It seems clear that:
- Players are extremely frustrated with the RNG aspect of dropped-loot traits, especially in the case of weapons (where sharpened is in most cases the only trait somebody wants for DPS).
- ZoS is reluctant to implement any of the changes that are frequently suggested.
So I'd like to suggest a change that is suggested only infrequently. (In fact, I've never seen the idea mentioned before.) It has the properties:
- Players would have an easier path to their desired items ...
- ... but not too easy. Indeed, the ease/difficulty of the path can be tuned however ZoS wants.
- ZoS has to do no work to change current itemization or loot tables. Instead, they'd need to introduce a small new element to the game.
Further, the mechanics could be tuned to reward (or not) any major category of activity in the game, such as:
- Endgame (only the particular instances ZoS chooses).
- Crafting
- PvP
- Holiday event participation
- General random play
The idea is simply to introduce a mechanism to
change the trait of an existing item. Basics on that start:
- I presume this would be an act of crafting, using a special ingredient that I'll call a "Trait Change Stone" (TCS).
- The cost/difficulty of acquiring that TCS should reflect that of getting what are not the MOST frustrating items to get in the game (e.g. Sharpened Burning Spellweave Inferno Staffs), but rather the "worst" of the rest (e.g. Sharpened Lightning Necropotence Staff, Sharpened Spriggans Dagger).
- Optionally there could be tokens, 10 or 25 or 50 or 100 of which are needed to acquire one of these Trait-Change Stones.
For example, appropriate costs for a Trait-Change Stone -- and these are VERY rough estimates -- might be:
- 500 writ vouchers.
- 50 copies of a token that shows up in every vMA final chest
- 50 copies of a token that shows up in the final chest to any of the hardest instances
- 100 Undaunted keys
- Some huge number of alliance points.
- 100 copies of a token that's a very rare drop from general mobs and a fairly rare drop from world bosses and so on.
Requirements for a player to make a trait change could also be tuned. Possibilities include but hardly are limited to:
- Nothing.
- Know that particular crafting trait.
- Be a Level 10 crafter.
- Be a 9-trait crafter.
- Do a quest to unlock the particular crafting stations where these changes can be made.
- Have the Hero achievement for one of the three main alliance zones (or Cyrodiil).
- Kill Molag Bal.
And of course, before you could change the trait on it, you'd need SOME version of the item (e.g. Maelstrom bow) in the first place.