Lost another zBarb to frickin shadow clones and dervishes, yaayyyyy!! What a brilliant mechanic. Proc’d and then died immediately as the words “i proc’d” left my lips, so yeah, despite 95% DR from the passive, I STILL got one shot.
LITERALLY - NOTHING - YOU - CAN - DO
As soon as the S22 blog was published, we said clones had projectile attacks which could be reflected back onto players by Dune Dervishes / Sand Dwellers, which would lead to unavoidable deaths of hardcore heroes. No response was given by Blizzard and it went to the PTR like that.
When S22 was put onto the PTR, we experienced exactly what we said we would, and people reported their hardcore heroes dying to due to reflected projectiles. No response was given by Blizzard and it went live like that.
When S22 went live, we got reports of exactly the same thing. No response was given by Blizzard.
This is now the second season in a row where we had mechanics that are part of the season theme that can result in the unavoidable death of hardcore heroes which players cannot control. (S21’s elemental weather effects had something similar, in that the lightning breath was also treated as a projectile, despite looking like a channelled lightning spell).
We also got no response when we asked why shadow clones don’t follow you from one map level down to the next in rifts / GRs and whether that was intended or a bug.
We also got no response when we asked why 2 of the 3 Crusader shadow clones disappear within a couple of seconds of being spawned because they initiate Falling Sword, leap into the heavens and never come back, despawning instead. This was reported on the PTR forums, and I reported it on day one of S22 going live.
We also got no response about why sometimes shadow clones spawn, but then just stand there and don’t attack.
We also got no response about why players who are not playing DHs sometimes get DH clones rather than clones of their own hero’s class.
We also got no response about why the clones of everyone in a group will follow the player that caused them to spawn by clicking a shrine / pylon rather than following the hero they belong to.
It’s entirely unsurprising that people become jaded about bothering to take part on the PTR when things get pushed to live in the same buggy state we first saw them in the patch notes and/or on the PTR.
The whole point of testing is so they can fix the bugs we find before it hits live…
MB, your post sums it up - a lack of communication and care from the devs.
When I played shadow DH they were quite rare, so not wearing nemesis, where they seemed to spawn more often at that time, can help to reduce the risk.
There is almost nothing quite so painful as unrequited love. We love the game, but it often does not love us back.
You’re right, of course.
What is the point of the PTR if the feedback they request is willfully ignored? What is the point of forum feedback if that is willfully ignored? What is the point of having communication of any kind with this company if the communication only goes one way, and is never taken into consideration?
It’s like they’re trying to chase us out of the game; sour the milk so we’ll buy something new. I can’t speak for anyone else, but this treatment does not make me reach for my wallet.
Three of my builds use Nemesis. Ordinarily I jump at the chance to wear it, since most builds I play have no room for it. To me, the item represents faster clears, because I can spawn more elites, and more elites equals more progress orbs; especially since Shadow Clones can help kill them.
That’s on paper. In gameplay, every time I hit a pylon with Nemesis equipped, I immediately Vault out of there as if my life depends on it.
…because it does.
The Shadow Clone mechanic was supposed to be a season buff, not a chance to be instantly, unavoidably killed. That behavior, to me, is a debuff.
Take your pick:
I can’t decide if that’s brilliant or just plain cruel.
Oh, that was the first thing I thought of. After games like Elite Dangerous, it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that a player would attempt to leverage unintended mechanics against other players to kill their characters. Even in softcore, some < DESCRIPTOR NOT FOUND > would do it just to feel superior.
Now imagine the implications in hardcore. Glad I don’t play it.
Yes there is.
PAY ATTENTION!!!
If you see ANYTHING that even resembles a dervish, move away asap. It doesn’t matter if you are in a group or solo.
Also look for ANY animation on ANY mob that looks like swirling dust (wind if you will) spinning around them. Again, it doesn’t matter if you are in a group or solo.
I look for those things when I play Frenzy Barb. Why? Because of the rune that throws an axe. Most the time it won’t do enough damage to kill, but it can. It can also bypass all cheat deaths too. If it doesn’t kill you, then it can weaken you long enough for a mob to take advantage of the situation and cheap shot you. Yes, that cheap shot can bypass cheat death passives too. Or it can be one mob that procs passive and a nano second later another that gives you that true death.
That’s HC for you. YOU WILL EVENTUALLY DIE!
Why should DHs have to forego nemesis bracers, that nearly all other builds can use, unimpeded? Surely, that is BAD game design. The bracers should be changed to affect every build the same way, not just a select few…that’s actual game balance.
Any build that has projectile attacks is at risk when using Nemesis bracers, as they can cause a shrine / pylon to spawn Dune Dervishes or Sand Dwellers. It’s not just the Impale DH, Frenzy Barb has thrown axes, Necros with Bone Spear, and so on. This season’s just exacerbated the issue because some of the clones not only have projectile attacks, but the player cannot stop them throwing them at reflecting mobs, i.e. for the 2nd season in a row the season theme can cause the death of heroes without the player being able to prevent it. The fact that Blizzard allowed that to live, knowing it will absolutely caused players to lose their hardcore heroes, is pretty poor to be honest.
you didn’t really get my point - the bracers shouldn’t just affect a small number of builds (I am well aware that some other builds, like you mentioned, are also impacted by their auto kill reflection btw). The bracers should either affect all builds equally, or none.
Good grief. This was a dervish that spawned from a pylon. The dervish one shot mechanic is silly. The rate at which they spawn from pylons is silly. Your suggestion that I must not have been trying to get away from the dervish is insulting. We were in a 134 on a narrow tile set. I proc’d and died within a matter of seconds of the callout. I had charged one screen away, and that’s where I died.
My point is that we can manage dervishes under normal conditions, even considering that it is a stupid mechanic. What puts it over the top this season is that YOU CANNOT CONTROL SHADOW CLONES.
I can lump it if it’s a simple matter of the characters with projectiles controlling their spray.
Please stop providing infantile responses to this obvious problem.
Playing HC meta I play zDH w/ Nems in cube and after the Nec’s & zBarb pass the pylon, and are a safe distance away, I pop it and if spinners are there we all run.
That is how you do it.
This is something - you - can - do!
If SC, don’t worry about it. You lose a few seconds of GR time, no biggy.
If HC, the consider yourself lucky you died playing your character vs. anything ‘lag’ related. Oh, and ANY death in HC is heart breaking, even if you see it a mile away. That’s HC for you.
Yes I am well aware of the mechanic. It was the same in PTR. It happened to me with DH GoD build and, yes again, Frenzy Barb. The first time took me by surprise on my DH. Luckily for me it was it was PTR and SC. Even if it was HC, again luckily for me PTR.
Obviously, it’s still an issue a month into the season. That’s why I said that there is something you can do. That’s why I said PAY ATTENTION. Of course, what I should have said was ANTICIPATE that particular mob spawning at a pylon. DON’T react after the fact, react BEFORE. Especially since its a KNOWN ISSUE.
You are a Barb? Hit pylon and the charge away. Assess the situation. NO Dervish or any other such mob that can REFLECT PLAYER DAMAGE, charge in and work that beautiful zBarb magic. Boom there you go. If GR 134, all the GRs before that should have been practice that would lead to memory and thus success.
Either way, see #3 on why people die in HC. Oh, and that applies for SC as well. This is the part where ‘some players’ would tell you to L2PLAY or GIT GUD. Not I.
Calm down guys with the truth or else you will spawn the green text dude.
She isn’t a dude.
Shadows draw near and a green text dude lurks near by…
Sadly, I used to play hardcore. I used to enjoy playing hardcore. These bugs, strike that, these “features” are why I stopped playing and haven’t gone back for several years now.
I miss the peaceful play of hardcore. I know that sounds wrong, but in softcore I always have to rush, not to climb the leaderboards, but just to keep up with the other players so I can get into a team game.
Hardcore is a much more relaxed group of people and I miss being a part of that community.