Stopped playing Path of Exile because they keep getting more and more focused on the players who can spend 12+ hours playing every day.
Well, bad news is Blizzard is even worse regarding that. Look at the parangon system (D3).
With 1000 parangons you can’t compete with 3000+ parangons, with similar gear.
Well thankfully Diablo 2 doesn’t have that. I haven’t played Diablo 3 in years.
Adding ladder runewords to non-ladder is one of the best things I have seen about D2R so far. Very happy with that. Especially after they decided to delay ladder, but even if that wasnt happening, adding everything to non-ladder is still great.
Ladder should exist because you like starting over. It doesn’t need anything else than that. Also a real shame that they are shortening how long ladders last.
Definitely one of the best things. Makes the game more inclusive, while taking nothing away from ladder players except ego.
Just responding to your comment about why people should play ladders.
Ladders have been giving rewards for almost 20 years, and people have kept an old pixilated game going for that long, and you magically think you know what’s good for the ladder. 
However after season is finished your ladder chars become no ladder and you can enjoy ladder runewords in nonladder, right?. I dont see why ladder runewords can be “crafted” in nonladder. This only discourages people from playing ladder. Sadly
Ladder only runewords on NL are going to make NL so easy.
NL is an easier game than Season/Ladder.
I’m considering asking for my money back.
Giving ladder only runewords to SP and NL turns them into “no such thing as ladder only runewords.”.
Who cares if the items are available for non-ladder? Who cares if non-ladder is easier? The people who want to compete for ladder ranks will still do so, unaffected by anything. It simply allows people who want to play at their own pace to be able to acquire the same items, making the game enjoyable for more people.
It is what it is. The only reason to play ladder now is to attempt to hit the leaderboards and a slightly greater challenge. Unless there is something else I’m missing. I suppose, now I don’t have to do ladder for the items anymore.
Just saying, it would be cool if they put in more incentive to play ladder besides those reasons. Either way doesn’t bother me, we’ll see.
The game becomes upset down…
The only people realistically throwing a fit over ladder runewords being allowed everywhere, are those that sought to sell them for FG at the end of the ladder and use the FG to pad their characters run up the next ladder.
Boohoo.
Not always.
For me, it was a challenge to assemble some runewords or get some ladder-specific uniques during the season, because I had no chance (and no time: I’m not a no-life) to be at the top of the leaderboards.
I had not interest in selling them…since I did not play in non-ladder.
I always participated to ladders, as well as seasons in D3. I like starting from scratch with a new char, do the campaign again…but with that move, I’m not sure I’ll play ladder in D2R. Not sure it will have a great success.
Yes but, I don’t see you throwing a fit. You’re not threatening to refund over it are you?
Hence
If people were only playing ladder to get special item access, maybe ladder wasn’t actually worth playing? If less people play ladder, because they don’t want to, that seems like a positive thing.
No, not for that at least.
I’m a bit frustrated by the exchanges on the forums, the player killers in game (we had a tombrun game ruined yesterday evening…) so I’ll admit my joy over D2R has been a bit tamed.
But the ladder is just a detail, I like the idea to earn rewards for starting over or making significant efforts. Like things in season journey in D3, like the guardian title that was a bit of a challenge (in solo).
There’s no way to have a change to be in the leaderboards if you have a life, house, kids…unless you spend your whole time on the computer and ignores the family.
I don’t have an issue with this. Ladder is for people who want to compete against each other, starting from an even playing field every few months. Tying rune words to it was just a way to incentivize a new feature to Diablo that in hindsight never needed the incentive. This isn’t going to “ruin the economy”. Any items found in ladder become non ladder anyway. People worried about “getting rich” in terms of in game currency should maybe find a better hobby 
Yet, that strategy has worked for almost 20 years. Do some of you even think before you talk? Let’s see, the game in a terrible visual state has had superior staying power, so let’s just change things. Those Ladder only rune words have been a success. And it’s a fact… Non Ladders has nothing to back up anything, just a bunch of keyboard warriors talking out their backsides, like they know anything. Just saying…
How have they been a success? I dont think we have any data that would be able to indicate that.
You would need to prove that the game would not have had similar staying power, if there hadn’t been ladder only items.
Your logic has a big flaw, mainly that there is no logic in it.
Lol, I love how you threw in getting rich in game currency. In reality, there are folks getting rich in real world currency due to all items in the game regardless of ladder or NL. You are right, this isn’t gamebreaking nor will it ruin the economy since there isn’t an economy right now. If we were 10 ladders in and then they wanted to do it, there may be a problem.
I don’t have a problem with it, but having that incentive was nice to have even if it was just for the challenge of obtaining them during the time period we had. Now that the time period is shortened by most likely half, it may just be better that they made this change.
I understand you are upset and I was too man. However, the reality is that this is going to be changed and hopefully for the better. Like I said before, due to the shortened ladder period, it may be better. I am just hoping since they are removing this incentive out of ladder that they will provide more incentive than what is left.