New Augment Crystal Suggestions

[Shmuel]

Do what Durnak said,.

[katz]

Read by a dev.

Update 17.

oh ho hooo..... you're such a TEASE!

[Purgatory]

Id like to see some that have Holy, Fire, Cold ect added to the red slots...

Possible even more powerfull abilities on super rare drops

Also like to see all kinda of stuff more options more options in all colors.


Maybe even rare drops that add +7/+8 stats ?

[Chai]

Its great that you are willing to make some adjustments, but for the love of this game, please incorporate our feedback on your changes before you launch them. I don't mean to be rude, but your track record with regard to loot in this game isn't very good, and I hope you take that criticism constructively.

Here are my suggestions:

Resistance +4 augment crystal ----> Resistance +5

Create higher cost crystal that allows us to advance it toward Resistance 6.

Protection +4 ------> Protection +5

ditto for advancement here

Greater False life advancement opportunity toward superior false life

+6 stat advancement toward +7.

Insightful +2 stats should be available.

+10 tactics for red slot only

Exceptional fortification +10% ------> with advancement toward +25%.

+5 exceptional combat tactics

Super powerful crystals that can only be found in chests (much like the devils ruin for instance) should be found in chests only -

These should not have a timer - you found it, its yours.

Insightful +3 stats, Insightful +2 AND exceptional +1 combo, +8 stats, Improved destruction for BLUE slots, Tactics +10 for BLUE slots, Superior false life AND toughness combo crystals, Heavy fortifiction + 25% exceptional fort combo crystals, Good luck +2 and Resistance +6 combo crystals (much like major luck suffix found on random gen items), +5 exceptional combat AND a random +10 tactic ability combo crystal.


It took me 2 minutes to compile that list, I'm sure I missed a TON. Think about the power opportunity there...this will make players UNLOAD their time into the grind for the next year. Make these combo crystals super rare on a drop, their influx will boost DDO's economy, appeal of the content, and provide a nice degree of customization.

As powerful as my idea may sound, think about the number of slots we have now with forgotten realms gear - that will be the central limiting factor in trying to incorporate a multitude of these, results in hard choices = good.

Make it happen, get some creativity in our loot customization feather, please.

Dear mother of god, people might actually play older epics more often if something like this happened.

[Scraap]

Ok, so. A few suggestions, some likely bad, mostly put out as food for thought:

Red: (mostly offense-oriented, so keeping with the theme)
Tactics have already been mentioned. I'd add implement bonuses, and lesser versions of the present AoE procs.
The reasoning for the former, is to shore up inherent mixed classes, like bards, pallies, rangers, ect in addition to multiclassed toons. The reasoning on the latter is to reward taking a risk and engaging multiple opponents.

Blue: (mostly defense-oriented, so again in keeping with the theme)
PRR, dodge, specific tactics resistance (so +10 vs trip but not stun, and vice versa, for instance)
The reasoning behind those should be fairly self evident. One boost to resist one form of attack. Pick your poison.

Yellow: (kinda all over the place, but we'll call it the magical mystical catchall bin)
Spell-power's fairly obvious, as is greater spell-focus. Several imunities are listed, as well as resistances, so perhaps a few alignment based resistance amps. +3 to saves and effective AC vs chaotic enemies, for instance.

Clear: (Hyper Generic, stats and that's it)
To go nuts for a sec, if the code-base isnt't in a horrific tangle for the tod sets, it might also be instructive to peruse that, and see about equivalent pre-based amps, though likely lesser versions of the set bonuses, since, well, these wouldn't (presumably) be sets, unless of course, you'd consider making one count as part of a set (see gem of many facets).

[Urjak]

i'd like to see major changes in augment crystals since the ones already available are too useless given all those items with the xpack and recent updates

so i'd like to see for example:
-blue crystal of warding (deathblock)
-yellow crystal of fast movement (striding 25% or 30%)
-red crystal of precise vulnerability (destruction or imp.destruction)

and such cooler effects than those we can add atm

EDIT:imho red and blue crystals are fine as they are but yellow needs the major changes

Oh I would so love a deathblock augment .... its such a pain to fit in deathblock atm -.- ... nearly all my toons wear a sf-necki atm -.- ... would be cool to have other choices for the neck slot as well

[Twin_Stronglord]

Show of hands: who now wants to see a Flaming Pitchfork named weapon?

<raises hand> But only if it's a crafted epic, the shard is nearly impossible to get, with only a colorless slot and has effects on it that have been made obsolete by something that drops out of a chest.

[Bimbelbo]

You need something like 20 dungeon tokens to add +6 stats or +4 resistance or +4 protection. Durnak suggested to raise all these stats by 1. I'd even say add 2. Most important thing to consider is how these slots compare to the new eveningstar-items (also min lvl 20) and how easily those are achievable (only 5 recommendations - +7 stat & +2 insightful stats). Of course you also have to consider that old-fashinoed epic items are powerful even without the slots . But then again - needs much more work (20 or 25 tokens - or even raid tokens!!!) Also need to consider a +5 resistance crystal might be useless for many people since they can and probably will get +7 resistance, which can be found on randomly generated items. Just saying: make it balanced compared to the new stuff. As it is right now it needs a big overhaul.

[Anthios888]

More unique named loot augments akin to Devil Assault would be so great!

[sephiroth1084]

Read by a dev.

Update 17.

I hope this means:

1. Augment crystal costs are dropping considerably (anything over 15 tokens is seriously excessive, and even that feels high).
2. Updating items doesn't wipe slotted crystals OR we are able to remove augments from items they have been slotted in, to move elsewhere, or redeem.
3. The list of available augments gets expanded in a big way, and some of the effects get upgraded to be worthwhile for characters lvl 21-25.
4. Named epic items that don't currently have augment slots gain them--this is one of the few things that separates named items from random loot, provides much needed flexibility for fitting items into a character's overall gear layout.
5. Ideally, epic tokens, or something similar, get added to Forgotten Realms epic quests, to include those quests on the list of of places to grind for tokens--more options there should trump any perceived flavor differences between Eberron and FR.
6. Maybe including more tokens in optional chests (those that require completing tough, or out of the way objectives).
7. Maybe including augment crystals (the same ones we can purchase, or special ones like those that drop in Devil Assault) in epic chests and end reward lists.

[Siftrant]

Please make sure they are all named after Ponies!

[Systern]

I'd like to see something like an exceptional dodge crystal and also a +PRR crystal. Please?


(BTW, Fernando said Gianthold was next summer. U16 is in a couple of weeks, if schedule holds up, U17 might be february is (i.e. Web of Chaos). I'd think Gianthold is U18 or U19. (U14 or U15 timeframe))

[GoRinNoSho]

Would like to see greater/superior resists for earth, fire, wind, water, and heart... no wait... lightning, light, etc on possibly colorless.

[ycheese123]

Durnak's ideas are great. Improve the existing ones and add new ones.

I always wished I could slot sneak attack and melee alacrity.
Also, I think demonic shield would be cool, combat tactic bonuses, guards, heal amp, incite, improved deception.

[HalfORCastrator]

I'm of the opinion that Augment effects shouldn't be optimized. Slightly worse(GFL instead of SFL), but due to the extra utility it's worth using epic crafted item X over ready made epic named item Y. This is what I think Epic slots should be.

To add to the existing ideas:
- Create Lesser Divine Augmentation IX for the game. Plan to make regular/lesser DA IX for named loot in a future pack.

- Add Lesser Divine and Lesser Arcane Augmentation IX and +2 school DCs(necro, evocation, etc-the +1 to school dcs never cut it) to red slots. This would help the old epic caster sticks, LOB caster sticks, and melee casters(EAGA or Green Blade with any of these abilities?).

- Add 30% Striding to Yellow slots.

- Add Potency 52 to Colorless slots.

- Add Greater Arcane Lore to Colorless slots.


Also, to give the combined slots more uniqueness, I'd suggest making effects especially for them(ie, they don't go in red or blue for violet when speaking of violet augments):
- Add 10% Heal and Repair amplification to Green slots.

- Add Ghostly to Green slots.

Obviously devs would need to incorporate more of the combo-color slots into existing and preferably future items. Make some orange slot items and effects!

[Khellendros13]

Make some double or triple combo crystals as raid loot...Red slot Holy+ Improved Destruction or Holy + Metallic etc.
For a Green slot, Ghostly+ GFL+Resistance +6.

[rcmcneil]

Whatever the overhaul, the new crystals need to include things that are either rare or unavailable on other weapons. anyone who is level 20+ can now run some epics & grab decent, unbound gear. Some weapons that require a base, seal, shard, & scroll (aka farming) are flat out sad compared to what's available at your local Auction House. Given that all (if I remember correctly) items that need a base/seal/shard/scroll to create have the term Epic in their title, shouldn't that mean that they are truly EPIC?

P.S.
I would gladly wait on an Augment Crystal overhaul if you would expand the Demon Sands scroll exchange to other packs, and/or apply it to seals/shards. Some of this gear is still unacquirable by people who have been faithful players/payers for years, while other items seem to collect & stack up & do nothing beneficial in ingredients bags.

[Lord_Darquain]

Its great that you are willing to make some adjustments, but for the love of this game, please incorporate our feedback on your changes before you launch them. I don't mean to be rude, but your track record with regard to loot in this game isn't very good, and I hope you take that criticism constructively.

Here are my suggestions:

[snip]

/signed

[sephiroth1084]

I'm of the opinion that Augment effects shouldn't be optimized. Slightly worse(GFL instead of SFL), but due to the extra utility it's worth using epic crafted item X over ready made epic named item Y. This is what I think Epic slots should be.

Honestly, I'd prefer top tier abilities to be available as augments, or for purchasable augments to follow your prescription, but for there to be uncommon, rare, or craftable augment crystals that do offer top-tier abilities. My idea is that staples should be readily available, and named items should be pioneering new stuff, or doing things that can't be done elsewhere (ie., the ESoS with +10, 5d6, 15-20/x3).

Too much of our named loot is:
Staple ability 1
Staple ability 2
Staple ability 3
etc...

It gets kind of dull when every item that comes out is just a different variation on existing stuff. This was one of the many things that greensteel did so well--it gave us tons of new abilities from exceptional HP and SP (not a big deal) to exceptional stat bonuses (significant), to exceptional skill bonuses (a big deal) to stuff like Concordant Opposition, Blast effects, Lightning Strike and other big-damage, low-incidence procs, Radiance, etc... We got a HUGE amount of new stuff with greensteel, and we really haven't seen much fo that style of itemization development in the years since.

Additionally, we haven't even seen many of the GS effects replicated (though most have gotten auxiliaries recently).

[RedOrm]

I wouldn't mind a set of upgrading crystals: say I have a +6 int crystal on my epic spyglass, I could then buy an upgrading crystal for say 10 tokens, and have a +7 crystal; spend another 10 tokens, and you can go to +8.
That's a total of 40 tokens so it's certainly not cheap, but it's doable: grinding crumbs in Phiarlang may take some time, but at least it's guaranteed, while finding that +8 Focus trinket is not.
Same could be done for things like striding, false life and similar effects.