Artifact weapons should still be the weapons we use today

[Gallows-korialstrasz]

@Veleth-lightbringer

No crap RNG of hoping a weapon would drop.

This right here.

[Veleth-lightbringer]

@Ricros-bleeding-hollow

No it wouldn’t.

Yes it would.

@Ricros-bleeding-hollow

Gear progression is a huge part of an MMO.

And you’d still have that gear progression.

@Ricros-bleeding-hollow

Tied to an item and more AP grinding? Nty.

Like you haven’t been doing that grind the past 5 years? New flash: it ain’t going away.

[Ricros-bleeding-hollow]

@Veleth-lightbringer

Yes it would.

That’s your opinion.

@Veleth-lightbringer

And you’d still have that gear progression.

Minus weapons.

@Veleth-lightbringer

Like you haven’t been doing that grind the past 5 years? New flash: it ain’t going away.

Except it sort of did go away with this expansion.

[Uglúk-area-52]

I think they could have done a lot of cool things with this had they kept it. Like, instead of an azerite necklace, we could have gotten azerite themed artifact skins and new artifact traits each expansion too.

The one downside to artifacts is mog hunting in old content. Just getting relics and armor with no weapons is boring, weapon mogs are where the fun is at in running old raids.

[Peach-windrunner]

A few other MMOs I’ve played have weapon enhancement systems in place where you use lower ilvl weapons to empower the BiS for your class/spec.

I personally wouldn’t mind a system like that where you use lesser weapons to enhance yours. This would remove the need to creature a power system/progression system behind it like artifacts had.

[Krad-moon-guard]

@Kurøno-quelthalas

Only issue is transmog, it would greatly limit the options just like it did back then

Legion offered more weapon transmog options than BfA and SL combined lol. And they actually looked good.

[Badseed-area-52]

I didnt get to play Legion but my opinion would be to scale all past content. Not sure if there is a technological or design limitation to this, but it would be nice to use a level 60 version of Ironfoe for example…

[Sandroestar-dalaran]

shadow land weapons armor is garbage legion was lott better

[Bozho-frostmourne]

I would suggest they fix weapon availability instead of removing the need for weapon drops entirely.

[Veleth-lightbringer]

@Bozho-frostmourne

I would suggest they fix weapon availability instead of removing the need for weapon drops entirely

So why didn’t you say that instead of this:

@Bozho-frostmourne

Might as well make all gear not able to be replaced.

[Kithennda-malygos]

@Derka-wyrmrest-accord

LoTRO has a legendary weapon system that lets you level up and continually customize a weapon that stays relevant the entire time you play. Its a grind and a drag.

Imagine being new to that game and competing with someone who’s been upgrading their weapon for 5 years. (Or if WoW used that system from the beginning, 15 years).

And people complain about renown catchup… LOL

That’s why borrowed power systems are borrowed – so that you can’t be hopelessly far behind on something that is still relevant.

@Reynahrd-area-52

Lore wise, I don’t know why anyone would stop using the artifact weapons.

Lore wise, they were all drained of their power to keep the Wound from killing Azeroth. Xal’atath even complains about it when you find her in BFA.

If Blizzard had wanted to keep Artifacts around, they could have written that scene differently. But where does that leave someone who comes back now having not played since Cata/MoP? First go do this 2 expansion old questline, then you can start catching up with all the grinds most people did 3-4 years ago?

[Bozho-frostmourne]

Weapon choice is a huge part of fantasy RPGs. In my eyes, a hard removal of that choice might as well be met with no equipable items entirely.

Trinkets not withstanding.

The game has already lost the ability to choose between gearing different armor types. What variety is left without the choice of weapons?

[Veleth-lightbringer]

@Bozho-frostmourne

Weapon choice is a huge part of fantasy RPGs.

It would be if it were robust. The choice between a staff or a 1H/OH isn’t much of a choice. It never has been.

@Bozho-frostmourne

The game has already lost the ability to choose between gearing different armor types.

What do you mean? You could never mix armor types if that’s what you mean.

@Bozho-frostmourne

What variety is left without the choice of weapons?

Still not much of a variety. Hmmm, should I use this 2H mace or 2H sword on my ret pally…decisions decisions…

[Veleth-lightbringer]

@Kithennda-malygos

Imagine being new to that game and competing with someone who’s been upgrading their weapon for 5 years. (Or if WoW used that system from the beginning, 15 years).

Because catch up mechanics aren’t a thing… Even in Legion someone could have started at 7.3 and be exactly where someone who started in 7.0 was with their artifacts without much effort at all.

[Bozho-frostmourne]

For casters, sure. Although that could be expanded further with good design.

Wands offer variety for casters but don’t have much impact in the game anymore and can be cumbersome to use.

Weapons provide higher stats than other equipment slots and enchants can still provide greater variety in customisation with right design. Some weapons can also provide unique affects.

I wish weapon skill would return honestly to provide more variety in play. Speed could also return as an important consideration.

[Kurøno-quelthalas]

Thats not what i meant…

[Veleth-lightbringer]

@Bozho-frostmourne

For casters, sure. Although that could be expanded further with good design.

That we’ve yet to see 16 years of wow.

@Bozho-frostmourne

Weapons provide higher stats than other equipment slots and enchants can still provide greater variety in customisation with right design. Some weapons can also provide unique affects.

Other than artifact weapons when has this been a thing? One niche instance of warriors or rogues with a mace stun in BC?

@Bozho-frostmourne

I wish weapon skill would return honestly to provide more variety in play.

I’m up for more suggestions. Obtaining a weapon in wow sucks. Plain and simple. It sucks.

[Terranox-stonemaul (Terranox)]

I miss the artifact system because it made alts easier to have. And gave everyone the same amount of slots to put in weapons. Duel wielders get screwed over outside the artifact system.

[Lokka-the-venture-co (Lokka)]

@Terranox-stonemaul

I miss the artifact system because it made alts easier to have.

I

wha

Are you serious? No, it didn’t. It did the exact opposite. It made grinding upgrades for your weapon a timegate on progression that punished playing alts because they’d have to grind through all that AP to catch their talent tree up to the current edge, and made any time you spent playing alts punishing for your main because it was AP you weren’t earning toward their weapon.

Even after they added catch up mechanics for AP, it was still worse for alts and new players, because you functionally had three weapon slots to fill before you could catch up in the form of relics instead of only one or two in the form of actual weapons.

Unless they made some radical changes to the artifact weapon system after I gave up on Legion and quit around Nighthold, you’ve got it completely backwards.

[Veleth-lightbringer]

@Lokka-the-venture-co

Are you serious? No, it didn’t. It did the exact opposite.

It was much easier post 7.2. The beginning of Legion was HORRIBLE.

@Lokka-the-venture-co

Unless they made some radical changes to the artifact weapon system after I gave up on Legion and quit around Nighthold, you’ve got it completely backwards.

They did. 7.2 and 7.3 were considered to be great patches and fixed a lot of the grind problem.