Items with weird variable numbers of affixes

Items and Crafting
1

Something about these Oculus orbs stands out. Are there any other items with affix counts that behave like this?

https://i.imgur.com/FMoQpd8.png
2

Yes, all of them. Only Primal are guaranteed maximum number of affixes and at maximum value for the affix; however, which ones are not guaranteed (some might be) so you can still get a Primal with very bad rolls (two or more that are not useful, making Enchanting worthless as you can’t change the 2nd property.)

3

The details for The Oculus shows it to have 4 guaranteed primary affixes, and two random magic properties. This means those could be 2 primary affixes, 2 secondary affixes, or 1 primary and 1 secondary affix.

There are quite a few items with similar properties, i.e. that can result in variable numbers of primary and secondary affixes. As examples…

Winter Flurry - 3 guaranteed primary affixes and 3 random magic affixes.
Etched Sigil - 3 guaranteed primary affixes, 3 random magic properties.
Mirrorball - 3 guaranteed primary affixes, 3 random magic properties
Light of Grace - 3 guaranteed primary affixes, 3 random magic properties
Cosmic Strand - 1 guaranteed primary affix, 5 random magic properties

4

So you’ve seen a Winter Flurry with zero secondary affixes? Two secondary affixes?

5

I’ve hardly played Wizard since having a Crit Mass back in pre-ROS so I’m not even sure I’ve ever seen a Winter Flurry, let alone paid attention to how many primary / secondary affixes it had.

As a result, I have no idea how probable it is to get a Winter Flurry like you described. I’m merely telling you that it’s possible, based on what Blizzard’s own game guide says.

6

I see the confusion. Since you last played Wizard, D3 has had this revamp called “Loot 2.0” where item stats aren’t just totally random anymore.
The reason affixes are categorized into Primary and Secondary is so your gear will have a mix of both, usually in a 4/2 split. Items rolled with all Primary stats(that tend to be better than secondary stats) are supposed to be impossible, which is one reason why my Oculus screenshots are weird.
This happens all the time with the Oculus, and I haven’t seen this behavior yet on any other item.