Quality on Items is completely meaningless (not Gems - reason inside)

perhaps make scraps and whetstones much more rarer. if they were as rare as GCPs, the concept of "quality" and "superiority" would be more meaningful.

Another use for scraps/whetstones (yes, I know this is not what the OP means: I did read the thread) is to improve the chaos recipe.

I farm quality rares, and when I have a set raise them all to 20% and vendor them for 2 chaos orbs.

And, just to be pedantic, when you factor in maps, not everything is 20% quality as chisels are considerably more rare.

Interesting read and I agree with you. Especially the reference to diablo 2 superiors. Let's not forget Ethereal items :D and that awfully rare zod rune and how awesome it was on Ethereal items. :)


Here is a random Idea that I haven't put much thought into and don't even know myself if I agree with fully. Implement item durability... Armorers and Blacksmith stones (or a separate repair orb)are now used to repair items. Implement ethereal-like items which have improved stats but cannot be repaired unless a new ultra rare, drop only, white gem is placed in a socket. Though that would be quite useless unless the socket consumed the gem and couldn't be removed. two options now would be to leave the 1 socket locked making the max on the item a 5L, or just make the socket disappear along with the gem allowing the player to reroll his 6L.

no to absolutely everything

I like the quality system as it is for being simple and straight forward. It's really one of the few game mechanics that offer guaranteed success. All other orbs are more or less random.

Moreover, if you REALLY want to make everything you use (and that can have quality) 20%, you need quite some scraps and whetstones. If you don't farm them, you'll run out pretty fast, at least if you play several characters.

The word "quality" is neutral, by the way. It stems from the Latin word "qualitas", which just more or less means condition. There's such a thing as bad quality. So actually, superior has nothing to do with quality per se. But because an item has better quality, it is superior to the base item.

it adds another level of complexity to the game which is good, i always love adding that extra 20% watching the numbers go up on a nice piece of gear, it feels like your completing something

Quality on items seems fine where it is to me.

Before end-game: it creates an interesting conflict of interest with your crafting/gambling: do you use up a hefty 20 quality-uppers on a sweet leveling rare you just found? Or do you try to save up and use 4 on a nice-socketed white and alc it, knowing the rare will probably get outclassed eventually anyways?

At end-game: Love the socketing "recipe," actually. Again, it makes crafting/gambling from a base white more viable, because you have a better chance of rolling good sockets on a white than a rare.

Essentially quality-uppers serve as a mediator between white->rare crafting/gambling and rare->reconfig/tweak crafting/gambling.