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Forums > Home› Neverwinter Discussion › General Discussion (PC)

What is the point of Scrolls of Identification?

kalyctokalycto Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users Posts: 44
edited June 2013 in General Discussion (PC)
Seems like a pointless mechanic to me. Friends have said Diablo or Ultima Online first introduced it. Whatever. What is the purpose? I can get 20 of the highest level scrolls for 2500 AD - equivalent to less than 1 daily so it's not really an AD sink. Even then, you don't gather AD the same way you gather gold so the impact to the game's economy is totally different.

Again, what is the point of this stupid mechanic?
Post edited by kalycto on

Comments

  • danzlyradanzlyra Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild Users Posts: 43
    edited June 2013
    I think it might be an attempt (a weak one, I agree) to tie in to their mantra of "It's just like DnD tabletop, woohoo!" as in tabletop there are times when you loot something that you can't identify and have to have a scroll or seek out the nearest scholar in a town to do so for you.
  • kwequakwequa Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    Anticipation..something to not run out of..Used to have to to take them to someone with high enough intelligence to ID it or have one in your party. Scrolls weren't in mass but stuff didn't drop like rain either. It adds a "hope I get something good" factor.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • kabothoriginalkabothoriginal Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 465 Bounty Hunter
    edited June 2013
    Easy answer is two words...


    Money Sink
  • osiabunnyosiabunny Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    kalycto wrote: »
    Seems like a pointless mechanic to me. Friends have said Diablo or Ultima Online first introduced it. Whatever. What is the purpose? I can get 20 of the highest level scrolls for 2500 AD - equivalent to less than 1 daily so it's not really an AD sink. Even then, you don't gather AD the same way you gather gold so the impact to the game's economy is totally different.

    Again, what is the point of this stupid mechanic?

    I can't remember if first edition D&D had this in it or not, I can remember never trusting any magical item the DM was smiling over as he gave it to you though. Took it to the Wizard or was it a Priest, to identify it. I don't think there was a scroll to do that back then. So it's very D&D ish. :)
  • neverhofneverhof Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 174 Bounty Hunter
    edited June 2013
    Ultima online was different, the identification wands were rarely, if ever, used as they gave you pretty much useless info(can't remember if you needed them for things like the Demonslayer Juka bows). But yeh it's to keep the currency flow going. I do think too many items drop as unidentified though, especially since they're green vendor items most of the time.

    Ahh <3 UO, alot of modern Mmo's could learn alot from this one.
  • kwequakwequa Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    Cursed items are fun..:rolleyes:
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • bayne3bayne3 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    I think they should remove it. Just adds more pointless clicking which is far too common in their games.
  • kotlikotli Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild Users Posts: 577
    edited June 2013
    danzlyra wrote: »
    I think it might be an attempt (a weak one, I agree) to tie in to their mantra of "It's just like DnD tabletop, woohoo!" as in tabletop there are times when you loot something that you can't identify and have to have a scroll or seek out the nearest scholar in a town to do so for you.

    Theres no ID spells in D&D 4ed for most items its just requires a short rest. For special items the DM can use a skill check normally Arcana or Lore. For a really powerful item its can involve a quest to find someone or something that can do so.

    So Greens should be identified easy lets say by entering a rest zone (campfire). The funny thing is that blues where a scroll could make sense for are often identified.
  • walk2kwalk2k Member Posts: 928 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    AD sink

    2500 for 20 scrolls is quite a lot. if people actually looted and ID'ed all the greens that dropped it would seriously impact the AD economy. as it is, people doing epic dungeons rarely to never need the greens, I know I pass on every one, most of the time they rot. when I'm doing solo foundry/etc I pick them up but just vendor them un-ID for the 1.1s
  • giggliatogiggliato Member Posts: 446 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    Yes, they basically just turn AD into gold...
  • hkiewahkiewa Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 379 Bounty Hunter
    edited June 2013
    kotli wrote: »
    Theres no ID spells in D&D 4ed for most items its just requires a short rest. For special items the DM can use a skill check normally Arcana or Lore. For a really powerful item its can involve a quest to find someone or something that can do so.

    So Greens should be identified easy lets say by entering a rest zone (campfire). The funny thing is that blues where a scroll could make sense for are often identified.

    I can appreciate the reference to 4e and realize of course that it was designed for MMOs. It is not DnD and WotC realized that quickly with the upcoming edition of 5. Personally, a return to a hybrid of 3-3.5 would be great, just don't let Turbine, Cryptic, or Activision touch it.
  • kalyctokalycto Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users Posts: 44
    edited June 2013
    Okay so it's a relic from the tabletop game then..? It doesn't translate to a video game well at all and as others have pointed out becomes useless at sixty anyway.

    At lv 20 you can get a full blue set that should carry you over to 30 then you can hit that AH for some really cheap greens. At 47 you can buy blues again albeit with AD...

    Let's say I spend 2500 AD on 20 SoI... then I sell each piece in the AH for 100 AD/piece. I just made a profit so again, it doesn't serve as an effective AD sink. It's annoying.
  • kindyrekindyre Member Posts: 101
    edited June 2013
    kwequa wrote: »
    Cursed items are fun..:rolleyes:

    Yes they are!

    I, for one, would love it if they added that mechanic along with gradual identification by means of wearing/using unidentified items.

    But I suppose there'd be too many complaints about being randomly teleported over a chasm or 50 feet into the air due to blindly donning that -2 Cloak of Ill Fate.
  • jlhopwonwjlhopwonw Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 18 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    IMHO, it makes the N>G system worthless. How can I make in informed decision if I want to N something (for me) or G something (for an alt) IF I CAN'T SEE WHAT THE FRICK IT IS!
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