Veiled Crystals look like they’re going to be a significant issue with the new itemisation changes (even more than they currently are on live). That’s a combination of vastly reduced Rare item drops and additional itemisation systems that use them, even with (supposedly) increased salvaging rewards to account for the reduced item drop rates.
(Note: The PTR boost to level 100 definitely hasn’t helped the issue here, but I don’t believe it’s anywhere close to the only reason for it.)
For a 920 Legendary item (the items I have after using the boost), adding an aspect costs 75 Veiled Crystals, tempering a single time costs 20, masterworking costs 3 (at rank 1 - unsure if that increases for higher ranks), and enchanting costs 15. You get one Veiled Crystal for salvaging a Rare item.
If you temper a Legendary item seven times, then scrap it because you don’t get the two tempering affixes you want for your build, that’s 140 Veiled Crystals. That’s 140 Rare item drops that you need to have salvaged, just to interact with the first of the itemisation systems. If you temper twice (best case), then add an aspect, that’s 115 Veiled Crystals, then (minimum) another 36 for masterworking, so 151 total. If you require enchanting or more than two tempers, that cost is even higher.
The costs need to be reduced (75 to imprint is absurd, 15 per enchant is absurd, 20 per temper is absurd) and Legendary items should also be rewarding Veiled Crystals when salvaged.
The cost is too damn high…I see it as not being alt or build change friendly. Changing aspects should only cost gold and maybe a couple materials, but improving gear is where the item sink needs to be.
The current sytem requires 30 for a Codex imprint and 16 for a Saved Aspect imprint, so cost has risen dramatically.
In current seasons I have collected all Yellows just to salvage as I kept running out. At the new costs and reduced drop rates this will become a big slowdown in upgrading gear.
That sounds like re-rolling an amulet to get a 3rd desirable affix and then tempering for the right affixes… if that. It shouldn’t take 2 hours just to try crafting a weapon out. Imprinting should cost almost nothing (no more than 4x what you get from salvaging an item of the same class) and re-rolling needs to cost WAY less.
Example… I just spent over 500 crystals trying to roll movement speed on an amulet… and I didn’t even get it!
Maybe. I don’t know if the Veiled Crystal drops rates are bumped up, or just the drop rates of items themselves.
I have noticed that Veiled Crystal drop rates in WT3 and WT4 fall off a cliff. So there’s something funky there going on straight away on PTR.
Here’s a Helltide I did tonight to showcase the VC drop rate (I salvaged about 3 inventory’s worth). Even with that salvage, the majority still came from dropped VC. I also know that I get about 120 in WT3 (with a lv 100 character), and about 60 in WT4.
500 is nothing for folks min maxing gear and experimenting with aspects. Two hours in helltides means not doing other endgame activities just to WORK to upgrade gear. A game shouldn’t feel like work. IMHO.
Edit: one more thing. I think the veil drops from mobs and elites also have an rng component so you aren’t guaranteed the same amount each time.
I was interpreting your statement that you got 500 veils in 2 hours meant that there’s nothing wrong with either the cost of crafting or the drop rate. My bad!
Yeah, that feels about right for the drop rate. The problem is, that drop rate doesn’t carry over to WT3 or WT4. On top of that, killing is far more efficient at higher levels.
The costs in WT3 and WT4 are also far higher. Modifying gear in WT2 is 5 Crystals. 75 on WT4! Lower drop rate and higher costs, makes zero sense.
I would expect getting 50-100 per NMD/Pit based on WT2 numbers. That isn’t happening at all!
I thought I would be able to ignore rares, but at this rate I pick up every rare to salvage. Seems like the opposite of what we should be doing in the end game.