The Immortal Words of Old School (Itemization) 
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/7004016367?page=19#375
Introduction:
For a real quick introduction; I consider myself a very passionate Diablo fan. To prove it, the best man’s speech at my wedding began by telling hundreds of people that I really like Diablo… The best part about being a Diablo fan is the fact that Blizzard continues to passionately support their games and listen to fan feedback, no matter how negative it is. I think this is the underlining reason that you are even here reading this forum post and I am even posting it. Though, I am an avid fan of this game, I do not shy away from critiquing it. Since the beginning, I have enjoyed the content but have been very aware of all the flaws we have encountered. Tonight I found it more entertaining to get drunk and right this post rather than play the game. I really hope I can get a +1 like post from you guys. Please do so, if you agree that the following details should be acknowledged by Blizzard or at least give me feedback on how you see it differently. I have been building this up for a long time and have done my best to condense it to an easy to read format.
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Index:
The Problem – (Optimal Item Stats)
The Solution – (Quick Summary)
Part 1 – (Linking Worthless Stats)
Part 2 – (Promoting Limited Stats)
Part 3 – (Expanding Main Stats)
(Conclusion) & (Similar Topic List)
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The Problem – Optimal Item Stats
Diablo 3 is a game where 100% of your characters customization comes from your gear. In order to improve your character you must stack a very constricted set of item stats. I call these and will refer to them as Optimal Item Stats.
Optimal Item Stats: The only stats worth striving for are:
(1) Crit, (2) Attack Speed (nerfed), and your characters (3) Primary Stat for Damage.
(1) All Res, (2) Armor, and (3) Vitality for Defense.
(1) Life on Hit and (2) Life Steal for Life Return or get it from a Heal Skill.
You can see Blizzard’s design philosophy here with a quote from Jay Wilson, The Game Director:
“There might be some optimal builds but we are interested in all the viable builds”
In my opinion, with the games current state, no build is viable or optimal anymore; the characters gear measures how optimal they are. This is not a bad thing but a shallow fundamental for this game. The more of these optimal item stats a player stacks the better the character is on the imaginary ladder. All other item stats, indirectly, will make your character weaker because these are areas where more optimal stats could be added. Currently, itemization is robotic and does not reward thought or creativity. The true quality of a character is completely based on this very linear progression. These stats have become more expensive on the auction house and have resulted in pushing players apart in terms of quality. It becomes a game where anyone, can switch to any build, at any time, and be better, based on this narrow itemization focus and zero commitment.
Optimal item stats have become required and destroyed what it means to be viable. Customization should be a way for your character to stand out from the crowd, not be measured against it. I think this will take away from the challenges of PVP when it comes out and emphasize the problem.
