Here are a few suggestions for improving QOL/the overall experience interacting the rare merchant Finley.
Finley should have 1 designated unique (yellow) item weekly, or carry some of the end game item upgrade items such as bear paws.
The current assortment of gear is fair, but if players are to wait a calendar week to see the trader, having a unique item prevents the trader’s offerings from being equal to or less then what most players have & rewards continuing players by increasing their odds of acquiring unique items. With the item pool in the game already large & growing, this means players will still have to work to acquire unique items, but helps compensate for players who are having poor luck with RNG.
Additionally, to combat the possibility of Finley having items that are too significant of an improvement for the current player (discouraging natural progression in the game), perhaps Finley’s offerings could scale as the game progresses similar to how enemies in previous grow stronger the further into the story the current realm is.
As a final suggestion, perhaps Finley’s offerings could scale levels 1-3 similar to the other vendors, but have this increased by completing a short questline. I.e; “My storage shack was broken into and bandits stole all of my unique goods! Track them down in the sewers and I’ll reward you with an item,” and after the quest Finley is “level 2” etc.
Note: I’m not sure if confirmed, but I understand if this vendor is tied to the computer/client clock this could be abused & subsequently make it illogical to add unique items to Finley’s stock. Could a solution to this come in the form of the trader appearing at 9:00-12:00 GMT for all players, or for the entirety of Saturdays to appease all time zones without the ability to “reset” the trader & therefore exploit his offerings?
Just a few ideas that could go a long way, the attention to detail and involvement with vendors thus far is awesome! With a few minor tweaks, I think Finley could be even more appreciated/enjoyed by the players.