Lclick - Plague of Toads (Addling Toads) <-- dmg & CC
Rclick - Locust Swarm (Devouring Swarm) <-- dmg & mana regen
1 - Summon Zombie Dogs (Leeching Beasts) <-- tanks & heals
2 - Gargantuan (Restless Giant) <-- super tank for elites & bosses
3 - Fetish Army (Devoted Following) <-- burst DPS or AOE pack distraction
4 - Big Bad Voodoo (Ghost Trance) <-- burst DPS support & heals
Basically this is a pet-support build that has a combination of Zombie Dogs, the Gargantuan and the Fetish Army... not to mention the Addling Toads as a primary attack, for confusing the enemies & dealing substantial damage to them. Locust Swarm (Devouring Swarm) setup to be the mana regen tool that both has an AOE component and it can spread to additional targets from a single cast, increasing the mana regen potency (I hope). Big Bad Voodoo will heal me, my buddies and my pets, and is on a reduced cooldown with Tribal Rites.
Jungle Fortitude for myself and the variety of pets will keep us alive longer during the harder difficulties, and Vermin acts as my damage buff to Toads & Locusts. Tribal Rites will also work well with my Devoted Following rune in Fetish Army to keep it as close to a 1 minute cooldown as possible, for burst DPS situations (or "oh snap" moments).
Overall, I feel this build will suit my playstyle best as a Pet/Support/CC class, and it is geared towards PvE solo or group play.
Some thoughts about what a potential purpose for the Mystic could be, in the future... if she comes back.
Instead of enchanting items (similar to improvements made through jewels & sockets), what if the Mystic could Shuffle, Enhance & Reset item stats? Details below...
1 - Shuffle: Re-roll stats on an item, not level-wise, but types. +VIT could become +Fear, or +DEX could become +INT, and so on.
This option is fairly basic for taking a decent item and re-rolling the stats to see if they would better suit your class or play-style. It would cost Gold & Resources (standard crafting materials) in line with the level of the item and the number of stats to be shuffled.
2 - Enhance: Level-up an item, upgrading it's core item level, and with it the stats it already possess. (Mainly geared towards, or exclusive to, Set & Legendary type items)
This concept would bring a way for players to [potentially] find and use something they really enjoy, for an extended period of time, not by increasing the number of random attributes, but rather just increasing the level-value of the existing ones.
Players would be required to pay in gold and resources (likely the existing crafting material types) to Enhance an item. Gold/resource cost would be on a scale with relation to player level & item level [current] prior to upgrade.
So, while you can make something core about the item scale competatively, such as the armor value or dps range, you would be a little off-set with number bonus stats by constantly upgrading an item that originated at a low level.
Also, as an item is upgraded, it will not be available to use for lower level characters (unless it is "reset").
Example (all stats are fairly arbitrary in the example)
Genzaniku - Legendary Axe (level 4) <-- original
12.3 DPS
7-12 Damage
1.30 APS
+10 STR
+10 VIT
Player level is 9 when they find the item, and they then Enhance it, causing new stats...
Genzaniku - Legendary Axe (level 9) <-- low cost on upgrade, similar to crafting
18.2 DPS
10-18 Damage
1.30 APS
+12 STR
+12 VIT
Player level is 60 and they decide to Enhance this old item again...
Oh yes, I understand now what you meant about weapon "choice," and I agree.
I feel very strongly that the inclusion of at least 1 ability like this (suggested in OP) would promote some crazy diversity in the game... and even more so if each class had something like this that would promote slightly different (and perhaps off-the-wall) builds.
I would disagree about the last statement though, because with the crafting of items, the affixes are completely random, and that appears to be where a lot of the best gear is (at least early on). I watched a Barbarian make a bunch of armor that popped with INT on it... the reactions were kinda funny.
Well since there's no basic attack, and the classes are forced to use their respective weapons, I wouldn't put too much thought into a melee DH. The closest you're probably going to get is just using all the close range knife abilities. Unfortunately, a lot of the previous build variations have been turned into simply cosmetic changes. Like a "melee" wizard uses spectral blade which is a spell. And a "melee" DH uses the knife abilities which are really just arrows called something different. And a "ranged" barbarian doesn't really exist because you can't get away from having to use melee attacks to generate fury.
I sorta feel like you didn't read my post entirely... I'm suggesting a new ability be added, which functions for both melee & ranged, depending on the weapon equipped. The main thing a melee DH is missing is a hatred generated weapon attack that does not require a ranged weapon. Grenades are close, but not a staple go-to skill for face to face confrontation.
I'm not expecting my idea to be added, but I like to think of what it would take to get something viable in place to make that type of build possible.
It might be neat if they'd make a ranged Barbarian possible (utilizing bows... weird)... maybe not... but still, another possibility to toy with might be fun. I was originally intending to go with a bow-wielding Witch Doctor, and it will probably still be possible without much concern, since that class is mostly ranged to begin with. It's just trickier to execute when you go against the grain that the developers have in place to guide the game-play experience.
I feel the 8 seconds is pretty good for the cool-down between blinds on the same target. In PvP, someone will ultimately use an escape or an AOE of some sort when other (standard) attacks are negated by the blind... but keeping it somewhat competitive is important... unless CC type attacks are halved in duration for PvP. Still not sure on the PvP details yet.
Hey everyone - How about a new skill for DH? I've noticed a number of threads on the topic for this (melee DH) as well as melee Wizard, so I thought an exercise in creativity might be in order. I really like a lot of the tools the DH has, but I wouldn't mind seeing them up close and personal instead of always tossing-out pain from afar. A DH using a 2h sword or a 1h & shield might be kinda cool... if not for the fact that there are limits to the hatred generators when you don't have a ranged weapon equipped. So, my thought on a solution for this is as follows:
Shadow Strike - Unlocked at lv 4
Generate: 3 Hatred
Strike your target dealing 130% weapon damage and slowing the target's movement and attack speed by 10%, for 3 seconds.
(works with ranged & melee)
Runes variations:
Night Walk - Increases your movement and attack speed by 15% for 4 seconds when you attack a target.
Hateful Shadows - Increases the damage to 175% and increases the critical damage bonus by 50%.
Unending Darkness - Targets are also blinded for 3 seconds when struck. Cannot occur more than once every 8 seconds on the same target.
Fading Strike - After a successful attack, you have an increased chance (30%) to dodge the next attack against you.
Enveloping Shadows - Rapidly attack three times, dealing 85% weapon damage per hit.
I had also posted this on the Blizzard forums and just thought that I'd spread the word here as well, as the discussions seem a bit more constructive here.
Blizzard is definitely turning over every rock these days.
It sucks that the release has been pushed, but I'm sure this mentality will make D3 all the more better in the end.
Many, many games just accept the game mechanics of auras/mantras/armor etc. If nothing else, it's refreshing to see a developer go "hey, let's try it this way instead".
I agree totally - this careful review of everything is what is going to make such a huge difference between a "ready" release and a polished release.
It will be worth the wait, for sure, if this is the degree of detail they are going into for each class. I'm curious to see what they come up with for the Wizard armors.
I'm drawn to the WD skills uniqueness more than anything (especially with rune modifiers). Definitely going WD first, and my builds always tend to lean towards a summoner/debuff playstyle to roll with my bro's Barb / Wizard.
I sort of agree with the OP about the epicness of other classes somewhat outweighing the WD on the "pretty" or "potent" scale, but I think the WD has more fun rune options visually (zombie bears/ladder, raining corpses, giant frog, etc) than anyone else.
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http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/witch-doctor#chYTPj!aZi!YZcZZY
Lclick - Plague of Toads (Addling Toads) <-- dmg & CC
Rclick - Locust Swarm (Devouring Swarm) <-- dmg & mana regen
1 - Summon Zombie Dogs (Leeching Beasts) <-- tanks & heals
2 - Gargantuan (Restless Giant) <-- super tank for elites & bosses
3 - Fetish Army (Devoted Following) <-- burst DPS or AOE pack distraction
4 - Big Bad Voodoo (Ghost Trance) <-- burst DPS support & heals
Basically this is a pet-support build that has a combination of Zombie Dogs, the Gargantuan and the Fetish Army... not to mention the Addling Toads as a primary attack, for confusing the enemies & dealing substantial damage to them. Locust Swarm (Devouring Swarm) setup to be the mana regen tool that both has an AOE component and it can spread to additional targets from a single cast, increasing the mana regen potency (I hope). Big Bad Voodoo will heal me, my buddies and my pets, and is on a reduced cooldown with Tribal Rites.
Jungle Fortitude for myself and the variety of pets will keep us alive longer during the harder difficulties, and Vermin acts as my damage buff to Toads & Locusts. Tribal Rites will also work well with my Devoted Following rune in Fetish Army to keep it as close to a 1 minute cooldown as possible, for burst DPS situations (or "oh snap" moments).
Overall, I feel this build will suit my playstyle best as a Pet/Support/CC class, and it is geared towards PvE solo or group play.
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Instead of enchanting items (similar to improvements made through jewels & sockets), what if the Mystic could Shuffle, Enhance & Reset item stats? Details below...
1 - Shuffle: Re-roll stats on an item, not level-wise, but types. +VIT could become +Fear, or +DEX could become +INT, and so on.
This option is fairly basic for taking a decent item and re-rolling the stats to see if they would better suit your class or play-style. It would cost Gold & Resources (standard crafting materials) in line with the level of the item and the number of stats to be shuffled.
2 - Enhance: Level-up an item, upgrading it's core item level, and with it the stats it already possess. (Mainly geared towards, or exclusive to, Set & Legendary type items)
This concept would bring a way for players to [potentially] find and use something they really enjoy, for an extended period of time, not by increasing the number of random attributes, but rather just increasing the level-value of the existing ones.
Players would be required to pay in gold and resources (likely the existing crafting material types) to Enhance an item. Gold/resource cost would be on a scale with relation to player level & item level [current] prior to upgrade.
So, while you can make something core about the item scale competatively, such as the armor value or dps range, you would be a little off-set with number bonus stats by constantly upgrading an item that originated at a low level.
Also, as an item is upgraded, it will not be available to use for lower level characters (unless it is "reset").
Example (all stats are fairly arbitrary in the example)
Genzaniku - Legendary Axe (level 4) <-- original
12.3 DPS
7-12 Damage
1.30 APS
+10 STR
+10 VIT
Player level is 9 when they find the item, and they then Enhance it, causing new stats...
Genzaniku - Legendary Axe (level 9) <-- low cost on upgrade, similar to crafting
18.2 DPS
10-18 Damage
1.30 APS
+12 STR
+12 VIT
Player level is 60 and they decide to Enhance this old item again...
Genzaniku - Legendary Axe (level 60)
207.3 DPS
112-207 Damage
1.30 APS
+100 STR
+100 VIT
3 - Reset: Returns an upgraded or modified item to it's original stats & level. Costing Gold relation to the item level.
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I feel very strongly that the inclusion of at least 1 ability like this (suggested in OP) would promote some crazy diversity in the game... and even more so if each class had something like this that would promote slightly different (and perhaps off-the-wall) builds.
I would disagree about the last statement though, because with the crafting of items, the affixes are completely random, and that appears to be where a lot of the best gear is (at least early on). I watched a Barbarian make a bunch of armor that popped with INT on it... the reactions were kinda funny.
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I sorta feel like you didn't read my post entirely...
I'm not expecting my idea to be added, but I like to think of what it would take to get something viable in place to make that type of build possible.
It might be neat if they'd make a ranged Barbarian possible (utilizing bows... weird)... maybe not... but still, another possibility to toy with might be fun. I was originally intending to go with a bow-wielding Witch Doctor, and it will probably still be possible without much concern, since that class is mostly ranged to begin with. It's just trickier to execute when you go against the grain that the developers have in place to guide the game-play experience.
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Shadow Strike - Unlocked at lv 4
Generate: 3 Hatred
Strike your target dealing 130% weapon damage and slowing the target's movement and attack speed by 10%, for 3 seconds.
(works with ranged & melee)
Runes variations:
Night Walk - Increases your movement and attack speed by 15% for 4 seconds when you attack a target.
Hateful Shadows - Increases the damage to 175% and increases the critical damage bonus by 50%.
Unending Darkness - Targets are also blinded for 3 seconds when struck. Cannot occur more than once every 8 seconds on the same target.
Fading Strike - After a successful attack, you have an increased chance (30%) to dodge the next attack against you.
Enveloping Shadows - Rapidly attack three times, dealing 85% weapon damage per hit.
Possible "Ninja" build (replacing Hungering Arrow with Shadow Strike): http://us.battle.net...eVfY!cVa!aaYaZZ
I had also posted this on the Blizzard forums and just thought that I'd spread the word here as well, as the discussions seem a bit more constructive here.
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I agree totally - this careful review of everything is what is going to make such a huge difference between a "ready" release and a polished release.
It will be worth the wait, for sure, if this is the degree of detail they are going into for each class. I'm curious to see what they come up with for the Wizard armors.
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I sort of agree with the OP about the epicness of other classes somewhat outweighing the WD on the "pretty" or "potent" scale, but I think the WD has more fun rune options visually (zombie bears/ladder, raining corpses, giant frog, etc) than anyone else.
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