runewords is what this game needs (along with endgame yes)
Runewords would help the item hunt so much, starting with making base items useful, adding multiple sockets, then socketing common/uncommon/rare runes for a single item
This would create single items with a lot more creativity
so yes basically d2, but allow all slots (except jewellery? Maybe also add belts?) to have Runewords, these mixed with aspects would be interesting.
If they add set items I really hope it’s 3 pieces maximum, no need d3 garbage.
I hope sets bonuses never see the light of day in Diablo 4. Nothing but a scourge on ARPGs that limit design space, lower player agency and restrict build diversity.
Runewords, while I don’t think they are needed ASAP given all the recent changes to itemization. I would argue skill tree development and reworking unique items is more important…but open to Runewords far more than set bonuses!
The question is, how would Runewords be implemented and integrated without just displacing tempered legendary and unique items?
In diablo 2 sometimes I get sad when I find a cool unique because it’s so inferior to the runewords that took me maybe 20 minutes to get the runes together to make, but this unique is super rare.
I guess I’m really skeptical about bringing runewords to d4 as we know them because the turned so many cool items into garbo-level items.
That being said there were some very cool rune words that I absolutely loved but them being crafted didn’t make those items cool.
You are not alone - people want the next thing Set Items, Runewords, Charms, Gems etc. The fact is even with Loot Reborn the struggle is real to internally balance Tempered Legendary Items and Uniques.
I am glad Blizzard is refining the game, rather than simply layering the next grand idea over the top and adding to the problems.
D2 runewords would be a shame. They are just crafted items.
The D4 runewords that were originally announced with the game, seemed a lot more interesting. That version should return (improved).
Also less problematic to add them, as they would not replace existing items. They might replace gems, but gems are currently very boring in the game anyway.
The only way runes or set pieces could possibly work is if they enhanced or added to current skill trees and spells not the item themselves as more item bloat is unnecessary.
I actually didn’t mind D3 version of runes for skills which totally changed up how the spell behaved and colour. I would be all for something like that.
Never played D2 so not sure if it was the same.
I think D3 difference was the runes were permanently baked in not collected.
While I dont think items are bloated currently (more like; shallow), one idea I have often seen floated around is to move sockets to the item slot (as in, on the character paper doll screen), rather than the item. So, you might always have 4 rune sockets tied to the chest slot for example. That could fit runes and runewords I guess.
Personally though, it seems better if they are directly tied to the items, so that the number of sockets on an item can be part of its balancing.
Maybe a middle ground could be to have it tied to the item slot, but the number of slots were tied to the item rarity in the slot. So a Rare chest might give you 4 rune slots, while a Legendary and Unique only gave 2 slots.
I like it when people hear a word like, set, runeword, raid they instantly jump into their undestanding of it. We saw a system early in 2019, that was different form both D2 and D3 rune system.
Runewords are not hard to implement and I am highly for having more items to collect other than armor or weapons in Diablo 4.
Its correct that a maximum of 2 runes per item does not make much sense for runewords. Adding all the runes on a players equipment together would work though and limit the number of words you can create. For example, 10 sockets can build 3x3 or 2x5 or 1x8. So increasing the amount of sockets is not necessary and neither is having to reserve certain equipment slots.
Important is that runes should not be removable by the jeweller in order to avoid becoming inflationary to quick and make the system uninteresting in the long run. This means runes get destroyed if you use the plier and that the incentive to farm is still there.
I have 2 different sets in D3 mix and matched that compliment one another and last I checked in that game I was doing billions and billions of damage with a minion/bone spear build for 2-3 screens away and I did it in the most weird of ways, I’d despawn my skeletons constantly to create corpses and consume the corpse to give myself life with every consumed corpse launching a bonespear that did omega damage.
Sets are fine if they have good bonuses - but more importantly, they should also let you imprint an aspect on set pieces. That solves your problem and increases build diversity even more if sets have decent bonuses at the 2,3,4,5 piece levels.
Considering the lack of anything concrete at the moment, I’m not willing to give it free real estate in my head. It’s something future me can worry about IF it ever happens.
People! Forget what you know about runewords. It’s not going to be like, how it was in D2. And I can imagine sets will not be like how they were in D3 nor D2 either. I’m just saying this, because you have an expectation in your heads. And when runewords will not be what you expected, you guys will be throwing temper tantrums all over the internet.
