DiabloFans

Even if Diablo 4 could be just speculation - rumors about it already points to how low Diablo 3 has fallen for the fan base. Fans wanting very drastic changes to the game makes it feel like an expansion isn't even worthy, so why not just create a whole new game?

RiffSphere, I understand that some of the sets in combination with current Legendaries would actually make your character OP, if not TOO OP.  But who would ever want to use Beckon Sail and Pauldrons of the Skeleton King in their current form right now?  No one, because it doesn't mix and match with slots taken up by your set items.  Sure Blackthrones Immunity bonuses could be a huge flaw to this setup, but it could also be altered in some way that would not make it as powerful as it can be -- make it a (5) set bonus instead of (4) or change what slots the Rune it can be equipped to -- helm, shoulders, chest, neck.

The end game of Diablo will always be to look for the BiS item -- a mandatory item.  Always has been and always will be, unless you make everything equivalent to one another.  A Sup 15% EBotD CB, an Eth 50rez upped HoZ, Sup 15% Archon Plate RW'd to Enigma -- Ancient Furnace, Ancient Cindercoat, Ancient Set Items, Ancient anything really.  In games like Diablo you'll always be searching for that One item, the One item that is above all the rest.

I don't like how they implemented Set Items as the mandatory End Game either, but that's the direction they took, and I just wanted to present an idea to help the system out a little better.  With Set Items, many common Legendaries become irrelevant.  Has anyone ever wanted to use any of the Legendary Shoulders? Probably not.  Tyrael's Might, Iron Heart, or any chest piece other than Cindercoat? Stone Gauntlets?  Have you ever wanted to use Frostburns but couldn't because it would mess up your set bonuses?  These can be alleviated with this system.

The Diablo 3 Team has taken the simple route to mechanics in Diablo.  Hence, the great complex ideas the community has come up with will never be implemented in the game.  The idea has to be simple, simple to the point where an 8 year old would comprehend it.  There are so many possibilities with this game overall, but they (IMO) are very slow at changing their own game, or rather -- the changes they make are very underwhelming.



Zero(pS) I have also thought about using the runeword system as the set system, but there are just so many complications with it.  First, how many Runes would there actually be (20, 26, 30?) and what do you do with the excess Runes.  Would there be Higher class Runes (harder to find) as in Diablo 2?  How would the system work with RoRG?  I tried very hard to think of ways this could work, but it just didn't make sense with how the developers want the game to work.  To reiterate, they want whatever they implement to be very user friendly/simple.  Don't get me wrong, I love complexity, complexity brings out so much diversity, but from what I've seen them doing since Alpha -> Beta -> Live -> RoS, simple trumps complex in their view.

Remember their own version of the Rune System when they announced Diablo 3 back in '08?  There were different levels of Runes (lesser, less, minor, major, etc.) and they altered the skill to something different (3 arcane orbs instead of 1), but they also worked for every class. Reference: http://www.curse.com/news/blizzard-entertainment/17438-diablo-iii-rune-system-details
But they scrapped that because it was apparently too complex.

I was browsing through the forums searching for the word "rune" and came across an old post about runeword's which got me thinking about how they could work in Diablo 3.

The reference to the old post is here: http://www.diablofans.com/forums/diablo-iii-general-forums/diablo-iii-general-discussion/97425-rune-word-concept-in-diablo-3-what-do-you-think

The new developers of Diablo seem to want things very... simple.  So the aforementioned link probably was not suitable to their tastes.  However, with the idea in mind, I felt like sharing a simple version of what I think Runes could be in Diablo 3 by converting Set Items as Runes that you place on normal Legendaries.

In Diablo 3, Set Items play a major role in how powerful your character becomes, however with the introduction of more new sets, the chances of actually completing one set diminishes with each additional set.  Every new set added will increase the item pool that an individual would have to go through to complete a set. What I wanted to do is present an idea that could potentially shrink down that item pool while keeping the entertainment of finding items.

My idea is to convert Set Items to Runes.  This system will shrink the item pool size of 6-8 items per set to only 1 item, the Rune. The Rune will essentially have all the bonuses that Set’s consist of while also creating an opportunity for more build diversity in combination with other Legendaries.  By becoming a Rune, the underused Legendaries become more valuable.  The items that the Rune would be applied to would not need a socket, somewhat similar to that of Ramaladni’s Gift.   To help represent this I will give an example of a rune:

Rune of Tal Rasha’s Elements
Consumable
Use this item and select a Helm, Neck, Shoulder, Chest, Gloves, Waist, Boots, or Source.  This item is destroyed in the process.

(2) Set Bonus
Damaging enemies with Arcane, Cold, Fire or Lightning will cause a Meteor of the same damage type to fall from the sky.  There is an 8 second cooldown for each damage type.

(4) Set Bonus
Attacks increase your resistance to that element by 100% for 6 seconds.

(6) Set Bonus
Attacks Increase your damage by 175% for 6 seconds.  Arcane, Cold, Fire, and Lightning attacks each add one stack (maximum of 4).  Adding a stack refreshes the duration.

Let’s take an example of how you might use this Rune while also taking a look at how a lackluster item becomes more attractive.  Say you found Magefist and an Ancient Tyrael’s Might along with 2 of the Runes of Tal Rasha.  In the current game, the Magefist can be used in some Fire builds along with pieces of a set; however, the Tyrael’s Might would more than likely be scrapped immediately. But, because of Runes the Tyrael’s Might has a chance to be relevant now.  Although a Cindercoat would probably be considered the Meta; this Tyrael’s Might is still something to be considered useful like any other common Legendary you may find since it is, Ancient.  So now you have Magefist and an Ancient Tyrael’s Might, you right-click and apply your Runes onto the Magefist and Ancient Tyrael’s Might.  Now you have the 2 piece set bonus for Tal Rasha’s Elements along with the attributes from both Legendaries.

This system might be too complex for the game and it could cause potential problems.  Some concerns are listed below:
  -It could cause people to hoard even more loot in their stash.

  -Runes do not give a Forgotten Soul, like a normal set item would be able to give.

  -It could be too easy to complete a set this way.

  -Balancing issues with how often these Runes should drop.

  -Easy way to obtain Ancient set pieces.

  -What to do with other set items such as Bul Kathos, Chantodo’s, Focus/Restraint, Blackthrone’s, Blacksmith set items -- should those be converted to Runes too?

  -How to replace current Rune on X gear -- Magefist has Tal Rasha but I want to apply Delsere’s Magnum Opus Rune to  it instead.  Should this system allow you replace said Rune by simply overriding it, or require a Crafter to remove the old Rune, or should you not be able to apply a new rune to an existing piece?

I don’t know how well this system would work, but I just wanted to give an idea of what other systems they could implement to the game.  The set item mentality worked great for World of Warcraft, but that's also due to the fact that those sets died along with the content they were released in. In Diablo however, sets do not die out, and we will continue to use what we had an opportunity to obtain.  Currently in Diablo, there are 3 sets for each class (yes this includes Invoker’s).  With the release of patch 2.2 -- 3 of the 6 classes will now have 4 sets.  So a pool of ~18 items is now ~24; and this is only including the set items.  With each patch, there are more and more gear, increasing the item pool size, while decreasing % chance of obtaining a specific item.  I’m not actually sure if it DOES decrease the % chance to get what you want, but it seems like it would.  Many of you might enjoy the item hunt that comes with the increased item pool size, so it might just be me that is despairing in my lack of fortunate drops.

Suggestions would be most gracious.