Firebird in 2.7.2 => only manual Flame Blades left for PC

PTR Feedback
1

Dear devs,

the good thing is you decided to revert the damage nerf because that would have essentially killed the set for everything but Mirror Images.

Now you remove pet interactions, which is again overdoing it. But if you are dead set on just handing out a nerf to wizards for this seasen, then please consider giving us something else besides manual Flame Blades.

Right now, the set is pretty much pigeon-holed into Spectral Blades, because NOTHING else can compete against this primary skill when it comes to triggering FB6. Is that really what you want?

We can’t use DoT effects, we can’t use channeling, pets now also axed, which involves the unruned Hydra that wasn’t even strong… I fail to comprehend - just what is your goal with this set? If you want to have us only use signature skills, this is pretty much what you are doing right now, then you should consider giving us the means to enjoy the other three sigature skills as well, not just Spectral Blades…

I won’t even start about the great disparity between PC and consoles here, because on consoles Energy Twister behaves so different that it’s sick. Why this unfair treatment for PC players? But okay, lets leave it at that.

The only other skill that is remotely usable now is Explosive Blast, but it can’t compete at all because it is a spender and even has a cooldown and delayed reaction… So, please dear team, at the very least I would suggest that you allow the extra blasts caused by Wand of Woh to trigger the set bonus.

If that is no good then make it so that Explosive Blast is also detonated remotely on ingnited enemies. You have the means to make the set enjoyable.

Please don’t just nerf/remove things. If you do are set on axing Mirror Images for Firebirds, then give us something back. Right now the set feels so restricted that it’s suffocating.

Regards
an unhappy wizard player

15 Likes
2

Why can’t Blizzard just tweak things, instead of each time completely over-nerfing and removing things?

If mirror images poses a problem, then fine-tune it, instead of removing it completely as a viable/playable option.

5 Likes
3

Poor Wiz…:fire_extinguisher: :fire_extinguisher: :fire_extinguisher: :fire_extinguisher: :fire_extinguisher: :fire_extinguisher:

1 Like
4

I play mostly for wizard and I lose heart.
I don’t know why I need to play next season

1 Like
5

I also suggested this:

1 Like
6

Amen to that. Strange thing is that after season 23 when it was created and there were concerns that it would be nerfed, the build was even improved with the Image counter, making everyone believe that it was here to stay.

5 Likes
7

Well, the team even said they liked it for a moment, because Mirror Images is a orphaned skill with pretty much no serious use in the current game. But they also said they don’t want it to exist any longer. And that’s where I fail to understand their reasoning. Sure, the Mirrorbird build was far from being perfect, the pet AI is… well, let’s say it has a lot of room for improvement. Nevertheless the damage output was more than competitive and that’s kinda impressive.

The reason why players were annoyed was simply that they did not like the nasty AI of the Images and that the build outmatched manual Blades by far despite of that… because Deathwish was involved again. Now, this reasoning is something I can understand, but nevertheless there were also those who enjoyed this kind of build despite it’s obvious downsides. Not only because it’s strong but because it’s something you normally don’t see on a wizard. I’m among those who like Mirrorbirds, and not just because it’s strong. So currently I’m frustrated to see it getting axed completely for no valid reason… it’s getting killed because of a whim, they could have done better. This is what makes me sad.

Sure, Mirrorbird is an outlier, but it’s not something that has to be removed completely. Instead I would have preferred to see it nerfed in terms of its damage but in return improved on the AI side so that, in the end, it would be on the same level as manual Blades. No matter what other players might say now, the Mirror Image build was neither unhealthy nor game breaking. In fact it should have been allowed to exist as one among other options.

Personally speaking, when I look at the upcoming patch I don’t really feel motivated. I will play S25, sure. With some random, unfun, crap build that gets the job done… all just to finish the journey as quickly as possible and then call it quits.

8 Likes
8

We know they added a counter for a skill no one used outside firebirds without adding a means/reason to use that skill in any other context.

We know the first nerf attempt this PTR didn’t involve eliminating pets.

Frankly, I’m just not buying this idea they floated in the patch notes of them wanting a battle mage when their public actions to date didn’t reflect that stance.

Eliminating pets was simply an easy way to nerf the set given the mechanics needs of the set. The idea of a battle mage is just a very weak attempt at justifying their course of action.

3 Likes
9

This captures my feelings pretty much with everything coming from Blizzard in regards to wizards. They want us to be in the thick of battle… while having a 30% deficit against taking damage… Double U, Tee, Eff?

Every single time the player base finds some way to make wizards less sucky the nerf hammer gets hauled out and the feature/combo smashed. And we’re never given a viable alternative.

Our legendary items force us into combo mechanics that make half our skills unusable. Where’s the pure Arcane build? The pure Lightning build? Sure, Fire gets Flamebird and Ice gets Typhon’s and we can hobble together an “everything” build with Tal Rasha’s but if I only want thunder and lightning flying from my fingertips then I’m stuck in the mid 90’s with an LoD build.

2 Likes
10

Well, if those combos were at least fun… instead they feel forced, disjointed and awkward. Typhon + Fragment of Destiny + Winter Flurry anyone? I’d go as far and call that abomination a harassment.

4 Likes
11

Just to show how ridiculous that combo is I built a Lightning Typhon’s wizard and can easily clear GR100 with it in season. That’s right… the damage multiplier from Winter Flurry is good enough that even playing without the 25% Frost Nova it’s still the preferred offhand. But what a joke that set is. Regardless of what element you use your “wizard” does nothing damage wise – primary skills, despite getting their speed and damage boosted from Fragment, still hit like wet noodles. And to keep the 300% multiplier up you have to be constantly using primary skills. All the damage is from your hydras, you’re nothing but a snake wrangler.

12

…and that’s part of why I suggested this:

TLDR:
I suggested (more like revived an old idea others also had) to add Images (and signature skills) to Typhons, with further necessary changes and then axing Mirror Images on Firebird completely. So, yeah, well… sadly, they only did the latter part, that is destroying Mirrorbird, lol…

13

I was messing around with explosive blast and fire black hole. Ie suck monsters into you while you are exploding. Not amazing, but different.

14

Wizards actually have a number of abilities (my favorite being black hole) that if given the proper love and support can bring out some amazing combinations. Sadly we’re usually stuck with gimmicks when it comes to our best builds.

2 Likes
15

This is the thing. Their AI is perfectly normal, its the players too lazy to dig into their mechanics that were the problems.

Blockquote www.d3planner.com/game/76761/powers/Wizard_MirrorImage

Anybody spends 2 mins reading this will have more control over their MI.

In proper grp or informed players, they never run away or stand still. For every problem, there’s always a solution. The consequence paid for laziness is nerfing a unique playstyle and wiz competitiveness.

Suck it up and move on. Don’t complain next time when Blizzard gives out braindead build/playstyle that simply just walk in and mob drop dead in future.

1 Like
16

The only control we have in solo is to spawn them as close to the target as possible and still they do run away sometimes. So don’t lie plz.

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Play more or observe closer. Key word " Taunt"

18

The whole set needs a redesign. It doesn’t feel like a Fire / Pyromanic / Phoenix Set as the name of the set suggest.

Also, there are some very iconic skills missing in the Wizards Arsenal of Spells, like a true Fireball and Firewall, which only leaves “weird” Fire Spells for the Wizard to be used with the set (aside from Meteor) that don’t really fit the theme of the set, like Spectral Blades or Disintegrate (which isn’t even a Fire Spell, aside from the one rune, but you don’t even have to use that one), etc.

If there ever is another rework of the set, there also needs to be a rework of Arcane Orb’s ‘Scorch’ rune, and maybe even move the ‘Firewall’ rune from the Witch Doctors Wall of Death over to the Wizard as a new skill (no major WD build is using Firewall anyways) and then let the new reworked Firebird set interact with these skills.

3 Likes
19

A simple solution would be to extend the explosive blast radius to 30 and actually bump the dmg a tiny bit explosive blasts radius has always been wimpy. or use wave of force to proc and reduce the resouce cost and increase attack speed a smidge. using so many casters will cost to much arcane dmg or you could bring back the legacy version of etched sigil to solve the problem for players (called it something new) we still would have to wade right in to fight bliz there might be exceptions against single targets where you could use twisters or hydra but to clear out everythign effective a wade in would be better. DO YOU HEAR THAT BLIZ WE COULD STILL BE MELEE. You VASTLY over nerfed the wiz. dont believe me look at the ptr leaderboards

20

every experiment with different skills to trigger the ignite bonus with different fire skills this is WELL over a 10-15 tier nerf might as well say wizards are going to be sitting at the kiddie table. I love the idea of not relying on pets but until YOU HAVE A SOLUTION IN HAND dont nerf it once you have a fix then make the change… I would think that would be obvious but you always break good builds this way and its a long time b4 you fix them if ever. Dont change it till you have a fix ready