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Gear Progression?
Okay so I really hate that the search function doesn't work because I'm positive this has been asked already so please don't roast me to hard.
How will gear progression work? Is it going to be like traditional with just rarity drops ( Common, Rare, Legendary...Ect.) or will it be similar to something like DAoC were gear is a mix of drops and crafted were crafted gear is based off quality? Maybe something like BDO were you can upgrade each piece of gear.
If this has been talked about before and someone can provide the link to said discussion it would be much appreciated.
How will gear progression work? Is it going to be like traditional with just rarity drops ( Common, Rare, Legendary...Ect.) or will it be similar to something like DAoC were gear is a mix of drops and crafted were crafted gear is based off quality? Maybe something like BDO were you can upgrade each piece of gear.
If this has been talked about before and someone can provide the link to said discussion it would be much appreciated.
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I can not compare to DAoC for I've never played but it sounds pretty similar.
Gear can be crafted or dropped from bosses/mobs:
I'm not 100% certain if further progression on dropped gear allows you to adjust stats - or just enhances based stats - someone can refresh my memory or perhaps it's not been answered yet
We will see gears go through visual tiers too as they enhance
example based on pax cleric gear-
We know legendary gear will exist too - and can be deconstructed with a chance to learn the recipe to craft
Crafted gear will be the best gear - and crafting will be the primary method to progress gear
Do you know if the gear will have a chance to fail the upgrade like BDO?
The "upgrading" from tiers shouldn't fail as it'll be a crafted via rarity of materials etc and through caravan trade routes. If I recall correctly aswell RNG won't be a factor when it comes to tier upgrades.
Enhancements might be involved and is still being discussed. So like if you want gear to got from +1 to +10. If this enhancement system is implemented in the game they are discussing what reward/risks and RNG elements will be involved
Thank you for the information @Diura
Ask effort, ask rare mats, ask anything, but once effort is made, no RNG chance of failure, this is one of the reasons I quit BDO and ArcheAge.
But if overcharging is a possibility with RNG increasing with that risk...
..it implies all gear will be on a par power wise yet different.
So it is pointing to the concept of build specific 'tuned' gear that is only optimal for a specific player build type. A bit like a fingerprint system. Especially when you consider the dials and sliders. If crafters can only produce optimal gear for a specific build too....it makes every crafter and every player 'required'. Take that a way and one crafter is just as good as any other crafter and thus 10 a penny. What is the point if every player can get their perfect gear from just one person. This means gear wouldnt just be about beating bosses and exploration to find components or even finding the right combination of those components, but being the right crafter for the right fighter. Finding a very specific and highly tuned symbiotic partnership between brains and brawn. Like a personal tailor I guess.
So basically the fundamental philosophy of the gear system will be horizontal progression...BUT...RNG will allow a vertical progression aspect. So if you want better gear than others....you take a big risk.
I dont mind that vertical/horizontal compromise actually. It allows greed but will probably punish you heavily for it. The greater the greed the more chance of you being punished.
It would actually be a lot more rewarding if you get less gear overall but therefore you really feel the power difference!
Normally tied to raised level, the result is not only does old gear become redundant and useless, so does the content. People want to play with others. If the bulk of the community is at max level and max level players get no reward fro low level content, new players find themselves lonely with few friends. Hence the gear and level grind while they simply bypass all the 1000s of hours of old content simply to get where everyone else is. Thats 1000s of hours of playable content in the trash and only a tiny fraction of that which is ever playable leading to screams and demands for ever more content in a race that can never reach the finish line.
Also, as far as low levels not having a lot of grouping options, that would most likely be resolved by alts, especially with as many class combos as their are, there will be less than 0.5% of all players that go 1 toon only. Maybe initially, but they will branch out sooner or later.
I would expect gear to be very similar to BDO as far as anything currently available, tiers (grey/white/green/blue/yellow/red?/purple?) performed by crafting, and +1 - +# for enchanting, getting exponentially harder ever +1 or every other +1. Then you would have different sets all following the same pattern. It is the implementation of such a system that I think will be "new" in AoC. I'd still expect a periodic "new" gear set available, 1 per quarter or bi-annually, or annually even. Just to give players something new to go for (and spend time playing for).
Now, what I think we may see that is different, but not new, is class type specific gear, like Albion Online, where anyone can wear it, but specific classes would be better suited to it. example, you wouldn't want to be a tank running around with a staff of healing as your primary weapon... Funny, granted, but not very effective, unless you were a tank/cleric with a monster armor rating and massive HP, then you would make a great marshmallow, with zero DPS... or as another example, a tank wearing robes, regardless of the secondary class, I doubt you would be very tanky in a robe... not unless it had an enchantment of 5 second invulnerability to melee damage...
That brings up another idea, "enchanting" might not mean +1 - +#, it could mean adding enchantments, like Skyrim. Bonus damage to a specific type of mob, or an extra ability (30 seconds of HP/Mana regen, or a mana shield) has it been specifically said what "enchanting will do?
I could probably find something else to ramble on about, but I have 15 more forum posts open in other tabs I have to go read about
I've played BDO since launch and I've had to step away twice now (I only came back the second time because of friends) and each time I've walked away because the monotonous grind for gear is so repetitive it became more like a job than a means of entertainment.
For me I'd like to spend more time adventuring through the world they've made than worrying about my gear score and I know many people feel differently about it and I completely respect your opinions on the matter this is just how I personally feel.