With the release of Patch 1.0.7, thousands of avid Diablo III players will rediscover the long lost art of crafting. I say ‘long lost art’ because there really hasn’t been much benefit to crafting items since the game’s early days. But all of that is about to change, at least for some of you.
Patch 1.0.7 Recipes: The Good
First, the good news: The five new recipes will roll gear with extremely high core stats. How high? Potentially higher than anything currently available in the game. Furthermore, players will be able to choose which main stat their new item will feature. For instance, a Barbarian in need of more DPS can craft Archon Spaulders of Strength, while a Monk or Demon Hunter would likely opt for Archon Spaulders of Dexterity.
Along with the Spaulders, players will also be able to craft Archon Gauntlets (Gloves), Archon Armor (Chest), Razorspikes (Bracers) and an Amulet. Each piece will also feature five random affixes in addition to the main stat, bringing the total to six affixes. And as many of you already know, six is the maximum amount of affixes a rare piece of gear can roll.
Most of the new crafting recipes can be easily obtained by stacking Nephalem Valor and farming familiar bosses like the Skeleton King and Zoltan Kulle. At MP0, players will stand a 20% chance of looting a new plan. Players brave enough to traverse MP10 will have an 88% chance of securing a plan from a boss.
Considering that the Archon Armor recipes can be purchased from Squirt the Peddler, there are only sixteen recipes left to farm. Not an easy task, but not an endless grind either. And because recipes aren’t account bound, you can trade ones you don’t need with your buddies.
Every recipe will require a new account bound reagent called Demonic Essence. But again, these are really easy to farm. At MP0, Elites and Bosses will drop Demonic Essence at a 15% clip. Play on MP10, and this percentage shoots up to almost 39%. During the average Act III farming run, you can easily slay 15 or more Elite packs, virtually guaranteeing that you’ll accumulate at least one Demonic Essence per run, regardless of MP.
Patch 1.0.7 Recipes: The Bad
Make no mistake; the new crafting recipes are designed to be a gold sink. Not only do they cost between 50-150k gold, but they also require Tomes of Secrets, along with other reagents. The Amulet alone will put you back 100,000 gold, a Perfect Square gem and a Fiery Brimstone. Factor in that their account bound, and it becomes easy to see just how much gold can be wasted on crafting.
That wouldn’t be so bad if the rolls weren’t so random, but the fact is that for every 50 crafted items, you might find one that is better than something you can buy on the Auction House. Yes, more often than not you’ll roll items with completely undesirable stats such as +Health Globes or a secondary main stat.
What it Means to You
If you own an extremely well-geared character and have tons of gold to burn, crafting gear is going to be the only way to improve your existing hero. However, even then, crafting Archon Armor and Archon Spaulders will hardly be worth your time. The very best existing Legendaries for these slots are already better than anything you’ll be able to craft.
Craft Razorspikes only if you get +Movement Speed from other sources – Monks, I’m talking to you. Otherwise, stick with your Lacuni Bracers. All classes should at least take a shot at crafting Archon Gauntlets as a very lucky trifecta roll (Increased Attack Speed, Critical Hit Chance and Critical Hit Damage) paired with a high main stat roll will be better than anything on the AH. And of course, there is some value in crafting an Amulet, although I’d recommend choosing Vitality over your main stat for the predetermined roll. There’s really nothing better than a trifecta Amulet featuring +300 Vitality.
But if you’re like the rest of us you’re probably pretty broke. Take a shot at crafting every now and then, but don’t completely rely on it.
The Final Word
The new crafting system is really only a dream to players who insist on never using the Auction House. Otherwise, it’s a costly, occasionally rewarding, mechanism designed to balance the economy. It’s certainly worth a shot, but don’t bet your entire stash on it.
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