Avatar Q&A
Nightcrest87, the creator of the featured fan-made Avatar on the front page, made this Q&A for those interested in having a little more insight and knowing his thought process when designing the class. Check it out!
Avatar Fanart by Applibot Inc© and Nathalia Gomes©
To help people visualize the idea even better, Nightcrest has also set aside these amazing fanart ideas from Applibot Inc (male) and Nathalia Gomes (female).
General Concept:
Q: This class is clearly the Diablo II Druid. Why did you choose the name Avatar instead of Druid?
A: First of all, in this fan creation Avatars are Druids. It is just an honorary title bestowed to the wisest of druids. That being said, when I was researching the thematic aspects of the Druid in Diablo II, it became fast apparent that the original concept was lacking. The original concept had basically 4-6 themes depending on how conservative you are in the way you categorize them. The rest of the classes had an average of 8 themes in their skills trees. That being said, the theme of the Druid class had to be significantly enhanced in order to become something functional in D3. Therefore…, Avatars.
Q: Can you compare the themes of the Druids and the Avatars?
A: The Druids have the following themes: volcanism, weather, transformation (dps/tank) and companion (support/offence). The avatars have kept the same thematic identity but have diversified them as well as adding new aspects to it. The Avatars have the following themes: tectonics (volcanism, quakes, tidal forces), weather, companion (offense/support/utility), transformation (beast – melee dps, wisp – caster dps, oak – defensive/support, hybrid – utility), nature (growth, cleansing, survival), piercing weapon affinity and special interactions with poison elemental damage.
Q: What are the Avatars exactly?
A: The Avatars are the elite of the Diablo II Druid class. They are the ones who have reached the high peak of being a Druid either through their mental age or some genetic enabling trait. They are the embodiment of nature. They are one with everything. If Sanctuary had flesh and bones and was a living entity, that would be the Avatars. And this is where the name came from, *Avatars* are the *image/representation* of Sanctuary; even literally. All Avatars were once Druids, but not all Druids will manage to become Avatars. I could have called them Archdruids but it felt too cliché.
Q: Why is Will (Willpower) their primary resource?
A: The Avatars can command nature itself. They can animate the elements, they can influence animals and give conscience to plants. In my mind, willpower seemed like the resource that made absolute sense for them.
Q: Why is Wisdom their primary stat?
A: When I started designing the Necro, the Druid was also at the back of my mind, although I wasn’t sure if I would actually design it as well. I needed a primary stat that both classes could use. In fact, I decided on Wisdom for both long before I even created the first spell for the Necros.
Q: Why did you choose Fire, Lightning, Cold and Poison damage for their runes and skills?
A: As a class that is one with nature, I chose to use the 3 powers that are nature itself (Cold, Fire and Lightning) and the one that nature frequently enhances its creations with (Poison). Those 4 powers are also a small tribute to the Diablo II game, as they were the only ones present back then. My original idea on this class also employed a thematically primal version of Shadow damage but I quickly changed my mind on that.
Q: What is the gameplay and synergies of the class?
A: Unlike Crusaders and Monks which are tank(-ish) classes that can also heal, the Avatars are mainly a support class that has the ability to also wreak havoc if they so choose. Their primary role in a group is to be their safeguard against failure. I even created an item set that highlights this design; The Shards of Awye. That being said, the Avatars also have multiple DPS builds. In addition the avatars are capable of utilizing most tertiary statists in a variety of ways by employing internal synergies. No tertiary stat is useless to the Avatar; they can use everything provided they have the right combination of skills, items and passives equipped. Finally, their skills have a lot of inner synergies with themselves.
Q: What are the class specific items of the Avatar and what weapons can they use?
A: They have three class specific items: Spirit Cuffs (wrists), Javelins (1-h ranged, dual wielded), Lances (2-h melee). Their only weapon proficiency is piercing weapons. They can use all types of non-class specific piercing weapons from daggers (sorry, didn’t have enough space to add them to the passive – they would be in the 1-h sword/spear category) to crossbows. I choose piercing weapons for thematic reasons only. The avatars are naturalists, their favourite colour is green for Elun… ehmm… Tyrael’s sake!!! I wanted them to give quick merciful deaths to their enemies through precise strikes. Slashing and bludgeoning weapons are anything but… So… no furnace for you! …not that you would need one. >_>
Skills & Gameplay:
Q: Are skill costs high, low or balanced?
A: Skill costs are high but so are resource generation mechanics. The avatars will find themselves starved as often as they find themselves satiated. The class was designed in such a way that resources are awfully limited but they can also be generated very fast. It’s a way to actively promote the overall theme of alternation and vigor that the class possess through gameplay design. Of course, all that only comes into perspective if you understand how small the resource “globe” of the avatar would be which I didn’t have a way to describe in any place other than here.
Q: Why do the Avatars have so many channeled abilities?
A: I wanted the Avatars to a class that needs to make decisions on when to support allies and when to destroy enemies. I didn’t want them to be able to do both at the same time equally in efficiency. Channeled spells are a good way of doing that because they gate APM. I also gave them some additional support on the channeling theme through some of the passives. When you play the Avatar you won’t have to be a channeler by default. But if you choose so, there are synergetic passives that can make it easier for you. Finally, I added additional flexibility by making a couple of spells work with toggle mechanics
.
Q: Where are Werewolf and Werebear?
A: The entire shape-shifting tree in the Diablo II Druid was very distinct from all other trees on all other classes. It had an amazingly singular thematic identity. That being said, the skill tree was lackluster as hell in terms of recoding it into Diablo III format. It was clear from the very start that I could not have 2 spells (Werewolf, Werebear) so I decided to recode the entire D2 tree into a D3 single skill. The original idea had 3 abilities for the wolf form (base and 2 runes) and 3 runes for the bear but eventually I decided that I could make it even more diverse than that. The result is Beast Within, which is the entire shape-shifting skill tree compressed into one skill, and then some!
Q: Why does the primary and secondary attacks of Twisted Lineage do the same weapon damage?
A: The base damage is the same because the gameplay on this particular skill revolves about making the right choice in the right time. Both abilities are legit but they work kind of like the rogue from WoW. Think of the primary one as a combo stacker and the secondary one as a combo spender. More or less…
Q: What is the purpose of wisp form?
A: Just like Barbarians have Wrath of the Berserker that empowers their melee prowess, the Avatars have Will-O-Wisp that empowers their casting prowess. The Avatars are resource starved by design and wisp form is a brief solution to that problem that comes at a very unique cost that requires micromanagement. It’s a completely different type of gameplay that can be both rewarding and risky at the same time.
Q: Why is oak form a toggle? It’s not like you can cast other spells while it is active.
A: Oak form is basically a panic button when in dire need of defense. I wouldn’t want you accidentally die to a molten explosion because your fingers moved out of the button in your duress. Besides, making it a toggle spell can also help you plan ahead and queue up the defensive abilities you are going to use the moment you disable the form.
Q: Speaking of toggles, what is the deal with Raven Flock?
A: Raven Flock is an AoE spell that buffs itself up depending on how long it has been active. I can’t imagine that any spell that actively summons 40ish companions would be good for your FpS or the game itself; even the animation of the spell I imagined would be set in stone and unchangeable regardless of how many “ravens” you would have around. It’s a toggle spell because I don’t want you to waste time buffing the spell up. Throw it at the face of your enemies while your primary focus is either to support or deal damage with stronger spells. That spell is in the Dominion tree because of its theme, which is basically “call companions to my side”, but it is by no means a companion summon like the other skills in Dominion.
Q: What’s the deal with the primary abilities? They all feel, strangely familiar…
A: It’s a tribute to nostalgia to the Amazon class from Diablo II. {nostalgia} I’d like to think that female Avatars could visually resemble the Amazons a bit. {/nostalgia} Amazons have been mostly absorbed by the Demon Hunters and I don’t expect them to ever make an appearance in Diablo III as a playable class although they can definitely appear as lore characters I guess. The only part of their theme that was not absorbed was their Javelin/Spear skills. When I was planning out the primary and secondary abilities of the Avatar, I was originally thinking of designing nature spells for both categories. After further thought, I decided to only design half of them as pure nature spells and the rest as javelin and lance spells that have a decent number of elemental and nature related runes.
Q: Some runes don’t mention what type of damage they deal. What’s up with that?
A: With the exception of Elemental Spirit that deals damage similar to the one it buffs up, all other unspecified runes deal the same type of damage as the base form of the ability. It was mostly omitted for convenience’s sake.
Q: Why is X ability so broken?
A: Guys, I’m … I’m sorry. When you are creating something on your own, the moment it starts to take shape, you get excited and you kind of end up falling in love with it. You become blind to its flaws because in your own mind it somehow made sense in the first place and you have no feedback from anyone at all to slap you back into reality, because it’s a fan creation that you do on your own; it’s not a group endeavor. I tried to iron out the biggest extremities but I’m sure things slipped through, especially in the between-skill synergies.
Misc Info:
Q: How did you plan out the Avatar and in what order did you design the abilities?
A: I started by devoting a few hours to research and trying to remember what the D2 Druid was all about. Immediately after, I had the transformation spells planned out followed shortly by the elemental ones. After that I planned the dominion spells and the defensive ones, leaving the secondary and primary for last. While I was working on the concepts of the spells, I was also thinking of possible passives and had pretty much established what I wanted my two 6pc sets to be about gameplay-wise.
Design wise, I finished the abilities in this order: Transformation -> Elemental -> Defensive -> Secondaries -> Passives -> Dominion -> Items -> Primaries.
Q: How many hours did this fan creation take you?
A: Around 60ish hours just like the Necro last month. But I had to do it in about half the days because I wanted it ready before Blizzcon.
Q: Where are the character models, concept arts, VFX etc.
A: My creativity sparks in concept creation and theorycrafting. Artworks is not my best side. /hangs head in sadness
Q: Is there a list to see the skill recodings from Diablo II to Diablo III?
A: Here are the 3 Druid skill trees and the Amazon javelin/spear skill tree:
Firestorm -> Eruption (Fire and Brimstone)
Molten Boulder -> Eruption (Molten Boulder)
Arctic Blast -> Monsoon (Base)
Fissure -> Tremors (Blazing Pillar)
Cyclone Armor -> To the Bitter End (Passive) / Natural Remedies (Acquired Tolerance)
Twister -> Already in game: Wizard (Energy Twister - Base)
Volcano -> Eruption (Stratovolcano)
Tornado -> Monsoon (Cataclysm)
Armageddon -> Eruption (Stratovolcano)
Hurricane -> Monsoon (Supercell)
Werewolf -> Beast Within (Hunger of Lupus)
Lycanthropy -> Beast Within (Alpha Beast)
Werebear -> Beast Within (Might of Ursus)
Feral Rage -> Beast Within (Hunger of Lupus)
Maul -> Beast Within (Might of Ursus)
Rabies -> Beast Within (Cunning of Vulpus)
Fire Claws -> Beast Within (Fervor of Catus)
Hunger -> Beast Within (Hunger of Lupus)
Shock Wave -> Beast Within (Might of Ursus)
Fury -> Beast Within (Base)
Raven -> Raven Flock (Base)
Poison Creeper -> Creeping Vine (Poison Creeper)
Oak Sage -> Elemental Spirit (Gravelus)
Summon Spirit Wolf -> Already in game: Demon Hunter (Companion – Wolf Companion)
Carrion Vine -> Creeping Vine (Vampiric Coil)
Heart of Wolverine -> Natural Remedies (Celerity)
Summon Dire Wolf -> Already in game: Demon Hunter (Companion – Wolf Companion)
Solar Creeper -> Creeping Vine (Vampiric Coil)
Spirit of Barbs -> Barbed Skin (Reflective Carapace)
Summon Grizzly -> Feral Guardian (Base)
Jab -> Triple Jab (Base)
Power Strike -> Aimed Throw (Headshot)
Poison Javelin -> Piercing Thrust (Dissipating Plague)
Impale -> Piercing Thrust (Base)
Lightning Bolt -> Piercing Thrust (Charged Strike)
Charged Strike -> Piercing Thrust (Charged Strike)
Plague Javelin -> Piercing Thrust (Dissipating Plague)
Fend -> Omnistrike (Base)
Lightning Strike -> Dart Rain (Meteorological Tantrum)
Lightning Fury -> Dart Rain (Meteorological Tantrum)
2
I'd also like to echo that these are the initial numbers heading into a PTR. And from my recollection, though there are exceptions, Blizzard intentionally over shoots and then reels back. That has been their maxim historically for better or worse.
By employing extreme changes they generate more interest (if only superficial) to play test the 'thing'. Higher numbers of people play testing, potentially brings in more feedback, which in turn provides them with more data to decide where to go. If the changes were minor out of the gate I believe the interest to play whatever it is they're testing wanes. Philosophically speaking their take on modifying existing content might look egregious but I believe there's intent to get it right by generating buzz. Otherwise, yeah, they are in fact pissing into the wind and I hope they would invest their time more wisely.
This is all specious reasoning on my part. So please take it with a grain of salt.
TL:DR; Just bear in mind these changes are in the PTR precisely because they don't rightly know where the numbers should be. And that they are high most likely on purpose to get more people testing boundaries.
1
Justification for the disparity? Money and a lack of forethought would be my cynical guess. By coercing people to group they have less lobbies to host while simultaneously fostering customer retention. Elaborating the latter - People that play a game with other people have a higher tendency to stick around longer. Attributed to the concept of group flow; which is not an entirely terrible thing. But! According to that same concept the benefits of the XP modifier are extraneous to this idea. A cherry on top of the ice cream that already has a cherry. You have plenty of other positive motivations for group play without it. I agree that it needn't be that large if that were the sole aim. But I don't believe it is.
I write all that as an introverted solo gamer. And even though it's not the point of this topic I personally agree with everyone above pointing out that some milestones are truly monstrous for an exclusive solo player.
1
Ooo. I hadn't thought that was how it would go when I read that part of the news update. I assumed that it would be as Gorok states above. IE: one seasonal journey would only net you one additional tab. But if it's like that: Slayer +1 tab, Champion +1 tab, Destroyer +1 tab? That would be cool too... Wonder if you'd have to do that every season?Thanks for the (confirmation/correction) KallizkAs for the OP. The focus on seasons. I'm going to apply some specious reasoning for a bit. They have to focus on the things that will yield the greatest potential for keeping their game from stagnating. There is no PvP. They have seasons. The majority of players are more likely to play the game if they have a mandated goal to complete. Seasons introduce a fresh set of explicit and implicit goals to achieve when you get into them. Nonseasonal has these as well of course. Sadly the previous statement should read "had" because more than likely they have been attained so long ago. To avoid that stifled feeling coercing you into thinking "what now", you are pressured into seasons. I'm probably bemoaning all the points you've heard time and again but it's important to keep in mind that retaining players' interest is highly important to the game and future development.
My version of your gripe involves grouping vs solo. So I commiserate in not wanting to participate but still feeling pressured into it. That all being said, I do hope they change their minds and provide a different cosmetic reward in seasons and hand out stash space to everyone. I can't speak for others but I would participate in Season 5, sans Seasonal Journey reward Stash space. Not sure if that's how others feel or not.
1
Yes. No idea on the sophistication bots have for finding a particular mob but many purples still have set spawn locations. And until then I reckon we're not going to see purples drop anything nice any time soon. Was it Cudgelarm that was botted and subsequently led to all purples dropping only one rare item way back when?
@OP: As for a goblin that drops only DB? I can't help but feel likewise. Odious collectors are too infrequent and do not drop nearly enough to sustain the draw of DB. Perhaps another look at recipe costs if not a boost to DB drops? I feel that DB's are too ubiquitous. Particularly since it's the only reagent you cannot realistically collect any of until your first 70, seasonally speaking. Although in the rush to 70 that number may be a marginal help at best based on drop rate to difficulty. The costs in ascending order are Gems(x1), Rerolling(x1), Convert Reagent(x1), Extracting(x5), Convert Set(x10), Upgrading(x25). Maybe halve the latter three? Extraction - 3, Set Conversion - 5, Upgrading - 12?
Sage set for more DB? I like how the set has gained itself a foothold in the meta but honestly I'd much rather have the set do something more meaningful to the game to warrant that.
2
- Perm bans on players who tried a simple bug in the game is very extreme.
I don't agree. In my personal polluted view of this game. Every "exploit" is seemingly met with a lukewarm response. Temporary banning, rollbacks. By taking a hardline they're hopefully establishing a precedent. You yourself mentioned that point in your video. A deterrence. We can only hope it actually holds water.
- This banwave had absolutely nothing to do with botters, botters remain untouched (bots are extremely sophisticated).
Sad thing that is too. Botting as pervasive and undermining as ever.
- 17 passives was nowhere near the level of game breaking as blood shard goblins exploit, yet the passive bug was treated with much more extreme measures.
I don't know which is more game breaking. But the latter part of your statement harkens back to the first point.
In your video I found it alarming that you were so dismissive of this particular exploit and the reaction BY persistently comparing it to other egregious offenses. Someone earlier made an apt analogy about being pulled over for speeding and asking the police officer why they aren't chasing murderers. I can't think of a better way to put it. A powerful lesson this has been for some.
1
I've been playing as a Crusader in Season 3 at T6 alone. Also lately I've been working on crafting Hellfire Amulets. It's a time consuming endeavor. I'm not thrilled with the idea of the key being a mere 50% at T6 but I do understand that it increases the chase a bit. The trouble for me is finding the Keywarden. I will not use the word “all” or "we" for the sake of avoiding hyperbole but many times I've caught myself having explored eighty to ninety percent of the map and miraculously no Keywarden. At which point I pull up the map. Find that one mote of obfuscation left. Trudge on over. “Yup, there's Sokahr. Anddd... no key.” Doubly frustrating. Where's this lame gripe going you're wondering?
My suggestion is the following: On Keywarden maps, after X% of the map is uncovered, a “here's the Keywarden” ping comes into existence. And much like that helpful “here's the bounty” arrow after X amount of time, it continues to illuminate the correct path until they are no longer necessary.
Points of rebuttal that I perceive:
Another Solo vs Group play discussion:
I admit that this mechanic is inspired wholly by my solitary playing habits. It would indeed be remedied by grouping but that solution is not ideal for me personally. I do not have the will or desire to group. It invokes a feeling of anxiousness. I do not see compromise of playstyles as much as I see acquiescence. I bear certain proclivities and I imagine them to be a detriment to others. It does not heighten my entertainment factor for me to play thinking that I'm hampering my group's enjoyment. I am aware this is petty, but that is me. My personal drawback's aside, there will always be times when finding a group may prove difficult.
Shortening the length of time it takes to craft an amulet:
Only marginally so. You are still combating the RNG monster when it comes to the key actually dropping. The specific number representing the percentage could also be variable or dependent on the amount of people.
Not looking for Keywarden:
What if you're not looking for the Keywarden? What if the icon is obtrusive/unnecessary? I can only suggest that this system be designed well enough to avoid such annoyances. That a bounty arrow, if applicable, takes precedence over the Keywarden hint for example. Or based on the multiplayer game tag "Key Warden", the reverse occurs.
Play as X to hunt faster:
Conformity for convenience. When Mara's set first hit it was absolutely too good to ignore. I gave up how I used to play and took on the role of a passive knife in the dark. I wasn't particularly fond of it but it was lucrative. It'll always be like that. Adjusting to the meta until I've forgotten what skills delivered a cathartic thwack to the mobs. My point is that conceding here doesn't have to be a necessary absolute.
Why not suggest using a timer like with the Bounty:
Incredibly it was not the first idea that occurred to me while I thought about this originally. The bounty timer came to mind while I was writing this post. So then I wondered why it didn't occur to me initially to just suggest using the timer mechanic from the Bounties. I believe using a timer is wrong. I do not want to propose a mechanic that could potentially remove exploration and replace it with an amenity. I only wish to shorten the exploration phase to avoid an aspect of Keywarden frustration.
Thank you for taking the time to read.
Sincerely,
Detruncate
1
Are rifts your best option for getting good equipment? Yes. Both rift types feature higher chances of legendaries during the run but also the blood shards mentioned above. So multiple avenues for betterment.
Best set for Barbs? I would say Raekor's. Charge can be a bit dodgy but it can utterly destroy groups of elites or mobs if you're not all thumbs like me. I personally have a mish mash of both Raekor and Immortal Kings set at the moment.
1
[edit: correction]
[pushes glasses back up bridge of nose so there will be no excuse for misunderstanding the OP]
1
I cannot agree that others do not play a role in how I play the game.