Divination Cards - Help me Understand the Point

The point of cards is that they drop in certain places, when before we didn't have areas to grind for specific items. It's a bit of a reversal of their stance on grinding specific bosses/zones for specific loot. "Each card type drops in specific areas of Wraeclast"

This method also allows for a certain amount of "progress" to be felt rather than feeling of sudden luck.



I can imagine the trading community will be fine working out how trading with 1/12th of a Voltaxic Rift or 1/9th of a Song of the Sirens will work.

While previously you would drop a Shav or not, now you can drop 1/x of Shav. Yehaaw!

Most likely a full set will be rarer than the item it represents (because trade). Those who normally wouldn't trade for gear, will now do it, because you'll get pissed off looking at those 3/4 Shavs sitting in your stash for months. GGG prodding people into trade.. ;)

Oh, and dont forget that Shav cards only drop in <insert specific zone>. Much grind, very nausea, so legacy 1999 gameplay*.


(* while Zana map masheen, rolling content and all those dynamic gameplay features GGG introduced into the genere, are sobbing in the corner...)

Honestly, I don't understand the cynicism in this thread.

In my understanding:

-You don't need to make a card harder to get on average than trading, specially if it's not a unique with big demand. The whole point with having, let's say, 12 Shav cards is to reduce variance and add reliability. It's really about not getting screwed by bad dice rolls without having to play a decade.

-Maps as areas to farm are not discarded, don't expect powerful items to be farmed in Merciless. It can be less botlike if GGG is smart about it. Also, league specific uniques will be gated behind Zana mods. It's to be expected.

-If you play market, the cards are not that great.

Instead of really insanely difficult and rare cards (like shav), there could be an easy but useful card. Like having it give you a ilvl100 (or maybe ilvl depends on amount of cards turned in) white item. Boom, easy craft material and shouldn't be stupid hard to obtain.

I'm thinking the cards will be most useful on things like that, rather than specific uniques that would sell for lots of ex. Like something useful, but crappy enough to drop from a merciless boss, like piety or something, rather than having to target specific map bosses. (suppose map version can drop also)

I'd prefer the cards to be something anyone (specificly dirty casuals that only get to lvl 82, like me) can use. Use, not sell. That or improve qol. I think there will be the most success with something along those lines.

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NeroNoah wrote:

-Maps as areas to farm are not discarded, don't expect powerful items to be farmed in Merciless.

For the most part this is already the case - cost effective wealth production is done in Merc, if you have the stomach for long hours of Dominus runs (entire "challenge leagues" have been won doing nothing but Dom runs. Actually, that was required!). With the exception of a few items, everything drops in easy & free Merc.

It will all depend on how these card farming will be implemented. I think nobody is looking forward to another Atziri frag farm system or similar design.

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It also depends on what supporters will want to design. I bet most will go for uber rare build enabling uniques, stacks of mirrors and fishing equipement. Instead of what would be useful to most players, eg: leveling uniques, more orbs, 5L bases...

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morbo wrote:

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NeroNoah wrote:

-Maps as areas to farm are not discarded, don't expect powerful items to be farmed in Merciless.

For the most part this is already the case - cost effective wealth production is done in Merc, if you have the stomach for long hours of Dominus runs (entire "challenge leagues" have been won doing nothing but Dom runs. Actually, that was required!). With the exception of a few items, everything drops in easy & free Merc.

It will all depend on how these card farming will be implemented. I think nobody is looking forward to another Atziri frag farm system or similar design.

GGG moved lots of uniques to maps on release, isn't it? I think they moved some of them again in Merciless because the Map System at that time was more unfair than now.

I think we'll have to wait, but I have some hope. I'm waiting more for cheap build enablers (I'm self found, tempted to start to trade, I'd rather keep that to minimal) and leveling items.

One change they bring is that they will disperse the wealth of a lucky drop across more people than just the 1 lucky guy/woman. It could also change the price of the item if you get some cards for a bargain or have to pay more than 1/whatever of the item.

OP I'm with you. To me that's not even a thing. You're just requesting artwork for a certain card (which could get you an item that's already in the game) which they may or may not agree to. Designing an item is actually affecting the game, designing art on a card of an item is not. I too want to support them, but I'd feel like an idiot buying that pack. Maybe next set.

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Runeword wrote:

Just another layer of depth to the item hunt. The more treasures to find the better imo.

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trav_dawg wrote:

OP I'm with you. To me that's not even a thing. You're just requesting artwork for a certain card (which could get you an item that's already in the game) which they may or may not agree to. Designing an item is actually affecting the game, designing art on a card of an item is not. I too want to support them, but I'd feel like an idiot buying that pack. Maybe next set.

Ty for your support -- seems like too many people are drinking the GGG kool-aid so to speak. I've read all the replies and still don't see the value in this being part of a supporter pack, or even the game. Maybe once they're released I'll change my mind, but right now I'm just not convinced.

This guy's quote makes the most sense to me:

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Phrazz wrote:

It adds directed grind. Let's say shavs get 10 cards, ghese cards will drop inn ten specific places. You now have a way to direct your grind towards a specific item. Just like D2. I like it.

On the other hand, running Dominus, Piety, Vaal, or maps for Chaos/Regal or whatever is a "direct grind" for currency to obtain whatever item you want. Especially if the cards are going to be just as rare as the items themselves. If you have 3/12 cards or 6/24 exalt, what's the point? Unless the cards are substantially easier to get?

Farming let's say Catacombs or other lower level zones for a specific item sounds pointless compared to running maps due to the experience hit. I'd prefer to run maps for currency, drops, and experience than a single lower level zone over and over in an effort to get a card drop. Just isn't adding up in my simple hill-billy redneck head.