Supporter newsletter 48
Supporter Newsletters | ||
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← #47 January 13, 2014 |
Issue #48 Published January 19, 2014 |
#49 → January 26, 2014 |
Issue
This is a copy of Eternal and Diamond Supporter Newsletter #48, published by Grinding Gear Games.[1]
Hey Diamond, Eternal and Unique Item Creator Supporters,
This week is a busy week preparing 1.0.6 while also working on 1.1.0 content.
We are all getting excited for 1.1.0 in the office, and are looking forward to when more information has been made public in mid-February.
Rory and I are very busy this week. Both of us are also away next week (Rory is also getting married next week), so we may be slow to reply to emails and PMs.
1.0.6 Uniques
As this patch will be based around Summoners, there will be a bit of a summoner theme in the unique items also. Two are explicitly summoner unique items, and one would certainly be of interest to summoners. There are many more Summoner themed supporter unique items still coming, so we apologize if your item couldn’t get in this patch.
Robustness - Items and the Metagame
The design of a unique item can be very metagame dependant. Often supporters want items to fit a very specific niche, and design an item to provide very specific mods and powers. Such an item can often be very powerful, but then become much less powerful as elements of the game change. If you make an item which takes specific advantage of certain abilities, and relies very specifically on reaching certain numbers, you may need to be aware that it will be vulnerable to metagame changes.
We quite like these very specific items, but it is important that they have something that makes them robust or allows them to work with more than one build.
An example of robust unique would be Carcass JackCarcass Jack
Varnished CoatEvasion: (851-1085)
Energy Shield: (173-222)
Movement Speed: -3%Requires Level 62, 96 Dex, 96 Int(120-150)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield
+(50-70) to maximum Life
+(9-12)% to all Elemental Resistances
(40-50)% increased Area of Effect
(40-50)% increased Area Damage
Extra gore"...The discomfort shown by the others is amusing, but none
can deny that my work has made quite the splash..."
- Maligaro's Journal. It provides some core survivability in the form of life, and an offensive bonus for area of effect. While its precise power may wax and wane a little, life and area of effect will always be useful to some degree.Voll's ProtectorVoll's Protector
Holy ChainmailArmour: (388-582)
Energy Shield: (82-122)
Movement Speed: -5%Requires Level 35, 53 Str, 53 Int(100-150)% increased Armour and Energy Shield
50% reduced maximum Mana
Gain a Power Charge for each Enemy you hit with a Critical Strike
Inner ConvictionAlthough a great leader during the war,
Voll proved disastrous in times of peace. is an example of a very metagame dependant item. At times this has been incredibly powerful, and at times very bad. It is wholly dependant on very specific mechanics.Aegis AuroraAegis Aurora
Champion Kite ShieldChance to Block: 32%
Armour: (860-1235)
Energy Shield: (176-250)
Movement Speed: -3%Requires Level 62, 85 Str, 85 Int(300-400)% increased Armour and Energy Shield
+10% to all Elemental Resistances
+5% to maximum Cold Resistance
+6% Chance to Block
Recover Energy Shield equal to 2% of Armour when you Block
(10-20)% increased Elemental Damage with Attack SkillsBorn from the marriage of ice and sky,
the aurora evokes both awe and power. is an example of an item that straddles the line somewhat. It is never going to be a terrible item as it provides some core defenses, but its power level will change as the mechanics it relies on change. It can sometimes fall into being very powerful, and sometimes is merely good. This item is perhaps a little too dangerous for us.We try to avoid items that restrain design decisions by themselves. Some mechanics can limit our designs for other items and skills, as they become too powerful when certain other things change.
Insider Info
This week I thought I’d ask the developers what games they are playing (other than Path of Exile). Here is a list of people I could track down this morning to ask, in alphabetical order.
Andrew - Nether, Starbound, Fallout 3
Andy - Hearthstone, Hex: Shards of Fate, League of Legends
Blake - Farcry 3, Minecraft
Brian - Solforge, Magic the Gathering Online
Campbell - DOTA 2
Carl - Solforge, Anno 2070, Netrunner, AC4 - Black Flag
Chris - Solforge, Rapala Pro Bass Fishing, Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream
Daniel - Civilization 5, Grim Dawn
Erik - Outlast, Heroes of Newerth
Eunyoung - Candy Crush Saga
Harry - Deus Ex
Jonathan - Civilization 4, Phoenix Wright
Mark - Netrunner, Faeria, Valdis Story, Pokemon X, Pokemon Y (Nunzlocke), Monster Hunter 4, Hoplite, Ridiculous Fishing
Mark2 - DOTA 2, Day Z
Mike - Fallout:New Vegas, Minecraft
Rhys - Monster Hunter 4, 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors, Broken Sword 1
Rory - Borderlands 2, Broken Age, Hammerwatch, Starbound
Russell - Rust, Mount and Blade: Warband (Floris mod), Day Z, Hex: Shards of Fate, DOTA 2
Saveun - Fez, The Puppeteer
Thomas - X-Com, Skyrim, Hero Academy
References
- ↑ Morsexier (January 20, 2014). "Eternal and Diamond Supporter Newsletter #48". Path of Exile Subreddit. Retrieved April 11, 2014.