Item Enhancement System

[sicilian]

So, Bashiok hinted at a new system that will be used to enhance items, such as sockets did in D2. I wanted to start up this thread to talk about any speculation, suggestions, or wishes for how this new system would function.

I've heard two things discussed recently:

1) a rune/socket like system where you place items into your equipment to gain bonuses.

2) an enchanting system (like the augmentrix in Hellgate london) where you used gold to buy mods.

I would propose a combination of the two:

Each major town would have an NPC, like an enchanter or the like, who could augment your items for you. The art would be sporadic though, so the results would not always be 100% predictable.

You would have two options. One, pay a high amount of gold for a random mod... and I mean, this mod could be ANYTHING. You might end up paying a ton for +1 to light radius. Even negative mods could be thrown in on occasion. Either way, if the mod is undesireable or you want to replace it, you have to pay more gold to have it removed.

Two, you bring the enchanter a particular item drop which, combined with less money, creates a more controlled result. The higher quality the item, the more predictable the result. For this example, I'll use rubies:

- Chipped ruby = Something related to fire. Could be fire resistance, could be fire damage, could be a chance to cast a low level fire skill on striking, etc. Point is, you still wouldn't know what you were getting, but at least you know it was fire related.

- Flawed ruby = You can choose Offensive of Defensive fire, but it would still be random within that category.

By the time you got up to Perfect, you would have a list of mods to choose from in that fire category.

It's not perfect, would need to be tweaked, but what do you think as the basis of an enhancement system? Thoughts on other potential systems?

[droid]

I proposed something similar for the Augmentrix in HGL when that was still alive :)

Augmenting could be a useful gold sink to help keep the economy in check, if they're still intending gold to be a medium of exchange in D3 unlike D2 where its all barter.

I think it'd be more useful in that regard if you could just pay more gold to limit the randomization...ie, for twice as much gold, you could focus in on offensive skills; for twice as much again, you could focus in on damage, etc. etc.

I dont like the idea of "scavenger hunt" upgrade items like in SotNW, if you've ever played that, where you collect X Items of Upgrading, that serve no purpose other than to collect and upgrade things, or items that you bring to an NPC that are only used to upgrade things. It just makes for more farming and takes up inventory.

Ideally, you could have small but infinitely repeatable upgrades that increase in cost exponentially each time. Like, you could get a 2% ED on your weapon, and it costs X gold the first time (a small amount), then 2X for the second, 4X, 8X, 16X, etc. etc...you can see that, while its quite affordable to upgrade an item to a certain extent, it becomes more and more difficult - though still possible - to add that "just a little more" each time, giving you something to always continue to play for and use your gold for.

[Bad Ash]

not bad, and creates another use of gems

[Raging_Zealot]

I could see that working. The first way is about how it worked in Mythos, which I assume was quite similar to the augmentrix in HG:L but I never played that one.

[Zarniwoop]

How about this:

1. Keep the rune system, which is so good that it's not going to be topped. You can call it something else like the trinkey system, but runewords are as good as it gets.

2. Have runewords or very powerful unique items be evolving items. In other words, let the player level them like another character. They gain experience and their powers become more fully realized as they advance in item level.

3. Unless it's going to be better than D2's item system, don't do it.