This thread is more a general suggestion for the acquisition of new weapons (either introduced by DLC or maybe for free in the future). Please note that for Illustration Purpose we will ignore which weapons have been DLC weapons and also in which DLC they have been introduced. The examples are purely for descriptional Purpose.
So far we get new weapons by completing the new DLC Maps with a specific character and the blueprint gets unlocked through an Okri’s challenge. However, why not unlock the new weapons by a specific Okri’s challenge. For example:
Instead of unlocking Throwing Axes by playing Dark Omens as Bardin you unlock them by entering Okri’s Lair in the Pit and picking them up from the wall (we can discuss if Bardin has to be in the group for this or not)
Billhook you will find on your way climbing up the “tower” in the Pit
The Elven Axe you find at the grave where you find the medaillion in Dark Omens
The Warpick can be obtained in the mines you cross in Dark Omens
The Burning Flail will be in the cave which is unlocked by the runes and where the chest key is hidden in Dark Omens
We have so many hidden areas in the game, we have Okri’s challenges for reaching those areas and challenges to obtain the new weapons. Why not combine the both to make them more quest like? Sidenote: Back to Ubersreik would be a bit more problematic as we physically don’t enter these places to bring something back, however we could find illusions there.
This will change …… absolutely nothing for gameplay. But it would add a bit “flair”.
I think it sounds fun if also a bit difficult to find. I have no doubt in my mind that a more determined/experienced party will always be able to find those hidden areas but there’s a lot of parties running in Champion & below that’ll never truly explore a level. I fear that they’d feel somewhat left behind and that they’d have to look stuff up online which should never have to be done to get through core gameplay (in this instance, I leave that reference to receiving a weapon and wielding it).
However, I don’t think it’d be a bad thing to put illusions in hidden places around a level! Perhaps you’d have to achieve the weapon first before you had the option to get the illusion, but I do like the idea of little treasure hunts.
Fear not, I have a solution for this as well (and I planned to make another thread at one point):
Lohner’s Tavern Talk
For bribing Lohner with materials (or maybe Shillings or something else) he will start to tell you random rumours. Some of them are wrong, but others give you hints as to what may be hidden in a map and where to find it. This tavern talk would cover the position of Grims and Tomes as well as hidden areas for bonus quests like Okri’s Lair, the Tax Collector or the Ubersreik Runes.
This reminds me of an idea I had about getting a new “legendary” tier of weapons, maybe with selectable properties like WoM weapons.
The idea was that you would craft these weapons by gathering unique components and materials (plus using the dusts you already have) throughout various maps and boss drops, maybe some unique mini-story Okri’s challenge for each weapon type.
Well it would most definitely be more interesting. Add in some kind of rumor text in the challenge or something to set you in the right path and boom.
Sure most people would not read it after few weeks but it still would be interesting idea to toy around.
I think the developers time is better spent elsewhere, like get the worthless traits, talents and weapons to be actually viable.
If we are lucky, they might focus every developers time and effort into navigating into the source code where for example “Resourceful Combatant’s” parameter is stored, click backspace once, then type “10”. Now if we are really lucky, they wont merge in a year old branch with this huge change, but you can never be sure…!
The amount of time needed for this is near non-existence. New maps are designed anyway. Hidden areas are designed anyway. Weapons are designed anyway. They just have to link the hidden areas to a weapon and an Okri’s challenge and place a pickable prob in form of the weapon.
And the change does not influence the rest of the game and as such is non-consequential. Balance on the other hand is hugely consequential and highly controversial and will take far more time, even the tiniest changes. And any melee trait work-over would first off need a significant toning down of Swift Slaying and - oh boy - will that cause discussions.