Not a fan of season journey rewarding build-specific items

[Shadout-2849]

@Cyranis-1116

For what reason other than d2 and poe did it?

No, I dont particularly care what those games did. They did lots of things badly.
In this case, it just happens to be good design.

@Cyranis-1116

Also endgame gear progression starts at like 85, and doesn’t end till far far after lv 100. Where would what you suggest leave that?

Tbh, endgame starts at lvl 50-60.
As for endgame gear progression, it should likewise run from lvl 60 to 100, and of course in terms of grind, also beyond for those who want to keep going (think Holy Grail kind of people)

@Cyranis-1116

I think maybe you’re getting a bit too hung up on what seems familiar to you.

Honestly, no, I have been a big critic of D2, and I actively dislike PoE (primarily due to its trading focus).
In the past I also thought D2s lvling wasn’t the right system, and it would be better to have a relatively easy to reach max lvl. Solely because that would be easier to balance for the devs. But then various A-RPGs with such a design showed up. And it both felt less interesting in endgame, nor did it seemingly help the devs at all with balancing.

@Zoso-11650

I’d rather have a system though where you have more horizontal progression than vertical.

This I very much agree with.
Since I made a post about that earlier today, in relation to Uber Uniques, I will just quote myself.
But I don’t think it should be either/or. Mostly horizontal, but also a bit of vertical. Shifting more and more toward horizontal, the further you get into endgame.
However, it should hold true for both character and item based power.

@Shadout-2849

Not necessarily more power. But more diverse rewards, allowing them to go for more diverse builds.

Personally I would get rid of the Uber Unique concept for example. It is fine to have super rare items that open up new build options. However, those items should not be more powerful than other items, just different.

Like, a player who have played 50 hours might have a “power level of 100” (just a random number for the example), and use a fairly standard build that does not require any super special items.
Another player, who after 500 hours have found some of those super special items, might use a build that the first player just couldnt do, due to lacking those items. But the power of the character would still be 100. The character would not be any stronger. Just offer a different gameplay experience due to the build/items.

Or said in another way; late endgame should be more about horizontal progression rather than vertical progression
(there should of course also be vertical progression, but it should peter out without having to put in crazy amounts of hours)