Warlock Durability

3.2 patch notes for S14 say echoing strike will now incur durability loss. Does this mean non indestructible eth runewords will break eventually from my ES? If so they just broke everyone’s Jah+ valued eth TM Fortitude, eth Ariocs, etc once ladder 13 goes to non ladder?

Huge loss for new useful base hunting and back to only using indestructible rws like BotD or non eth items. This basically made Eth 4 socket TMs worthless again. Most of patch nerfed seems appropriate but making eth items take durability will just kill everyone’s ladder BiS eth weapons.

But that’s okay, because all those items will roll over to non ladder come next season and players can start again. It’s not like most ladder players ever go play their non ladder characters.

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You’re not crazy wrong but I enjoy playing ladder knowing I’m building up value and long term perfect stuff for my non ladder. Thankfully I sold my Eth Fortitude Decapitator before notes.

This is one of the worst decisions they’ve ever made in RoTW by far. Instead of turning all unique indestructible weapons into ethereal, they’re forcing everyone back to BoTD-type weapons. This completely kills so many weapon options for Warlocks.

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yup, just bought a Eth +4 ariocs 229 fml

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It also just doesn’t even make sense. You’re casting (CASTING) mirrors (MIRRORS) of your weapon. Not swinging, not shooting. Casting. Mirrors. Which also makes the attack rating change not make sense. I get most of the other changes (other than the demonic mastery change which is also asinine) but this just makes no sense to me.

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Casting Echoing Strike…Not SHOOTING echoing strike…

ES uses FCR, Mirrored Blades uses IaS.
–if ES is going to incure durability loss, then all skills used across all classes need to hammer durability on all weapons, armor, shields, etc.

Does that seem fair to say, a Horker? Nope.
Is this fair to a Sorc who can spam cast Lightning? Nope.
Is this fair to Trapsins and Caster druids? Nope.
Is this fair to a Hdin? Nope.
Is this fair to a Curse Bot necro or a swarmer?…should their weapon take durability loss per summon that is created and when it deals damage or takes hits? Nope.

Why is that you ask? Because they CAST their skills…C! A! S! T! them…
is my argument valid? I feel it is.
If ethereal weaponry is going to ONLY lose durability with ONE single skill through ALL classes…then every single class needs to be affected by this change, all weapons need to lose durability regardless of WHAT skill is used.

That too complicated?…then don’t touch Echoing Strike. If you do decide to go ahead and push this on ONLY echoing strike…all warlocks need all non-indestructible ethereal weapon runes refunded (don’t see this happening at all…).
Change Echoing Strike from Caster to Attack, and turn it into a Melee build by having ias affect its “use”. That would be more feasible Blizz.

Fair? I think so.
If that’s too complicated even then…leave it alone.

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I like the idea of Levitation Mastery being able to make your weapon indestructible after it hits level 35-40

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Lol just Zod it. It’s not a runeword.

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Lol no, every skill that uses weapon damage for damage currently uses durability except ES. Most likely they were having an issue in in-house testing with weapons breaking constantly and turned off that check as well as breaking AR/hit checks making it not work with procs, and forgot to fix those things before launching.

If ES is essentially being thought of as a melee attack with considering defense/hit, and taking durability, I’d be fine with that if they also allow the skill to proc all chance on hit, +damage (grief), crushing blow, etc.

They are over complicating the systems. Either your casting a spell or meleeing. This is a hybrid system that takes the negatives from both.

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This was maybe one change I did not care for. I liked that we had one class other than mercs actually now using eth weapons. It fit, the character was using magic to cast a mirror of the item, so it just made sense there was no durability loss. This seems more like a knee jerk reaction to “OMG ITS OP” screeching.

What I do see missing is where Echoing Strike may be doing too much damage. I also see missing where Warlock skills seem to use too much mana.

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Completely agree. I actually expect this to be reverted.

Imagine all the eth Lock runewords out there that will be made worthless. Fortitudes, Destruction, Doom, Last Wish etc.

While not all of those are meta, there was a historical expectation that something this significant to itemization wouldn’t change with a patch. It’s only 50% Ed, but it adds value to bases that were discarded before. The other nerfs should more than account for the overtuned damage.

How often do they just brick multiple HRs worth of items? I can’t recall ever. Maybe they were reduced in relative power as other things became meta, but never has an item been made completely worthless due to a change.