, it will protect their rage meter from going off when a new wave IS released.

I will probably need to add more to this, but its already getting pretty lengthy and I haven’t started discussing the second bullet.

Legendary/Mythic/Arcane

The main goal of this part of the discussion is to introduce Mythic and Arcane rarity items, which are the major source of income for STS, without completely disrupting or destroying the value and desirability of legendary gear. Obviously, this is very difficult, and in some cases cannot be done. In my opinion, these legendary items must remain viable and competitive for both “wealthy” and “unwealthy” players. Here are my suggestions:

1.Do not release Mythic Armors or Helmets.

Some may not like this. But hear me out. The developers spend a lot of time creating these new items during each expansion. In terms of visual pleasure, the armors and helms have the greatest impact with weapons closely following. It’s a real shame that in the last 2 or 3 seasons, a large number of people have completely ignored these. By leaving legendary Armors and Helmets as the top gear you not only reward the developers for their hard work, but also maintain the value and viability of these items each expansion.

2.Mythic and Arcane rarity items should be limited to Weapons, Rings, Amulets, and pets.

This is only my opinion, but I think these items will provide plenty of revenue for STS. If I were a betting man, I would wager that there would not be very much drop off if they were limited in this way. I believe it will also help greatly with PVP balance as at least SOME of the top gear is available for free potentially. By leaving helmets and armors as legendary, there will always be some value in farming elite content.

Again, there is probably more to be added, but I’ve gone on long enough. Likely, most people that looked at this thread haven’t made it this far. I am sorry for that.

Please give your opinions.