Edit: I am going to put this here at the very top because some common misconceptions that occur with people reading my posts is that they think I want everything in the game absolutely buffed and given for free.
When I say buff NM dungeons ← here specifically, I am referring to the fact that climbing higher should be more rewarding which it is not.
Punishing players to combat RMT is counterproductive. this is a garbage hill to die on.
If you disagree with me feel free to give me a reason. Plenty of people in thread have changed my mind on things and I have no problem engaging with someone who wants to do so intellectually.
Last but not least, I do not think I am right on everything. I am providing my opinion on the matter and these opinions are open to being challenged because I am but a single person.
But what you cannot do is complain when someone provides feedback with suggestions and then berate the person who tries to incentivize conversations. It is abundantly clear that a lot of people here want to complain about things instead of providing opinions.
Edit: Yes, 3 level 100’s now; my Barb hit 100.
Hello.
Contrary to some of the things that I’m addressing here, I love this game. I’ve spent money on costumes in the store, I’ve got the season pass and even purchased the game a few times for myself and friends. It’s not perfect and I’m certain people are working on the game to make it better, but I still have some deeply concerning complaints I wanted to address. Because of that I will share my thoughts and opinions and as well provide suggestions because complaints alone are not conducive to conversation and change. I do not wish to merely complain. I wish to address what I, personally see as an issue and try to help contribute solutions.
Lets get it in.
I’ve played this bloody game into the ground. I’ve got 3 level 100’s, I’ve cleared NM 100 on both my level 100’s and will do so on my new one. I’ve killed Uber Lilith.
Only thing I haven’t done is find a Shako/Grandpa/Doombringer, which are testaments to how ridiculously rare they are and how unfulfilling it remains to even call them chase items. More like pointless lottery tickets. Especially because you cannot trade legendaries or uniques.
I don’t care how controversial this opinion may be but in a game where you cannot trade those things THESE ITEMS SHOULD NOT BE THAT RARE PERIOD. I do not care what POE has done. I do not care what D2R has done – I have played them both and if I can’t get it, there’s someone who can and we’ll trade. I am talking about D4.
If you love D2R so much, go play it. If you love POE so much, go play it.
If you want to make adjustments to ludicrous drop rates and disgustingly obscene limitations, then lets talk about this by sharing our thoughts in an effort to change it.
I run a fairly large discord with the brute of the players that were interested in Diablo 4 quitting. I enjoy community management so I spent ample time gathering information and put out a poll with a small response towards why they left and the most common response (a small, conservative sample size of 217 replies) was the following:
The game feels unpolished and unfinished. The cost of certain things is much too high way too early. It just doesn’t feel like this game respects my time and efforts.
That statement up there is the entire context of this post. I take it to heart because that statement up there is the downright ugly truth of the game in its present state. No seasonal ladder is going to fix that. I’ve played D3 and D2R those are miniscule communities in comparison to D4 at present state.
I highly doubt Blizzard wants to shoot back down to post ROS D3 numbers. And I highly doubt D2R community as a whole will keep this game alive with the obvious and blatant attempts at monetization, regardless of how harmless they seem.
Did World of Warcraft not nearly collapse upon itself in some sort of mass exodus for Blizzard developers to not learn this? Yoshi-P and Asmongold have the gist of it; Respect players times and before making a change or nerf, ask yourself if what you’re doing is going to be fun and make players want to come back.
Diablo 4 does not respect your time.
ADDRESSING ASPECTS
Let us look at the facts: I’ve leveled up 2 characters to 100 who have every – and I do mean every – glyph at level 21. They have cleared NM 100 and have killed Uber Lilith. I farm effectively sub 4 minutes on NM 80 when fishing for things I want.
I have 1 90 character as well.
“RNG is RNG” is not an answer when you’re talking about aspects that make or break builds and it should be far more readily accessible because there are aspects that you cannot get from caves. That’s a fact. I’ve done every dungeon in the game. In 90 levels and over 15k obols spent on my Barbarian alone, I have only ever gotten 2 Bold Chieftan’s.
Between my 2 100’s, I have sunk more obol’s and pvp shards into those vendors than most people can even try to divide by and I only just today for the first time, received a Umbral 4.
Now I am terrified of using it on a ring because, of course, I may never get it back.
Argument: Well the game has only been out for so and so long you will have more in time.
No, not with the way our inventory and storage is set up. I absolutely will not nor do I even care to address that statement because it is monotone, dumb, and purposefully missing the point. The solution to problems like this should not be “well, just wait.”
What would be my proposed solution?
1 ) First of all, Blizzard should poop out a few more dungeons and put in the aspects that are missing into those darn dungeons. Why is this not a thing? It’s not fun, Blizzard. I do not feel rewarded for spending 15k obols to get low rolled Chieftans.
2 ) Then Blizzard should allow aspects to be tradeable because why isn’t this a thing? There’s no good reason for this to not be a thing.
3 ) Simultaneously, to not make aspects game-breakingly expensive, players should be allowed to stack aspects to achieve the maximum % if it is found on an item. For an example: This aspect increases damage to barriers by 16% [25% MAX] – I have three of these, I can fuse them together to form 25% max. This would serve to create a fun and interactive loot drop environment where people aren’t constantly cluttering their mules and storage spaces.
ADDRESSING THE ISSUE WITH STORAGE SPACE.
Do we really need to talk about this? I think we can all agree that the storage space is pathetic. It’s very seldom that a game gets a sequel and then decides to take five steps backwards. I look forward to having more storage spaces and special storage for gems, aspects, and all the et ceteras. This should have been done day 1.
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
1 ) It’s in the works, I know. But I reckon I’ll say it anyway – please increase inventory space dramatically and provide the proper items specific slots with large capacity and higher stacking rates.
ADDRESSING THE ISSUE WITH LEVELING.
In Diablo 3, when Jay Wilson left – who’s reputation is so tarnish that even 10 years later he’s memed about publicly despite being an absolutely excellent game developer and lead – the new developer of the game came out and did a complete 360 on the course of D3, creating a system in which they gave players what they wanted. This cannot always be the case – there’s truth to Jay Wilson’s words (despite not appropriate for him to say) that most people think they want something but they don’t really want that thing (except, yknow, legacy servers – check, more rewarding loot – check)
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
1 ) Stop nerfing dungeons and instead go back and actively buff them. The worse thing that players will do is level new characters. If the only complaint you have at level 100 is “what’s left of the game?” then hold that thought – I will address it below.
ADDRESSING NM REWARDS
When a new player asks me what should they do at level 100 I tell them farm burrows because you will get more legendaries with aspects you need per hour there than you would from farming high level ancestral’s from NM 80. In fact, in my speed leveling and selling runs on Sanctuary discord – which is now infected with GOLD SELLERS/EPICNPC BOOSTERS – all asking for BTC/PayPal F&F/CashApp payments requests – I’ve found 0 items worth using and maybe a handful of aspects from NM 80+.
The moderators claim they are doing something about it but realistically you can solve this problem fast by increasing the level required for trading items to something higher and banning out the players who are reported before readjusting this. I don’t want to presume they’re incompetent but hilarious to see Blizzard workers in the Sanctuary discord and the amount of RMT going on. To the point where you can talk about it openly in channels and have other players tell you that no one cares and that you should sell for money too.
Part of this issue is NM rewards and people feeling rewarded for their investment within the game.
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
- Buff the drop rate like you did in D3. Seriously, just buff them. It’s not like we can trade them to party members, right? They can’t sell them Shako’s and Grandpa’s and Doombringers. Buff it. The worst thing that can happen would be the best thing to happen, which is people will farm it and do so because of the increased drop rate and they will have an obtainable goal in mind.
2 ) Aspects should always roll max after NM80 in my opinion. Maybe NM 90 – it should be justified that the guaranteed reward at the end will provide you with high % in the stats available on the item (like Primals in D3) or at least be slated to roll higher than lower and all aspects should be maxed %.
SHAKO/GRANDFATHER/DOOMBRINGER
I feel it’s important that we discuss this because people seem to believe that these “chase items” are in a good place when they’re absolutely not. Diablo 4 rolled back on tradeable legendaries making this absolutely nonsensical. Anyone who justifies this really doesn’t understand how chase works, but especially so in a game where you can’t trade. How many confirmed shako’s are there? 3? like 2 Doombringers? C’mon.
In gist, to obtain any of the 5 Super Unique’s you need to win a literal lottery. It’s quite fair to say that on average we should be able to complete our builds in their entirety every season. 3 months per season is not enough time to even feasibly believe any one of us will obtain one of these items. I have 3 characters at 100 and I’ve killed Uber Lilith on ALL my characters multiple times and still have not found these items.
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
1 ) Increase drop rate dramatically starting at NM 80 all the way to 100, giving them a significant % increase to justify players pushing that high. It will give people something to work for.
2 ) A good baseline would be 1 in 500 if target farmed from Lilith. That is achievable. That isn’t a pipe dream.
3 ) Scaling drop rate from NM’s period. I think that anyone farming on NM 80+ should have a more than good chance to obtain this within a few days worth of playing.
THE COST OF REROLLING AND RESPECCING
I have a chest that is almost best in slot if not for the fact that in over 400m worth of rerolls I have not seen a single Damage Reduction While Fortified on my chest. In unison, Diablo 3 would display the possible affixes available for the chest for me to reroll into and this should be a thing now. We sorta walked the dog backwards here.
As well, the cost of respeccing at 100 is a pain, not only paragon but as well skill points.
I know people think that on average people are loaded at higher levels and for the most part this is something that will become very true later in the game however, that isn’t casual friendly and I feel that should be addressed. We should be having a QOL experience here allowing new players to enjoy and invest freely into the builds they enjoy without fear of funds.
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
1 ) Reduce the cost of rerolling by like 80%. You can adjust that number anyway you want, but a minimal of 60% would be acceptable.
2 ) If we must pay for Paragon respeccing (which should include a refund all button btw) then allow us to have 2-3 more trees. for builds on the same characters.
3 ) Allowing players to have 2-3 trees they can freely swap to for group play would be a fantastic QOL change and save players gold. More player retention, less fear of screwing up.
4 ) Allow complete Paragon Refund and Skill Tree refund once per week.
WHY ARE SIGILS RANDOM? WHY CANT WE CHOOSE A SPECIFIC LEVEL?
This is self evident. It is very stressful that I cannot choose a specific level and continue from there.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
1 ) Random affixes for sigils is pivotal and I have absolutely no problem with. However, we should be able to make a specific level sigil.
MONSTERS ARE OVERTUNED AT HIGHER LEVELS
If you’re new to the game, my advice to you is to start seeking the following stats on your chest, pants, neck, and helm: Damage Reduction, Close Damage Reduction (or Far Damage reduction or both), Max HP, Armor % and some +4 skill necessary for your build.
For amulet, you want CDR, DR, Close or Far DR, Cost Reduction for your stat, and + whatever you need in a skill.
Helm: Armor % / Skill + if necessary or HP / Cost Reduction / more DR stuff.
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
1 ) Seriously, some mobs are over buffed and you’re murdering build potentials in higher levels because of the fact that you must roll obnoxious defensives everywhere. There’s really cool amulets with 3 +4 stats that could really do some justice if not for the fact that this will get you killed by some random archer in Narnia. So nerf the damage and continue to fix all resist.
Now, let us address some common complaints.
REMOVE LADDERS IS NOT THE SOLUTION AND IT IS NOT WHAT CASUALS MEAN WHEN THEY SAY REMOVE LADDERS
Ladders are paramount to foster a competitive environment and I feel this should not be removed. However, the negative sentiment towards ladders is only occurring because of a knee-jerk reaction to an unfinished product and Blizzards blatant overnerfing.
I’ve talked to personally about a few dozen people asking their opinions on the matter and as well a ton from my Discord, and the consensus isn’t so much that they don’t want ladders but more so that the process so far is very unfun and there’s nothing to look forward to.
I agree with that statement wholeheartedly.
Up above we talked about briefly how NM is wholly unrewarding and I feel Blizzard is preparing for that adequately. However, it is still a functioning point that should be addressed.
You can see from the above complaints I’ve got how much this game doesn’t respect your time. Having more players means more people paying for products and season passes, means more developers growing the wonderful world of Diablo 4.
Chasing off casual players will not help D4 in the long run.
Ladders should stay.
But the game should be fleshed out and respect players times.
More people would be far more open to ladders if the QOL in this game went up drastically.
I won’t accuse Blizzard of trying to do things like drip feed us QOL. I think maybe there are complications to coding that I don’t quite understand and perhaps the time to do so wasn’t there. But it’s clear that just as quickly as things were nerfed, we could buff.
That’s all I’ve got.
Thanks for reading.
Edit: IN REGARD TO NERFING MOBS I RECEDE ON THAT POINT BECAUSE OF THIS STATEMENT.
In hindsight, I realize that part of that sacrifice to making a character strong enough is giving up potential damage abilities.
I want to thank Broom for the fantastic feedback.
As is, nerfing the damage may not be the move.
Edit:
And to be clear, Blizzard is notorious for trying to infect their gaming agendas into every aspect of your life. This is what ultimately lead to WoW’s exodus of players. And it’s a farcry to expect that their new numbers match what they previously bolstered. People are more aware of what they want. It’s not necessarily about “being easier” but more about “Am I having fun?” and “does this feel rewarding?”
Again, Blizzard has a habit of letting things get to a point of it being completely on-fire before doing something.
I would expect heavily that the reason they’re radio silent at present time is because by providing the QOL changes when seasons come out, people will make videos about how Blizzard is listening and people will return.
A garbage tactic but it works. I don’t think it’s malicious but just business.
SOME USER SUGGESTIONS WHICH I DID NOT THINK OF AND I AGREE WITH
It’s worth noting that horse should probably have some adjustments. I would probably submit some in-game survey or email survey to gather an opinion from the populace.
Another issue I will add onto here is Vulnerability. This is a common complaint on Reddit, Blizzard Forums, and even Sanctuary Discord. It’s clear some skills will not be played because of their lack of access to Vulnerability and the Exploit Glyph on a 20 second CD is far too punishing.
My two cents: Make vulnerability more accessible by creating more buckets that lead into vulnerability to include stronger build diversity. Remove the overbearing CD on Exploit. Or find a way to phase it out by making it additive.
