Bugged Builds and the Future of Diablo 4

TL;DR If Blizzard can’t step in and fix exploits anymore because they fear community backlash and crying about nerfs, then what’s the future really look like for this game? We will just exploit anything and break the game every season, and everyone will only be playing that one build for 3 months straight? Doesn’t sound fun to me.

So, I know a ton of you out there are going to just think I’m complaining, so I’ll attempt to assure you I’m not. But I do have a very serious question for the devs.

If you’re just going to allow people to make builds that exploit bugs then where does it end?

Because I remember last season I was playing a Rogue that was using the “Imbument Bug” (not knowingly tbh), and about a week or two into Season 1, it was nerfed (well… it was fixed, because it was a bug that was being exploited). So, with the way things are now with the reigning king being a Sorc build that is just exploiting a bug, what does the future of the game and every season from here on out really look like? Are we all just expected to find the latest exploit and then all run around playing the same build as each other all season long because… well… Blizzard is too scared to fix anything anymore because the community will be butt hurt and call it a nerf? Is this just laziness on Blizzards end, another excuse to not balance the game?

Because bugs and the exploitation of said bugs are not legit builds. They are mechanics that are not working as intended at all. Where does it end then? Why not bring back all the other “builds” you’ve already “nerfed” when you fixed the bug that was making said “build” so overpowered?

Can anyone else see how bad this can get moving forward? I can’t possibly be alone on this. Can I?

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except the bl sorc isnt exploiting a bug. it isnt a bug. they changed the way ball lightning worked, yes without any ptr, and it is overperforming. but it is performing exactly as the tooltips read. hence not a bug

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From my understanding the statement was more of “we won’t nerf/change during the season” which… I kind of understand. If it was “NEVER” not only has that already been shown to not be the case (we’ve had quite a number of nerfs) but as you mentioned that wouldn’t make much sense.

For 3 months… ehhh… have fun I guess.

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That’s what I mean though. regardless of it being a bug or not (I remember someone referring to it as such… but whatever), what do we have to look forward to each season? Just one ridiculously overpowered build that exploits some game mechanics that makes everything in game arbitrary and casts a shadow over 99% of builds? That’s pathetic.

It’s not nerfing, it’s balancing.

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That’s a pretty big mistake to make in your initial post no? Bugged build? No.
Your exaggerating a lot here too. Most players I see still use one of Rogue’s S Tier builds that have dominated since release.
I bet you just got totally pawned in a Legion event right? Could’t get a kill in becasue a BL was deleting everything.

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There were some playing ball lightning/unstable currents before the update. Should we/they change our build just because it improved?

Seemed obvious the update was an immense buff to lightning builds when the campfire update came out.

I think its right to say BL sorc is bugged as the math calculations are way off somewhere even if it matches tooltip. Something like 3.33x too much damage.

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The tech team is simply the worst ever i’ve seen in any recent games 2022-2023. I highly doubt they fix any major issues until 2 expansions.

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You’re not “pawning” anyone get real lmao
It’s cringe.
But I appreciate the easy loot! So thanks, blbabby

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I don’t know if you saw the Blizzcon campfire chat, specifically the discussion of balance where they mention the BL Sorc. There was a lot of eye-rolling and sarcasm and it seemed to me they understood that build specifically was overperforming and outright mentioned nerfing that build.

But to your initial post, you mention that your S1 build that was bugged (unknowingly of course) was fixed, rather early in the season. Doesn’t that go against your argument of being stuck with a bugged build for 3 months? You seem to have already had your concern addressed, months ago.

I guess where I’m coming from is, I don’t know where you’re coming from. It seems to me that you’re upset over something that was demonstrably not true, based on your own personal experience. Perhaps I’m misreading this, and if so, I’m sorry.

lol but it isnt off. you are referring to the old tooltip when trying to reference the 3.33x. that is no where in the new tooltip, so no it isnt bugged. they released an update that was untested. should they have a ptr to catch things like this yes, but it still isnt a bug. rogue interacting with tibaults will getting 20 combo points and doing 10bil shot dmg is a bug. ball lightning doing exactly what tooltip says, not a bug

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Look I get what you are saying but it doesnt mean ball lightning isnt bugged. The combo point is an obviously bug that is easy to see that is true BL bug could be in the calculations like how often it calculates damage which is totally bonkers. I can stun bosses in a couple seconds. Its insane how often it hits. I have played this build to LV 100 and I can say with 100% certainty its bugged somewhere. We disagree!

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well your 100% certainty is you saying “it does alot of damage mean it must be bugged”. that doesnt mean bugged. have you not figured out yet that blizzard is bad at math. they took away all reductions from the skill and added improvements. ofcourse it is insane right now, but its literally acting as the tooltip describes right now. its not a matter of disagreement. you are wrong about it being a bug. its just poor design/implementation. but again that doesnt make it a bug

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We will find out if it is ever addressed in a patch or not. I say it is bugged you say it isnt. One wrong number somewhere is a bug. One unplanned interaction is a bug. Its very easy this is still bugged. Just because something cant be proven easily like the 90 combo point rogue doesnt mean its working fine. Checking for bugs isnt as simple as well it looks like it matches the tooltip so lets call it a day. There are hundreds and thousands of interactions to look at here. I can tell you with leveling this character to 100 its not working as intended. To just dismiss m y experience so easily is not cool. I have played this inside and out.

And its more than just the damage. Its the tick rate. This build nearly instantly stuns bosses. Have you actually played Ball Sorc?

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No, you don’t disagree. You are making a claim with zero evidence. In fact, you concede the tooltip is right ‘but it’s bugged I just know it!’ is just like, your opinion man.

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If BL Sorc is bugged then they should state that it is, at the very least. Let it play out the Season as then retune it.

The thing they messed up on in Season 2 is the mob health and power level. Every class has a build or two that absolutely crushes the majority of content. It’s still much better than Season 1, and pre-season play. They still have loads of work to do on this $1 scratch off ticket of a game, might as well let people have fun while they sort it out.

yes i have a 100 bl sorc. i have 5 lvl 100 chars this season. and actually testing things isnt as difficult as you think. i mean when i was in college i worked QA for Tiburon Studios so i know how to bug test. its not a matter of it doing something outside of what is described. it is acting according to the tooltip. i agree it is doing way more than it should and it will get the nerf bat at end of season, but it isnt a bug. they just dont test their “balance” changes before they implement them and it shows

Let me just end with this copy paste of a software bug definition if that is where you are getting hung up on. I bolded the key part.

A software bug is an error, flaw or fault in the design, development, or operation of computer software that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave in unintended ways.

Ball lightning sorc is bugged. I am 100% sure of it but yes its an opinion based on experience. I dont have access to the data which you dont either so both our views are opinions. Only Blizzard can state exactly what is happening with BL sorc. Hopefully we learn on patch notes and it gets addressed.

5 level 100 characters in one season? Its only been out a couple weeks. That is borderline OCD friend!

Im done with you on this. You can have the last word!

BL Sorc is fine honestly.

Season 0:
Rogue outperforms everyone with TB poison.
WW got basically deleted.
Werenado is broken as all hell.
Bone spear full on destroys the game.
Sorc … I guess firewall or chain lightning?

Season 1:
TB rogue still broken amd dominates
Necro Bone spear and infinimist
Druid nado
Sorc and Barb? Not even close

Season 2:
TB rogue still dominates.
Bone Spear and Infinimist still incredible.
Hota and upheaval Barb are insane now. Deathblow as well.
Werenado and Stormclaw are fantastic as is lightning storm and the new boulder build.
Sorc BL build, fireball and Blizzard all compete.

My point is BL build isnt exactly that insane when other classes have been doing that output or more from the start to now. Its powerful yes, so is Hota, TB, bone spear and Werenado. Yet we leave those builds intact at identical or even greater power levels?

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ya my upheaval barb does 60m dmg crits without grandfather. i 1 shot uber lilith both phases. bl sorc takes longer to take her down. so what is more “bugged”?

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