How would you tackle the loot system?
Jul 5, 2019 19:59:21 GMT
PillarBiter, force58, and 1 more like this
Post by biggydx on Jul 5, 2019 19:59:21 GMT
It's become pretty clear that Anthem has a poor loot system, which is definitely something you don't want in a loot-based game; funny that. Loot has consistently been the most criticized aspect of the game on multiple fronts, with critiques touching on subjects such as:
(1) There isn't enough loot dropping, which stifles the ability for players to obtain gear rolls that suit their particular - or desired - playstyle
(2) Higher level difficulties are not dropping the highest rarity gear at a appreciable rate
(3) There's a lack of uniqueness when it comes to the overall function and aesthetics of the weapons and gear
(4) There's a lack of intentionality in terms of why you would want to do specific activities (i.e. lack of activity specific loot)
(5) There's nothing new or worthwhile to chase
There's also a number of quality of life features the game is lacking that would facilitate better loot grind, such as the lack of a gear/player stat listings, not being able to equip & dismantle gear on the fly, the lack of inventory space, the inability to convert lower-tier resources into higher-tier ones, and the amount of loading that can cause more downtime then needed. Ultimately, many of these complaints stem from the fact that the game doesn't respect the hardcore (or even average) players time. I wanted to know how other players felt the game should have handled the loot system. Personally, I don't see anything short of a complete rework solving the issue. If I had to give my own suggestions to try to tackle these problems, it would be multi-fold.
- Add more chests to Legendary activities, and for existing chests, allow for more items to drop.
To give an example: If you run a stronghold on GM1 or above, you should be getting at least 30-35 gear items at a minimum. After each major encounter, prior to the boss, you'd be given two chests. One is devoted to giving you gear (8 items at a time), while the other awards crafting materials. Upon reaching the final boss, they would drop at least 20 gear items. In a game where stats can vary significantly (from as little as 5% to 250%), you need to offset the sheer amount of RNG with higher loot gains. This would need to be supported with an increase in the amount of inventory space we have, as well as the ability to view and dismantle the gear we pick up. This change would likely require a UI overall as well, to allow for these options, as well as having to program the game so that you can even view and use items on the fly.
- Rarities should better reflect the difficulty you play on
Example: If you do a GM3 activity, the rarity spread should around 60% Masterwork, 35% Legendary, and 5% Purple. As I've said before, this is a game with a lot of RNG in its stats, so it shouldn't be stingy with loot. This game isn't like Destiny, where you want a low chance on an Exotic because it comes with fix stats and functions significantly different than most weapons. Legendaries should drop at a healthy rate when doing such an activity. Purples making up 80% of the loot you obtain doesn't respect the players time one bit.
- Allow for streak bonuses when repeatedly doing the same activity
Example: Currently, no matter the GM difficulty, you get one Masterwork for every stronghold you do. Under my suggestion, if you continue matchmaking into the Stronghold playlist you should see improvements in both the frequency of item drops from regular adds in the stronghold, and an increase in the amount of end of activity items you receive; along with improvements in their rarities. If I do 5 strongholds back-to-back, my item drop chance should be increased by 15-20% while in the activity, and there should be 5 end of activity gear items waiting for me. With each subsequent stronghold (after the initial 5), the chances for one of these 5 gear items to roll as a Legendary should increase; though at significantly higher percentages in GM2 and GM3.
- Give each faction unique player quests that allow you to get a Masterwork or Legendary version of a particular gear type.
The Freelancer faction would offer quests for a weapon, the Arcanists would offer quests for a gear ability, and the Sentinels would offer quests for a gear component. Each quest would have quest steps tied to that particular faction (ex. Arcanists would want you to do Arcanist contract missions). Upon completion, you would be rewarded with a random item of that particular gear type. This would serve as a way for players to fill out slots on their javelin that aren't high enough level or a higher rarity.
- Revamp every legendary weapon, and give all legendaries more unique abilities.
The weapons in Anthem, while serviceable, are not memorable. They lack any unique design aesthetics, and even if that wasn't what people were looking for, they don't function any differently than they're lower rarity counterparts. Many of these legendaries only offer a passive stat bonus, or trigger a status effect on a target. Legendary weapons should offer a unique firing animation (or audio sound) to help distinguish it from other weapons in its archetype, in addition to legendary inscriptions that significantly alter the way you play. Let me provide an example:
Divine Vengeance (Warden Assault Rifle)
The Last Stand (Mauler Autocannon)
These changes shouldn't just extend to weapons, but also components and abilities. Here's some more examples:
Explosive Blaze (Ranger Inferno Grenade)
Emergency Power (Universal Component)
Things like this would go a long way in opening up new build opportunities for players, while also feeling like you're significantly stronger than you originally were upon getting a legendary.
- Allow players to convert multiple lower tier resources in a single higher-tier resource
Once you have multiple Epic embers, there's nothing you can do with them. Both The Division and Diablo 3 have figured this out, and allow players to convert lower tier resources into higher tiered ones.
- Allow Stronghold bosses a small chance to drop cosmetic from the store. In addition, each Stronghold boss should have their own unique armor set worth grinding for
These cosmetic items should not only include items from the store (and yes, that includes Armor sets), but it should also include the decals from the Elysium chests; whose execution was not well-liked by the community. Materials, patterns, decals, would have a higher likelihood of dropping, while emotes, full-body decals, and armor sets would have the lowest chance; with armor being awarded in pieces. The higher the difficulty you play on, the higher the chance you have of getting cosmetic items. This could also tie into the Legendary activity streak I mentioned before, and have the chance for cosmetics dropping increase even further with persistent play. While I'm unsure if every stronghold boss should have an armor set for EVERY Javelin, they should at least have the opportunity to drop cosmetic gear that is worth chasing. These could be aesthetically tied to the boss you fought. For example, fighting the Brood queen would give you gear that is more insectoid in appearance, while the Monitor would have a hardened (but angular) piece of chitin that covers the entire armor set.
(1) There isn't enough loot dropping, which stifles the ability for players to obtain gear rolls that suit their particular - or desired - playstyle
(2) Higher level difficulties are not dropping the highest rarity gear at a appreciable rate
(3) There's a lack of uniqueness when it comes to the overall function and aesthetics of the weapons and gear
(4) There's a lack of intentionality in terms of why you would want to do specific activities (i.e. lack of activity specific loot)
(5) There's nothing new or worthwhile to chase
There's also a number of quality of life features the game is lacking that would facilitate better loot grind, such as the lack of a gear/player stat listings, not being able to equip & dismantle gear on the fly, the lack of inventory space, the inability to convert lower-tier resources into higher-tier ones, and the amount of loading that can cause more downtime then needed. Ultimately, many of these complaints stem from the fact that the game doesn't respect the hardcore (or even average) players time. I wanted to know how other players felt the game should have handled the loot system. Personally, I don't see anything short of a complete rework solving the issue. If I had to give my own suggestions to try to tackle these problems, it would be multi-fold.
- Add more chests to Legendary activities, and for existing chests, allow for more items to drop.
To give an example: If you run a stronghold on GM1 or above, you should be getting at least 30-35 gear items at a minimum. After each major encounter, prior to the boss, you'd be given two chests. One is devoted to giving you gear (8 items at a time), while the other awards crafting materials. Upon reaching the final boss, they would drop at least 20 gear items. In a game where stats can vary significantly (from as little as 5% to 250%), you need to offset the sheer amount of RNG with higher loot gains. This would need to be supported with an increase in the amount of inventory space we have, as well as the ability to view and dismantle the gear we pick up. This change would likely require a UI overall as well, to allow for these options, as well as having to program the game so that you can even view and use items on the fly.
- Rarities should better reflect the difficulty you play on
Example: If you do a GM3 activity, the rarity spread should around 60% Masterwork, 35% Legendary, and 5% Purple. As I've said before, this is a game with a lot of RNG in its stats, so it shouldn't be stingy with loot. This game isn't like Destiny, where you want a low chance on an Exotic because it comes with fix stats and functions significantly different than most weapons. Legendaries should drop at a healthy rate when doing such an activity. Purples making up 80% of the loot you obtain doesn't respect the players time one bit.
- Allow for streak bonuses when repeatedly doing the same activity
Example: Currently, no matter the GM difficulty, you get one Masterwork for every stronghold you do. Under my suggestion, if you continue matchmaking into the Stronghold playlist you should see improvements in both the frequency of item drops from regular adds in the stronghold, and an increase in the amount of end of activity items you receive; along with improvements in their rarities. If I do 5 strongholds back-to-back, my item drop chance should be increased by 15-20% while in the activity, and there should be 5 end of activity gear items waiting for me. With each subsequent stronghold (after the initial 5), the chances for one of these 5 gear items to roll as a Legendary should increase; though at significantly higher percentages in GM2 and GM3.
- Give each faction unique player quests that allow you to get a Masterwork or Legendary version of a particular gear type.
The Freelancer faction would offer quests for a weapon, the Arcanists would offer quests for a gear ability, and the Sentinels would offer quests for a gear component. Each quest would have quest steps tied to that particular faction (ex. Arcanists would want you to do Arcanist contract missions). Upon completion, you would be rewarded with a random item of that particular gear type. This would serve as a way for players to fill out slots on their javelin that aren't high enough level or a higher rarity.
- Revamp every legendary weapon, and give all legendaries more unique abilities.
The weapons in Anthem, while serviceable, are not memorable. They lack any unique design aesthetics, and even if that wasn't what people were looking for, they don't function any differently than they're lower rarity counterparts. Many of these legendaries only offer a passive stat bonus, or trigger a status effect on a target. Legendary weapons should offer a unique firing animation (or audio sound) to help distinguish it from other weapons in its archetype, in addition to legendary inscriptions that significantly alter the way you play. Let me provide an example:
Divine Vengeance (Warden Assault Rifle)
- Design aesthetics: Have it so that the central frame of the weapon houses a container, with a moving swarm of fire inside. From a lore perspective, this fiery swarm would contain a powerful Fire Elemental, justifying why the weapon deals fire damage.
- Firing Animation: Sends a molten hot round that deals fire DoT
- Masterwork Inscription - Every third weak point hit causes large fire explosions.
- Legendary Inscription - Every third weak point hit causes large fire explosions. Enemies killed with this weapon summon friendly fire Elementals, with kills against more powerful enemies producing stronger elementals. Only 2 can be active at a time.
The Last Stand (Mauler Autocannon)
- Design aesthetics: The barrel is now covered in a shroud, and a retractable plate deploys when the weapons is equipped; which acts as a shield.
- Masterwork Inscription (Gamblers Wrath) - When suit health declines, all weapon damage increases by 110% for 20 seconds.
- Legendary Inscription - When suit health declines, all weapon damage increases by 110% for 20 seconds. Kills return 25% ammo to the magazine, and kills made while critically injured summons a temporary shield for 5 seconds. Shielding has a 10 second cooldown.
These changes shouldn't just extend to weapons, but also components and abilities. Here's some more examples:
Explosive Blaze (Ranger Inferno Grenade)
- Design aesthetics: The explosion produced by the grenade should almost look like napalm.
- Masterwork Inscription - Detonates a fire explosion after applying fire effect to [2] enemies.
- Legendary Inscription - Detonates a fire explosion after applying fire effect to [2] enemies, or a nuclear explosion (basically colossus nuke cannon) after applying a fire effect to [4] enemies.
- Design aesthetics: Orbs thrown now shine white (like a white star)
- Masterwork Inscription - Whenever an enemy is hit, gain 5% additional damage for 5 seconds. Stackable up to 20 times.
- Legendary Inscription - Whenever an enemy is hit, gain 5% additional damage for 5 seconds. Stackable up to 20 times. Every 5 stacks will cause your next attack with this ability to call down a fiery meteor (similar to the Storms ultimate).
Emergency Power (Universal Component)
- Masterwork Inscription - Ultimate meter refills instantly when armor is critically damaged. Can occur once every 120 seconds.
- Legendary Inscription - Ultimate meter refills instantly when armor is critically damage and your next ultimate attack deals double damage. All damage and gear speed is increased by 50% for 10 seconds. Can only occur once every 120 seconds.
- Design aesthetics - Spark Dash projections are now red
- Masterwork Inscription - Defeating an enemy recharges Spark Dash. Can occur once every 5 seconds.
- Legendary Inscription - Defeating an enemy recharges Spark Dash, and spawns three Spark Dash projections that seek out nearby enemies. Chains up to 3 times, and can occur once every 5 seconds. [This means you could potentially have up to 7 Spark Dash projections out at once]
Things like this would go a long way in opening up new build opportunities for players, while also feeling like you're significantly stronger than you originally were upon getting a legendary.
- Allow players to convert multiple lower tier resources in a single higher-tier resource
Once you have multiple Epic embers, there's nothing you can do with them. Both The Division and Diablo 3 have figured this out, and allow players to convert lower tier resources into higher tiered ones.
- Allow Stronghold bosses a small chance to drop cosmetic from the store. In addition, each Stronghold boss should have their own unique armor set worth grinding for
These cosmetic items should not only include items from the store (and yes, that includes Armor sets), but it should also include the decals from the Elysium chests; whose execution was not well-liked by the community. Materials, patterns, decals, would have a higher likelihood of dropping, while emotes, full-body decals, and armor sets would have the lowest chance; with armor being awarded in pieces. The higher the difficulty you play on, the higher the chance you have of getting cosmetic items. This could also tie into the Legendary activity streak I mentioned before, and have the chance for cosmetics dropping increase even further with persistent play. While I'm unsure if every stronghold boss should have an armor set for EVERY Javelin, they should at least have the opportunity to drop cosmetic gear that is worth chasing. These could be aesthetically tied to the boss you fought. For example, fighting the Brood queen would give you gear that is more insectoid in appearance, while the Monitor would have a hardened (but angular) piece of chitin that covers the entire armor set.
