Their explanation leans back on the "it's not Diablo II" argument which has been touted since the game's announcement back in 2008:
Official Blizzard Quote:
We've been playing the game, we know what skill points were causing, and it was not interesting and unique builds. It was not meaningful customization. It was maxing out a couple skills, and that's it. It was Diablo II. What we have now actually forces people to make interesting choices, to craft interesting builds based on very strict limitations.
But the Diablo III team wants the latest game in the series to go beyond, as they see it, another shortcoming they saw in Diablo II's skill system. Bashiok says that "one common mistake people are making is thinking all the class skills are straight damaging attack skills... There's no variety because you just pick the most powerful six, and you're done."
Their latest iteration of the skill system essentially splits what would have been called passive and active skills in Diablo II into two exactly that: passive and active skills. Where passive skills are invested in separately and contribute to your character's brawn in secret, regular skills are the ones you will use to blast your enemies into gooey bits, as well as zip around the screen at lightning speeds and issue combo attacks. Not all of these skills are straight damage dealers. Some of them allow resource regeneration or life steal, which adds another level of tactical flare to your combat experience.
Whereas in the past you would have used skill points (awarded at each level-up) to augment the power of your favorite skills (or the potency of synergies), the new skill system in Diablo III scales your skills based on your level. In addition, runestones, including their numerous tiers, affect the look, feel, and effects of your skills. Beyond them, gear directly affects your battle potency. Bashiok laid out a Diablo II scenario for demonstration:
Official Blizzard Quote:
The base problem with skill points is that we found they simply put too much incentive toward pumping up one or two skills. If we wanted to balance the game it means we'd have to let someone be able to essentially beat the game with that build since it's the most obvious. You're not going to put a few points here, a few there, you're going to go the D2 route, horde points, and dump them all into a core skill or two. It really limited builds since points always went toward specific types of attacks that scaled well with additional points, and we're not going to keep systems that are stifling (viable) build potential and (meaningful) character customization.
So, removing functionality encourages customization? While many would argue the case of stat point removal for Diablo III, this might not be exactly the same thing. Regardless, this solution does directly address the "one or two skills" scenario (Diablo II cookie-cutter builds, anyone?), so maybe it is a big step in the right direction.
Interestingly enough, the removal of skill point allotment indirectly addresses yet another controversial topic: respeccing. Many have argued that allowing for respeccing caters to a "softer" gaming audience and drains the game of an element of challenge (just take a look through a 2008 article's responses). Without skill points, there's no longer any need for respeccing. Whether or not this appeases more hardcore players is another question entirely.
Force had some excellent one-on-one time with Jay Wilson to get the full story straight from the Diablo man, himself. Wilson talked about everything leading up to the latest decision, including observations from alpha testing and conclusions drawn from prior strategy scenarios in the older games.
But does all this wishy-washy skill softness mean something more than encouraging more diverse builds? As a user on the Battle.net board asked, "Do you come upon a particularly nasty group that this other skill would just be perfect for, so you hang back, grab that skill, then destroy the group?"
Bashiok did not shoot the idea down entirely:
Official Blizzard Quote:
You're far more likely to see a player sticking with a build and working to become better at it than constantly swapping around. That's not a rule, it's player psychology so there's going to be a wide range of variables, but it's what we have found to be true not only for Diablo III, but a lot of the games out there with similar free-swapping of builds.
The removal of skill points seems like a step away from the spirit of the franchise, instilled in us with Diablo II. It will restrict cookie-cutter and low-skill-count builds to an extent, and it indirectly removes the need for a controversial respeccing system. But it is a far cry different from the original games and many "Diablo clones," possibly alienating parts of an otherwise eager audience.
If there is a lot of interaction between skills this system is great.
How does this remove the 1-2 skill scenario? He says you cannot go around just WW everything and win, really? Only way to stop me from doing that is to make immune to physical monsters or make a big ass cool-down or drain on resource for it, which in turn means I would get another skill to accommodate that hinder.
Doesn't want cookie cutter builds or to go online to figure out best builds. Ok, so now that we own every skill Jay, you are trying to tell me that noone in the world will figure out a top tier build for PvP or for MF and post it online and it won't be followed? Did this guy even play Diablo 2? They obviously could not make lower skills enticing like they claimed they were so they went with this system where it's free so why not use it.
Why not keep respec, allow us to add skill points maybe only 1-5 per skill, that way we can still build the characters we want without everyone being the same damn character. You might make your barbarian all damage, I might make mine have more defense tho, that is customization. You can keep the scaling of skills but at least let us have some choice beside grabbing up 6 free skills which honestly is not that hard to do like he makes it out to be. 1 Buffer, 1 debuffer, 2 power skills with good resource or cool down management and D3 is a wrap, and how could it not be your character is essentially a god.
I second this.
Instead of making a balanced working system, with, I dont know, a skill point cap limit per level or something like that, they're just dumping the whole point system.
People is still going to take the same super damage skills, and the super deadly skill+gear killer combo. It's gonna happen, with or without points.
Come on! There's a lot of people designing this damn thing, couldn't they come up with something better than that?
We've had enough of this, It's just not fair!
We deserve better from them.
1) OK, I understand the no necessity of maxing skills. But what about the replayability of the same classes? One thing that I loved about D2 was that after making a bow amazon I could start over with a javelin amazon, and it would feel like the whole new game again. Now there is no need at all to make a new character of the same class? This does reduce replayability, doesn't it?
2) Some time ago Bashiok said that with the automatic attributes level-up would still feel like a "level-up". But now without skill points, what is keeping the level-up from "Great, I'm a little stronger in everything I always used and can use better gear"? Does this seem like a "level-up"? Or am I missing something?
This new system, on the other hand, completely removes those problems. It lets the players enjoy every aspect of their class and tailor it to fit their style without cringing every time they have to drop another point in the same skill just so they can keep progressing. Furthermore, since they'll know exactly how powerful the base skills are at any given level then they'll know exactly how strong to make the enemies in order to provide the appropriate challenge. The true variables are equipment and runes, the latter of which essentially lets you choose from ~100-110 different options for those six active skill slots.
Some people are really upset by this decision. Nothing wrong with that. But let's maybe give the game a chance before deciding that it's completely ruined. I fully expect that most of the naysayers are going to come around and find D3 to be just as rich and rewarding as they found D2. As for me, I've never been more excited for this game than I am right now.
I'll have to play the game to find out if I like the system, but as it stands from my point of view, it doesn't feel like you can actually create a bad build - which I think bad.
Ok, I must have missed a post or something somewhere, because I really dont see anything wrong with this. It combines some of the two systems, creates consequences for players actions, and also could possible create another balance/cost to reduce gold in game...I just dont want Diablo 3 to be another walk in the park...
1. There is really no need at all to make a new character since you could only make a lvl 60 character and switch skills. This is not about stupidity or need to make 50000 chars, it is about relevant choices and about the developing of a character to try a build. Now you can try a build simply changing the lvl 60 character skills. It's easier, as using a trainer and making a level 99 character and choosing the skill point allocation also was, but is not as fun as starting over and FEELING the build in every part of the game. I always loved the first 20-30 levels far more than the last ones.
2. I don't know, does that feel relevant to you? A completely automatic level-up? The level-up is the climax of every RPG, it can't go like "Oh, another level, what can I do now? Oh, i am stronger, that's all.".
I am not trolling nor am saying that the system will be bad. I am just trying to grasp how this system deals with the aspects I've risen, that are very important to me.
1. Respeccing is gone with the new system, so yea...did I miss your point?
2. Since Respeccing is gone, you can easily change your skills back and forth on the fly. No need to choose wisely..
3. I agree that runes will make you stick with some skills, but once you start using high level runes, you would have already found the build that works best for you and stick to those skills.
4. I havent seen a quote stating that you cannot change skills in a dungeon? Please provide...
5. As it stands now, you can change skills freely and there is no cost to you. That is why I want players to choose their skills and it is locked until you respec. Which needs to be added to the current system.
Honestly, I think you might be confused regarding the new system and that respec is out the window...
And if they actually put variation on the runes and make them hard to find, that will make characters unique in the sense I am looking for.