Originally Posted by Tuco
Originally Posted by neprostoman
Random elements in itemization bring extra build variety, this is the main net positive.
Putting aside that as a single benefit it would be pretty slim, I don't even particularly agree with this point.

One of the cornerstone of "build planning" in videogames is predictability. You need to be able to predict where and when you get what to plan for a build.
Randomized loot ACTIVELY works against it, forcing you to deal with the hand you are served.

Now, there may be arguments about liking this in principle (which I would disagree with), but that's another story.

Aside of not liking it flavor-wise, my other argument about disliking randomized loot (and tangentially also an excessive amount of randomized/respawning encounters) is that the feel I get out of these is FAR from "Oh, look at all these diverse and unpredictable experiences I'm having" but rather "Why does every part of this feels so samey and a worthless waste of time?".

I'd like the concept of randomized loot and stores as an optional feature. So if you are playing the game several times, you can choose to go for a more random playthrough where you have to adapt a different approach. But it's also something which already exists as mods in for example BG3, so I wouldn't neccessarily need the studio to make that themselves.