Devs, have you ever considered...

[FAQ]

Adding unique items to the game, aka, major artifacts?

The way things are designed now in DDO, there can be a limitless number of copies of the same item on each server. For example, there is no limit to the number of Quivers of Alacrity in existence. Every time someone runs the raid it has a chance to drop.

However, in D&D lore, major artifacts are unique and cannot be made again. So how about adding these unique items to raids?

Of course there will have to be some sort of system that enables these "artifacts" to return to whence they came so others have a chance at getting them. My initial thought would be to have the item on a timer. If you loot it, the item vanishes after x amout of time has passed and returns to its origin. During that time, the artifact will be unavailable in the loot tables.

Might be interesting. Just putting it out there.

[cdbd3rd]

They have some of those in game already.
Those are those kind of items that disappear when you exit a quest. Like the axe in Tharashk Arena.

http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Oath_of_Droaam

...Tho, it used to seem a lot more uber a few updates back.

[FAQ]

They have some of those in game already.
Those are those kind of items that disappear when you exit a quest. Like the axe in VoN 1.

Not exactly. Those are not unique items. If multiple parties are running multiple dungeons, they all get a copy of those items.

I'm talking about really unique items: only one of those per server, not per instance. And you would be able to take them out of quests.

Of course given their unique nature, temporary existance and competition to get them, they would have to give some really great bonus or ability. Since its only temporary, it wouldn't be OP I believe. For example, they could create the major artifact: Awesomesauce of Guild Awesomeness: while in possession of this artifact, all guild renown you gain is incresed ten-fold.

Or any other interesting effect you can come up with. People (and maybe guilds) would compete to get these items.