To balance the ubiquity of rune words in the end game, introduce high level unique jewels (TC87).
At the moment, runewords are BiS gear for most builds. Since Blizzard probably won’t nerf runewords like Enigma and Grief (fine by me), they should introduce game changing unique jewels.
This would open up many combinations for BiS gear - no longer just enigma, but what armor combined with what jewel?
For example, you could add a jewel that adds +1 to teleport (oskill). Before you all react in horror, this should be about as rare as Griffin’s Eye. So incredibly rare. Obviously you can’t put it into a runeword, so what armor will you choose? Skins of the vipermagi? Tyraels might?
Or a jewel that gives Town Portal as an oskill - no need to waste inventory space for town portal scrolls or tomes. Or identify and town portal in one jewel.
Or jewels that add effects on getting hit or attacking. Auras in jewels might become overpowered though, even by my standards. Perhaps at most a meditation aura in a jewel, which would mean less need for insight.
Or cannot be frozen in a jewel? Cold absorb?
Again, these jewels should be very rare, as rare as high end runes. They’d single handedly make uniques, sets and even rares more useful without needing to buff them directly.
There is a facet for every element except magic (and that doesn’t need any because zerker and hammerdin are already op)
What is missing is something for melee but i can’t think of anything that would either justify it’s rarity, gives something i am not sure i want to see in the game (splash damage) or curshing blow/deadly strike which only enhance melee in an area where they are already shining.
In the melee case it might be better to lower monster block chance and increase hit chance.
Rebalance sets/uniques for current meta of D2r dont introduce more unique trash I won’t use. Diablo ladder has become rushing infinity on a sorc then enigma for rest of char. boring af at least make the grind to those items a bit more enjoyable…
If we follow his idea of being rare as griffon i doubt you are not wearing spirit weapon, skin of the viper, shako, spirit shield already… who would use that?
I suggested this a half a decade ago on the last Blizz D2 forum. I proposed such things as LL, ML, +1 oskill (all skills) jewels and adding amp/decrep charges to daggers and wands. It wasn’t received well back then, so don’t take the negativity toward your idea personally. I do though agree with the sentiment that Blizzard can’t be trusted when making changes or additions.
I would prefer it if jewels–even magical jewels–gave a bunch of set prefixes rather than random as the ones I am finding are just not interesting enough for me to actually socket into an item. I don’t think Blizzard needs to create a bunch of new uniques, not that I think they will invest in making any changes to an old game.
I wonder what would be the consequences if it exists in game.
Barb can use Fortitude instead enigma. Put such Jewel in Wizardspike on swap and have teleport like that. Or put jewel in Helm. Anyhow it would buff melee cos they can use Fortitude now and have Teleport too.
That would infringe way too much on class identity. The paladin’s auras are already way too available on items, no need to do that for all other skills.
Making an item too strong extremely rare doesn’t make it ok, it just increases the gap between those that have access to everything and those that don’t.
In fact, if they added new unique jewels, those would need to be more common than Griffin’s Eye, and balanced in a manner that doesn’t provide power creep. Plus, they need to serve a purpose in order to justify their addition (I cannot stress this enough adding an item just for the sake of adding an item is a direct path towards making unbalanced items). If one of those factors isn’t there, then they shouldn’t be added.
Typically, there is a reasonable debate to be had on a +1 to Teleport oSkill, in order to offer alternatives to Enigma. But for the others, you do not explain what they could provide to the game.
For example, you could suggest a jewel that gives you +1-2 levels to To Hit calculations or -15% chance for target to block in order to offer more solutions for melee to get good chances of hitting their targets.
i would def take a +3-5 PDR and 10-15% enemy physical resist jewel
and a 100% chance to cast Corpse explosion lvl 30 when u die
and lvl 40 BO on level up