Make Unique items great again!

General Discussion
1

Lore wise, there is no such thing as norm/nm/hell as much as normal/exceptional/elite. Everything is on the same tier, so it makes sense that if there is an elite version of Death web there is an elite version of Ice blink with hell capabilities

and set that can be upgrade now have alternate versions

Meaning a Normal Unique now has a Exceptional and elite version

Not only the base gets upgraded but there can be a buff to its affix or additional ones

Example 1(affix buff)

Rixot keen [normal]

+100% Enhanced Damage

+5 To Minimum Damage

25% Chance of Crushing Blow

20% Bonus to Attack Rating

+25 Defense

+2 To Light Radius

Rixot keen [exceptional]

+300% Enhanced Damage

+50 To Minimum Damage

25% Chance of Crushing Blow

20% Bonus to Attack Rating

+150 Defense

+2 To Light Radius

Rixot keen [elite]

+400% Enhanced Damage

+50 To Minimum Damage

25% Chance of Crushing Blow

20% Bonus to Attack Rating

+250 Defense

+2 To Light Radius

———

Or

——-

Example 2(additional affix)

Iceblink [Normal]

+70-80% Enhanced Defense

Freezes Target

Cold Resist +30%

Magic Damage Reduced By 1

+4 To Light Radius

Iceblink [Exceptional]

+150-200% Enhanced Defense

+2 cold skills

Freezes Target

Cold Resist +40%

Magic Damage Reduced By 10

+4 To Light Radius

Iceblink [Elite]

+200-250% Enhanced Defense

+3 cold skills

Freezes Target

Cold Resist +50%

Magic Damage Reduced By 20

+4 To Light Radius

This kind of system would help a lot of unique items to become way more interesting and for longer at the cost of an upgrade recipe (could be changes to fit the magnitude of upgrade)

These items would also not only be acquirable by upgrading, it would also be added to the game table of drops

Instead of adding new items to the game you have this novelty through existing ones

Ofc this doesn’t fix the bad Elite ones but at least a good chunk would be adressed

5 Likes
2

The entire unique / sets need an overhaul. And I do not want every item to be extremely good. Like you wanted Rixots to have 400% ED…! For the price of a PUL …lol.

No but, Hellslayer, Grandfather and so many other rare (!) items must be powerful. Tyraels Might cough cough…!

3 Likes
3

Having a hard time to understand the concept of examples I see

Also, thinking a Sword with mostly only 400% Ed is Op … lol

Botd is 400ed, indestructible, 60ias, life&mana leech, 30all attribute, prevent heal, -25% defence

Yeah rixot falcata is OP with just 400ed

4

I also think, that they need a buff, to their stats when upgradeing. Whit reasonable amounts.

5

I agree, reasonable but it’s important that it’s not a dev time wasted, these upgrades version need to be good and interesting in their own way so there’s not only a few BiS and the rest is ignored

6

I think this would be definitely interesting if upgrading would also improve some stats to give are more option what to use.

But your suggestion are bit too much.

2 Likes
7

As I said to the other guy who over exaggerate , It’s not much of a suggestion but rather an Example of what this upgrade concept could do

It’s up to Blizzard to balance stuff out

2 Likes
8

Set and unique items shall be overhauled, that’s true, however just increasing numerical values is not the way - it shall be done by adding really unique affixes for unique items, like:
Ume's Lament
All stats it have currently + unique:
Decrepify you apply lowers current life of an enemy by 33%,
Or other example:
Manald's Heal
Potions heal double amount of life

For sets, there always should be a partial bonus for each given set, not only global one. Of course, once completed, perhaps partially completed, it should provide an unique affix, and that one can be really strong. Like:
Trang-Oul's Avatar
Usual completion bonus + Spell damage leeches 15% life

This way we’d have:

  1. Runewords as most powerful ‘ordinary’ items, without any special affixes though.
  2. Unique items will be truly unique. Thanks to upgrading recipe there will be possible to uptier normal ones into elite, as due to unique affixes many of them might become build starters.
  3. Set might become a pinnacle of itemization thanks to unique, powerful affix(es) granted for completion.
9

Indeed

And that’s what i did in my suggestions it’s not just multiplying existing values, it’s adding Unique affixes to them

Like iceblink +3 to cold skills

Unique items have to be unique and have flavour

Not just be golden trash rares

10

So, you claim +3 cold skills is absolutely unique, and doesn’t appear on any other item? Naay, that’s not unique. For Iceblink, something truly unique might be:
You can have activated Frozen Armor, Shiver Armor and Chilling Armor simultaneously
Ofc, +3 Frost Skills is nice, but doesn’t make the armor unique among other items.

11

Well… name another armor piece that grants +3 cold skill…

Dude we agree on the generality but you are nitpicking on an example hha

12

I want every item extremely good! I am tired of junky drops and every unique in the game should have value and a good use.

13

Well, they don’t need to be extremely good

But at least have endgame purpose

For example, a unique weapon that increases Physical damage by 100% wouldn’t be extremely good since most weapons have 200-300-600% enhanced damage

But it would be very handy for a Singer or a wind Druid which deal Physical damage

14

A million changes could be made to make diablo 2 100 x better.

None of them will be made, sadly. I used to ask for them, I gave up.

2 Likes
15

I actually love the idea of upgradable uniques that keep their original unique mods with bonus’s on upgrade.

I would make it so each upgrade that would technically go beyond exceptional but can’t. Would add a socket.

Example

Wind force not having a higher quality would be able to obtain 3 sockets

Anything Elite would have a max upgrade level to allow for 2 sockets

Any normal items would max out at 1 socket after the first two upgrades to elite and exceptional.

Now top tier uniques can be HEAVILY customizable without overbuffing them with stats

1 Like
16

I agree but they are working on D4 as well according to job listing, so I don’t know how many are working on D2R , if its only small team which I believe it is, keeping it simple yet practical is best way, allow more sockets on unq items is easiest fix imo.

17

1st, the quality of D2r and its playerbase retention holds a value to the success of D4 pre-orders

also… we are talking about work that can be done by a solo person in the span of a month

Peter HU did the whole 1.10 patch alone in like 3-4 months and it included items, balance, skill balance, new mechanics like synergies and immunities

doubt tweaking unique values is a big deal

18

Too much too much too much. Rixxot Keen (or whatever) is a great starting weapon, its durability is a pain though. HOWEVER, give an eth version to your lowbie A5 merc and feel good about it.

Uniques need tweaks. Additions. More sockets. Something. But not all this. I consider the community widely agrees that indestructable uniques should be able to be ethereal, and probably require at least 2 sockets because the runewords have so so so much more IAS.

19

You’re expectation are way to high my friend , the games been out for awhile now and shiz is still broken, they are not on Peter’s level .

Personal note patch 1.10 was the end for me garbo patch but i get what you saying.

simple effective best way to go imo

20

There so much unbalance items in this game, look on diablo2 project mod, or Median Xl mods they have change them to the better =)