A quick PTR / 2.5 Update

Thanks. I’m excited about the terror zones, take the time you need.

Having said that, I would be devastated if terror zones weren’t added to non ladder. I get the runewords were ladder only, this is a concept that’s been around since LoD. I consider terror zones a significant balance change. Denying non ladder access to this feature wouldn’t be much different than denying non ladder bug fixes and other balance changes. The grind to level 99 isn’t fun. Even if it is challenging and ultimately an amazing accomplishment, many people agree they wouldn’t do it again. A game should be fun and getting to 99 just isn’t.

D2 is my favorite game of all time. I love all the attention it’s getting. I’ve been playing D2R consistently since launch. I’ve been waiting for ladder to end so I can combine my characters and items. Now I’ve become even more anxious so I can try this new content with my existing characters. If I have to wait another 5-6 months to do that just because the content isn’t being released in non ladder I’m just not playing until it’s released on non ladder. Honestly I’m more likely to play ladder if the content is released in non ladder.

I’ll summarize, add terror zones to non ladder so everyone wants to play again. New players tend to want to play non ladder. Make this accessible to them.

6 Likes

Either give it teleport,

Or make a really solid 2-handed Axe/Mace runeword that has 200 MF and level 10 vigor (make them go super zoom)!

Blizzard, please… Can we just play the game? No one actually cares about your changes, we just want to play a new season. You are already late on what u promised and if you keep season 2 from us for another 3+weeks less ppl will play it due to other games of yours coming out soon…

NOW its ideal time to get s2 going and give us terror zones / class balance next time, thanks!

ah yes, stealing one of my ideas as your own now, you hadn’t suggested that until i did.

Do not add more magic immunes!
This only makes Bone Necro, Zerker Barb or MA arrow from Bowie much worse.

It should be about nerfing Hammerdin, not many other weaker builds too.

Thanks for the update, Pez! Good stuff.

If I may offer some feedback on the Hammerdin problem:

  1. The problem with Hammerdins is that their main damage source is: 1. near-unresistable, and 2: caster damage. This makes them way better than other classes.

  2. The reason #1 (unresistable damage) is so OP isn’t because of Hammerdins themselves, but how immunities in general function. Immunities force players into pigeonholes, such as Sorcs needing Infinity or Paladins just spec’ing for Blessed Hammer or Conviction.

  3. The reason #2 (caster damage) is so OP is because the game systems are so overwhelmingly biased against melee/physical damage. Melee can miss. It still deals with immunities. It still deals with damage reduction (essentially physical resistance). It depends on item damage rather than simply putting points into a skill like casters do. It forces people to get hit (big deal in hardcore). This does the same thing as above: pigeonhole players into builds that avoid melee/physical damage: Sorcs and Pallys.

The problem isn’t Hammerdins. They are a symptom of the problem. The problem is the game system of immunities and physical damage being super weak. The easy ways to fix this without nerfing Hammerdins are:

  1. Get rid of immunities across the board and simply replace them with high-resistance mobs. This reduces the need to play as a Hammerdin or Sorc w/ Infinity to stay competitive.

  2. Buff melee/physical damage across the board. A good start would be to reduce the melee nerf on ladder where ladder mobs have higher armor, but there needs to be more. Make AR more effective. Make melee/physical skills do more damage at lower skill points so that those classes aren’t so item dependent in early game.

  3. Of course, if everyone will then be buffed to Hammerdin levels, the TZ mobs would need to be buffed a bit as well so it’s not easy for everyone.

Those 3 changes would dramatically shift and expand the meta. C’mon Pez, tell the Devs to do it!

3 Likes

You have failed… again, again and again.

1 Like

Like anyone cares for one less hammerdin?

THIS. This is exactly how the majority of those in my Guild feel. THIS is exactly how many of the player base feel.

Also,

It gets me riled up because this PTR wasn’t even about rebalancing classes. Now they want to rebalance classes just to make TZ’s viable. What makes me so angry is that the entire fanbase have been crying for Quality of Life Updates, Quality of Life updates! And now they gotta rebalance classes for Terror Zones that very few actually care about.

Quit listening to that elitist llama, he does not represent your average d2r player

3 Likes

Please Blizz… please don’t “balance” the classes.

As much as it’d be nice for every class/build to be equally efficient I just know that they’re gonna mess everything up.

2 Likes

some class need to be nerf

is very obvious this break the balance , also is the best class for bot , this will also nerf bot , the class will still be very strong , just not broken anymore , and this will maybe give us some faith in term of balance

They are doing terror zones likely as a result of the leveling experience being one of the most jarring parts of the game. Especially since it’s “the goal” of ladder. They can only do so much at once.

Agreed. After playing through season 1. Yes everything thing is coming along nicely and I can’t argue what these wonderful Devs are doing for us. Yet, non-ladder doesn’t get the love it deserves.

1 Like

Please add more character slots! Many players are going to have to choose between deleting a viable character, not playing season 2, or having to only create one new toon.

All these changes are great but people are going to be majorly dissuaded from playing if they can’t make a new toon for s2, or have to delete a non ladder toon to make room.

Given the 5-7 classes and 3 core modes (HC, Classic, SC), we need more!

Maybe I play too much and should delete my 93 necro (lowest toon). Or my bowazon, since I mostly play my javazon. Or my zoo druid since windy is better.

5 Likes

what a deluded person

TZ have great benefit to everyone. do you know how they work? theyre not only for experience. it makes every TZ are an 85 (or higher) area. the super rare TC 87 items are no longer super rare, just normal rare now. it greatly improves build diversity by including a bunch of (optional) areas that promote a varity of builds to farm in these areas.

don’t speak for everyone. the flamboyant babyragers are the most vocal, that doesnt mean everyone in the game agrees with you. throughout season 1, the biggest complaint was “no endgame” whether you care to admit it or not. this is their attempt at endgame without directly copy pasting rifts working with a 20 year old game. they could have potentially made it more interesting. but dont delude yourself.

so many people speak praise about pd2, and it was great at first, but now senpai is having fun with it and its turned into every other arpg in existence, power creep. theres a reason pd2’s record high was in its first 2 seasons and has been dwindling since.

and this streamer mention loses any sort of credibility you would have had because it is completely false in its entirety lmao its not even vaguely close to the mark if you were wanting to exaggerate because youre upset.

the only part of your post that makes any sense is they shouldve included some more QoL into the game. rest of your post is garbage

3 Likes

Stackable runes and charm inventory would be amazing changes to the game for QOL.

5 Likes

Oh please don’t do this to NL players. Some of us don’t want to start from scratch every season and want to just continue playing their NL chars. I was so looking forward to some variety in my farming runs with TZs.

7 Likes

I strongly disagree with people wanting this for Non-Ladder.

Non-Ladder is supposed to have less. I mean, in LOD they were missing Runewords. This is supposed to incentivize ladder play, and your ladder characters get moved to non-ladder at the end of the season, so the sentiment of “wasting time” on ladder doesn’t really make sense.

If they follow the expected flow, you will probably have terror zones in 5 months when season 2 ends, and season 3 will have some other new feature or new items.

Giving non-ladder everything that ladder has ruins a lot of the point of ladder. I’m pretty sure the whole point of this is for everyone to experience new features with a fresh perspective, instead of just immediately being able to exploit all of the new features with your ridiculously powerful paladin, players have to work towards it.

Personally, I play ladder until I’m bored, and then i take a break until the next season starts. This keeps the game fresh and with content updates now, they are enhancing that. I know this is a very common style of gameplay, even among the biggest names in streaming.

1 Like

And where the news for our beloved fhr/stun/fbr? Any news on reverting this making this game enjoyable again for the pvpers!!! Or are u gonna continue to ignore the fact that we have a huge community wanting this for our every week tournaments and stuff…

man just make the pvp scene great again please. Make the “Faster Hit Recovery” viable again on items, because right not its useless.

1 Like

Ive played each of those builds except psychic hammer cause ya that skills dogshiz. Most of those skills arent used because theyre much worse than the alternatives and nerfing hammers wont make those viable lol.

Id way rather see them bring up those skills and make magic immunes a thing by changing some immunities around than just nerf hammers, which is the boring/lazy way of fixing the issue.