Item patch effects - e.g. Etched Sigil PTR 2.6.10, Holy Point Shoot 2.6.9

Console Discussion
1

Following a late and pretty casual start to D3, lately I’ve had a bit more time to follow the patch notes for changes in the game.

I notice retained items, even reforges of them, don’t get some (/all?) feature additions (/alterations?).

Is there a predictable pattern to these patch effects?

e.g.

Holy Point Shoot

  • Impale throws 2 additional knives and deals 75-100% increased damage.

(For this item change the bold words are added in the 2.6.9 patch notes description)

So I stashed some of these thinking I might try an Impale build some time… but with 2.6.9 changes affecting only new drops I salvaged them as the old ones I suppose were basically gimped now.

I’m curious if this will apply in the same way to the 2.6.10 PTR Etched Sigil changes.

Etched Sigil (2.6.9)

  • After channeling for at least 1 second, Arcane Torrent, Disintegrate, and Ray of Frost also cast one of other damaging Arcane Power Spenders every second and increase damage of Arcane Power spenders by 125-150%.

(For this item the bold words are removed and replaced in PTR 2.6.10 patch notes)

Etched Sigil (2.6.10 PTR)

  • While channeling Arcane Torrent, Disintegrate, or Ray of Frost, the damage of your Energy Twister is increased by 200-250%, and you also cast Energy Twister every second.

Some folks who are preferring existing Wizard channeling builds to stay as they are aren’t happy.

Will this affect their current equipment for say their Tal/FB Meteor builds or will current equipment continue to work as is and only stop them upgrading affected items?

For me I’ve been trying and comparing LoD and Typhon hydra builds (non-season) which presently use Etched Sigil too. I’m considering the prospects for those builds in 2.6.10.

2

The only items that get retroactivly changed because of patches are set items. Legendary non set items will require you to loot new drops. If you are playing season play, next season, all of your loot will be with the patch applied. You will not be able to use anything from non season.

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3

Thanks. I figured the set item changes would be the way you describe, but hadn’t checked yet.

5

For non-season a would keep old Etched, as they won’t deactivate it. From Season 22 on, you would only find NEW affix ones. But i’m sure the won’t stack if you keep old one and cube the new one.

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6

I’d hope so too - I’m using it in non-season, trying out LoD/Typhon Hydra builds - uncertain how the changes will play out and we can’t load PTR on console apparently (not so surprising).

So unsure if I’ll still like those builds with the changes, but might still want to play them as is.

Obviously no upgrades to the current config will come via drops to Etched Sigil once 2.6.10 is live… but reforge maybe can still be used to upgrade the 2.6.9 style Etched Sigil (NS)… if I’m still that keen to progress it the 2.6.9 way.

Yea, makes sense.

7

That was probably a one off for retroactively changing legendary items… Any other time patches came out, only sets were changed and you had to find new legendary items.

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8

Damage multipliers don’t get changed retroactively, unless set. So if you already have Holy point shot, no multiplier. Etched sigil remains 125-150%.
Conditions & other changes to mechanics do change. Nothing for Holy point shot, but Etched Will lose the After channeling for 1 second & auto-cast except for energy twister.
The former is actually reversing a recent nerf (2.6.8), & that nerf was retroactive. Mantle of Channeling is getting the same reverse, but was buffed in 2.6.9; Siphon Blood added to eligible skills. Retroactively added to existing items, even though beneficial.

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9

Current Etched Sigil casts a random damaging spender from your skill bar. I’m not sure if new version will cast an un-runed twister, if not on skill bar. In theory that’s a seventh skill, if there’s one worth foregoing a twister rune for. Probably raging storm given up. Non manual casts don’t proc DMO cooldown so that’s another downside.

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10

With set items being the exception, buffs to items are not retroactive (forcing you to farm a new one), but nerfs are (again, forcing you to farm a new one).

So you can expect to find your NS Etched Sigils changed once this season ends.

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12

Status so far… from Lexa on Wiz board.

Good news, at least for now:

• existing items are unchanged and work (before and after ptr copy)
• new items have the new affix
• reforging an old item will NOT update to the new affix!

Let’s hope it will stay like this.