Fair point.
Also, if we have a unique item with some super-unique-affix which obviously IS the reason why that item is unique, then we take that affix and craft some other item with super-unique-affix… does this make that crafted item truly different ?
Perhaps we should talk about mechanics of upgrading and customising uniques we got lucky to have? Like …
- Take a unique.
- Remove random non-unique affix via existing method (runes).
- Add new / improve affixes via existing method.
- Rise item’s rank (from rusty sword to iron sword) and probably the level of its unique affixes. And here we need new mechanics. Probably some new rare rune which …
- very rarely drops from strongest enemies.
- very rarely drops from shattered uniques.
- applicable to uniques only.
- has low chance to upgrade item rank and increases fracture level.
- has good chance to not upgrade item rank but slightly decrease fracture level.
This an example of how we can make our favorite low level uniques always viable.
ADDED:
Perhaps with this we shouldn’t even get any uniques in their strongest version via mob drop? Strongest means crafted. This is what I currently like in LE, if to be honest.
Also I should remind that unique affix doesn’t mean strongest. This approach must be kept to guaranty viability of yellow and purple items.