D4 Arrows and ranged classes 🏹

I dont see a single good reason for having consumable arrows in an A-RPG. That is just busywork game design.

In some games it makes some sense; like in Horizon Zero Dawn you can choose to shoot 3 arrows at once, making the faster consumption of arrows a resource cost. But in a game with mana etc., that is not particularly needed. Or in a game that goes more into the “survival genre”, trying to get by with as little ammunition as possible, makes a ton of sense (Resident Evil etc.). In Diablo you are likely never more than a teleport away from restocking.

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Barbarians have this gimmicky non-feature in the ‘Arsenal system’, why not give a gimmick to the ranged class for arrowheads or something? Certain skills use specific arrowheads, something akin to that. Not consumable, however.

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That isn’t the idea, was posted before that the arrows wouldn’t be in the inventory.

And i could be wrong but in D1 bows’ durability went down when you shoot arrows. If that is the case, in a way, the arrows would be limited.

Yes, that is the idea :smiley:

yea but you should be able to allocate them urself

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We agree on this, as long as I’m understanding you correctly.

you can choose, which skills should use which arrow type

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We agree, then. It should be the same with the Barbarian’s system as well, though as I understand that wasn’t the intent when they made it.

i think, they are forcing the weapons on the skills, in the barbarian system, which makes sence
you cant slash through enemies with a hammer and you cant create an earchquake with short swords

Oh, for sure, but within reason some wiggle room would be nice.

I don’t like the idea of physical arrows even though the idea of having different types would be nice (even though its a bit redundant with the idea of these different skills). I think you could give the hunter/amazon/bow users in general and new resource bulb next to the energy bulb when they have a bow equipped. You can buy arrows and pick up arrows but the don’t physically take up space in inventory, they just refill the arrow bulb just like an energy potion would. Equipping a quiver would then change all those arrows to whatever type, exploding, poisoned, piercing, magic seeking arrows etc.

What makes you think arsenal system will only be for Barbs? D2 had a two weapon set system for all classes with the last weapon skills used with each weapon set recalled when sets are switched. I read this as D4 will have a four weapon set system for all classes with the skills you last used with each weapon set assigned when you change weapon sets.

Bows in D1 I think did have durability stat but it has been 20+ years so I’m not 100% sure. Bows in D2 had arrows. Why bows in D3 did not have a durability stat, I don’t know; should have. Bows in D4 should have a durability stat.
There were different types of arrows in S1, D2 and D3. If your character had a skill that shot explosive arrows and used that skill, your character shot explosive arrows. If your character was a Barb with no Bow skills, he shot plain vanilla arrows. Expect the same thing in D4. You don’t need special arrows or special arrow heads, it is inherent in bow and crossbow skills. Your Bowman will not be able to shoot multishot emulation arrows unless there is a skill for that.

Again, I doubt the arsenal system will be Barb only. With a Druid you will probably have a weapon set attuned to werebear skills, a weapon set attuned to elemental skills, etc.

Arsenal system for sorc and druid makes 0 sense and the developers said, its exclusive to the barb, to have 2 more items to equip

Its funny no one mentions that magical arrows consumed no bolts/arrows in D2.
I see no problem if arrows for pure physical damage profit more than unlimited magical arrows doing lesser damage.
Sacrifice quantity and lesser ressources for damage or sacrifice damage for unlimited arrows but more ressources.

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I still want a throwing class.

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But it isn’t the same thing. In D3 we have a skill, and the skill has different runes that give different effects to the same skill. This idea is similar to that but being able to switch between the effects in combat.

For example, you can have a rain of arrows skill that shoots normal arrows. Now, if you use explosive arrows, you would get a rain of explosive arrows, and if you use poison arrows, you can create a poison cloud.

Ofc, this could be done with legendary affixes too, but it wouldn’t be as flexible. The idea is to be able to quickly change between effects: even if can’t switch between them with a key or effect, change an arrow should be easier than find more than one item with a legendary affix and switch them in combat (plus, that is something i don’t really like: if the game was intended to change between items then we should have a key to do it, like with the switch weapons).

Actually it does because switching sets also switches attack skills in use. At least that is what it did in D2 and developers have said skill will switch with weapon sets in D4.

Yes, doing it with skills is more limited. However, skills do not require inventory space.

Again this wouldn’t requiere inventory space, there would be special slots for it, the same as the barb has special slots for extra weapons.

In D2, all characters could throw a consumable object with either hand. Barbs and Amazons had throwing skills. In D3, Barb, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Witch Doctor and Druid had throwing skills. I expect some classes in D4 will have throwing skills but hopefully not requiring consumables.