My current suggestion is based on "IF" the new PvP weapons and armor are implemented into the game. I am open to discussion about any topic I will be presenting. Though constructive conversation is a must.
To start things off "IF" the Ancient PvP items are to be added I have multiple cases up for discussion.
"Should the items be degradable or non-degradable"
If they are chosen to be "Degradable" I would say this would be the best case scenario for multiple reasons. If items are degradable a substantial cost should be implemented in order to repair the item in question. Multiple ideas have come through making each piece a minimum of 5m GP to fully repair. Or make the items require PkP and GP to repair (these are PvP items after all). Making them require PkP to repair would entice players to be active in the wilderness in order to maintain their gear. The gear being degradable also maintains the integrity of the current BIS (Best In Slot) gear that is already very popular and in my eyes valued and holds a viable stat to GP ratio. If these items were to degrade then I'm all for the weapons and armor being BIS seeing as "You only get some much use out of it".
If it is decided that the weapons and armor are to be Degradable then I have a few questions up for debate.
A. Would it be better to have each item have a certain amount of damage they may Give/Take? If my Vesta's Long-sword can do at the maximum 1500 damage and my Statius 's Plate-body can take a maximum of 1500 damage before it is "Broken" and in need of repairs. If this is decided we would need a "Check" feature to be able to keep up when this item will need to be repaired. Example of not having "Check": I'm at chaos elemental with a friend and I'm the one that's focusing it would be EXTREMELY awkward to pull it out and spec a 12 and have it break on me in the time I would need it most.
B. Would it be better to have each item have a certain amount of "Equipped" time before degrading? Let's say my Statius's War-hammer has 45 minutes of equipped time to be used and my Zuriel's Robe-skirt has 45 minutes to be equipped. As mention in option "A", this would also need a "Check" option to be able to plan my inventory and gear accordingly. Or make proper preparations before venturing into the wilderness.
Now, this brings me to adding: What "IF" we implemented "Corrupted" and "Full" items also.
With option "A" a corrupted Vesta's Long-sword would last 750 damage (roughly half the time of the "Full version).
With option "B" a corrupted Zuriel's Staff would last 15-20 minutes (roughly half the time of the "Full" version).
If they are chosen to be "Non-Degradable" (ND) I would say this would appeal more to the "Average Joe" who is hunting said item. This also makes it appealing to any iron-man mode and also any classic player. With that being said if items are ND (non-degradable) the current BIS gear would see a huge plummet in value across the board. After a few weeks of the items being implemented/obtained. If these items were to not degrade I don't feel like they should be BIS as it would render almost everything else "useless". My worries are if these items heavily out gear for example "Ancestral, Armadyl, and Bandos" there would be little to no incentive for someone to grind those out. Indirectly making what great content we have "dead". A fear of mine with the PvP weapons and armor being ND would be we will slowly start what is known as the "Power creep", something that in my eyes is slowly killing Rs3.
If the PvP items are chosen to be ND then I would say personally they shouldn't be the BIS for all gear (PvP wise). For the PvM aspect of things I 100% agree that the stats of the PvP items should not be as strong as they are in the wilderness. I could recommend the items having 2/3-3/4 of the stats they would have in the wilderness (Again these are PvP items).
I'm not sure how people would feel to this suggestion regarding the items being ND. In order to keep the integrity of the current BIS gear for each respecting attack style. My suggestion is this. Instead of making the armor "THE" armor to have and indirectly rendering Ahrims/Armadyl/Karils/Bandos useless.
My next topic is:
"How would I acquire the new PvP weapons and armor"
For this topic, I have a few thoughts in my head.
Have a group of "Custom NPCs" (Not revenants) located in specific areas of the wilderness. 2 Locations I have in mind are:
1. For a multi-combat zone have a group of "CNPC's" in the "White area" that is west of the demonic ruins and just south of what is called "Old gate".
2. Have a group of "CNPC's" located just to the east of the Chaos altar just south of the KBD gated area.
These NPC's could drop a Specific key to open a chest located inside the wilderness. This chest could replace the seemingly "useless" Muddy chest. Seeing as how it would be a big risk to venture inside the Lava maze to open the chest. Accordingly, just like the Bloody chest, a broadcast should yell out "Code 002 has opened the Ancient Gods chest". Also if a unique item were to be obtained "Code 002 Has received a Vesta's Long-sword". Now the race is on will you make your great escape or will you have to fight your way through players to safely claim your loot. Another point I would like to add to this Key/Chest system would be the key would not be allowed to leave the wilderness. Since these weapons are going to be highly contested why not make it heart racing from when you get the key to immediately run towards the chest to open and see what goodies await you.
These designated CNPC's would have a semi-low rate of dropping you a key and/or dropping you a potential Corrupted item. (Full items can only be obtained through the Ancient Gods chest).
Also, we could consider a Custom event boss similar to Skotizo. Where somewhere in the deeper regions of the wilderness a boss will spawn that would have a chance of dropping you a piece of the PvP weapons or armor. If we wanted to combine the previous idea this "Custom Boss" could also drop keys to then go open the chest for your chance at a "Full" item.
Another Key point to add to the idea mentioned above would be any Wilderness boss (That is your Slayer task) has the ability to drop you a key or PvP item. With that being said I think revenants can drop Corrupted PvP items ONLY. Since tele-block only affects the person you cast it on "on hit" rather than "on cast".
"What about if we want to PvM with the new items"
I can understand your viewpoint and here is my suggestion towards this issue.
The new PvP items should never outclass the current BIS gear for PvM'ing. Therefore it doesn't matter if the items are degradable or non-degradable. My idea is this as I've mentioned earlier making these PvP items 2/3-3/4 of what they would be worth stat wise for all areas in Alora that is outside of the wilderness. With corrupted and "Full" items giving the same stats obviously, it's just whether or not you need to leave in the middle of your task or in the middle of your Bandos bossing trip. Players who wish to raid with "Corrupted" items would need to plan accordingly to make sure that their items will not break in the midst of a raid. Can you imagine the flame that would ensue because your Statius's War-hammer broke and that caused your team to wipe?
As always I'm up for discussion about anything I've covered if you feel like I've missed something. Please don't hesitate to tell me and I might add it to this suggestion/opinion/idea.
I wish you all a great day and thank you for reading my extensive "Word wall" of a suggestion.
I would like to thank a few people for their input on this subject: @