Anthem Loot Changes Aims for 'No More Useless Items'

Published: July 31, 2020 12:30 PM /

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Anthem loot changes WIP cover

A number of planned Anthem loot changes have been explained in detail by BioWare, highlighting potential upcoming changes to one of the fundamental systems of the game.

Anthem is in the midst of a serious rework and the developers are keen on fixing many of the fundamental problems of the game. This time, they're going with a particular focus on loot and equipment. The developers have focused on what other games in the genre do well and used that as a guide for future plans.

"A good player experience depends on the loot system being extensible and robust, and a lot can go wrong," stated a BioWare blog post by Studio Director Christian Dailey. "A lot did go wrong. We fell short here and we realized that building something new from the ground up was going to be required – starting with taking a long look and understanding the best in class of the many great games that inspire us. Based on this research, along with your thoughts and feedback, we planned some high-level goals and changes we wanted to try[.]"

Anthem loot changes WIP slice

What Are the Planned Anthem Loot Changes?

Anthem continues to work on the underlying systems for the game. The focus on loot in this style of shooter is understandable and it looks like the devs have some good ideas lined up.

Here's a shortlist of the changes; bear in mind that this is all work in progress and subject to change.

  • Make loot drop more often.
  • Make equipment more viable — there's no "bad" loot. Instead, they're aiming for "good" loot and "exceptional" loot, raising the bar across the board.
  • Less reliance on randomness
  • More modification of existing loot
  • No more missing "must-have" inscriptions
  • Exceptional items focus on specific bonuses
  • A more scalable system

This isn't everything, mind; as the Anthem loot changes blog post details, BioWare also plans to go for a complete revamp of the equipment sheet. One of the new additions will be a more detailed stat sheet so players can really get into the numbers if they're so inclined. This sheet will be accessible from anywhere in the game.

The devs are also focusing on the emotional aspect of loot. It just feels good to have a rare enemy drop a ton of  good gear, and part of their focus will be to make loot more "exciting and noticeable" when it drops — especially from the "walking treasure chest" enemies that can drop a veritable armory out of their pockets when defeated.

Anthem still has a long road ahead and it's commendable that BioWare continues to work to improve on a game that hasn't had the best launch. We'll get to play with this new system (and all of the other upcoming changes) just as soon as the devs feel it's ready for primetime.

What do you think of the Anthem loot changes? Do you think the developers are on the right track? Let us know in the comments below!

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More Info About This Game
Learn more about Anthem
Game Page Anthem
Developer
Bioware
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Platforms
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date
February 22, 2019 (Calendar)
Genre
Action RPG
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