Long time lurker here, first time poster etc.
So i felt compelled to make my first post over the newly revealed plans for gems in Diablo 3. Fourteen different grades of gem, up from 5.
Now, having played D2 off and on for many many years, i am worried about the amount of gems that we will have to hold on to and accumulate for any chance of completing the highest grades.
Apparently, according the front page, the exact requirement will be "19683 grade five Gems to get one grade fourteen Gem.".
Unless i have missed some sort of mechanic that will simplify it, this is going to require an insane amount of gem muling/hoarding (something i thought they were trying to eliminate) problem for every player, considering they seem to have increased the usefulness of the gems in a way that everyone will most likely want them. (even if they don't, they will still hold value, which would create reason to keep them)
I still wince when i think about the amount of gem and rune mules i had to manage in my depths of playing D2 on bnet, and to think it's going to be increased tenfold is simply frightening.
So am i missing something? Or is this going to happen the way i think?
It will require a whole lot of gems to make a lvl 14 gem, that you got right. Thing is the gems won't be destroyed after their use. Artisans will be able to remove it so you can use them. Artisans also upgrade them, so you can use certain amounts to make one of higher rank and save inventory/stash space.
So far we don't know for sure if there's going to be an easier way to upgrade gems. Shrines are in, but there's no word on specific shrines, so we can't say for sure if there's going to be a gem shrine in Diablo III.
Upgrading the gems will only be a minor relief of inventory/stash space. The problem will be that most of the time you will be holding on to 1-2 of a particular grade of a specific gem. And now that there is 3x more combinations, that is going to create an overwhelming shiny, colourful, dinging nightmare.
The stash will be way bigger than it used to be in Diablo II. Plus there's going to be an extra stash that will be shared with every character in the account. I'm quite sure it won't be a big issue. At least not worse than the "chipped gem chaos" we used to have in Diablo II for cubing.
I think it would be kind of practical to do gems of the same grade and type (emerald, chipped) like they did scrolls and keys in D2 and kind of have them "stack" in your inventory. I don't know if that's what they're actually doing or not, but I'd image it'd be something along the lines of that.
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I hate the way you cling to ignorance and pass it off as innocence
Do we even know what the recipes to upgrade gems are? As far as I know, we don't, or is there proof somewhere? Runes are at a certain point required 2 runes of the same level to upgrade to the next. Why is that, you think?
I'm just going to assume 2 of the same gems is all thats needed to upgrade to the next, and you would need 512 level 5 gems to get a level 14 gem.
That sounds a lot more believable than 19683 level 5 gems.
I think it would be kind of practical to do gems of the same grade and type (emerald, chipped) like they did scrolls and keys in D2 and kind of have them "stack" in your inventory. I don't know if that's what they're actually doing or not, but I'd image it'd be something along the lines of that.
I don't see runes to be something you'll simply have to mule with, they're all removable from sockets when upgrading them are available, and rune purposes will diverse when comes to pvp and pve.
They stack up to 12 I think they said when I first heard it, maybe thats changed but thats what I always figured it was for everything that could stack. I would prefer stacks of 99 gems personally as to save lots of space considering how many you'll need to upgrade to a level 14 but it's upto blizzard to work out the "ideal" balance.
It should be 3-4 gems of equal quality to upgrade it to the next level. So 12 gems stacked change to 3 or 4 gems of the higher level. This kinda solves the whole issue, i think. Waypoints are supposed to be placed not too far from one another, so going to town to upgrade/stash them wouldn't be a problem.
Do we even know what the recipes to upgrade gems are? As far as I know, we don't, or is there proof somewhere? Runes are at a certain point required 2 runes of the same level to upgrade to the next. Why is that, you think?
I'm just going to assume 2 of the same gems is all thats needed to upgrade to the next, and you would need 512 level 5 gems to get a level 14 gem.
That sounds a lot more believable than 19683 level 5 gems.
Well 19k is their number, and as they stated it's like reaching level 99.
The top tier of each gem isn't supposed to be easy to get and common as hell, and that's their intention.
However I also agree that 19k gems to reach a level 14 is a bit ridiculous, but this is their current intent, since gems are the only socketable items at this time.
I'm actually quite thrilled about the number of gems required for a lvl 14 gem. They have already stated your stash is going to be huge, so that won't be a problem. Even if it was, you could create a bank character.
What excites me about this is that it is a long term goal at which you can recognize a long time player. Nothing annoys me more than having spent years on a game, only to be on the same level as someone who started a month ago. It's something of a "wooow" factor when you see someone with a (or eventually even full) level 14 gems.
That said I just don't understand the way some people feel they should be able to obtain everything the game could possibly offer. What's the fun if everyone gets everything?
I like the idea of having so many levels of gems and having the top level gems be rare. It should be a good way for players to build wealth other than collecting gold and finding those rare sought after items. If everybody is always working towards the best gems, there should always be a thriving gem market.
Well it all depends on drop rates. If you're going to be getting 20 gems every time you clear a dungeon then it won't be a big deal. We haven't heard anything about it since Blizzcon though so I'm sure its changed at least somewhat since then.
It's sad that you can only validate your existence if you're 'better' than someone else at some thing or another.
Who said anything about validating existence? o.o If you rely on a video game for that you're doing something wrong.
It is however quite a simple fact that people view their own possessions relative to the possessions of others. Awesome to have a swimming pool in your backyard, less awesome if your neighbour has it too. It's what you call positional goods. You wanting my stuff makes me like my stuff. ;3
And thats a retarded and absurd way of thinking. And I've seen plenty of people in games that just can't be satisfied or happy just because of -others-. But why the HELL should you care about them. No, you never should.
Long time lurker here, first time poster etc.
So i felt compelled to make my first post over the newly revealed plans for gems in Diablo 3. Fourteen different grades of gem, up from 5.
Now, having played D2 off and on for many many years, i am worried about the amount of gems that we will have to hold on to and accumulate for any chance of completing the highest grades.
Apparently, according the front page, the exact requirement will be "19683 grade five Gems to get one grade fourteen Gem.".
Unless i have missed some sort of mechanic that will simplify it, this is going to require an insane amount of gem muling/hoarding (something i thought they were trying to eliminate) problem for every player, considering they seem to have increased the usefulness of the gems in a way that everyone will most likely want them. (even if they don't, they will still hold value, which would create reason to keep them)
I still wince when i think about the amount of gem and rune mules i had to manage in my depths of playing D2 on bnet, and to think it's going to be increased tenfold is simply frightening.
So am i missing something? Or is this going to happen the way i think?
So far we don't know for sure if there's going to be an easier way to upgrade gems. Shrines are in, but there's no word on specific shrines, so we can't say for sure if there's going to be a gem shrine in Diablo III.
I hate the way you cling to ignorance and pass it off as innocence
I'm just going to assume 2 of the same gems is all thats needed to upgrade to the next, and you would need 512 level 5 gems to get a level 14 gem.
That sounds a lot more believable than 19683 level 5 gems.
they said gems and potions stacked didnt they?
So i guess i was ranting about nothing then. :/
Asking isn't a crime
I wasn't aware that gems stack now either.
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
I hate the way you cling to ignorance and pass it off as innocence
Well 19k is their number, and as they stated it's like reaching level 99.
The top tier of each gem isn't supposed to be easy to get and common as hell, and that's their intention.
However I also agree that 19k gems to reach a level 14 is a bit ridiculous, but this is their current intent, since gems are the only socketable items at this time.
What excites me about this is that it is a long term goal at which you can recognize a long time player. Nothing annoys me more than having spent years on a game, only to be on the same level as someone who started a month ago. It's something of a "wooow" factor when you see someone with a (or eventually even full) level 14 gems.
That said I just don't understand the way some people feel they should be able to obtain everything the game could possibly offer. What's the fun if everyone gets everything?
-Gerahben
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Who said anything about validating existence? o.o If you rely on a video game for that you're doing something wrong.
It is however quite a simple fact that people view their own possessions relative to the possessions of others. Awesome to have a swimming pool in your backyard, less awesome if your neighbour has it too. It's what you call positional goods. You wanting my stuff makes me like my stuff. ;3