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Quote from WarlockHolmez

I'd like to hear more ideas about ways affixes could become more unique and build-dependent.

How about in addition to your ideas, make the current skill affixes more interesting. Rather than just having "reduced cost of (skill) by X" and "increased crit chance of (skill) by %", add fun effects like "gives (skill) a % chance to stun/slow/knockback/lifesteal/etc". I can see builds being tied to specific skill-affixtype combinations.

If not that, than at least increase the number skills that can have the current skill-affix types, and apply them more often.

Quote from maka

I agree. Most affixes are boring, because you can only get a plain upgrade (or downgrade), there is very little 'horizontal upgrading', except for the proc effects and the skill-specific affixes, like you said. Very true.

"Horizontal upgrading," Nicely put! We need more decisions to make with gear other than damage, defense, and hit points!

This is great thinking. We need more ideas like this to improve this game.

It's at least a great start, I love the idea of attributes somewhat suggesting what personality and style your character has. As long as primary attributes are still the core of the class, it would be awesome to see secondary attributes having strong effects like this. I like idea #2 a lot.

Quote from Bleu42

This game is hard, and that's how it is supposed to be. If you want what you think you're entitled to after X amount of hours, go play WoW.

Hard to tell if you're also disagreeing with my post or not. Either way, I agree with you that the great items need to be very rare for the economy to survive. With the ideas in this thread though, I think the greatest items would be even rarer than they are now, and therefore more expensive. That being said, many more items that currently aren't useful ("wrong" attribute items) would also find use and be collected for testing out different builds.

On another note, this thread is starting to turn into an argument about the Auction House. >.< I don't think these ideas will disrupt it (the AH) too much. The average price of gear may go down, but people will want to buy multiples of the same slot to try different builds. I'd like to hear more ideas about ways affixes could become more unique and build-dependent.

Quote from cw30000

I like that. Blizzard should fire the current team and hire you install.

Current, the non-main stats are useless.

Thank you!

Wouldn't it be nice if we looked for attributes based on the style we wanted to play our character?
-All Barbarians would have brute strength, but maybe you would like yours to be more agile than most, or maybe have more brains!
-A tough Monk, or a smart Monk.
-etc.

I like that. Blizzard should fire the current team and hire you install.

Current, the non-main stats are useless.

Update! Added image of possible Passive Skill Screen.

Hello! Welcome to a constructive post about how to make items more fun!

The point of this thread:

• To generate ideas on ways to make the affixes of items feel more unique and important toward build diversity. If Blizzard could use any portion of any idea from this thread I would feel successful.
• This post focuses only on the main attributes (Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence) and how Active and Passive Skills could make these affixes feel more important, while promoting build diversity and personality.
• Rather than coming up with new affix types (making items more complex than they already are), we can explore using the current, less-desired, affixes in a logical way that promotes this goal.

The secondary attributes of each class have almost no use currently. They provide minor defensive bonuses but there is absolutely no reason to specifically look for or stack one.

Secondary Attributes:

• Barbarian – Dexterity/Intelligence
• Monk – Strength/Intelligence
• DemonHunter – Strength/Intelligence
• WitchDoctor – Strength/Dexterity
• Wizard – Strength/Dexterity

Idea #1 - Give "Active" Skills two bonus effects, each based on one of the two secondary attributes of each class.

Here are examples of how it could work (one for each class):
Keep in mind! I thought of these very quickly, I would imagine the developers of Blizzard could come up with much more creative ideas.

• Barbarian – Cleave

Dexterity: Improves the area of effect by 1% per 50 Dexterity.
Intelligence: Gives Cleave a chance to stun, 1% per 50 Intelligence.

• Monk – Crippling Wave

Strength: Increases the damage of Crippling Wave by 1% per 50 Strength.
Intelligence: Increases the movement speed and attack speed debuf by 1% per 50 Intelligence.

• DemonHunter - Strafe

Strength: Reduces damage taken while using Strafe by 1% per 50 Strength.
Intelligence: Reduces the channeling cost by 1% per 50 Intelligence.

• WitchDoctor - Gargantuan

Strength: Increase Gargantuan's damage and armor by 1% per 50 Strength.
Dexterity: Give Gargantuan a chance to stun on hit of 1% per 50 Dexterity.

• Wizard – Magic Weapon

Strength: Magic Weapon grants a chance to knock-back of 1% per 50 Strength.
Dexterity: Magic Weapon also increases attack speed by 1% per 50 Dexterity.

Idea #2 - Two "Passive" Skill Trees per class, one for each Secondary attribute:

• Remove the current three passive skill slots. Create two small passive skill trees for each class (one for each secondary attribute). Each skill tree is influenced by it's attribute in two ways:

​1. Stacking a secondary attribute increases the effectiveness of passive skills in it's skill tree.

• Up to a cap per skill, where lower tier skills cap earlier. (to promote using both tree's low tier skills, even if you have much more of one attribute)
• Maybe no cap for higher tier skills. (to promote continued stacking of a secondary attribute)

2. Accessing each tier of each tree requires having enough of it's attribute:

• Tier 1 – 0 points of attribute. (skill effectiveness caps at 100)
• Tier 2 – 100 points of attribute. (caps at 200)
• Tier 3 – 200 points of attribute. (caps at 400)
• Tier 4 – 400 points of attribute. (no cap)
• Tier 5 – 800 points of attribute. (no cap)

Example:
-A Barbarian has 178 Dexterity and 900 Intelligence.
-He has access to Tiers 1 and 2 on the Dexterity Tree.
-He has access to all Tiers on the Intelligence Tree.
-Tier 1 and 2 in the Dexterity Tree will still be worth using even though he has way more Intelligence than Dexterity (because of effectiveness caps).

Example Image: (Just a layout, skills are in random places)
(Graphics used are Blizzard's, not my own.)

The Outcomes:

• Your primary should still reign supreme, while the secondaries provide flavor and playstyle.
• Ideally, (for a Barbarian) there will be some builds that stack Dexterity, some that stack Intelligence, and then some that use mixed amounts depending on what passive skills they want access to among the trees.
• The better your gear, the more skills you have access to. It's another leveling system in the form of loot, post 60.
• Attribute affixes on items will be much more exciting. More gear will find use/be saved/get traded.
• Items gain personality and dictate builds.
• There will be more choices than just damage and defense to think about when looking for gear.
• Collecting multiple sets of gear will be useful for different builds.
• Gems become much more interesting and useful in armor.
• Sockets in armor will grow in value.
• All "current" decently-geared 60s would start off with access to at least tiers 1-4 in each tree (based on their stats). There would be many viable builds with those options and no reason to complain about all the gear they bought. They could gradually change to which playstyle they prefer.

Other Thoughts:

• The design of the skill trees could be in many ways. What I envision is 4-6 tiers. Using many of the current passive skills but separated among the two trees for matching style. Obviously adjusting their potency to the tier in the tree that they sit.
• (ie.) If you obtained 1 skill point every 5 levels from level 10 on, you would have 11 points at level 60. If the skill trees were 6 tiers, you could only obtain one tier 6 passive skill, even if you had enough attributes to access all 6 tiers on both trees. (could also be 9 points for 5 tiers, 7 points for 4 tiers, etc.)
• With the most powerful passives being at the top of the trees, most players would probably go extreme in one tree rather than dividing equally. Mid-tier passives should be designed to work nicely with each other too, to promote more diversity.

Suggestions from feedback:

• How about in addition to your ideas, make the current skill affixes more interesting. Rather than just having "reduced cost of (skill) by X" and "increased crit chance of (skill) by %", add fun effects like "gives (skill) a % chance to stun/slow/knockback/lifesteal/etc". I can see builds being tied to specific skill-affixtype combinations.

If not that, than at least increase the number of skills that can have the current skill-affix type, and apply them more often.
• (open to your suggestion)

Edits

• Added "effectiveness cap" idea to the skill trees to promote diversity when choosing lower tier skills.

Thanks for reading! Please leave feedback if you think the attribute affixes need more love!