I read the PTR Notes and straight away I read the comment “We’re ecstatic to make balance changes that will improve the viability of each class while retaining the class fantasy of our favorite heroes.”
I read all of the notes but I kept coming back to “Viability of Each Class”.
When D2r was released, and in each new “ladder” in the original game, the sorceress class was incredibly popular, from start, for its ability to teleport. This is either for rushing through the game, getting to locations faster for leveling (Diablo;Baal) or for magic finding (Mephisto;Various areas).
End Game for most players is all about getting the Runeword “Enigma” for its teleport, i.e. to make the game faster, and play more efficiently. A way to create viability of the other classes sooner each ladder would be to create a mid level runeword (recommended 3-4 socket armor) that grants the skill “Teleport”. Such a gateway item would make all the other classes viable far sooner (saving months for alot of players) and would solve other problems. By other problems I mean - because everyone plays sorc, there are problems in hell for casual players because there is not a good distribution of classes synergising with each other to kill more efficiently (or simply not die). even today there are few baal run games because so few ppl still, have characters capable of getting to baal throne room fast.
I would recommend Ist rune is used as part of the armor (that it has +Magic Find) and i recommend Um rune is used (that it grants 20-30res). Something like UmIstRalSol with 50-80MF (Varies) +1 Teleport and w/e random adds you can think of (not faster cast, or at most 10FCR). IF you have the MF and faster cast being a varied number it would immediately make the runeword both relevant and popular to reroll (similar to what players do for such runewords as spirit and grief).
As I write this it is January. We saw 2-3 months were sorc’s dominated. I expect to see the same thing each fresh ladder from day 1. What WE and YOU should WANT is to see a wide variety of classes viable AS SOON AS POSSIBLE in each ladder, to magic find, to baal run (this means teleporting to throne) to diablo run(also wants teleport), and a lower level entrance armor (above level 50 please) with Teleport would do that and complement everything you are doing to make each class “viable” sooner.
I will write several topic’s like this and then compile them all and repost it all in 1 topic during the ptr
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My first post was for the consideration of an entrance level runeword granting teleport, located here: Initial Observations & Viability of All Builds
My second Topic related to “shopping” items from vendors - refresh tool and possible ability to shop and/or gamble sorceress orbs - Shopping from Vendors - refresh screen
My third Topic related to the buffs to Necro’s and Paladins where i suggested that the buffs only be for PvM and not for PvP and that FoH should not have its casting delay reduced/removed: Bone Spirit, Aura’s and FoH do not need these buffs
My fourth topic related to the MDR Bug where having multiple elements of damage would actually REDUCED your damage where your opponent had items that grant the ability “magic damage reduced” (mdr) : The Magic Damage Reduced (MDR) bug in PvP
My Fifth topic related to a bug where if you used jewels with enhanced damage + min/max, in anything other then a weapon, it would bug the item and not grant the correct damage modifier as specific on the jewel: The Jewel Bug - how damage from jewels does not work properly
My sixth topic related to charge bug, how a fix has caused a problem, and the ww bug how something has changed with how it works resulting in less damage for the iconic build: Please fix “Charge Bug” and Barbarian WW Bugs
My seventh topic reviewed the new runewords and provided feedback relating to them. Basically, they are an addition to the game, slightly underpowered but they filled a gap. More needed, slightly better mods required. i.e. a 10%-30% improvement needed. The New Runewords - Observations
My eight topic related to the Shaper Nerf in the PTR where Increased Attack Speed (IAS) in shaper forms appears to have been unintentionally crippled.