Can we customize Elemental-damage type of Abilities?

PC General Discussion
1

One thing Diablo III did really well (after a time) was allow us to customize the elemental-type of the ability we wanted to use. As a Wizard, I could choose Meteor as a Cold-type spell. Or I could select a Lightning-type Hydra. It allowed us CHOICE - the ability to build using the spell I wanted to use plus the elemental damage type I wanted to embrace.

I'd like to see this system return in Diablo 4.

I might want to try a Fire-type Frozen orb; or maybe a Lightning Hydra. Maybe I’d like to try a Cold-type Firewall build. I am not proposing changing the spell mechanics like Diablo 3 tried to (and failed spectacularly in most cases, they tried to make the spell runes do different things, instead of just customizing the damage type.

This is too hard to balance.

I am proposing being able to customize the elemental-damage type of abilities, such as "Firewall" or "Meteor" or "Frozen Orb" or "Frost Nova".

Such a system, presumably, would have to change the particle effects of the spell and probably the sound effects as well, and it would have to interact logically with affixes that read, as an example: “Pyromancy spells can do X”. So if choose to build a Fire Frozen Orb build (So Cold it Burns!) I would expect that affix to work intuitively with the “Pyromancy spells do X” affix.

I suggest, somewhere down the line, maybe a system could be built so that we can change the elemental type of damage spell by inserting an Elemental Rune into the spell. Maybe Ral, Ort, and Thul runes can make a triumphant return and the system can call back to Diablo 2 rune fantasy and allow us to customize elemental type by being “inserted” into the spell to change the element-type.

Or Maybe it doesn't need to be that complicated.

Maybe one of the paragon boards Sorcerer abilities could read: “All elemental damage you deal is now Cold/Fire or Lightning type”, where the type is determined by the theme of that board. Maybe it’s simply a legendary affix on an item that does this.

All the same, I want to build around not only the ability I want to use, but also the element I want to use.

Feel Free to add your two obos if this is such a system you or whatever class you play might be interested in!

5 Likes
2

So far the 3 elemental lines of the sorcerer is hard element defined. Which kind of makes sense as they are devoted to their respective elements. But if any changes happens it will likely be legendaries/uniques.

3

Once we start getting more legendaries I would imagine this kind of thing happening. Maybe it’s in the game already. I’ve seen similar things in the other classes like having grenade skills count as trap skills, earthen might applies to storm skills, werebear skills count as earth and werewolf skills count as storm, storm skills count as wereweolf, earth skills count as werebear, bone storm and blood wave are also darkness skills.

I can easily imagine stuff for converting elements at release or shortly after.

4

I also like anything that gives us choice! :slight_smile: Great idea.

1 Like
5

This is one thing D3 got right. I hope so as future content.

I want to really make a poison necro, cold barb and shadow sorc

2 Likes
6

I wouldn’t say D3 did this well. Yes there were different elemental types but they forced you to pick the one with the most damage numbers more often than not. I would prefer if items and paragon gives us more influence over this, which I know based on the datamind some of them do.

7

this something that is exclusive to certain classes like the sorc and the rogue in D4. giving this ability to everyone would defeat the purpose of these classes.
however weapons with elements should definitely be a thing again.

8

did you enjoy this frozen orb iteration?

i thought it felt out of touch with what frozen orb was in d2 or even d3. its supposed to spit shards and the explosion is from the last bunch of shards going wild , not a literal aoe circle like this iteration does.

feels weird for me. i think i preferred both the d2 and d3 ones.

instead of an epic flurry of shards you get a few and and a plain old aoe circle. meh.

9

I would argue the problem with classes is exactly that. So instead of playing a barbarian that whirlwinds poison blobs everywhere and increasing dot damage and poison damage I am forced to play a class that can poison and then I am forced into a very specific build. Wanting class identify shouldn’t nose dive the creativity of the player.

1 Like
10

Wait did the elements in D3 matter at some point? I stopped playing a long time ago. If they didn’t matter, what choice does it give other than more damage than another choice? In D2 obviously enemies are immune or highly resistant to an element or many elements, making the element type matter. In D3 +206000 fire damage might as well have been lightning damage. Same with spells I thought?

I’m all for a hydra that shoots ice balls that chills enemies though. Or chain lightings. Or a frozen orb that’s fire and does a DOT instead of chills enemies. That sounds cool!

11

again, a barb should be able to equip a poison infused weapon and WW through enemies poisoning them. but as “class ability” elements are something that magic classes can do, not brute fighters that only know how to bonk with different sticks with different pieces of metal attached to them.

12

Your in for a surprise then lol

13

I like it, but I wish it had slightly shorter range or a larger explosion radius. It’s annoying having it explode behind the enemy.

1 Like
14

That is not what I proposed. I did not propose changing the mechanics of the spell, I proposed just changing the elemental type.

15

on current season it only matters on sorc rn i think.

current meta sorc wants to use one of each magical elements to keep some buff up at 4 stacks. think its only arcane-cold-fire-lightning though.

other than that not really aside from obviously wanting some poison version of a skill if you have +20% poison damage on a couple items for example - but in d3 that’s usually easy to replace/reroll for another type of elemental bonus.

1 Like
16

Which is why I said what I wanted. I didn’t even comment on what you said.

17

A lot of it was just visual. But D4 seems to add a primary and secondary effect at least with Cold, Fire and Elec.

18

Well based on the unique Andariel’s Visage you could see opportunities to use lucky chance and other legendaries to make poison work on a Barb; but its not odd that some classes will have better access to bleed vs poison; overpower vs damage over time; elements vs physical.

19

What would my fellow sorcerer(s) think if sets, say like the 3/3 complete (Tal Rasha), (Delsere) or (Vyr) sets changed all elemental damage to Fire, Cold, or Lightning, respectively?

That way, the set pieces themselves could roll with random class affixes, some maybe in an unusual spot, and only when all three pieces are equipped the “set” bonus would activate.

20

i’d sincerely hate any of that happening. really. i don’t want sets at all. i’m more than happy and it was a buying factor for me, in knowing d4 had none of those at launch.

no, no, and… no, thx. also, i want a frost sorc, that comes at the cost of not being a fire or shock sorc. exactly. if i want a shock sorc, or a fire one, i’ll build one specifically for that. and guess what: it won’t be a frost one.

btw, all that said: you can already fill your enchantment slots with another element skills. and can already if you really wish, make a 2-elements build (you have to think a bit about it, but you can pick from one and the other). so all in all, you can already have a bit of that feeling, ie 2 strong elements always available, and a third element influence on skills in background through enchantment. i’d stop there. forcing down everybody’s throat a d3fication of d4, would be best way to make many (me included) treat d4 as d3: leave, uninstall and forget.