Honestly, given this change, I think it may make the Fear bonus feel more like exactly that - a bonus when it happens and you can capitalize on it, rather than the crux of the set. Personal opinion: I think you could opt to avoid using it and may still have a decent RGK option (with possible synergy with a Horrify WD). I’ll also admit I’m not a top tier theorycrafter, but this is probably how I’ll use it in my runs with friends next Season.
I’ll talk with the devs, as I always do, but I had shared the original intent already in another thread. We’ve done quite a lot lately to lift up Barbarians, and we wanted to add a different, fun, and thematic set to the mix. We’re interested in the idea of a “herding, then culling” sort of fantasy here, so that’s what we’re trying to capture.
Of course, if it’s not a fun set, that’s one thing, and we’re open to revisiting. We’re not always trying to put in the next best performing set. At the end of the day, we are making a game, and we want there to be fun, interesting things for everyone, at any level, to play. Either way, the version you see in the Patch Notes is what you’ll be able to play with on PTR this Thursday. How it looks before it arrives on live is what’s up for debate, and what we’re eager to see folks test. 