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Reforging= The art of facepalming
While my title is mostly for laughs, I do have concerns about a possible game mechanic. We currently have limited information of the profession and gear systems, but one thing I would like to avoid, unless done correctly, is Reforging.
Those of us who have given their souls to WoW ((Been clean for two years and I feel great)) have seen the birth and death of their reforging system. Those unfamiliar with it, or it works differently in another MMO, here is a quick rundown:
-Gear that would normally be an upgrade for you, holds random stats that are not required for your particular class Spec ((i.e A Frost mage would need more Mastery and a Fire mage would require all the haste he can get his hands on )) So the solution to this problem was placing an NPC Reforger in the game. This NPC, with some gold tributes, would change the stats of an item to better suit your needs.
In theory, this was an excellent mechanic. This allowed players to personalize their gear and get the best possible stats out of it they could. Here is the problem:
Reforging was introduced back in Cataclysm ((This was a total of 4 xpacs ago)) and during this time there was a huge boon of profit to be made if you were an Enchanter and/or Jewelcrafter, because nearly every slot could be enchanted and fit with a gem. This means that when an item would drop off a boss, the lucky player who got it couldn't equip it right away. First they would have to spend 15-30 minutes going back to their city to grab their enchants, gems and play with reforging. This stopped a lot of raids mid flight, because the dropped item was very beneficial to that healer or tank who really needed a boost before the next boss encounter.
Later on, Blizzard learned how time consuming this mechanic was and threw it out the window altogether ((If it's back in or not, unsure at this time)) Instead, most tiered gear is RNG based on your class and spec. For instance: A chest piece drops. If a Furry Warrior opens it he will get his core stats in the item, but if the item is opened by a Holy Paladin, the stats would be completely different. With gem slots being reduced to one or two pieces of gear, and enchants could be held by scrolls which you can equip to gear at any time, this means that the raid could continue with that player equipping it and moving on. Saved a crap ton of time, but felt as though it took away from excitement of gaining that item, much like when kids would open a present on Christmas only to find out it was a pair of socks and not a new video game for them to play.
How Reforging may work better for this game:
Stated in a previous Q&A, crafters will be able to disassemble a piece of gear dropped in a dungeon or raid to learn how to make that item and then redistribute it. If we were to take this practice one step further, this is what we might end up with:
It is a tentative plan for crafters to have an item creation screen, much like for the character screens for making a new character. This will allow them to not only make the item, but change it's look and dye it for more flavor. In this screen, players should be able to pick and chose the stats on the item. No, I'm not suggesting that players can make a chest piece +1000 to strength, making the item stupidly broken. Instead, give the crafter the option of putting specific stats on an item: Strength, Wisdom, Intellect, etc. There should be a system in place that decides the exact numbering of those stats should be ((+1,+2, or +3 strength, as an example)). All we are doing now is customizing these gear pieces to better suit a Mage player who wants to wear plate, or that Fighter/Cleric, who wants to play as a Monk, can wear the robes he wants.
"That's not Reforging! That's just stat crafting!", true to an extent, but think about this scenario:
Guild completes their night raid and there is a chest piece that no one can use, be it wrong stats or just not an upgrade, or it simply isn't fitting into their fantasy playstyle ((Examples listed above)). A player can take this item and visit a crafter. This is mutually beneficial because now that crafter can learn how to make an item he didn't have the benefit of making before due to not being a raider, and the player gets what he wants: A chest piece with the proper stats.
I could go further into this new system, but I'm honestly curious as to what other players think or have better suggestions! Please comment below!
Those of us who have given their souls to WoW ((Been clean for two years and I feel great)) have seen the birth and death of their reforging system. Those unfamiliar with it, or it works differently in another MMO, here is a quick rundown:
-Gear that would normally be an upgrade for you, holds random stats that are not required for your particular class Spec ((i.e A Frost mage would need more Mastery and a Fire mage would require all the haste he can get his hands on )) So the solution to this problem was placing an NPC Reforger in the game. This NPC, with some gold tributes, would change the stats of an item to better suit your needs.
In theory, this was an excellent mechanic. This allowed players to personalize their gear and get the best possible stats out of it they could. Here is the problem:
Reforging was introduced back in Cataclysm ((This was a total of 4 xpacs ago)) and during this time there was a huge boon of profit to be made if you were an Enchanter and/or Jewelcrafter, because nearly every slot could be enchanted and fit with a gem. This means that when an item would drop off a boss, the lucky player who got it couldn't equip it right away. First they would have to spend 15-30 minutes going back to their city to grab their enchants, gems and play with reforging. This stopped a lot of raids mid flight, because the dropped item was very beneficial to that healer or tank who really needed a boost before the next boss encounter.
Later on, Blizzard learned how time consuming this mechanic was and threw it out the window altogether ((If it's back in or not, unsure at this time)) Instead, most tiered gear is RNG based on your class and spec. For instance: A chest piece drops. If a Furry Warrior opens it he will get his core stats in the item, but if the item is opened by a Holy Paladin, the stats would be completely different. With gem slots being reduced to one or two pieces of gear, and enchants could be held by scrolls which you can equip to gear at any time, this means that the raid could continue with that player equipping it and moving on. Saved a crap ton of time, but felt as though it took away from excitement of gaining that item, much like when kids would open a present on Christmas only to find out it was a pair of socks and not a new video game for them to play.
How Reforging may work better for this game:
Stated in a previous Q&A, crafters will be able to disassemble a piece of gear dropped in a dungeon or raid to learn how to make that item and then redistribute it. If we were to take this practice one step further, this is what we might end up with:
It is a tentative plan for crafters to have an item creation screen, much like for the character screens for making a new character. This will allow them to not only make the item, but change it's look and dye it for more flavor. In this screen, players should be able to pick and chose the stats on the item. No, I'm not suggesting that players can make a chest piece +1000 to strength, making the item stupidly broken. Instead, give the crafter the option of putting specific stats on an item: Strength, Wisdom, Intellect, etc. There should be a system in place that decides the exact numbering of those stats should be ((+1,+2, or +3 strength, as an example)). All we are doing now is customizing these gear pieces to better suit a Mage player who wants to wear plate, or that Fighter/Cleric, who wants to play as a Monk, can wear the robes he wants.
"That's not Reforging! That's just stat crafting!", true to an extent, but think about this scenario:
Guild completes their night raid and there is a chest piece that no one can use, be it wrong stats or just not an upgrade, or it simply isn't fitting into their fantasy playstyle ((Examples listed above)). A player can take this item and visit a crafter. This is mutually beneficial because now that crafter can learn how to make an item he didn't have the benefit of making before due to not being a raider, and the player gets what he wants: A chest piece with the proper stats.
I could go further into this new system, but I'm honestly curious as to what other players think or have better suggestions! Please comment below!
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