I also noticed that you're not addressing another loot-related issue of the first game: the lack of real, impactful differences between weapons/armors of the same category (why picking a mace instead of a sword or an axe, for instance?).
I like it that way. Picking a specific kind of melee weapon is just a visual choice and that's how I want it. Too often in RPGs I end up with a weapon that has awesome stats but looks kind of bad or unfitting.
And breaking up melee weapons would make melee chars even less balanced compared to mages and rangers.
And I definitely don't like this way. If you ask me, merely cosmetic choices are ALWAYS bad. I'd say the same if were talking about spells: Having 2 of them barely distinguishable in the effect but completely different in the aesthetic would be bad design no matter what. Also, your objections are not real objections: If a game has - let's say - really good axes but shitty swords, it's a game with poorly designed equip. Period. Put some thought into the weapon design and everyone will be happy. Also, D:OS skill system perfectly supports a REAL variety of weapon types. You spend points in one-handed, two-handed and ranged weapons, broad categories that encompass different kind of weapons. It only makes sense to have different weapon types with different pros and cons inside each of these categories...
Don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that random loot is necessary evil and I'm not talking about a game-breaking issue, but you have this (wonderful) game where everything is carefully designed, thoughtfully handcrafted and hand-placed... And you have the random loot, which simply doesn't fit the context.
I respectfully disagree. Imo a mixed system serves the games best, randomized items included. DOS 2 offers multiple character, origin stories, party combinations, quest outcomes. Everything is made to offer multiple playthroughs. That's why randomized items are actually a good choice because 100% manually placed items would be really boring if you play the game for a 2nd or 3rd time. Having randomized items means that you can still be surprised. But I agree that the system shouldn't be 100% randomized. It should offer both the element of surprise and a range of manually placed items for the collectors.
This is the most common objection against the hand placed loot and, frankly, I've always found it extremely week. Maybe in theory it's a strong argument, but in practice it is not. First, because some players like to plan their build accordingly to the loot they know they are going to find (Dark Souls enthusiasts for instance). But even not counting this kind of players, there's no way that a random tab could generate interesting items like the ones you find, for instance, in Baldur's Gate 2. And I don't even like BG2 that much. But it's blatantly self-evident that that game has better itemization that any single player RPG with random (or semi-random) loot out there!!
To me, the only item categories that could benefit for a random loot system are consumables, reagents, gold and gems alike.
