Path of Exile Developer Diary
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Category: News ArchiveHits: 1484
A Thousand Life?!
Unique items offer the opportunity to give huge bonuses in a fair way that would simply not be possible on Rares because of balance issues. On a Unique item, we can add drawbacks or keep the remaining mods from being too powerful. We can also also give mods with nice, round numbers that are memorable and fun, for example we can make a maul with +150% Damage or some armor with +1000 Life.
As you see, we can make items much more focused than Rares, catering to a specific build or supporting an interesting theme. We can also sometimes have one or two mods with a variable range, to give players something they can upgrade towards perfection.
Flavour Text
The flavour text helps strengthen the identity of an item, and makes the player feel like they have uncovered something ancient and special. Finding Unique items in the world can also reveal pieces of the puzzle that is Wraeclast's mysterious past.
The item's concept can be conveyed through the name, icon, art, and perhaps most vividly, flavour text. It can be used as a vehicle for storytelling, for example revealing details about important historical events, or divulging clues about important characters from Wraeclast's turbulent history. Flavor text can also be used to emphasize the concept of an item, or give a hint as to how mods on the item are interconnected.
