They kill creativity in build planning
It’s an absolute garbage game mechanic and I am baffled it’s returning in D4
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As long as gear is not 100% random whether there are sets or just specific items “creativity” is pretty much non existent if you want your char to work at maximum efficiency.
Can’t speak for others, but it’s less of me liking sets and more that I don’t see an issue with sets as long as they’re not done similar to most of D3 sets, whereas they massively buff a select few skills and/or offers a restricting playstyle that leaves little to no room in viable alteration.
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Many of us don’t, but the game revolves around them. As for D4, sets aren’t being implemented at launch and we can just hope that they stay out of the game for as long as possible. And when they do appear let’s hope they just buff stats (ring set that gives +xx to stats, or % of elemental dmg, etc.) instead of requiring builds be based on them.
Nothing wrong with sets.
There however, can be stuff wrong with their implementation.
Sets can be made which compete with individual items but provide an effect that is different in some way, such as creating a theme with synergy between multiple skills or changing how skill(s) work mechanically. (While you can use unique items to simply use skill(s) in their base form with better effectivness)
A lot of D3 sets are terrible design in that they simply buff 1 ability and that’s it. But D3 having terrible set design doesn’t necessarily mean D4 will also have the same terrible set design.
Essentially, it comes down to the fact that sets can allow for more creative design in how skills are affected since they can ensure you can’t use other gear with modifiers to the same skills that would clash (Which is something that could happen if only unique items were used, unless they were all for the same item slot and there was no cube type mechanic)
Of course, we’ll have to wait and see how D4 handles sets. Whether they’ll use them to their potential to vastly increase number of builds and gameplay of different skills, or whether they’ll fall back into D3’s design and make them boring and lame…
4 Likes
I like Sets but not the part they grant 10000-20000% damage multiplier to specific class traits. Just follow the model of Diablo Immortal and it will be fine in my opinion. Very generic and subtle impressions allow builds to be flexible.
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They’re iconic, going to feel weird not having them at first, kind of like when wow got rid of them for an expansion and like 2/3rds of another.
people like them and noone is stopping you from NOT using them
So how exactly are they killing your creativity in build planning
Let’s not pretend that non-set items offer any creativity in build planning either. 
Instead of wearing this specific 6 set pieces, you will have wearing this specific unique/legendary gear now. 
Let’s not pretend LOD/LON builds aren’t just another type of set.
Blizzard has all of the build creativity in this game.
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Sets are easy ways to grok a character, as they act as a tutorial, in a sense. But, when they are then required to be effective, it is no longer enjoyable. There should, basically, be two types of sets, neither of which are compatible with the other, and either of which the player can choose to use… or not.
Ideally, there would be a cross-class set or two, as well, so a player can play Character X in the style of another class, if interested, without having to switch and build another.
But, realistically, the best way for a set to work is to simply modify one or two skills, and not by much. The sets should be 2-3 pieces, total, as well and not require the character to have every equipment slot filled with green/whatever color.
the problem isn’t sets. The problem is overly restrictive sets and game balance centered around specific items. There is functionally no difference between having an entire set of 8 pieces that buffs 1 skill when complete, or having 8 separate legendaries which buff the same skill. Either way, your build is restricted.
D2 had sets… no one complained because they were bad. But D2 had Enigma, and Teleport is arguably the best skill in that entire game. The entire meta revolved around Enigma, which led to restrictive building, and people complained.
I think the D3 Necromancer has great sets that allow for great diversity. Wizard and Demon Hunter have garbage ones that force specific skills in the skill bar.
The fixes I hope for D4 are:
- Sets should buff more skills that you can put in your bars at once, so the player gets to chose what to use.
- We shouldn’t have more than 1 legendary per skill.
- Items should not have ridiculous multipliers.
I always found sets quite nice in D2 at the beginning of the game to keep your character a bit from constantly swapping items and give yourself some solid bonuses.
But the further you progress in the game the more they bother me and I don’t like them anymore. They just rob me of a certain freedom. So from level 35 at the latest, I just want to get rid of them where I love them early in the game. E.g. with the Nekro at level 5 Infernos (helmet/staff/belt) is nice.
In D3 the whole sets at the end, I find absolutely demotivating and terrible at the end, to fix only on these items from a set… Terrible to tie the whole game…
You can do cool stuff with sets other than “Skill X destroys everything and nothing else even scratches them” so that is why people like them.
Like the crafted sets are pretty cool. Or you can make activity specific things, like increased movement speed/gems & gold etc for a more farming geared set that leads to lower damage. That is more variation than the current one of changing like 2 or 3 things.
Sets are just manifestation of best in slot for some builds. Without them you would have a couple of LON builds for different skills and Blizzard would balance items more. It is not a big difference in the end
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In the case of D3 the problem isn’t the sets, it’s the whole itemisation.
As others already mentioned, if it isn’t sets, it’s LoN/LoD based builds and they all require specific items with specific rolls. The build creativity is very much limited due to items buffing very specific things. Whether it’s set bonuses or huge buffs from individual items, all of them drive players towards very specific playstyles.
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I don’t realy like sets in D3, but it is how it is, so i just roll with it. I like D2 sets better with universal buffs mostly, but D:I sets are also a much better way.
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I’d like to note however that LoN/LoD as a concept is good one as in theory you could have fully free creativity of how to set up your build. With all ancient gear you have a flat 98.5x damage multiplier on everything. Skills A and B still have the exactly same relative power difference.
The big problem comes from the fact that individual items provide massive buffs to specific things (directly or indirectly) and with LoN/LoD you can actually have more of these buffs stacking on each other as you don’t have set items reserving item slots.
And that’s why the itemisation as a whole is the problem.
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I think people like sets since they give some crazy advantages. Would you rather fight in full primal legendaries doing 1b sheet damage or would you rather fight in normal green full set doing 8b sheet damage?
Given that I have not, and wont, play Immortal, why do you feel these sets are good? What makes them better?