Allow equipping multiple Minor Artifacts, but only one with filigrees

[CBDunk]

The game now has literally dozens of minor artifacts, all of which are bound to character... but which a character can only ever use one of at a time.

Presumably this is to prevent players from having minor artifacts in every possible equipment slot and a few dozen filigree slots as a result. So... why not handle it like sentient weapons? You can equip two potentially sentient weapons at the same time... but only one of them can have a sentient jewel and filigrees. Why not allow equipping multiple minor artifacts, but only one of them can have filigrees?

The current system makes most minor artifacts trash with no value except as sentient XP. They are bound to character, but only ONE is usable by that character. You can't transfer them to other players or even your own alts. You literally are not ALLOWED to use the vast majority of them. Unusable equipment is a waste of time for both players AND developers.

 

[seph1roth5]

That'd definitely help the giant pile of useless artifacts per life, a bit.

 

[l_remmie]

Just being able to equip 2 would be great. Doesnt need to have filigrees.

 

[DarkSkysz]

Or add some quest, progression or whatever to get an item to 'cleanse' our artifacts so we can equip more than one.

Remember, good old times when running shroud was a thing for cleaners?

 

[CBDunk]

Or add some quest, progression or whatever to get an item to 'cleanse' our artifacts so we can equip more than one.

Sure... 'de-artifact' the item so that it loses the ability to hold filigrees.

Would be the first time you'd have to work to make items less powerful, but in that you could then actually use them... people would do it.

 

[droid327]

Sure... 'de-artifact' the item so that it loses the ability to hold filigrees.

Would be the first time you'd have to work to make items less powerful, but in that you could then actually use them... people would do it.

This would also require you to reduce their affix scaling, since currently Artifacts have better stats than named items of the same ML

Though I imagine it still wouldnt be enough - not only do Artifacts have better scaling, they're also just designed with better sets of affixes, with the assumption they're all mutually exclusive. Which I'm sure is why people want to use more than one, but is also the biggest reason why they cant

 

[PurpleSerpent]

This would also require you to reduce their affix scaling, since currently Artifacts have better stats than named items of the same ML

Though I imagine it still wouldnt be enough - not only do Artifacts have better scaling, they're also just designed with better sets of affixes, with the assumption they're all mutually exclusive. Which I'm sure is why people want to use more than one, but is also the biggest reason why they cant

Also, of course, all Minor Artifacts currently have three augment slots while nearly all other legendary items (not quite all of them - Legendary Thirteen's a thing) are allowed a maximum of 2.

My personal concern with this is what meta-breaking nightmares could potentially occur given that this would allow a player to equip an item set that's nothing but Dinosaur Bone crafting blanks.

 

[CBDunk]

This would also require you to reduce their affix scaling, since currently Artifacts have better stats than named items of the same ML

Though I imagine it still wouldnt be enough - not only do Artifacts have better scaling, they're also just designed with better sets of affixes, with the assumption they're all mutually exclusive. Which I'm sure is why people want to use more than one, but is also the biggest reason why they cant

I mostly just want to be able to use them at all. If that means weaker stats or turning them into augments with just one of the artifact powers or some other limitation(s) I'd be fine with it so long as they were still useful in some way.

Right now I keep a handful of the things to support different build types or swap in to provide unique benefits (i.e. Heart of Suulomades), but have scrapped dozens more. I mean, I guess they have some 'value' as sentient XP, but I'm constantly looking at these things and thinking 'yeah, I would wear that... if I could'.

My personal concern with this is what meta-breaking nightmares could potentially occur given that this would allow a player to equip an item set that's nothing but Dinosaur Bone crafting blanks.

Yes and no. I tried making a 'max dino' set with artifact, armor, cloak, helm, weapon, and orb... I found that I started to run out of useful things to slot because the dino 'augments' don't have as much variation as regular augments. That would definitely be a problem with an 'all dino' set... indeed, you'd likely have no way of getting a few vital stats. Dino equipment also seems likely to become obsolete when the level cap is raised to 34, or certainly when it goes higher than that.

 

[saekee]

Or add some quest, progression or whatever to get an item to 'cleanse' our artifacts so we can equip more than one.

Remember, good old times when running shroud was a thing for cleaners?

I think the devs would find this palatable if they had neutered forms of artifacts: perhaps some element/attribute removed/weakened (probably the one you most want, sadly) and only two augment slots.

 

[Eltronin]

I'd say no. Artifacts even without filigrees have much more power/versatility at level than named items. I'd agree to make them BTA upon acquire.

 

[droid327]

turning them into augments with just one of the artifact powers

I like this idea...artifacts are supposed to be scaled similar to Raid gear, so it makes sense that you could use some of them to make Set Augments like raid gear too. I've always asked for Set Augs to be made available to non-raiders, too. It'd be nice to be able to, say, get an Extra Smites augment from crunching some Brightlords, or the Radiant Glory from Brightgaze, etc. Whatever they thought was balanced for non-raid gear. You'd probably have to have 3 or maybe even 5 at a time to crunch, but they also wouldnt take Threads.

 

[axel15810]

I never was a fan of minor artifacts back when they were first introduced. I find them to be more restrictive loot tetris complications than meaningful gearing decisions.

However, at this point SSG isn't going to go back and remove/readjust them to be normal loot. I agree it does feel bad to pull so much loot you can't use. The most recent expansion had an ocean of them.

At this point though they're in the game and there would be loot balance implications with letting use players multiple even without filigree since they have higher stats than normal gear at that level. I agree with the take of making them BtA though.

I like the idea of craftable ones like IoD. Maybe all artifacts should be craftable blanks going forward. Those don't feel bad to pull constantly since they're blanks and you don't see all that stuff on there and go "oooohhhh I want to use that".