So there exists a series of “Conduit of X Whispers” amulets that feature unique affixes that include skill modifiers.
However, there are a number of sets that one might like to use alongside their newly modded skill that also utilize the amulet slot (Often in a way where key support modifiers are found on the amulet itself)
As such, I suggest creating a similar series of Medals that can obtain the same affixes so that it is possible to choose between an Amulet or a Medal for these unique affixes depending on which slot is most available for your build.
The “intent” of Conduits is to enable unique playstyles/builds that are not achievable with the game’s sets. They are not meant to be additions or improvements for those sets.
If you can work an existing set into a build that’s using one of the Conduits, great! But odds are good that that wasn’t what the set was originally intended for.
At this point, allowing some or all of the Conduits to function alongside full amulet-including sets could lead to specific builds getting massive and unexpected increases to damage potential or utility. Like Ceno said - these Conduits and many sets weren’t designed to be used together nor have they been balanced in tandem with each other over time for the reason that they are mutually exclusive.
Okay… But why then do many sets include global conversion? (Or if not, there’s potential to fill out non-set slots with items that include global conversion)
What’s the difference between Conduits and the plethora of Medals that offer conversions/skill modifiers?
That’s what I don’t understand.
They can still create unique builds/playstyles even if they are used alongside a set that happens to be useful for a particular build, due to enabling use of an additional skill that would otherwise be annoying to convert through global conversion.
Heck, having the option to utilize other amulets, could create more unique builds/playstyles due to the number of amulets that exist that could work alongside a Conduit modified skill.
But yeah… I’d understand the limitation if there were balance issues to opening up amulet slots while retaining Conduit modifiers (IDK maybe something like Harbinger Deciever would be OP with the extra Chaos RR from the Bloody Pox/Inq Seal mods or from converting the rest of their WoP damage to Chaos)
But the limitation being based solely around “Conduits are simply supposed to be not usable with certain specific sets (While being completely okay to use with others that complement them perfectly)” seems confusing.
It’s way harder to balance when a build has access to the same mod from two different item slots instead of just one. And what about builds that don’t have a dedicated item for the amulet and medal slots? Now they have two slots to stack the same mod, and this could easily lead to busted stuff.
And this is subjective, but having to grind for more blueprints is headache inducing.
In many cases stacking the same conduit mod simply won’t matter.
Since having 200% conversion instead of 100% is irrelevant and doubling up the flat bonuses is not always relevant due to the number of sets that use either an amulet or a medal which would be swapped out if using 2x conduit items (That and due to the fact that conduits provide a lot of exotic conversions it’s not as if sets provide both the newly converted damage type AND also skill points for the converted skill outside of Badge of Mastery, which of course, would compete with the Conduit Medal)
Of course the issue would be the RR skill modifiers, which would provide an impact when stacked but this can be looked at when making the decision to go ahead with making Conduit medals (Alongside looking at builds with dedicated amulets)
If the end result of looking at these builds are too many that can potentially become busted (Due to having access to a skill that a conduit modifies into granting additional RR) then okay, it’s a problem and that’s why these modifiers should remain amulet only.
As an aside, I wonder if the engine is capable of preventing someone from equipping 2 items with the same affix (Or making a specific affix non-stackable). If so, this would eliminate the issue of doubled up affixes given that these are unique affixes only found on Conduit items.
That said, I wonder if there’s anyone who’s more intimately aware of numerous builds that would know how many could be significantly affected by the addition of Conduit medals? (I previously mentioned Harbinger Deceiver since I know that it is a strong build, uses an Amulet (Rah’zin’s), doesn’t have a dedicated Medal and has conduit mods that include RR, which are all the points that would end up creating the largest impact)
I highy disagree since conduit mods either have big flat damage mods or outright total damage mods. I can already see fire Blade Spirits becoming ridiculous with the two sources 210 flat fire damage, Aether Primal Strike with the flat damage mod AND total damage mod, Cold AAR getting another 92 flat damage mod, Cold RF getting another 66 flat mod, Aether Word of Pain getting more flat damage. As far as i know, these are all builds that are performing well at the moment and this could in theory make them busted.
Obviously it could help stuff like Chaos DEE (last i remember it kind of sucked), but with the new changes to DEE and having a second total damage mod along with 70 more flat, it could become way too good (although i wouldn’t be surprised if it still sucked).
To be honest, I would personally want to take it one step further and have the unique modifiers and stuff on conduits be available on unique components instead.
Or in other words, turn conduits into components that you can equip in say the amulet or the medal slot (either one, not both obv).
A little off topic, but if it’s busted pet builds you’re after…
I’ve often thought about how cool it would be if we could put components… ON our pets
Imagine putting Seals on them and making them immortal with armor components…
Though, I mostly think this while leveling because of how rare resists are for pets pre-50 and so it becomes really annoying for any enemy that drops a pool of damage on the floor to instantly kill all of my pets (Except for Blight Friend, since he’s a massive chonker)
