First off, I think the seasonal mechanic has been a way for developers to test ideas. With that said, I believe it’s time for them to prune back their ideas a bit. Starting off with aspects.
Every season they make new aspects, new uniques, and some builds get stronger while others become way weaker. Mainly due to inefficiency, or the aspect is vital to the build and therefore will ALWAYS take a slot meaning less choices to take other things. So, I propose we take 2-3 aspects for almost every build and ADD them to their skill trees. This way the ability REMAINS in the game, but gets new life breathed into it. If possible combine them! Give the developers ideas.
Examples for necro:
Minion
-Remove Aspect of Occult Dominion
-Remove Aspect of Requiem
+Skeletal Warrior Mastery also adds 1/2/3 warriors
+Skeletal Mage Mastery also adds 1/2/3 mages
+Golem Mastery also adds 2/6/10 essence per minion
Everyone wants dominion and this gives the equivalent of an amulet version as long as you pick up the points. Golem gives you extra essence which combined gives you 140 for the full set. Not much but it’s a nice perk and opens up a few things.
Blood
-Remove Aspect of Gore Quills
-Remove Aspect of the Embalmer
+Grim Harvest now adds 10/20/30% chance to spawn a blood orb
+Gruesome Mending changed to consume blood orbs to conjure blood skills from them.
More blood orbs for everyone in general, and while it WILL be silly in some builds, this will make your lance, surge, wave, and bone blood spear fire from orbs. Making it not JUST a pickup QoL for lancers alone.
Bone
-Aspect of Shielding Storm
-Aspect of Bursting Bones
+Bone Storm adds barrier generation of 1%/skill point to the main skill.
+Bone Prison adds destruction of itself or parts of it to damage in an area.
Again nothing much QoL improvements to bone storm and prison
Shadow
-Aspect of the Long Shadow
-Shademist Aspect
+Crippling Darkness Your Minions gain the Darkness tag and deal 25% Shadow Damage per second to enemies around them. The damage over time lasts for 2/3/4 seconds after leaving the aura.
+Shadowblight Key Passive adds passive 2 essence generation to the skill
Again a cleanup of aspects from the game and empowering skills a bit more. Adding the darkness tag to summons allows shadow summoners to keep their minions on the bar activating reapers pursuit passive, along with golem activation counting as a “Darkness” skill.
Also I am a proud MOGGA advocate (Make Our Golem Great Again) so food for thought:
Each Golem Activation produces a curse. Each curse lasts 10 seconds unless stated otherwise. While cursed, ALL minions lock on and attack those cursed targets FIRST then other targets.
-Bone
+Curse of Thorns - Taunts and takes 30% reduced damage for 6 seconds. While cursed enemies take an additional 70% of the golems armor as thorns damage.
-Blood
+Curse of the Leech - Drain the blood of enemies in the area dealing 90% damage and healing 5% of its life for each enemy drained. Damage and healing received are tripled if only one enemy is drained. Damaging cursed enemies heal you and your minions.
-Iron
+Curse of Frailty - Slams the ground cursing and stunning enemies. Your other minions deal X% of your golems damage to cursed enemies. Lasts 3 seconds.
+First Upgrade - Every 2nd Iron Golem attacks causes a shockwave, cursing, and dealing X [30%] damage to the primary enemy and to enemies behind them. This will not trigger minion re-targeting.
+Second Upgrade - Curse is increased by 3 seconds and enemies take an additional 10% crit damage.
Gives each golem it’s own purpose. Bone is thorns and taunts. Blood is healing and damage reduction. Iron is about uplifting damage from other minions and a stun. It also gives what necros have been asking for: A target function. One that is mostly built into the game as is since we CAN target the golem where we want it. Now it’s activation makes the other minions ‘follow the leader’ as it were. It also adds a curse which tie into other skills so works out overall.
Season 9 Aspect/Mythics revisions
Decaying Humorous and Untimely Death could have a look. They both do the same thing mostly. They convert each to shadow damage. Perhaps make the new Decaying affect Bone Skills alone and add the bone storm mechanic from untimely to it.
Untimely can then affect blood skills alone. This opens up future ways to convert later a shadow > bone/blood thing if you figure it out later. At this time though it’s just doubling down on a concept.
Bloodless Scream
+Make it darkness damage not skills. Then the above darkness minion idea could work with it. Could be fun.
I do kinda want feedback and help for classes other than necro for this for other suggestion as those mains will be better than me for making appropriate changes for themselves.