Dev Diary: The Design of Unique Items
Designing Unique items is one of the more challenging areas that we've had to tackle so far in the development of Path of Exile. In this development diary, our lead artist, Erik Olofsson, discusses various topics related to the design, lore and balance of these items.
Unique Items
Wraeclast has a long history and a rich past, and many ancient treasures lie forgotten, awaiting rediscovery. Many are items with legendary and unique powers, which were often wielded by influential and famous people of bygone times.
These Unique items have special names and hand-crafted mods, as opposed to the randomised Magic and Rare items. They may grant abilities to item types that do not normally receive them, or give skills from the passive tree. Some Unique items even have effects that are not found anywhere else.
Unique items can enable completely new builds as well as facilitating more builds across a wider range of character classes. There are few limitations to the abilities that can appear on Uniques, so eventually, almost any effect or mod may eventually be found on one. Through Uniques (among other features), we hope to push our itemisation further than in any other action RPG and allow great customisation and re-playability.
Keyword Mods
Because our item system is complex and potentially daunting, it is important that our item properties are instantly understood. Unique items can have keyword mods that can't be found on Magic or Rare items. These mods can be very mechanically complicated, so much so that to spell out the entirety of the mechanic would clutter the layout. This would negatively affect the usability and lore flavour of the item itself.
One example of a Unique keyword mod is "Culling Strike" which is shown to the left. The long explanation of Culling Strike is: "Kills monsters on less than 10% life left after an attack".
Although keyword mods are not always immediately obvious in their function, not knowing exactly what an item does adds an element of mystery and magic. Savvy, min/max players can still read up on exactly how the mechanics work on the character screen or on our website.
A Thousand Life?!
Unique items offer the opportunity to give huge bonuses in a fair way that would simply not be possible on Rares because of balance issues. On a Unique item, we can add drawbacks or keep the remaining mods from being too powerful. We can also also give mods with nice, round numbers that are memorable and fun, for example we can make a maul with +150% Damage or some armor with +1000 Life.
As you see, we can make items much more focused than Rares, catering to a specific build or supporting an interesting theme. We can also sometimes have one or two mods with a variable range, to give players something they can upgrade towards perfection.
Flavour Text
The flavour text helps strengthen the identity of an item, and makes the player feel like they have uncovered something ancient and special. Finding Unique items in the world can also reveal pieces of the puzzle that is Wraeclast’s mysterious past.
The item’s concept can be conveyed through the name, icon, art, and perhaps most vividly, flavour text. It can be used as a vehicle for storytelling, for example revealing details about important historical events, or divulging clues about important characters from Wraeclast’s turbulent history. Flavor text can also be used to emphasize the concept of an item, or give a hint as to how mods on the item are interconnected.
Unique Items in the End Game
As exciting and special as Unique items are, we know that most hardcore players find it boring if everyone in the end game is equipped with the same uniform set of items. To prevent this, we want to balance the power level of high-end Rares so that they are generally the most powerful items in the game. This means that we won’t have Unique weapons that deals a lot more damage than Rares, unless there is some severe drawback.
While Unique items may be used for specific builds, as they grant abilities that do not occur on Rares, the ideal situation is that Rares occupy the majority of item slots on your character. In the end game, we ideally want to see Unique items only being used for very specific purposes and builds. This will create an interesting and diverse end game, with top players having to rely mainly on near-perfect Rares that are so statistically unlikely that they would take thousands of hours to find by chance. We want clever trading to be a viable path to wealth and power in Path of Exile.
If we meet our design goals with both Rare and Unique items, we will accomplish two things. Firstly, we will keep the end game compelling and interesting for far longer, as players strive to incrementally upgrade and perfect their Rare equipment. Secondly, we will give new players a nice boost through a section of the game whenever they acquire a Unique item that fits their build well.
Path of Exile is currently in Closed Beta and is ramping up to enter Open Beta in the next few months. If you don't have a forum account yet, please sign up for one here. Beta access is granted to these accounts at random.
Leadup to 0.9.6: Screenshot 3
One of the best new features in the 0.9.6 patch is the upgraded Quest/Waypoint screen. As Wraeclast is explored, areas appear on this map. A list of active and completed quests is shown, and the correct direction to travel is indicated for the next objective in each quest. This should make it very easy for players to track where they need to go to complete their objectives. The screen also doubles as a waypoint screen, allowing the user to select a travel destination in a much more visual manner than before.
Leadup to 0.9.6: Screenshot 1
We're preparing to deploy the 0.9.6 patch early next week and have prepared some screenshots to show off some of the new content. This image shows a Templar using the new skills Molten Shell and Lightning Strike to fight Brutus.
Here's another screenshot from the upcoming 0.9.6 patch. Here you can see a multiplayer fight between a pair of players and some of the new snake monsters in Act Two. The blue effect at the top of the screen is from the new skill Power Siphon. The magic snake that is targeted shows a new monster ability: granting frenzy charges to nearby allies when it dies. Click here to see the screenshot.
Hi, I am Carl de Visser, I started at Grinding Gear Games at the beginning of 0.9.3 development. I have been working with Chris on general game design and game balance. These are few notes, from my perspective, to expand on design features in the patch notes. Click here to read the complete entry.
This screenshot shows a Templar using a new unannounced skill in the Prison. If you kill a monster with this skill, it will convert the slain foe to fight on your side for a brief time. The monsters in this screenshot are enchanted by a physical damage reflection aura from a nearby rare monster. Click here to see the screenshot.
This next screenshot shows a Witch using the Firestorm skill in the Forest as seen on our 0.9.3 Alpha realm. Also visible are the new flask icons (they're different for each base flask type). Existing areas like this have been upgraded with new vegetation and environments. Click here to see the screenshot.
In the week (or so) leading up to the 0.9.3 patch, we're posting screenshots of new content and features. Today's screenshot shows a Ranger using the new skill "Rain of Arrows" in the newly revamped Terraces area. Click here to see the screenshot.
