heres my theory about items, could be wrong, could be right. irdk
1. all items are created serverside.
2. item stats are already complete once its created by the server. contrary to what others say that the +1s are only determined after u pick up the item
3. the quality of the item can b immediately determined because, the data that determines the item quality is sent everytime it is queried. while on the other hand, the data regarding +1s is only sent once the item is viewed through the inventory.
example:
if you killed a monster and the server determines that it dropped an item, it automatically sends some data to the client. what type of item, its location, and its quality.
after u pick it up, the clients sends a request about the item. this time it sends everything. including if its +1, and maybe its dura too.
thats my theory.
here are the reasons why i think it occurs this way
1. the quality is sent immediately since it is included in the item appearance on the ground.
and more importantly
2. the data about +1s are not really important if the items on the ground so it is not sent everytime to keep bandwidth usage to a minimum.
as i said, could be wrong, could be right. my example might also be lacking or exceeding in data since i really havent seen what data an item is composed of.