That'll just make them like how legendaries work in RoS. The perks to using legendaries is to get those special effects that are unique to the legendary.
For example, that "15% of gold picked up also applies to experience" is already something found on a pair of legendary bracers, where picking up gold adds to experience.
I'm fine with picking up rares and magic items for the crafting mats. Without the AH, that's where you'll be getting them. However, I'm keen on seeing additional uses for them. For instance, white items can be "converted" to rares or legendaries via the Puzzle Ring. Once the goblin pet picks up 40 white items, you get a rare or a chance for a legendary. FYI, some rare gloves, bracers and pants, along with some class specific items, can still be tops in terms of utility.
So like the Puzzle Ring with white items, perhaps there can be something that allows you to mold X magic items or Y rare items into something better.
The difference here between having the rarity-specific stats and legendary stats is that they are not exclusive on an item to item basis (i.e. only one pair of gloves does something). They are on a rarity exclusive basis: all items in that rarity can roll that stat.
Also, legendaries (ideally) are build changers most of the time. Or at least they change the way the game plays (i.e. puzzle ring, gloves of worship). Here, the stats wouldn't be build changing, just interesting stats that affect the way you play, but not nearly as drastically as legendary items make you do.
Moreover, the blue item that converts gold into experience was just a loose suggestion for illustration purposes. My thought-process was more along the lines of I will use blue items not to grow my character's raw power, but the rate at which they level, collect crafting mats, etc. Almost like a temporary thing you switch out for a specific task (i.e. oh man I really need more white crafting mats, better put on a blue item for higher mats drop rate).
In addition, having the blue items roll higher main stats also kind of makes up for the lack of other stats.
All in all (I'm not in the beta so I don't know exactly), after watching a lot of streams and videos, legendaries are the only items people seem to bother to pick up. I think making everything useful as its first form or at least closing the gap in usefulness could make for a more entertaining game.
Maybe, like you said Jaetch, there should be more things you can do with blues/yellows. Not to necessarily make the items themselves useful, but make their dropping a good thing that shouldn't be ignored. Maybe potion crafting with items?
Potion Crafting
Buy vials from an NPC in town with blood shards.
Have the mystic reduce any items into their magical liquid form (a crafting mat) for a kind of high gold+blood shard price
The items stats will affect the liquid's properties.
Fill the vial with the liquid.
Buying a bigger vial increases the number of liquids it can hold, increasing the number of properties drinking the potion can give you.
Smaller vials have longer-lasting effects, bigger vials have more powerful effects (given that they can have more properties, not as a base)
Yellows
To this:
Blues
To this:
For example, that "15% of gold picked up also applies to experience" is already something found on a pair of legendary bracers, where picking up gold adds to experience.
I'm fine with picking up rares and magic items for the crafting mats. Without the AH, that's where you'll be getting them. However, I'm keen on seeing additional uses for them. For instance, white items can be "converted" to rares or legendaries via the Puzzle Ring. Once the goblin pet picks up 40 white items, you get a rare or a chance for a legendary. FYI, some rare gloves, bracers and pants, along with some class specific items, can still be tops in terms of utility.
So like the Puzzle Ring with white items, perhaps there can be something that allows you to mold X magic items or Y rare items into something better.
Armory | YouTube | Twitter | Clan Site
Also, legendaries (ideally) are build changers most of the time. Or at least they change the way the game plays (i.e. puzzle ring, gloves of worship). Here, the stats wouldn't be build changing, just interesting stats that affect the way you play, but not nearly as drastically as legendary items make you do.
Moreover, the blue item that converts gold into experience was just a loose suggestion for illustration purposes. My thought-process was more along the lines of I will use blue items not to grow my character's raw power, but the rate at which they level, collect crafting mats, etc. Almost like a temporary thing you switch out for a specific task (i.e. oh man I really need more white crafting mats, better put on a blue item for higher mats drop rate).
In addition, having the blue items roll higher main stats also kind of makes up for the lack of other stats.
All in all (I'm not in the beta so I don't know exactly), after watching a lot of streams and videos, legendaries are the only items people seem to bother to pick up. I think making everything useful as its first form or at least closing the gap in usefulness could make for a more entertaining game.
Maybe, like you said Jaetch, there should be more things you can do with blues/yellows. Not to necessarily make the items themselves useful, but make their dropping a good thing that shouldn't be ignored. Maybe potion crafting with items?
Potion Crafting