Hey MC,
Thanks for the reply. And thanks, too, for being so responsive to so many folks over the past few days.
I wanted to get back to you, in particular, on the subject of balance. I know that a blog post on the subject is forthcoming, and I wanted to raise a few questions that, hopefully, will be answered when that posting appears.
First, let’s talk about this:
You know that it’s not the particular point of GR 140 that I was drawing attention to, and more the overall question of relative class power, right?
I mean, the number could be different: there are currently 366 people who have cleared 135 or above with Crusader (some with paragon below 4000), while 109 players have cleared that mark with every other class, together. Or, look at the “1000th place” mark: for Crusader, the 1000th highest clear is GR 130. Barb is not too far behind, at 125 (equal to the rank 2000 Crusader), but for poor Necro, it’s 106. In fact, only 12 Necros, worldwide, would make it onto the top 1000 Crusader clears (and only 37 would make it onto the top 2000).
On one level, I guess this just “is what it is”. There have always been stronger and weaker classes and builds, and those change over time as new items are added and old items are adjusted. But on another level, people seem to find it awfully frustrating when their favorite class or build ends up on the scrap heap.
So, my first question is: are you guys ultimately aiming at finding some kind of stable balance between different classes and builds, or do you envision that balance continuously fluctuating, into the indefinite future? If the balance is meant to continue changing, long-term, how do you plan to maintain that approach after the launch of D4, which I certainly assume will consume some, many, or all of the resources currently dedicated to D3?
Next: what, exactly, is the level of balance you’re aiming for (whether this is meant to be permanent or temporary)? A 5 GR spread between rank 1 clears between classes? Or a 5 GR spread between rank 1000 clears between classes? How about between different sets/builds within the same class? Would a 10 GR gap between clears with WW and clears with IK fit within your parameters, or would you be looking to tighten that?
Finally, I know that the coming blog post is stated to be focused on solo class balance. But: the particular abilities of solo builds obviously effect their play in groups. For instance, because of the particular way they deal damage, various iterations of Star Pact Wizard have, for some time now, been the go-to for clearing density in group GRs, while Necros have generally dominated as Rift Guardian Killers.
So: how do you plan to balance, in the future, between group and solo play?
In closing, thanks again for your recent presence on these forums, it is much appreciated. And thanks, too @Nevalistis for your ongoing work in keeping us all enlightened… I’ll look forward to gaining some clarity in the (hopefully) near future!