Item crafting, take N

Disclaimer: This is purely “flight of thought”. I clearly understand this won’t be implemented in GD and most probably won’t appear in a sequel, if one happens someday.

Playing Diablo and its successor clones, I always wondered why crafting system is almost nonexistent in ARPGs. The most you can get is gamble random items in exchange for certain resources, or enhance your gear once using some socket-like system. OTOH, 95% of loot is complete trash worth only selling to vendors at rock-bottom prices.

GD already has component crafting using chains of recipes. Why not take it one step further?

Idea can be split into two parts. First one is about mob drops and can be described very simply. Each mob drops only certain items specific to it. No more sewer rat dropping two-handed sledge hammer. Aetherials may drop mutated flesh. Ch’thonian obsidian constructs (don’t remember exact name) can drop Void Obsidian. Et cetera, et cetera. Of course, if some mob is an armed human, it may drop respective weapon. This will take care of kilotons of scrap loot we have ATM.

Next, equipment. Each piece of equipment is based on some blueprint and consists of several components. Sword consists of blade, handguard, handle. Rifle consists of barrel, stock, trigger device. Etc, etc. When you break item apart at blacksmith, you learn blueprint and get some of the item components.

Blueprint describes which types of components it accepts and has certain power level cap. This caps total power level of components you can use.

As a consequence of this system, grinding becomes a bit more directed and less of gamble. If you wanna sharper blade, you may decide switching its blade for a better one. You figure out the blade you need, farm for materials, make blade at blacksmith, then swap it in your sword. Want go for next tier? Pick better sword kind at shop, dismantle, try out better components.

One huge exception from this schema are uniques and legendaries. To balance them, I may suggest “Rule of Reduced Value”. Dismantling unique item won’t give you unique components, and assembling unique components won’t necessarily give you unique item.

Thoughts?

Imagine having to complete a component, to then craft a component, to then craft another component that requires a rare material, to then craft a relic to then craft another relic that requires you to complete a component to craft a component to craft the stronger relic to then again complete a component to complete a component to complete a smaller relic to complete the greater relic that requires again a component that you gotta find and complete to craft another fucking component to then fucking complete the fucking relic to fucking complete the greater relic TO THEN AGAIN COMPLETE A DAMN COMPONENT TO COMPLETE A RELIC TO COMPLETE ONE FUCKING PART OF A FUCKING ITEM.

Imagine doing that few times, three times for a sword. hilt, hilt-guard, the blade.
I already use GDTH for crafting, because I am sick of look above. The last time I crafted a mythical relic was like holy fuck ago. I actually rather cheat an item (craftable item) than lose over 5 mins to just craft one part of it to then craft it again because it doesn’t have what I wanted. I have tons of component etc, I literally need to farm like 3 types of items (not components) to craft some items. I don’t mind that, but the time it takes to craft an item is like longer than waiting for your wife to give birth to the child she’s carrying.

If we’ll get a crafting system where it allows us to craft an item by one click, consuming everything it needs, sure, I won’t mind your idea at all.

Side note: I got pissed by just typing the first wall of text.

Yeah, for this to work crafting must be a lot less tedious, ie I can craft any item in one step if I have all the materials needed to craft it and all its parts (or a mix of parts and materials), rather than having to do this one step at a time.

Also, this will be a huge list of items to choise from, so you probably also have to think about a better UI for that.

Finally, you just kicked the problem down a bit further, instead of having to find the item you now have to find its blueprint. Unless you change how you get blueprints, this does not really accomplish much.

Well, that may be definitely a very good addition. Player selects some crazy legendary component and sees what he has and what he’s missing, taking into account recipes he knows. So he can decide to farm for raw materials, or any tier X components directly. Then get everything, give it to NPC, press “Craft” and get result.

Maybe even have some option to set that thing as grinding aim and get nice in-game counter “2 zombie brains, 1 cold steel ingot”.

I understand you. Though I’m often frustrated by grinding through tons of useless loot, even green and blue ones, which I have no use for. And which I cannot process into something useful.

The whole idea is heavily inspired by Evil_Islands crafting system.

Item will give you its BP by just selling/dismantling. But such BP doesn’t carry any special properties on its own. There may be better BPs though, found in the wild - which give item additional properties.

HA! I just crafted the Ignaffar’s Combustion relic for one of my characters and was so drained when I was finally able to complete it that I didn’t care about the bonuses. Then I started up another char, looked at the BiS items for end-game, saw that same damn relic again and kicked my cat (not really).