WotB and Archon to Receive Changes in the Future
Travis Day shared that some changes will be coming to Wrath of the Berserker and Archon. This will happen in a future though.
I have a love hate relationship with Wrath and Archon for that matter. This is a topic that I felt I should at least comment on since it's come up on many occasions. There is no fundamental flaw with having a 2 minute cooldown ability that transforms your character and is really powerful, the problem is when it becomes a forgone conclusion that these AWESOME abilities are up 100% of the time and instead of being excited that they are up you are annoyed when they fall off. We have talked about what if anything we want to do with these abilities in the long term. I will say we have no short term plans to change them but we don't like that they aren't fulfilling their original purpose which is to provide a really awesome button that mixes up the tempo of combat for a small window of time.
Whatever you do, I hope you don't penalize those of us that use it as intended, that is people that just use it for the occasional boost and not a permanent boost.
I want to make this point clear. Wrath is an awesome ability, when the game first launched players used it the way it was designed to be used which was as a huge, temporary, power boost to kill a hard champ or fight a boss. The problem stems from the ability to keep it up 100% of the time. Any future change that we would consider making to either this or Archon would be focused on making these not a 100% uptime abilities. So yes as was stated above Wrath isn't the problem, Thrive on Chaos and the assist duration extending mechanic of Archon are the problems.
Act IV Density to be Buffed
Density in Act IV is yet to be changed since its implementation on the PTR. It will happen soon though.
We are still working to improve monster density across all Acts, and this includes tuning the monster density on Act IV. There have not yet been made any additional changes to Act IV though, but you should hopefully see some improvements on this in a future PTR patch.
Shrines are former sacred places, now desecrated. But, unlike many random surprises scattered throughout Sanctuary, they're always a welcome sight to wayward adventurers.
Purifying these ancient obelisks will grant you and your allies one of six temporary buffs:
Enlightened: You gain 25% increased experience from monster kills.
Frenzied: Your attack speed increases by 25%.
Blessed: You reduce all incoming damage by 25%.
Fortune: You gain 25% increased magic and gold find rate.
Empowered: You have 100% increased resource gain, and 50% reduced cooldown time.
Fleeting: You gain 25% increased movement speed and increase your pickup radius by 20 yards.
Out of these shrine types, which is your favorite? Some of them you may skip, but which one will you go out of your way to click (potentially risking both life and limb to get there)? Let us know by voting below!
Wizard Arcane Torrent Build
A viewer on Archon Inferno's Twitch by the name of Rizzonater came up with an interesting Wizard build that is great for Uber bosses. Archon Inferno made a video showcasing the build along with some discussions on it and some alternatives. The build isn't new, but is definitely useful.
Good on the WoTb nerf. I use wrath all the time on my barb, and it IS really useful, but the thrive on chaos rune is SO good it pigeonholes anyone using wrath into using it. It's become a crutch, and I'd love to be able to use other skills without feeling completely gimped.
Similarly I think they need to nerf some of the crit-based effects, namely Into the Fray and Critical Mass. They were clearly designed without understanding that everyone was going to be maxing out crit % anyway for DPS purposes, and when your crit chance is that high you'd be an idiot not to use those. I say nerf them and add Fury On Hit and CD Reduction as item affixes instead. Make those builds possible, but only with the right gear. As a future goal, introduce more DPS affixes as an alternative to crit.
errr while i agree with most of what has been said by travis and above... perma zerk already requires exceptionally specific and good gear to maintain. for ww build, you need very high crit chance and potentially move speed + control of your char and tornados + movespeed + attackspeed. The end result is a gear and skill build that allows 1 skill to be viable. For the HotA build, it requires much of the same as previously listed, but MUCH more ephasis on each (more gear dependent). I think the nerf ww build got was fine. maybe a tad more nerf but not much. The idea of perma zerk shouldnt be looked down on if its highly gear dependent and requires a bit of skill to pull off.
for archon, its only effective for farming things your out gearing and highly dense areas (i know we are getting a density buff so i shouldnt say much on it)
errr while i agree with most of what has been said by travis and above... perma zerk already requires exceptionally specific and good gear to maintain. for ww build, you need very high crit chance and potentially move speed + control of your char and tornados + movespeed + attackspeed. The end result is a gear and skill build that allows 1 skill to be viable. For the HotA build, it requires much of the same as previously listed, but MUCH more ephasis on each (more gear dependent). I think the nerf ww build got was fine. maybe a tad more nerf but not much. The idea of perma zerk shouldnt be looked down on if its highly gear dependent and requires a bit of skill to pull off.
for archon, its only effective for farming things your out gearing and highly dense areas (i know we are getting a density buff so i shouldnt say much on it)
just my thoughts
That's just it, it's NOT highly gear dependent, by any means. You can super budget a WW barb and make WoTb still stay up 100%. And even if it was gear dependent (just entertaining your side) it still needs to be nerfed, because again it's so powerful you're completely gimped if you don't use it.
There's a lot I want to say, but maybe this would do it too...
I'd be willing to except, well maybe not, some changes to Archon specifically, but then:
Why in the hell are they buffing it in multiplayer?
Multiplayer buff not a substitute for singleplayer...or is it in their eyes?
Why go through the adjustment?
Knowing (God I hope they know) buffing mob density, is a natural buff to all Mob Killing // On Damage // On Crit builds?
Are they really failing to see how "Uncomfortably" tight all the systems are in this game and just winging it?
Why don't they just wait till they get the damn patch out...
Wait till they get itemization patch out...
After that, actually strive to make each class unique rather than carbon copies of each other with only a few ability differences (which most aren't used anyway).
...and maybe then, do some adjustment, but hey maybe that's what they mean...
Just getting tired of the constant double speak and now over correcting for the under correcting post release. This is not an MMO that does not need this level of adjustment. Every class can do inferno, its the player that chooses what level MP to do, their play style, and their build (how ever pigeon holed you may think) ultimately it's the player's choice.
Just feel the game just needs this patch and itemization patch and it'll be fine till expansion. This constant Flavor of the month thing there bordering on got old real quick in WoW, let them not do it here please.
Fix what needs to be fixed, but leave the rest alone! Buff the other classes, don't tare down others, it's a no win at that point.
Simple damage increases, even very large ones, is like a thick layer of frosting on a cake with a crack in it, you can't see the crack underneath the frosting, but doesn't mean it's not there.
Sorry for rant, usually not this way, just annoyed at the buff to Archon, with people going to cry fowl more when top tire people figure out the two new Regen buffs for Familiar and Galavizing Ward (slightly less power, but over 1200 native regen).
I guess in summary take things in moderation is what I'm getting at, idk, just annoyed.
It begs the question: Why does WotB require a passive slot to extend it's duration while Archon gets it for free?
Should also ask: Why does WotB allow all other abilities to remain in their respective slots, while Archon gains two flimsy abilities and one strong Disintegrate ability at the cost of all prior skills (defensive ones for example), without any speed boost or crowd control immunity?
the reason these archon/zerk builds are so viable atm is because we are no longer scraping to progress through the game wehre other runes were viable. The current state of the game is taht 99% of people are looking to farm most effeciently, therefore any buff with longevity is being used
I can see why they want this there is a simple solution = change the tick rate on ww and rltw.
If cm itself is nerfed my wizz is dead. I use cm but not with ww and make up the ticks using other skills and high crit (68%) and even now diamond skin does not come round as fast as I would like (also with 3.01 aps). If they nerf cm when it's not the real problem my build and others will suffer.
The barb is using rltw instead but it's basicly the same.
CM is just one passive. It should be viable to play the game without it entirely.
CM wizards are not working as intended either. You're not supposed to be able to perma freeze ANYTHING in the game. Obviously they need to change that build too or there's no point in implementing MP20 or expansion pack enemies, they'll all be perma frozen and harmless anyway.
I do agree CMWW is broken, its stupid how you can perma freeze, however, I don't believe nerfing CM is the fix, if anything, nerf our frost nova. As for nerfing archon, I ask why? Yes its good at farming, but you can't really use it for ubers so its just one build good at one thing, killing things fast, the only way they could justify removing it would be to rebuff prismatic armor for the extra resistances, make meteor do a proper amount of damage, right now its worthless, make ray of frost do a small aoe effect at the point of contant and increase its proc rate, and increase the arcane power regen from astral presence
I think Wotb i just fine right now. If people have the skill to keep it up i dont see the issue. I use Wotb with ToC because its mandatory
on MP10. You have to have that immune to CC effects. People saying its OP have not idea what they are talking about, sometimes you get ranged mobs that kite you about and Wotb can fall off. You have to know what your doing.
I dont keep Wotb up 100%. I only use it for CC immune so i can get a fair chance at MP. I barely noctice the other stats it gives. Hopefully
the 4% Regen from IP buff will cover this nerf....All good tho. Thinking of moving over to a monk as no1 seems to have a problem with them being crazy.
While they're at it, look at most of the other boring "fake passive" skills. Wizard Armors, Magic Weapon, Monk Mantras, and Barb Shouts are freaking boring. They are fake passives, and the double 3 second mantra button isn't all that interesting either. Yes, the utility is great, but the mechanics are boring and silly as hell. Zerk and Archon are cool b/c they change up how you play considerably, at least they're supposed to. He's right that having them up permanently is a problem. But other permanent fake passive buffs are boring. They need to look into changing them up. Pushing a button every 2 minutes isn't skillful, it's boring.
While they're at it, look at most of the other boring "fake passive" skills. Wizard Armors, Magic Weapon, Monk Mantras, and Barb Shouts are freaking boring. They are fake passives, and the double 3 second mantra button isn't all that interesting either. Yes, the utility is great, but the mechanics are boring and silly as hell. Zerk and Archon are cool b/c they change up how you play considerably, at least they're supposed to. He's right that having them up permanently is a problem. But other permanent fake passive buffs are boring. They need to look into changing them up. Pushing a button every 2 minutes isn't skillful, it's boring.
There's nothing wrong with having passive buffs as an option, some people prefer to specialize in one or two attacks. They just need to do more to make other skills more competitive.
It begs the question: Why does WotB require a passive slot to extend it's duration while Archon gets it for free?
Because Archon itself is the build. WotB is just a useful part to WW and HotA builds. Archon is the attack. Once Archon drops you cant do anything until its off of cooldown.
Travis Day shared that some changes will be coming to Wrath of the Berserker and Archon. This will happen in a future though.
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Whatever you do, I hope you don't penalize those of us that use it as intended, that is people that just use it for the occasional boost and not a permanent boost.
I want to make this point clear. Wrath is an awesome ability, when the game first launched players used it the way it was designed to be used which was as a huge, temporary, power boost to kill a hard champ or fight a boss. The problem stems from the ability to keep it up 100% of the time. Any future change that we would consider making to either this or Archon would be focused on making these not a 100% uptime abilities. So yes as was stated above Wrath isn't the problem, Thrive on Chaos and the assist duration extending mechanic of Archon are the problems.
Act IV Density to be Buffed
Density in Act IV is yet to be changed since its implementation on the PTR. It will happen soon though.
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Poll: What's Your Favorite Shrine?
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Purifying these ancient obelisks will grant you and your allies one of six temporary buffs:
Wizard Arcane Torrent Build
A viewer on Archon Inferno's Twitch by the name of Rizzonater came up with an interesting Wizard build that is great for Uber bosses. Archon Inferno made a video showcasing the build along with some discussions on it and some alternatives. The build isn't new, but is definitely useful.
Ha. Bagstone.
for archon, its only effective for farming things your out gearing and highly dense areas (i know we are getting a density buff so i shouldnt say much on it)
just my thoughts
That's just it, it's NOT highly gear dependent, by any means. You can super budget a WW barb and make WoTb still stay up 100%. And even if it was gear dependent (just entertaining your side) it still needs to be nerfed, because again it's so powerful you're completely gimped if you don't use it.
Do you mean skill rune?
I'd be willing to except, well maybe not, some changes to Archon specifically, but then:
Why in the hell are they buffing it in multiplayer?
Multiplayer buff not a substitute for singleplayer...or is it in their eyes?
Why go through the adjustment?
Knowing (God I hope they know) buffing mob density, is a natural buff to all Mob Killing // On Damage // On Crit builds?
Are they really failing to see how "Uncomfortably" tight all the systems are in this game and just winging it?
Why don't they just wait till they get the damn patch out...
Wait till they get itemization patch out...
After that, actually strive to make each class unique rather than carbon copies of each other with only a few ability differences (which most aren't used anyway).
...and maybe then, do some adjustment, but hey maybe that's what they mean...
Just getting tired of the constant double speak and now over correcting for the under correcting post release. This is not an MMO that does not need this level of adjustment. Every class can do inferno, its the player that chooses what level MP to do, their play style, and their build (how ever pigeon holed you may think) ultimately it's the player's choice.
Just feel the game just needs this patch and itemization patch and it'll be fine till expansion. This constant Flavor of the month thing there bordering on got old real quick in WoW, let them not do it here please.
Fix what needs to be fixed, but leave the rest alone! Buff the other classes, don't tare down others, it's a no win at that point.
Simple damage increases, even very large ones, is like a thick layer of frosting on a cake with a crack in it, you can't see the crack underneath the frosting, but doesn't mean it's not there.
Sorry for rant, usually not this way, just annoyed at the buff to Archon, with people going to cry fowl more when top tire people figure out the two new Regen buffs for Familiar and Galavizing Ward (slightly less power, but over 1200 native regen).
I guess in summary take things in moderation is what I'm getting at, idk, just annoyed.
Should also ask: Why does WotB allow all other abilities to remain in their respective slots, while Archon gains two flimsy abilities and one strong Disintegrate ability at the cost of all prior skills (defensive ones for example), without any speed boost or crowd control immunity?
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CM is just one passive. It should be viable to play the game without it entirely.
on MP10. You have to have that immune to CC effects. People saying its OP have not idea what they are talking about, sometimes you get ranged mobs that kite you about and Wotb can fall off. You have to know what your doing.
I dont keep Wotb up 100%. I only use it for CC immune so i can get a fair chance at MP. I barely noctice the other stats it gives. Hopefully
the 4% Regen from IP buff will cover this nerf....All good tho. Thinking of moving over to a monk as no1 seems to have a problem with them being crazy.
There's nothing wrong with having passive buffs as an option, some people prefer to specialize in one or two attacks. They just need to do more to make other skills more competitive.
Because Archon itself is the build. WotB is just a useful part to WW and HotA builds. Archon is the attack. Once Archon drops you cant do anything until its off of cooldown.
I personally do not think WotB is needed, but what else can I use to replace it?