TOPIC : Enchantments/Craft/Grimoires/Spells

[Katarack21]

It's an option you could use to make certain encounters easier and it's a shame it's gone. But you won't need to carry around weak flaming weapons in order to defeat an enemy that's weak to fire damage. The changes to the enchanting system shouldn't make it so that the game is ridiculously diffficult if you don't.

There are enemies in PoE 1 that are immune to both certain elemental types and certain damage types. Again, if you brought the wrong damage type you could at least enchant it for the elemental type they are not immune to. If you brought the wrong *both*, you could *still* enchant a crapweapon with an elemental type they are not immune to, and thus be capable of dealing damage. The encounters are not *impossible* if you don't have this ability--because mage spells etc.--but it's not a small thing; in these encounters you can literally go from a breeze to a party wipe based entirely on having the enemies being immune to the weapons you brought.

Edited June 12, 2017 by Katarack21

[rjshae]

It's an option you could use to make certain encounters easier and it's a shame it's gone. But you won't need to carry around weak flaming weapons in order to defeat an enemy that's weak to fire damage. The changes to the enchanting system shouldn't make it so that the game is ridiculously diffficult if you don't.

 

I'd like to be able to gift my weaker magic weapons to enhance the loyalty of my crew and make them more combat effective. Perhaps they could give us a ship's armory panel and we can stock it up with our old magic gear?

[MortyTheGobbo]

 

Unique magic weapons with abilities that match their stories are a great, immersion-intensifying idea, in theory. In practice, they're a big pain in the ass for players. Better hope the unique super-weapons for your chosen category have abilities that match your character idea. Otherwise, tough luck. Oh, and also better hope they're not in an area you visit late.

 

Yhh, it depends. If you enchant your own weapon starting from a scratch I like the idea of the weapon growing with you. Gaining fame, and special abilities. As far as cRPGs go, when you find "legendary" weapon I prefer for it to have story of its own and abilities connected to its origin. To me its way more interesting. But I am more of a story guy. Games based on loot (Diablo, Torchlight) I find very very boring. Weapons in PoE were very very boring until they introduced soulbound weapons.

 

 

All I want from an equipment system is to be unobtrusive. A precious few games manage that, unfortunately. Getting a weapon and upgrading it as I see fit would be great.

[anameforobsidian]

I think they're over-reacting to a problem they already fixed.   People claimed about weapons not being unique enough, and that was somewhat true for non-grognards.  Marking doesn't sound that impressive, even though it has a huge mechanical effect.  Etc.  They fixed that with soul-bound weapons.  Non-grogs have Stormcaller, grogs have Borresaine or Rain of Godagh builds.

[draego]

I think they're over-reacting to a problem they already fixed.   People claimed about weapons not being unique enough, and that was somewhat true for non-grognards.  Marking doesn't sound that impressive, even though it has a huge mechanical effect.  Etc.  They fixed that with soul-bound weapons.  Non-grogs have Stormcaller, grogs have Borresaine or Rain of Godagh builds.

 

Ye marking is ok. It was nice boost for my animal. I mean i would prefer wounding or maybe coordinating for ranger but it was just if i compared it to the other polleaxes i liked it better for the build than any other effects the other pollaxes that i had access to. I mean there are better weapons from other weapon types that would have been better for the melee ranger build. To me this whole issue is about player choice and they seem to limiting it some.

Edited June 12, 2017 by draego

[JesseN13]

I think a lot of folks have been spoiled over the years with having the ability to enchant items. Unique items were always what drove many an adventure in D&D and the older D&D computer games (SSI games, Baldur's Gates, etc). Usually only a renowned mage would be able to enchant an item. . . but lately it seems Joe the Thief can enchant anything he wants assuming he has the materials. It takes away from the allure of truly bad ass treasure. 

[JerekKruger]

I think they're over-reacting to a problem they already fixed.   People claimed about weapons not being unique enough, and that was somewhat true for non-grognards.  Marking doesn't sound that impressive, even though it has a huge mechanical effect.  Etc.  They fixed that with soul-bound weapons.  Non-grogs have Stormcaller, grogs have Borresaine or Rain of Godagh builds.

 

I think this is true. One of the arguments made by those who didn't like the enchanting system in Pillars was that you could enchant standard equipment to be as powerful as unique items, and that that made finding loot less fun. Ignoring for a moment the fact that this isn't true (you can't enchant speed or wounding for example, nor can you enchant effects like chance to knock down on hit), I don't know exactly who was actually doing this. Presumably those who don't like the system weren't taking the sword they started the game with and giving it the Superb enchantment, a lash and an X-slaying enchantment. Nor were the people who do like the enchanting system: a quick look at the character builds section on this forum show almost no builds using generic items enchanted to higher levels.

 

I think the actual problem people had with the system was not that you could enchant generic items to be as good as uniques, it was that the enchantments on uniques were clearly from a master list of enchantments, which takes away from the feeling of uniqueness of the item. The Hours of St. Rumbalt feels less unique when you're told that it is essentially a generic great sword with the Annihilating, Overbearing and Accurate 3 enchantments on it. For whatever reason the target of this dislike ended up being the enchanting system itself.

 

I think a lot of folks have been spoiled over the years with having the ability to enchant items. Unique items were always what drove many an adventure in D&D and the older D&D computer games (SSI games, Baldur's Gates, etc). Usually only a renowned mage would be able to enchant an item. . . but lately it seems Joe the Thief can enchant anything he wants assuming he has the materials. It takes away from the allure of truly bad ass treasure. 

 

Yes and no. The act of enchanting an item in Pillars happens abstractly: we're not treated to an explanation of how it happens, so it might be that all enchantments are performed by professional enchanters on behalf of the player, rather than by the player themselves. In fact, since every enchantment has a gold cost I tend to think this view makes the most sense (the gold is the fee of the enchanter).

 

As for the "only a renowned mage" thing: that really depends on your setting, and I think that Pillars doesn't fit that mould. Magic works differently to most other fantasy settings, and it's not even the case that magic has to be involved in the creation of unique item. Some descriptions make it clear that items gain their powers from the history: they were carried by an individual with a certain personality, and took on some of the properties of their bearer as a result. Given the soul thing going on in Pillars, this makes a lot of sense. Moreover with the whole "animancy as a science" thing going on, you don't need some mage with his tomes of arcane knowledge to enchant things, you can have a modern, forward thinking animancer do it.

[MortyTheGobbo]

I think a lot of folks have been spoiled over the years with having the ability to enchant items. Unique items were always what drove many an adventure in D&D and the older D&D computer games (SSI games, Baldur's Gates, etc). Usually only a renowned mage would be able to enchant an item. . . but lately it seems Joe the Thief can enchant anything he wants assuming he has the materials. It takes away from the allure of truly bad ass treasure. 

 

We were somewhat spoiled by the ability to actually control what items we get, yes. I loathe crafting in most games, but its purpose, which is letting the player customize their equipment, is good. It's just that most games waste it.