Next up on the design docket is a discussion of the poe currency design and advancement of Gems. Most importantly, the thought process behind the most recently-introduced stone is researched. As you might recall, nine new gems were inserted "including four wrought stone that concentrated on Necromancy", one of the trademark features in War for the Atlas. Senior Game Designer Rory discusses moving from an overall discussion of abilities that would be added and how stone could fit into that design matrix. For example, taking the foundation ability of Detonate Dead and altering it with the accession of a gem was something the team actively explored. Obviously, some abilities worked better than many others in this respect, but, as Rory says, all this is part and parcel of sport development. .
We'd prototyped a ability codenamed "Infernal Sweep" which was a fiery subject of effect sweep attack that burst nearby corpses. Early testing showed it felt awful to use, needing to swing two to kill some enemies then again to detonate their own bodies to get larger area harm. The poe blessed orb skill was visually spectacular, but did not play well unless it was boosted in the starting area and harm to the point at which it both invalidated the roles of Sweep and Infernal Blow. This ability went back to the drawing board and we will probably see it again in future with added mechanics or without the reliance on corpses.
The article further goes into specifics about Support Stone and how layout iterates from concept to completed job. You can test it all out here.
Elder Uniques
Comparable to stone, a number of "elder uniques" were added in War for the Atlas that can simply drop from Your Elder himself. Game Designer Hrishi took some time to Go over the Cyclopean Coil, Blasphemer's Grasp, Nebuloch, Hopeshredder, Shimmeron, Impresence along with Watcher's Eye. Each has its own distinct niche in Path of Exile, both in terms of its distinctive look, but also in terms of what it adds to the overall player experience through characteristic focus, ailment attention and much more.
http://www.taazatadka.com/for-gamer-a-guide-to-buy-poe-orbs-in-the-path-of-exile
