So lets do a bit of homework and look at different crafting systems in popular ARPGs today
This is just a surface level exploration as each of those systems has a lot more depth than at a first glance.
Diablo 3
In Diablo 3, you get to replace 1 affix on your item (Primary or Secondary).
Every time you roll, you are given the choice between three options picked in a pool of mods.
The player can see the mods available to him.
In Diablo 3, items are the chase, but the limited mod pool makes the rarity of said item (Primal Ancient blablabla) the only real limit to gear chase.
Path of Exile
Path of Exile’s system is a very very complicated system with thousands of affixes, many different currencies.
Crafting is a combination of many different systems used to create some god tier items. Or fix a resistance line.
TLDR: very complex, very deep, in PoE, the items are the chase and only reason to keep playing.
Last Epoch
In Last Epoch, items have a crafting potential.
The player can improve, remove, transform, or add affixes. Every craft removes a random amount of crafting potential giving the item a finite craft life.
There are also chance based items that allow the player to extend the crafting streak.
Items have different rarities which affect what affix tier can spawn.
Affixes can be “stored” to be applied to other items.
This system allows great items to be created, and failures to be recycled.
Nioh 2
Nioh 2 has one of the most rewarding systems out there
Items have core affixes that cannot be changed, the other affix slots can be changed “freely”.
When doing so the player has access to 3 options(rolls), extra rolls with better odds can be acquired with crafting agents. Those extra rolls get increasingly more chances of rolling rare affixes.
Affixes have different rarities and cannot roll affixes of the same “family” (can’t have critical type affixes twice).
Inherited affixes is a type that can be moved to items that wouldn’t normally roll that type of affixe otherwise.
An inherited cannot be rolled normally. The only way to change an inherited, is to inherit from another item (destroying it in the process).
Another thing is that Nioh 2 lets the player Soul Match a weapon to increase it’s item level. Letting the player keep a item is has worked on if he finds a higher level item.
Nioh 2’s system creates a real item chase where getting a good base is primordial, but the player keeps full agency over that base. Another level of chase becomes perfecting gear through inheritances/extra affix items that are more powerful.
Lost Ark
In Lost Ark, the crafting is essentially a huge gambling system designed to drain resources.
Lets not go there
