State of Crafting

[MadFloyd]

Update 10 Patch 2 is now available for preview on Lamannia.

I thought I'd take this time to answer some of the questions about where crafting is headed.

I will be updating this post periodically to expand on some of these answers and include answers to additional questions.


Q. Why is crafting in 'beta'?
A. Crafting is a large, complex system that we knew was going to evolve and for which we wanted a variety of feedback. While we knew we would get some amount of feedback from our restricted Mournlands server, we wanted to ensure that we were hearing from a wider audience with different play styles (casual versus veterans etc).

Q. Who is crafting intended for?
A. Players of all levels and playstyles who are attracted to this type of activity. It exists as an alternate avenue to acquire gear, where players can have a higher degree of control over the gear they acquire, even if it does take some time.

Q. Why does deconstructing items give platinum?
A. There is an obvious cost to deconstructing items that effects low level players much more than high level players. To help offset this, players will automatically sell recyclable materials left over from deconstruction. Higher level items produce less recyclable raw materials than lower level ones (and hence pay less platinum to the player).

Q. Will I be able to make better items than raid loot?
A. Not at this time. Raid loot is currently has the highest level of items in the game. It is possible that in the future we consider including a crafting avenue to enhance existing raid loot, but we have no firm plans at the moment.

Q. Why do some higher level recipes require rare ingredients?
A. As designers, we have an obligation to balance the game. Some of the higher level recipes can result in very powerful items. Since players really only need one crafter for all their characters, we want to ensure that it's not just all about reaching the required crafting level, but having the appropriate ingredients so that making a number of these items isn't trivial.

Q. Why Purified Eberron Dragonshard Fragments?
A. This is way for us to introduce flexibilty for players. It's a way allowing a recipe to accept a number of different substitutes for an ingredient. Purified Eberron Dragonshard Fragments will appear in treasure chests, but can also be bartered for using a variety of different items.

Q. Why allow Astral Diamonds to be bartered for Purified Eberron Dragonshard Fragments?
A. Astral Diamonds were conceived as a different type of currency in game. Yes, they are available in the store for convenience purposes, but they also drop in game. We have increased the drop rate of these in Update 10 Patch 2.

Q. What is the highest level of bound recipes? Will it go higher?
A. At the moment, 100. This may be increased in the future as we add more recipes.

Q. Will the crafting limit change in Update 11?
A. Bound recipes will remain capped at level 100, unbound will increase to 150. Udpate 11 will see some additional recipes at various levels beween 1 & 100.

Q. Any other crafting changes in Update 11?
A. We expect to make further balance changes based on feedback from Update 10Patches 1 & 2. The reason for Update 10 Patch 2 was to fix some mechanical errors with crafting, not balance changes. That said, we have managed to include a few balance changes in order get further feedback, but additional changes will most likely go into Update 11.

Q. What can I do to improve crafting?
A. Give us your feedback as constructively as you can. It's in everyone's best interest for us to make crafting as fun and fair as we can. We need your feedback. If you don't feel comfortable posting on the forums, please PM myself (MadFloyd).

Q. Why weren't gems used for crafting?
A. Gems were considered to be a little too much on the erratic side of treasure. You can't easily say "I'm going to go look for 13 citrines and 7 amethysts!" and have an idea of where to go, whereas most of our special ingredients are available from specific locations (e.g. "I need prayer beads and icons of kyber, time to kill some kobolds or troglodytes"). That said, we have considered using stacks of gems for certain things and this may show up in a future update.

Thanks in advance for your participation and feedback.

[Bodic]

I <3 U MadFloyd.

[Glenalth]

Q. Will I be able to make better items than raid loot?
A. Not at this time. Raid loot is currently has the highest level of items in the game. It is possible that in the future we consider including a crafting avenue to enhance existing raid loot, but we have no firm plans at the moment.

While I agree on the sentiment here, there is just way too much lame raid loot (and epics!) to make this completely true.

The concept of souping up some of those items in the future is interesting though.

[dkyle]

Thank you for this post. Overall, it looks like you guys have the right ideas.

However:

A. Astral Diamonds were conceived as a different type of currency in game. Yes, they are available in the store for convenience purposes, but they also drop in game. We have increased the drop rate of these in Update 10 Patch 2.

I have to disagree with this stance.

Selling rare ingredients in the store is not merely "convenience". It's selling loot. Significant loot.

Fast travel in public areas is convenience. Casting components are convenience. Small Shroud ingredients are conveniences. XP elixers and loot gems are conveniences.

Convenience is items that are common and nearly worthless in-game but might not be available right when they're needed (components, Smalls), have little effect on actual gameplay (fast travel), or incrementally speed up or increase the rewards of gameplay, but cannot outright replace playing the game for those rewards (XP/loot boosts).

Unless the droprate is much, much higher than now, it is quite apparent that Eberron shards will be the primary limiting ingredient for most high level shards. Selling the primary limiting ingredient of potent items is essentially equivalent to selling that item itself.

Likewise, I truly hope Greater essences never show up in the store. They are the primary limiters of lower level shards; shards that are still very useful. It doesn't take an Eberrons to beat a MinII as a boss beater, for example. Lessers are already a concern, since it's not hard to convert them to Greaters.

[Bladedge]

Q. Why do some higher level recipes require rare ingredients?
A. As designers, we have an obligation to balance the game. Some of the higher level recipes can result in very powerful items. Since players really only need one crafter for all their characters, we want to ensure that it's not just all about reaching the required crafting level, but having the appropriate ingredients so that making a number of these items isn't trivial.

Ever consider having recipes that are only avaible to a certain characters class or race?

[BurnerD]

Thanks for the info. These types of posts are much appreciated by most of the community.

[Mithis]

Sorry if this is not the place for feedback. Is there an official feedback thread that I am just not seeing?

The big problems I see right now are the inclusion of raid ingredients in recipes and soul stones.

Also, I still see +3 tomes in the barter window for purified shards. I tried to bug report it but couldnt for some reason.

[Mindos]

If the dev team doesn't like the idea of guilds/toons having one dedicated crafter, why not have the crafter favor level determine if/what he can craft? That way he has to be used/played for more than crafting. ;/

[Ungood]

Thank you for this Q&A.

It has been informative, and it has given me some insight into the system better. I hope things work out better, however, I have a question:

Q. Why does deconstructing items give platinum?
A. There is an obvious cost to deconstructing items that effects low level players much more than high level players. To help offset this, players will automatically sell recyclable materials left over from deconstruction. Higher level items produce less raw materials than lower level ones.

What do you mean by the statement "Higher Level Items Produce LESS raw materials then lower level ones"

Does this mean that higher level items will give less essence overall then lower level items? I am a bit confused by this.

[MadFloyd]

If the dev team doesn't like the idea of guilds/toons having one dedicated crafter, why not have the crafter favor level determine if/what he can craft? That way he has to be used/played for more than crafting. ;/

We are perfectly fine with the idea of one dedicated crafter and we're trying to support that.

[theboyftw]

If the dev team doesn't like the idea of guilds/toons having one dedicated crafter, why not have the crafter favor level determine if/what he can craft? That way he has to be used/played for more than crafting. ;/

a guild crafter would be the best way to tackle some of your concerns. I like this option A LOT.

[MadFloyd]

Thank you for this Q&A.

It has been informative, and it has given me some insight into the system better. I hope things work out better, however, I have a question:

Q. Why does deconstructing items give platinum?
A. There is an obvious cost to deconstructing items that effects low level players much more than high level players. To help offset this, players will automatically sell recyclable materials left over from deconstruction. Higher level items produce less raw materials than lower level ones.

What do you mean by the statement "Higher Level Items Produce LESS raw materials then lower level ones"

Does this mean that higher level items will give less essence overall then lower level items? I am a bit confused by this.

Higher level items will produce less raw materials that can be recycled, resulting in less platinum paid to the player.

[Schmoe]

Thanks for the explanation! This kind of information is always welcome and appreciated.

I do have one comment.

Q. Why is crafting in 'beta'?
A. Crafting is a large, complex system that we knew was going to evolve and for which we wanted a variety of feedback. While we knew we would get some amount of feedback from our restricted Mournlands server, we wanted to ensure that we were hearing from a wider audience with different play styles (casual versus veterans etc).

As a software engineer myself, I understand the value of having extended iterations of development to gather and react to feedback. However, when the beta system begins to use parts of the game that are not in beta, then it begins to have wide-reaching and untested consequences on the parts of the game that people expect to be working. I'd urge you to consider the impact of any upcoming beta crafting changes on the rest of the game when you decide whether to push the changes out without the normal review and testing progression. Including normal bound raid loot as crafting ingredients is a recent example of how that kind of change can have unintended consequences.

Thanks!

[Tirisha]

While I agree on the sentiment here, there is just way too much lame raid loot (and epics!) to make this completely true.

The concept of souping up some of those items in the future is interesting though.

Hmm I think he means top raid gear will beat crafted items, though the sad truth is there is no raid gear that bests a good crafted DR breaker in DPS baring ESOS with the right augment crystal *up against a boss with enough DR* or likewise an Epic Chaosblade with the right augment crystal *against devils*.

[Bladedge]

We are perfectly fine with the idea of one dedicated crafter and we're trying to support that.

Disappointed to hear that. Guess no unique respires base on class or race , crafting guilds etc.
Jack of all trades, Master of all, boring.

[Indoran]

Madfloyd you made my day

God Bless you! lol (says the almost atheist)

[kernal42]

Ever consider having recipes that are only avaible to a certain characters class or race?

Please no.

[Eladrin]

Unless the droprate is much, much higher than now, it is quite apparent that Eberron shards will be the primary limiting ingredient for most high level shards.

We expect +1 Tomes to be the primary source of Purified Eberron shards for many players (those that don't have epic tokens to throw at the problem). They drop relatively frequently in the mid-levels of the game, and you get four shards out of each one.

The +2 Tome recipe is intended primarily for things like Nyx tomes. I don't expect many people will burn them otherwise - it'd generally be more efficient to trade it for a multiple +1's.

We've also increased the drop rates of the normal Eberron dragonshards, which can also be converted.

Hmm I think he means top raid gear will beat crafted items, though the sad truth is there is no raid gear that bests a good crafted DR breaker in DPS baring ESOS with the right augment crystal *up against a boss with enough DR* or likewise an Epic Chaosblade with the right augment crystal *against devils*.

Crafted items can excel against specific foes, but high end named items will often be better in general.

[kernal42]

Disappointed to hear that. Guess no unique respires base on class or race , crafting guilds etc.
Jack of all trades, Master of all, boring.

Perhaps, but the correct design decision for an MMO.

-Kernal

[dkyle]

Higher level items will produce less raw materials that can be recycled, resulting in less platinum paid to the player.

To be clear, a +1 Holy Burst would give more plat than a +5 Holy Burst when deconstructed for essences? Or less plat proportionate to their normal base prices? For example, the +1 Holy Burst might give 80% of base, while the +5 Holy Burst might give 50% of base, but the higher level item still gives more plat overall.