DiabloFans

So does that mean we could see a release of late February for the patch?

So that means they actualy think the drop rates is fine for legendaries now ?
Really? I spent an entire day playing on the ptr. I got 4 legendaries the entire day. 3 of them was guaranteed drops. 1 was random drop.

1 legendary drop in about 16-17 hours is NOT ok. That was with a rather effective build and effecient farming

If anyone here has ever made a game before, you immediately know the difficulty of balancing abundant innovation. The more complex/rich in dynamic features your game is, the more likely it is that it will be hard to tune to that "feels right" setting.

That being said, Blizzard is essentially the best benefactor you could ask for on a game like Diablo 3. We should be able to make a drop system work. I'm not sure if anyone has ever played the game Phantasy Star Online (my favorite item hunting game next to D2, it's a must play for ppl who enjoy Diablo) but that's the closest game I've played where the item hunting is extremely difficult, though it feels perfect. The vast quantity of items in PSO is both diverse and practical. There definitely are those few items everyone seeks out that are "the best" but there are plenty of viable choices that with the right character, are just as lethal. Also, there were a lot of exclusive items dependent on race/gender.

I believe Diablo 3 is trying to achieve certain comparable values in their item model. However, do realize how many people will be playing this game (how many will be playing ~6-10 hours at any given time, among more extremists) versus the quantity of people currently participating in the beta. I've read a lot of posts on Battle net about how it was no fun to find all their gear so quickly and easily and be done with the game. With the elimination of the Auction House (and apparently, limited form of trading) we can hope to face a great challenge for finding gear in RoS.

So the drop rates for the legendaries with more powerful effects are dropped considerably. I'm not sure of the precise drop rate, though I think if they are making it even a slight possibility you can gamble for said legendaries, that such a change makes sense. Again, think of the many people who will be playing simultaneously. We don't want a game to launch where after the first week, someone has cleaned it out. Now you might be thinking, "So what if the drops come rolling in? Even if it's 'powerful' gear, you can only trade to your friends playing with you so it's not like they'll be in circulation!". I would say to those of you thinking along those lines to consider at this point what makes certain items so valuable. Is it because of their raw stats? Is it how they look? Is it because they're impossible to find? Does it just look cool? Itemization is arguably all of Diablo 3 (if you take out the fighting :P) so why wouldn't it be the greatest challenge of the game? We want low drop rates for the good stuff. I don't want to join a public match and see the same 3 douche bag classes with the same build and the same glowy sword everyone has (transmog aside, i'm talking cookie cutter item standardization)...

I'm sure there can still be great ideas implemented into the drop/trade system, but I agree with the direction they are taking it. It might not be pleasing everyone, but I'm all for what's in the best interest for the balance of the game because everyone is just out there to exploit the mechanics and ruin it for everyone else.

Quote from Abstract_Chaos

We want low drop rates for the good stuff. I don't want to join a public match and see the same 3 douche bag classes with the same build and the same glowy sword everyone has (transmog aside, i'm talking cookie cutter item standardization)...

I think this sums it up right here.

One HUGE factor, if they raise drop rates too high...is that the more legendaries that drop, the more selectivity people can have with which legendaries people see as "awesome and/or must-have" and which ones people see as "garbage." I mean, one only has to look at what the Auction House has done in that regard. Anyone with enough gold or real world money can go to the Auction House right now and have literally the entire library of D3 items open to them at any given time. And look what happens any time anyone links a legendary in chat...what do people say within seconds? "brimstone"..."vend"..."trash"..."no X? [where X is the one stat it needed to be "good"]"

Yet, when drop rates are low, people have more incentive to make happen what they can with what they have available. They find a legendary that gives them a nice stat boost, but not a lot in terms of superpowers. They can brimstone it, sure...or they can make it into something good however they can for the time being.

Plus, as I've been saying lately...low drop rates of legendaries also means more emphasis on Paragon Point allocation synergizing with Rares, as well as Enchanting Rares in the expansion. If legendaries are dropping a few times per hour, why bother picking up Rares for anything but salvage? If legendaries aren't dropping often, there's much more incentive to look closer at what Rares are dropping, and even sometimes...yes...TRADE for specific Rares that have stats on them that synergize with Paragon Points and existing item buffs.

The more legendaries that drop? Far less incentive for any of that.

I mean, look at the video clip of the Boulder Barb. His gear isn't using anything insanely special. Skorn, Lacuni and Andariel's Visage...IK belt, maybe Blackthorne boots...nothing OP, really. Yet he's put together a really cool build that uses smart skill choices and Paragon Point synergy. Very well done.

Quote from overneathe

Abstract_ChaosYou should give that opinion somewhere on our forums where I'm sure a lot more people would take a stab at your ideas.