When we last checked in with Blizzard about the state of Diablo 3, a great cheer went up across Sanctuary as it put forth the clear goal to move away from auction house farming as a core mechanic . A new dev blog has just rolled off of the brimstone-scented presses, further detailing these plans, as well as some potential solutions to Rare and Legendary items that should make fewer of them seem like more trash with a differently-colored name.
Legendaries are getting some more attention, particularly in regards to items that make new builds viable and higher overall diversity. That tier has already had a major improvement pass , however. And at the time that happened, I was already saying Rares are a big part of the real problem. Thankfully, they're going to be addressed soon. The goal is to make them, well, actually rare. And at the same time, the range of stats they can roll will be much more tilted toward the "doesn't suck" end of the spectrum.
In terms of allowing you to avoid the auction house by dropping things that, I don't know, maybe... actually work for your class, now and then, a few ideas are presented:
- One idea that we have discussed is “targeted Legendaries,” where named NPCs have an increased chance of dropping specific legendary items. For example, The Butcher could have an increased chance of dropping The Butcher's Carver.
- Another idea is that we introduce a system that will help alleviate some of the bad randomness players encounter by ensuring that at least some of the Rare and Legendary items you find will be something good for your class.
- We've also discussed allowing bosses the first time you kill them in each difficulty to have a guaranteed chance to drop a Legendary.
You can read the full blog entry for more.
Do you think Blizzard is headed in the right direction? What would it take to bring you back to Diablo?
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