The problem with spell charges, spell cast when struck/striking/etc

PTR Feedback
#1

The spell levels inherent to the items are always so low that they are essentially worthless. I can cast a firebolt 40 times designed for use by a level 3 character. Why is this even a thing? Same with 99% of all of the items with any sort of spell cast associated with the item. They do nothing. Amp damage, Teleport and Decrepify are the exceptions because they work differently. Maybe oak sage, but it can’t stay alive because it’s so low level. So it’s a dead affix. We cast >lvl 45 spells. What use is a level 1-5 spell?

It’s a nice idea, and in Diablo 1, scrolls could be top tier items utilizing the same mechanic, but in Diablo 2, cast charges and cast on x spells have been entirely lackluster in every regard.

5 Likes
#2

Agree.

Removing 10 suffixes with “x% chance to cast y” like that will improve the early game drops, for example Magic, Rare and Crafted weapons having higher chance to roll better suffixes and prefixes together.

Also removing like 9 suffixes with “spell with charges” will help also. There is only 1-2 that can be remotely useful - Life tap, and Enchant if its higher level than lvl 1.

Hmmm… I am thinking what would happen if they improved those “x% chance to cast” suffixes having static % chance, but spell level dependant on character level in some percentage.
Imagining an extreme level 99 Chain lightning on some lvl 99 Frenzy barb. But thats extreme. Maybe level 45 Chain lightning will be nice or who knows… I think it would help barbs, zealots, bowazons, melee assassins, weredruids… Would not help sorc altho she can synergize those spells, since she would have to go melee.

#3

I’d be happy if they were scaled for endgame since most of them are a high ilvl affix anyways. If it requires level 20 to wear the affix, it should be relevant for that level. If it requires level 80 to wear, it should be relevant for that level. Simple.

2 Likes
#4

All those affix and prefixes of “chance to do X while Y” came from a version of the game long before LoD, back before skills on the tree even had synergy bonus.

I’m talking back in like early versions of Diablo 2 where in hell difficulty 500 damage was actually notable, and these procs were actually somewhat useful. Then as time went on with the game’s expansion, synergies, 1.10 difficulty rebalance etc. even a level 30 skill on its own is basically worthless.