Kefke
Steampunker
I almost hesitate to post this, since it's such a broad subject, but I feel like it's something that needs to be addressed. One of the great things about Terraria is that it caters to a number of play styles, keeping the game fresh. Recently, I hit on the idea to do an "Adventurer/Hero" playthrough. In other words, I would only use armour and weapons that I found or purchased. I wouldn't craft myself any gear. For the first hour or two, it was slow going, but rewarding. I quickly hit a snag, though. It was hard - really hard - to get any defence. With a bit of skill, some luck, and lots of perseverance, I eventually managed to come by a night vision helmet to go with my accessories (all but one of which gave me melee speed...and that one gave move speed), and began to plan out where I could get a more complete set. I knew that I'd already been denied one option, as I'd gotten a Crimson world, and thus couldn't farm up the ancient shadow set. So, I decided to go online and see what I could get, other than hitting the tundra to farm zombie Eskimos...
...as it turns out, the answer was not bloody much.
There just aren't a lot of armour sets that can be obtained as treasure. Nor are there many that can be bought. For instance, despite his declarations of having "well-ventilated armor" and "Sword beats paper! Get one today." the Merchant sells neither sword nor armour. Worse still, of the armour sets that are attainable, most have weak stats, and no set bonus - if they even make a set. For instance, while the marble cave gets an entire set, granite caves get just a helmet. In fact, most of the "ancient" armours, and the Viking armour, are just helmets too...so is the diving gear from the shark! There's tons of helmets, not many chestplates, and positively a dearth of pants. It's even worse in Hardmode, where only the tiki set met my criteria. I know that the play style I've set for myself is unorthodox, but after looking at the armour options, I was forced to conclude that it would be completely non-viable. Disappointing, given that the weapon selection for items obtained as loot is frankly fantastic, and it honestly feels like this could have been a fun, challenging, and rewarding way to play the game.
"Okay, Kefke, but what's the suggestion?"
So, with that long preamble out of the way, what do I want to do about it? Well, obviously I would like more armour sets made available as loot! There's a few ways that I can see this being done;
So, in closing, what I'm really asking for is not just armour that I don't have to craft, but reasons to get excited when I get a piece of armour as loot. It doesn't have to be easy - indeed it shouldn't be. Make players work for it, fighting and exploring across every last foot of their world to find everything. However, I firmly believe that the rewards should be there, not just for players with crazy ideas of handicapping themselves like me, but so that everyone can have that moment of "Look at this cool thing I just got!" when it comes to armour, and not just, "Oh. Another glorified vanity part that doesn't stack..."
...as it turns out, the answer was not bloody much.
There just aren't a lot of armour sets that can be obtained as treasure. Nor are there many that can be bought. For instance, despite his declarations of having "well-ventilated armor" and "Sword beats paper! Get one today." the Merchant sells neither sword nor armour. Worse still, of the armour sets that are attainable, most have weak stats, and no set bonus - if they even make a set. For instance, while the marble cave gets an entire set, granite caves get just a helmet. In fact, most of the "ancient" armours, and the Viking armour, are just helmets too...so is the diving gear from the shark! There's tons of helmets, not many chestplates, and positively a dearth of pants. It's even worse in Hardmode, where only the tiki set met my criteria. I know that the play style I've set for myself is unorthodox, but after looking at the armour options, I was forced to conclude that it would be completely non-viable. Disappointing, given that the weapon selection for items obtained as loot is frankly fantastic, and it honestly feels like this could have been a fun, challenging, and rewarding way to play the game.
"Okay, Kefke, but what's the suggestion?"
So, with that long preamble out of the way, what do I want to do about it? Well, obviously I would like more armour sets made available as loot! There's a few ways that I can see this being done;
- More sets from vendor NPCs - Let the Merchant sell the entire mining set (heck, give him a basic sword to sell so he's not a liar). Give the Arms Dealer an early-game ranged set, like a cowboy outfit or something. Maybe a few basic sets for different styles from other NPCs as well. Weak magic or summoner armour from the Dryad, maybe? This is good for new players as well, since it gives them an introduction to the idea of "special" sets, and lets them start to plan out their playthrough early on.
- Armour stands in abandoned houses - The various abandoned house formations that generate are already great places for loot. People raid them for accessories, furniture, and sometimes even the materials they're made out of. So, why not add a chance for a mannequin or womannequin to generate in each, with a couple pieces from a random early-game armour tier still on it. It wouldn't mean much in the late game, but would make a really cool find early on. You could even include a chance of a weapon rack with a random metal tier item as well.
- More armour as drops - This is the big one. As I mentioned earlier on, Corruption worlds have an entire set that Crimson worlds don't. I don't think there should be situations like that. Add a "sanguine"/"scabrous" set to Crimeras. Give the "ancient" sets full armour, and maybe fill out some of the other loose pieces to make sets too or let them be used interchangeably with parts of other sets. Create a few new sets/pieces that drop from enemies, or can be found in chests. Having the sword shrines sometimes house an armoured figure instead of a sword in a stone who, if not rusted, gives a set of "enchanted armour" would be particularly cool. Add a mob or mobs that carry tier-appropriate gear, controlled by progress triggers, with a low chance of dropping their equipment.
So, in closing, what I'm really asking for is not just armour that I don't have to craft, but reasons to get excited when I get a piece of armour as loot. It doesn't have to be easy - indeed it shouldn't be. Make players work for it, fighting and exploring across every last foot of their world to find everything. However, I firmly believe that the rewards should be there, not just for players with crazy ideas of handicapping themselves like me, but so that everyone can have that moment of "Look at this cool thing I just got!" when it comes to armour, and not just, "Oh. Another glorified vanity part that doesn't stack..."
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