There is 0 item diversity in this game. And the new change, doesn't change a squat.
Every single one of you who played over paragon 1 knows, that for end-game builds, you have spesific items you must own (obviously with good rolls) to successfuly run high GRs.
Take a good look on the builds page, do you see alot of items diversity? No, you don't!
You can't run with w/e weapons you like on WW Barb. No, you have Bul Kathos for the best WW performance. Sure you can use IK weapon. but it won't be nearly as good.
Same goes for DH current weapon of choice for MS build.
You are in denial, if you think you can choose w/e the fuck you want to wear and get away with the same/better performance on current builds in-game.
itemization only works on Torments.
You cant do much tweaking once we talk GR60+.
This entire thread, along with Quin's, is a waste of time. Unless you're a casual who don't run high GRs and care about minimal gear swapping for gameplay diversity.
This is a horrifically fatalistic perspective on Diablo 3. Yes we're all aware that the cutting edge of play involves using one of a several builds that is proven to be the most effective at GR above 70. However, there is no consensus that the cutting edge is what's losing out here. The people who are losing are the casual and pseudo-casual players who do think about builds and really try to pull something unique together that might work as high as GR50-60, but will never be god-tier. In short, these changes clearly threaten the "illusion of choice" in high-tier play, but they also threaten meaningful choices for lower levels of play.
In contrast, I find the best way to approach these changes is one Quin mentions briefly: why are they adding these buffs? What is the point of making one item outright better than any other item in that slot for a particular build? In the past, it has been because the buff had a tradeoff that changed the the available sets/items that could be equipped with the buff item. Best example is the Fist of Az'Turrasq. This is a one-handed weapon that doubled Exploding Palm damage. That sounds just as broken as the new Tzo Krin's Gaze except that because Fist was ONE-HANDED, the damage calculated by EP would have been LOWER without the buff. So Fist's EP buff was a direct consequence of it's otherwise lower damage, thus the compensatory buff allowed build freedom by giving the player choice over their other one-handed weapon. Really nifty and not broken.
In comparison, items like the new Tzo Krin's Gaze and Kyoshiro's Soul provide their huge damage buffs while taking up a set item slot, which inhibits set completion (that's the tradeoff). However, just as Quin mentioned, the Ring of Royal Grandeur can take care of this issue in case it's a problem. But in the case of Kyoshiro's Soul, that isn't even necessary. It's a belt, which realistically only interferes with two sets that monks might be using and neither is very common (Inna's Raiment or Blackthorn's). So Kyoshiro's Soul may be the most egregious abuse of an item that is outright better in nearly ALL cases if the player is using Sweeping Wind.
So why is blizzard issuing these necessary skill buffs? Like Quin stated, it makes more sense to outright buff the skill, or perhaps add in a leveled-stat scaling (more stat scaling as levels increase) to buff underperforming skills while not making the leveling process unreasonably cookie-cutter.
Seriously, most of these problems are made up because of boredom. Try playing another game once in a while, Blizzard doesn't mind.
Most people don't care to be in the top 10 and seem to realise there is only room for 10 people in the top 10. This is also not an MMORPG game meant to be played for thousands of hours each year, this is an Action RPG meant to climb in and play when you've got a few hours to spend.
Completely agree with this. Most of the so called "issues" with the games arent really an issue for the average joe. When a grinder spends hundreds of hours a month collecting the perfect gear, well obviously at the end of the month, hes gonna have everything ancient with the best rolls. And at that point one build is bound to better than all the other ones, since you cant balance hundreds of items and skill options to yield the same result. And then those grinders start QQing on forums on how the game is not balanced and that the best set is too OP and how Diablo lacks options and content etc etc.
This is happening everywhere however. In each game theres a set of people who play it ad nauseum and then start complaining because its getting stale. Its should be the developers common sense to not give in to ridiculous demands from a super small fraction of players.
Absolutely not. If your statement represents the "average joe" player, then you need to understand that Quin's rant is really there to protect "average joe" players. Like you said "average joe" players don't sink thousands of hours into the game and have not acquired the number of items with the right rolls to even begin the level of combination testing that people like Quin have. His whole point is to make players FEEL like they have options. Everyone is aware that certain builds/sets will always dominate for one reason or another, but being able to use a particular item/set in something above Torment 2 is something that every player deserves. For example, the classic Frostburn+Rimeheart combo (if you don't know what those are, then please avoid arguing with Quin) is really cool but not balanced for high tier play. I have successfully made builds that apply this combo up to t7 before other builds are really necessary for faster farming/safer clear, and that's the mark of some cool non-dominate legendaries. However, I was using sweeping wind with that build and if I had dared to equip anything other than the new Kyoshiro belt, I would automatically be losing out even though I liked using the inna's belt for 6-set bonus. That's the problem that you might not even see coming.
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In contrast, I find the best way to approach these changes is one Quin mentions briefly: why are they adding these buffs? What is the point of making one item outright better than any other item in that slot for a particular build? In the past, it has been because the buff had a tradeoff that changed the the available sets/items that could be equipped with the buff item. Best example is the Fist of Az'Turrasq. This is a one-handed weapon that doubled Exploding Palm damage. That sounds just as broken as the new Tzo Krin's Gaze except that because Fist was ONE-HANDED, the damage calculated by EP would have been LOWER without the buff. So Fist's EP buff was a direct consequence of it's otherwise lower damage, thus the compensatory buff allowed build freedom by giving the player choice over their other one-handed weapon. Really nifty and not broken.
In comparison, items like the new Tzo Krin's Gaze and Kyoshiro's Soul provide their huge damage buffs while taking up a set item slot, which inhibits set completion (that's the tradeoff). However, just as Quin mentioned, the Ring of Royal Grandeur can take care of this issue in case it's a problem. But in the case of Kyoshiro's Soul, that isn't even necessary. It's a belt, which realistically only interferes with two sets that monks might be using and neither is very common (Inna's Raiment or Blackthorn's). So Kyoshiro's Soul may be the most egregious abuse of an item that is outright better in nearly ALL cases if the player is using Sweeping Wind.
So why is blizzard issuing these necessary skill buffs? Like Quin stated, it makes more sense to outright buff the skill, or perhaps add in a leveled-stat scaling (more stat scaling as levels increase) to buff underperforming skills while not making the leveling process unreasonably cookie-cutter.
1
Absolutely not. If your statement represents the "average joe" player, then you need to understand that Quin's rant is really there to protect "average joe" players. Like you said "average joe" players don't sink thousands of hours into the game and have not acquired the number of items with the right rolls to even begin the level of combination testing that people like Quin have. His whole point is to make players FEEL like they have options. Everyone is aware that certain builds/sets will always dominate for one reason or another, but being able to use a particular item/set in something above Torment 2 is something that every player deserves. For example, the classic Frostburn+Rimeheart combo (if you don't know what those are, then please avoid arguing with Quin) is really cool but not balanced for high tier play. I have successfully made builds that apply this combo up to t7 before other builds are really necessary for faster farming/safer clear, and that's the mark of some cool non-dominate legendaries. However, I was using sweeping wind with that build and if I had dared to equip anything other than the new Kyoshiro belt, I would automatically be losing out even though I liked using the inna's belt for 6-set bonus. That's the problem that you might not even see coming.