Trait Update

Recently, through both the Battle.net forums and Twitter, we have gotten a few updates about how DiabloWiki.com - traits traits will work in DiabloWiki.com - Diablo III Diablo III. When asked about conditional traits, Bashiok had this to say:

Official Blizzard Quote:



There are a number of traits which are too situational to be deemed worthwhile to invest in. A few examples are:
  • Increases damage against beasts.
  • Increases damage against demons.
  • Increases damage against undead.
We agree, and they were removed from Traits a while back. (not that you could have known that) So yay!

We don't want traits (passives) to be boring. Even the ones that are pretty bland stat increase type passives, we try to make them feel weighty. Trait points are fairly rare, so that lets us make each point feel a lot sexier to spend. Even if they're just standard +% stat passives, they're BIG +% increases. But, there's also a lot of traits that are fairly intricate in what they provide, and to no small degree can be game changers. Either way they'll be a crucial component to any character build.
Although the first part of this quote is rather self-explanatory, the rest is considerably more interesting. It appears as though the percentages associated with traits have been boosted since we saw them at the Blizzcon demo, and as a result they have a bigger impact on the build of your character, leading to even more customization possibilities. However, that does not mean traits have become all that much more powerful than the last time we saw them in action. Although the percentages gained from traits has increased, the Diablo III team has also drastically decreased the amount of trait points a character will have at the maximum level.


Official Blizzard Quote:



@spiri7walker We give them out every 3 levels, the first one at level 3, so 19 trait points are available to spend at level 60.
When they were announced at Blizzcon, traits were given out every other level, and the Diablo III team quickly pointed out that they weren't quite satisfied with that setup. In a change that seems comparable to the decision to put the level cap at 60, Blizzard has decided to make trait points more valuable and less common. As a result, characters will probably end up more focused around certain traits instead of being spread out across large amounts of passives.

Despite this more focused approach, it does appear as though there are plenty of choices, including ones that wouldn't initially appear to have a place in a viable combat build.

Official Blizzard Quote:



I'm very happy to hear this, but what of lucky and intimidation? They are also fairly controversial traits that increase noncombat related stats.
Lucky increases gold find by 10%. It's tough to say how that kind of thing will balance out. It wouldn't be worth taking until at least Nightmare, IMO, and even then a trait point is a fairly powerful thing. I don't know if I'd spend it on gold find. But, that's kind of a cool choice then, right?
This is not the first time Bashiok has used gold find as an example of an "interesting choice," so it would appear as though gold is actually important and as a result gold find is something to consider. However, as Bashiok points out, that does not mean theres much room for it, especially if we are only awarded nineteen trait points. In the end, we'll just have to wait for the beta to really see what traits remain and how the trait system as a whole functions.

Update to the update:

Official Blizzard Quote:

@Diablo And will there be any quests, which are not required for main story progression, that will award you additional trait/skill points?
@spiri7walker Currently all skill and trait points are metered out purely through gaining levels." class="blizzsource">

@Diablo And will there be any quests, which are not required for main story progression, that will award you additional trait/skill points?
@spiri7walker Currently all skill and trait points are metered out purely through gaining levels.
So it appears that, at least for the moment, we won't be getting traits as rewards from anything other than leveling, unlike in DiabloWiki.com - Diablo II Diablo II where a select few quests rewarded the player with extra skill points.

Comments

  • To post a comment, please or register a new account.
Posts Quoted:
Reply
Clear All Quotes