Yesterday we got a dev tracker reply from Jason Attard, Senior Game Balance Designer, courtesy of Allison Berryman. It was regarding modifications in endgame loot and how stats are distributed:
Originally posted by AllisonBerryman (Source)
I talked to Jason Attard (Senior Game Balance Designer) and he was able to shed some light on modifications in endgame items and how stats are distributed.Our goal is that a highly-skilled player can complete content without needing to swap mods on their gear, but spending the time and credits necessary to optimize the mods should still make a noticeable difference.
When we generate mods for endgame gear, we generate all the mod variants at a given item level and then run a process that combines the mods with endgame shell items to create the items needed for an Operation. This process helps us ensure that the stats are useful for Advanced Classes and roles, but it doesn’t generate gear that is completely optimal for every spec. We always manually check the results and tweak items where necessary.
We have had some problems in the past with gear that stacks a single rating too much and with incorrect armorings being assigned to some items (high Endurance gear should go to tanking items, Aim/Cunning/Strength/Willpower should go into DPS and healing items), and we’re continuing to refine the processes we use to make more useful gear. In future tiers, you’ll see many issues with mod allocation corrected!
The last bit is especially interesting, and may explain some of the current stat ratios we’re seeing on our Operation loot tables.