OP:
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=320080 (OP is Response 5 right now.. Something weird going on)

I understand its Beta. But there are so many things that make me scratch my head with this system. Too many things make no sense and the info we get from the devs on the intentions of the system are few and far between. I’m in the 40’s on all three schools now, and I intend to keep going… because I have faith that the system will make more sense in its “Final” incarnation. There are so many ways the system could be improved though.. these are some of my random thoughts.


1: Minimum Levels of crafted items
Whats the deal here? Devs have been silent as to this issue. How do my weapons all end up with odd Minimums? Isnt the standard in the game Even? Why do al the crafted weapons I created end up with significantly higher min levels that comparable randomly generated loot? I made a +1 Acid of Pure Good Khopesh…. Something that’s commonly available on the AH and via random drops at a Minimum level of 4… the Crafted one? 7. Really? What is the point of me getting to high crafting levels if I cant use the weapons I create for several levels beyond what I could pick up randomly? Or on the AH?

Solution: +1 Enhancements need to be a +0 value first off. +1 is ML 0 in game. Anyone can grab a +1 xxxx and use it right off the boat… but the Crafting system adds +2 to the ML of the item it seems. Formula for determining ML needs to be reviewed and corrected to be in line with the random table.

Acid: +1 Mod
Pure Good +1 Mod
+1 Enhancement :+0 Mod
----
+2 Modifier x2 = ML4

How it ends up at ML:7 is a mystery.

2: Minimum Levels to Craft effects:
Pure Good = 43 Holy- 37 Basic Elemental=33
Wow… really? The crafting levels required to make BASIC readily available weapons is simply too high. Its like the devs went through the effects and arbitrarily assigned min levels based on how “good” they felt the effect was rather than how reasonable it is to obtain the effect via random drops. Oh.. Maybe they don’t want people running around the harbor with Flaming Weapons? Or House J Quests with Holy?
News Flash….. We already do…. And have been forever. These effects are incredibly common. They always have been. Assigning high crafting levels to create the effects is silly. This makes the system unattractive to new players because they cant make the weapons they need AND unattractive to vets because its easier to just go buy one off the AH or pass on from an alt…
Solution: Restructure levels required to craft effects so that they are in line with established in-game mechanics and minimum levels. No reason basic elemental effects cant be ML15-20 to craft.

Shock = ML 20
Shock Burst = ML 40
Shock Blast = ML 60
Cloudburst = ML 80
Lightning Strike: ML 100

A Nice even progression like this allows people to set reasonable goals for their progression through the levels.

3: Crafted Items = Already available random drops:
There simply is very little you can craft that you cant already go to the AH and buy. The amount of loot in this game is insane. Thousands of random drops every day… the chances that someone will pull something “good” is very high. The chance that that stuff ends up on the AH is also high. The Crafting system seems to be based on the misconception that obtaining gear in this game is difficult. Its not. Its very easy to equip your toons. The system offers little variation to what’s readily available.
Solutions: Get rid of the “X Must go in X Slot” Allow crafted items to break the mold of what’s out there already. No reason I cant make a Shock Guard Ring. Or a Flaming Longsword of Frost. How about a Pair of +Charisma Gloves? Why must crafted items be constrained to the rules of the random tables?

4: Final Outcome of crafted items reliant on Random Drops.
If I want an item with a Guild slot, I first have to obtain a random item that has a guild slot…. If I need Silver, I need a base item that’s silver… This is a CRAFTING system, and yet we have to rely on the random system to generate desirable effects before we can craft?
Solution: Add ways to add Metallurgical properties to items. Add guild Augment slot recipes. Leaving this ability out of the system simply artificially inflates the value of really bad random drops in the game.

5: “Greater” and “Lesser” essences are redundant and unnecessary.
What exactly is the purpose of having these 2 different ingredients? All I ever see drop in chests and end rewards are greaters… Gathering these up is pretty easy.. and then we go to craft and high end recipes take hundreds of lesser…. Really? So Now I need to go to the transmuter and sit for hours making lesser out of greaters.. one click at a time… Mind Numbing… Why would a recipie need 6 Greater and 192 Lessers?
Solution: How about just make it 43 Greaters? Whats the difference other than mindless time wasting to convert 39 Greaters into lessers?
Solution 2: Allow me to mass convert Greaters into Lessers. If I put 50 greaters in the window, return me 250 Lessers with ONE click.

I'm sure others have different priorities and my see things different.. Thats cool. These are just the top 5 things I've noticed as I've leveld up my crafting skills.. there are certainly more things that bother me as well.... but they are minor and easily worked around for the most part.

The devs have obviously put a lot of Time and effort into this system..... Its really a shame right now that so few people are actually excited about it. In my guild of 70+ active members, I think we have only 2 or 3 others besides me that are even bothering with the system. I dont see any chatter about it in general or advice channels. very few Threads about people making cool items or weapons.... Is this really what the devs expected to see this early in the system? The biggest "Accomplishments" with the system right now is people "Capping" their crafting levels.... all the system is right now are numbers on an extra character sheet tab....

sad.