i saw maxroll website saying ball lightning is s tier build now. really?
The problems with Maxroll’s tier page are:
(1) They have any explanation of the quantifiable KPIs that inform the ranking…
(2) They also mix PVP and NMD together which is idiotic. For example, blizzard sorc is terrible in PVP but great in NMD
So given the above, we can just throw their tier list in the trash. Its just an opinion page without any supporting evidence.
Lets assume the ideal tier system is based soley on T100 NMDs. If i were creating quantifiable KPIs, id have at least these 2 kpis:
1.) average speed of a max build to complete t100 dungeons [insert 3 dungeons] while killing at least 85% of the minions.
2.) Time to kill t100 boss
Your S tier builds would be able to wipe dungeons in under 4 minutes while taking out the boss in under 5 seconds
Id have a completely different ranking system for PVP, but PVP is harder to rank because PVP relies more heavily on skill, strategy and PVP experience of the player. For example, as a BL in t100, i just had to light up my balls and walk / tp through the dungeon without much effort. And any BL can still do this to this day. I couldnt do the same as a BL in the PVP zone. BLs still get wiped, except probably against a mele rogue.
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i thought ball lightning was nerfed alot.
BL build was nerfed but as mentioned in previous threads in this forum, it is still a very good NMD build. Very durable and efficient. And they even buffed it in the last patch 2 weeks ago
i am not playing pvp. i want to kill the level 200 boss as soon as possible.
Then you can go with blizzard or BL. These are the easiest no-talent builds that dont require much effort or attention level. I can say this because i played both for an extended period of time and enjoyed them.
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Then by that definition not S tier and you want to play Barb.
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The Maxroll guides for D4 are terribly outdated and inaccurate. I don’t think anyone on their team plays the game seriously enough to be able to create thorough guides for it. Which isn’t exactly a surprise given how unpopular D4 was at launch and largely continues to be even though things have gotten better and by all indications will continue to trend in that direction. Unfortunately, first impressions are everything in gaming and Blizzard definitely botched D4’s.
You’re much better off looking for guide videos on YouTube, particularly ones from popular creators with lots of views and comments from people who have tried out and tested the builds.
P.S. While BL is no longer top tier (it only ever was because of a bug that he since been fixed) it is still very much viable just not nearly as optimal as other builds out there.
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I have gone back to BL after playing it last season. Although certainly not as OP it is still very powerful and I believe it leads the way in the guantlet?
BL was near the top of gauntlet builds in the first week because it’s very fast.
It’s still a strong build. I think Iggi (?) or someone else posted a video from near the beginning of S3 where he soloed a WT4 world boss on Eternal with a BL sorc in about 7 minutes. Is it OP like it was in S2? No. But it’s still very solid, and lends itself well to a run and gun play style.
Balls lighting received 10% boost.
Ya don’t even have all of glyphs at 15 yet and cruising thru 80’s level vaults. BL is still very solid