the way they think it is ok to just excuse themselves and push every wrong decision to be eventually fixed in the future is ridiculous… we hear that time and time again and we don’t believe that anymore
the biggest joke is the “major balance changes” in the blue post:
new monk set got rework and isn’t tested
new crusader set got reworked and isn’t tested
hota is still underperforming
seismic slam is still underperforming
rend is still underperforming (after the nerf…)
ww still as weak as before because the set changed to rend without adressing ww (and now both still needs a buff…)
laughable is that it is adressed that rend got many buffs and only 1 is nerfed…THAT 1 NERF MAKES ALL THE OTHER REND BUFFES USELESS because the overall power is cut to a thrid, that’s a huge nerf and shoudn’t go simply live
the nerf to chantodo is too small and it’s a joke that rend got nerfed which was weaker unnerfed than the now nerfed chantodos - you effectivly increased the power difference between the two builds
barbs power potential hasn’t changed with that patch despite your claims, the only reason that ww/rend will perform half decent is that barbs are really hungry and want to play their class+the way ww/rend scales, but you give us no real reason to play barb…AGAIN
i’m done with d3 as my main game and i also don’t give blizz any more money they had many chances and that now was the final insult
Anyone got odds on what classes will be next to get their new sets? I say DH/Wiz season 20, Necro/WD season 21, and then radio silence until approx. 2022 when Blizz realise, ‘oh crap, I knew we forgot something’, slap a new coat of paint on Blackthorne’s and throw Barbs the scraps.
I mean by no means am I an example for sample size, but I knew a hella lot of players for different classes were going to jump on the Rend/WW train this season and didn’t care for the Monk/Crus sets at all. That actually is a problem if you put all that development time into those new sets and everyone just says ‘lul whatevs, Spin to win BB!’.
I get it Free, I do. 100-150% would have been perfectly fine, maybe even perfect whose to really know. But by undershooting you ensure the new stuff gets the spotlight while also ensuring it doesn’t get out of control.
I am 100% certain (no pun intended) after this season when Crus shotgun laughs at everyone that Lamentation mod will get re-added.
I honestly can’t fathom having this much blind faith in a team who’s management ultimately cares more about what some people in suits have to say over anything the community will ever ask for.
This many years in, that swift nerf to the WW barb after giving it to people to test all through the PTR and for people to test at Blizzcon is nothing more than a hard bamboozle.
It was explicitly done to drive up engagement and create buzz around a stale as hell game just to immediately pull the rug and pigeonhole people into playing what they don’t want to.
What an awesome post, Free. I wish I could give you two likes. Your concluding thoughts about “fun” and how the nerf reduced it is so true. I am still rebirthing my first toon I ever created back on day 1, a Barb, and I’m sure he and I will have some fun in S19 – but, not as much I guess. Thanks again for everything you’ve documented, Free. The Barb community is in your debt.
Sensible ones aren’t like myself, we can wait a year+ and by then the D4 buzz will be so high I won’t really care lol. We’ve definitely had our time. I would love to see a day we’re on top without any silly mechanics that encourage macros, but if that day never comes I’m not going to be butthurt about it.
Really, how is it a problem? Was someone harmed? Was the game broken? Nah, man. I’m not trying to snarl at you, but that is some empty rhetoric there. When all the Barb hype had died down, you think there wouldn’t be a lot of Monk and Sader mains happily enjoying their new sets? You don’t think they would have anyway?
Stop. It was fine if Barb was strong, let alone OP. There’s no problem with that.
Please don’t justify this whole PR-corporate talk about “undershooting” and such. It’s a load and obvious to boot. You say you get it, but man, again, you don’t need to insure that the new class sets get the spotlight. They are the new class sets, given away for free–that is the spotlight. And it doesn’t matter what gets spotlit when these are free bits of content.
I’m just really fed up with folk trying to find a way to justify it, and your argument boils down to, “WOULDN’T WANT FOLK TO IGNORE THE NEW SETS.”
Mah dude, that’s not an argument, just like the idea that 200% or 0% were the only viable options isn’t an argument. You feel me?
MEANWHILE...
Sader doing 140+ with time to spare. And good for them. I hope they do NOT get nerfed. I hope Monk does the same thing. Hope the devs eat that digital crow, yum, yum, yum.
I’m pretty darn certain the buffs they are receiving aren’t going to make anyone anymore eager than they already are when a ‘DPS’ barb pops into their grift group.
Free I’m not arguing for the PR move, I am just explaining it and taking balance out of the equation and trying to bring a light a different perspective to it, justified or not.
I’m one of the ones who said 100% would be good, there were many who said that.
And again not to justify anything, just a thought but considering they’re leaving in this seasonal theme, I do think you guys will be a lot better off then you’re assuming right now. The theme heavily favors builds like WW/Rend.
First, I want to say thank you to Nev. She did a lot of work even when she was busy and sick.
Second, I strongly recommend classic game team ask former d3 devs for advice. I think they just trust trolls more than the community. LMAO. Ridiculous.
Not everyone plays Seasons, myself included. Hate 'em. Always did. Hate 'em more since the gimmicky “themes” started up.
But this isn’t about non-Season vs Season. It’s about empty rhetoric. I get what you’re saying, but frankly, I’ve had my fill of that kind of stuff. Nerfing Lamentation was dumb, period. It wasn’t a choice between 200% and 0%, and there’s no “problem” if Barbs are strong when new sets for other classes drop.
Devs to barbs: You been starving and very hungry?! Here is a full meal.
Barbs ()
Devs to barbs: So how is your saltine cracker? Aren’t you happy?
Barbs:
You should though. When the Diablo 4 Lead Game Designer says they’re thinking about seasonal themes based on changing the meta with making things more powerful, where do you think he gets that motivation from?
Forced meta is going to be a real thing going forward…
Aaaaaaaand… sader just did a 140 with 11min.
It’s exactly what Nev said they don’t want to happen as soon as the new era started… a higher clear and bla bla bla…
Your concluding thoughts about “fun” and how the nerf reduced it is so true. I am still rebirthing my first toon I ever created back on day 1, a Barb, and I’m sure he and I will have some fun in S19 – but, not as much I guess. Thanks again for everything you’ve documented, Free. The Barb community is in your debt.
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