That's just the luck of the draw, a factor in both Larian titles. I can't begin to say how annoying it could be in Divine Divinity to come across one of the unique items, only to find that this time the luck of the draw was against me--and it had almost no advantages at all! The best thing to do is save before you run your mouse over the item in question, and discover its properties. That way, if you end up with something hardly worth the battle, you can reload and try again.
My DK has ID item. He identifies the items as he picks them up. Any way to know when to expect to get a unique item? Do they look different on the ground?
I'm in ACT2 and just got the first few of a set. I'm a wizard so I put on the wizard set armor but it isn't as good as the armor I had before except for having a higher armor rating. The one I had before had some extra magic points and such that I have used it all through the game. I still have it.
What are the benefits of wearing a set. How many pieces of a set do you need to wear?