Hi everyone, kinda wanted to point this out that S4 is perhaps not just a balance/test but also design-approach test phase for the game’s future
Perhaps for some of you this is “set in stone” but let me present the cases first:
Choice of direction #1
- Build-first vs Combat-first
Choice of direction #2
- For combat-first: Focus-fire-first or Evasion first (leftovers from both still exist but were more prominent near launch)
- For build-first: Skill-first (more neglected) or Utility-first (current case in D4)
So, if I were to analyze and make a statement, currently (at the end of S3) D4 is a game of:
- 40% combat-first, 60% build-first game
and (was more like 70%/30% at launch) - 90% damage-first, and 10% evasion/focus-fire first game (was more like 80%/20% at launch)
So yes, there are still “leftovers” of both (combat-first, and evasion/focus-fire importance)
Just before finishing and asking what you people think, here are a couple of “next steps” for each direction of those:
- Evasion first:
- Telegraphed area of attacks are now removed, but all AoE has a “perimeter penalty” of damage taken (both directions)
- Some monsters gain a special attack that you’d like to not be nearby when that happens
> (TLDR ? - less floor is lava and more actual animated combat approach, in return all AoE gains penalty for damage at the perimeters)
- Focus fire first:
- Rework some of the elite-affixes to be targetable (such as Mortar or Frozen for example)
- Blood boils no longer just splat for damage, they also buff nearby monsters on explosion
- Additional channeled buffs/explosions (for example poison orb buffing temporarily nearby mobs with a poison enchantment portion)
>(TLDR ? - new priority targets added in combat, most if not all focusable. Recommended to focus-down as fast as possible)
- Skill-first:
- Skill trees gain an upgrade/choices. Or skill tree skill-upgrade nodes gain levels (1-5 for example)
- Skills have the option to add an elemental portion of damage to them
- Skills can be upgraded past lvl5 but can’t be unlearned
(e.t.c.)
>(TLDR ? - the “upgrade my skill the way I want and don’t care about anything else”, i.e. “traditional” LE/PoE approach)
- Utility-first:
- More affixes for LH, Overtime, Barrier/Fortify, Overpower e.t.c. on gear
- More drop types (more socket types and more types of gear)
>TLDR ? - Stuff that IMO generally lacks for D4, more of those non-damage upgrades via drops, sockets, and overall gear
If I were to choose I’d probably go something along the lines of 4 > 2 > 1 > 3
The way I thought about this is cause I believe D4 lacks just additional types of drops (most of all) and then combat upgrades would be better than the skill-first approach…
But regardless, curious to hear to what you people think overall… 
