In the online RPG Anthem, there has been a dominant theme since the release: loot. Players simply find too few powerful items. Developer BioWare has now presented how they plan to address the issue, but many still feel the proposals are insufficient.
This is the problem: Generally, there is a goal in Anthem’s endgame; players want to find the best possible loot in order to create optimal builds for their Javelins.
However, there are several problems:
- Players only want masterpieces (orange) or legendary items (yellow) at a high level – of which there are too few
- Even if an item drops, it could be the wrong one that you don’t need – annoying
- And even if the right item drops, it may still have poor stats that don’t match the freelancer’s play style
This means a player needs to “get lucky three times” in the loot process to find an item they want.
How BioWare plans to change the problem: In a live stream, BioWare presented an initial change and also revealed a new way for players to “get better loot.”.
BioWare wants to remove the “Luck” value. This is a mysterious value in Anthem that never really seemed to work properly.
Similar to “Magic Find” in Diablo, it was supposed to increase the chance of players finding items.
BioWare wants to eliminate the value and in the future treat drop rates as if every player has “maximum luck.” This way, players should theoretically get higher-quality drops and thus better chances of obtaining their items and refining their builds.
Stronger items are coming
What else is coming? BioWare also wants to introduce a currency in the new “Cataclysm” that players can collect to buy Warchests, which contain items that (at the moment) exceed the current masterpieces and legendaries by 5 points.
Additionally, they want to close loot gaps.
Is the previous grind unnecessary?
This is how the players react: Players have some questions and comments about this plan. The general sentiment is rather skeptical and negative.
- On the one hand, the changes will come only with the “Cataclysm” event, which could still be weeks away. Players expect they will have to wait until July; they would have preferred the change with the “Luck” value to be made sooner. (via reddit)
- Additionally, some are dissatisfied with how loot will be handled in Cataclysm. This has only been hinted at so far; there are supposed to be “Warchests” – some players think about loot boxes and seem unhappy.
- The fact that “stronger items” are coming and older items will be replaced is also a controversial topic, as some feel that the previous grind would be meaningless. (via reddit)
- Will there be world drops in the Cataclysm event or only these boxes?
These questions and complaints remain unanswered until Cataclysm appears on the test server.
The change in loot currently raises a number of questions and brings no relief.
