Of the items without powers, some are crafted. While this is a trait shared with other classes, there are technically crafted goods that do have useful powers. My overall stance here is that those items should probably be fairly basic in what they offer. For example, Starspine and Arcane Barb could have a crossbow specific damage and attack speed boost. Things like Deadeye and Blitzbolter could reduce resource costs or even come with a heftier Hatred regen than normally possible. They still won’t be optimal endgame items on their own, but they could potentially find a niche in early game use.
Breaking down the category with lackluster powers, we’d have something like the following:
- Weapons that fire an additional projectile: Cluckeye, Pus Spitter, Demon Machine
- Weapons that debuff the enemy in some way: Windforce, Leonine, Odyssey’s End, Hellrack, Calamity, Chanon
- Focused on a specific skill, but still lacking: Valla’s, K’mar, Demon’s Demise, Kridershot
- Stinky Potpourri: Helltrapper, Raven’s Wing
For weapons in category 1, if preserving their intent, then something needs to be done to give this additional projectile more oomph. Simply upping their damage is an easy option, but things like proc rates and potential secondary effects are also something to consider. At a base level, Cluckeye should probably gain the ability to confuse or fear foes struck by the chicken, further dealing additional damage from the DH when they are under those effects. For the Demon Machine, I’d probably just err toward a significant AoE coming with the fireball that progressively does more damage up to a point to make it a temptation for pack slaying. The Pus Spitter being poison-based is a bit of a relic from when the DH had poison skills, but I wouldn’t be averse to the projectile adding a stacking DoT that persists until a foe dies.
Category 2 faces problems between the build up of CC resistances and outright immunity in some cases. Poor Calamity has been done dirty in general.
My take on Windforce is that it should actually be moved up to Cat 1, gaining the ability to spawn a tornado projectile that knocks back/slows foes and deals additional damage. If multiple tornadoes are within range, they’d further gain a lightning chain between them.
Leonine was more or less our best attempt at a ZDPS puller. Personally, I don’t like that ZDPS exist, but can nonetheless respect the intent of this item. It’s prone to both building resistance and proc rate. As such, I feel like it needs something extra to happen when a mob can’t be pulled. Or maybe just a stacking defense buff relative to foes hit by bolas.
As for OE, it sounds nice on paper, and it is a relatively unique additional damage source, but I’d say its problem lies more with the skill it’s associated with. Etangling Shot needs to be better at what it does, both in the ease of crippling crowds and its duration. OE applying to every chained mob and not just the initial target would be a decent first step to experiment with before getting fancier.
Hellrack is lame because all it does is bind, and that’s subject to the usual CC concerns. Personally wouldn’t be against this item getting removed entirely, but if something more meaningful can be derived from it, then go for it.
Then there’s Calamity… Back in the day you were coveted, then RoS hit and things changed. Then you were literally changed into your current garbage state. Something needs to be done here, even if it’s simple as improving MFD or a specific rune, as it’s obvious Blizz doesn’t like its old proc status and no one likes the current.
Chanon has a similar problem as Hellrack, but it’s further tied to the pathetic Spike Trap skill. On paper, taunting foes to a trap sounds cool, but the significant cooldown on the ability makes it not something to really rely on. At the very least, it needs to significantly boost trap damage, but ST just needs a pass again to make it a not suck skill on all fronts.
Cat 3 weapons are otherwise subject to what their skill offers. Historically, I’ve never been a fan of DH having the Strafe skill, so someone more inclined to not make that OP should field those weapons. Already touched on Spike Trap with Chanon Bolter, which basically applies to those same weapons. Which brings us to Krider. Like Calamity, you were boss back in the day. The class had worse hatred issues than present and there you were, something that made spenders into generators. Unfortunately, you were just kind of left behind with the times and Augustine’s wasn’t enough to pick up the slack. Some feel Krider’s effect should let it trigger primary skill boosts. Others believe Krider needs an EA specific damage buff itself. Both aren’t bad, but I’d propose a different route in improving the Hatred generated by EA to 7-10 and adding a stacking buff that increased the damage of your next hatred spending attack if it’s the same element. It’d give it a place in all the sets except Shadow.
Cat 4 stuff is named as it is because they’re just sort of random and not really a good fit for the class at present. Helltrapper had its niche during M6v1 as a means of placing an additional sentry over cap, but nobody ever really cared for the other RNG effects. Anything that comes of it should ultimately synergize with Demon’s Demise and Chanon Bolter, but this puts us in the pickle of not having room for Dawn. Raven’s Wing might have a place if physical pet builds were more of a thing through M6/Garwulf/T&T, but it’s not. I’d probably just generically up the raven count to 5 and give it a pet specific bonus on top then see what happens from there.
There was certainly more to partially quoted post, but I’ve already babbled enough in likely futility.