Reaper of Souls - Blizzcon Round-Up

[MonTy]

Hail all,

Blizzard posted a round-up of information and media from BlizzCon for the upcoming Diablo III expansion. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on some of the proposed changes, such as Bind on Equip items, Loot 2.0, Paragon 2.0, 4th Passive skill, Adventure Mode, and the new Crusader class.

I've had the chance to play through the console version of Diablo 3 up to Inferno and I'm enjoying the revised "smart drop" system. You find a lot more items that carry your class stat and vitality, so rares more often will appear with dex and vitality if you're playing a Monk. I found it making the game too easy at times, but I was able to bump the difficulty to my liking, so I found it much more fun. Legendary items also scaled so I was able to find lower level legendary items with much higher base stats, which is an absolute treat.

I'm not really thrilled about the BoE proposed feature for absolute high-end items, but I'm excited about everything else shown on Reaper of Souls. Adventure Mode is a long time coming and I'm eager to play with more skills and a new class.

So yea, what do you think of the information on RoS so far? And are you still playing D3?

[Aahzmadius]

Still playing nearly every night. Like MonTy, I am also not thrilled with the Bind on Account system; however, seeing a developer write "It'll allow us to go crazy on legendaries" gives me hope that it will be OK. Still, I like giving items to friends that don't play as much as me, and that will pretty much end, it seems. Or maybe there will be some intra-clan trading allowed; that would make it easier to accept.

I just read about the magic-find nerf; I'm still trying to decide if I like it or not. Right now I'm leaning towards "not."

Crusader: I played the paladin a ton in D2, so I'm not all that interested in the Crusader class (kinda burned out). I suspect that will be the last one I take to 70. Loot 2.0: it will have to be more rewarding than what we've got now. 4th Passive: I like the idea, particularly with Life Steal being removed (which I am OK with).

Adventure mode: looks totally awesome; can't wait.

The other thing I've read that disappoints me the most is that Blizzard is leaning towards NOT increasing the stash size. That seems way too limiting, what with all of the build-changing legendaries I'll want to collect to try different builds with. The cynical angle is you'll be able to purchase, with real money, extra space. I can handle that.

[Frag]

Playing with Monster Density in the Rifts is a bit interesting. The game already heavily rewards aoe specs and this seems like almost a reward for that playstyle. I just hope they consider those implications in skill design. (Uhhhh)

[MonTy]

Glad to hear you're still playing, Aahz. Doing the IncGamers casts still?

I was expecting to play the self-found league more on IncGamers, but the console version and Path of Exile has kept me busy. Definitely plan on going self-found only on PC when RoS hits though. One huge downside to the PS3 version is the graphics. Oh boy is it tough playing with worse graphics than the PC.

[Aahzmadius]

I have not been on any of the recent podcasts, but that's OK. Rankil and Neinball are doing superlative jobs and there isn't a lot I could add. I haven't checked out the console yet.

Yeah, SFHC pretty much fizzled out. I don't play that account much any more. I think part of it was the fact that the RoS expansion switches from self-found being optional to it being mandatory. *shrug*

[MonTy]

...RoS expansion switches from self-found being optional to it being mandatory...

I wonder if they're going to implement a new system to trade. Has there been any hints of this? Maybe to have the ability to trade from the forums, thus setting up a manual type of marketplace?

But aside from that, I'd be interested to hear about your main characters since you've been playing for so long. What class have you been playing mostly, and what skills? Do you try going for more dps and higher MP, or whatever skills you find the most fun?

[Aahzmadius]

I wonder if they're going to implement a new system to trade. Has there been any hints of this? Maybe to have the ability to trade from the forums, thus setting up a manual type of marketplace?

All legendary and set items in Reaper of Souls (and even in D3 vanilla after the next patch) are going to be “Soulbound.” As of right now, this means you have a 2-hour window to give the item to another member of the party you were in when the item dropped (so a max of 3 other players). Once that window expires, the item becomes Account Bound. I’m not a big fan of this change, but I understand the logic behind it-and I hope it is executed well.

But aside from that, I'd be interested to hear about your main characters since you've been playing for so long. What class have you been playing mostly, and what skills? Do you try going for more dps and higher MP, or whatever skills you find the most fun?

Let the record show, that this part of my post was requested. It’s time for my most narcissistic of posts: a cadre update! I love writing them; you wonder why I took the time to post them. The Damage Per Second numbers are taken from the current profile screen on Battle.net and are unbuffed; Effective Hit Point numbers are from D3up.com. This is my main account, so heavy GAH use was involved. In honor of the requestor, we’ll start with HC. Here we go:

Wizard- Paragon 58, 6,400 elite kills, 90k DPS, 540 EHP. This is my most-used HC char and I typically play in public games on Monster Power 4. I use a cookie cutter Archon build, although recently I switched out Energy Armor (defense) for Storm Armor (offense). As long as I’m in Archon mode, I feel pretty safe-particularly if a barb is in the party running War Cry. Outside of Archon, things can get a little hairy, but it’s only maybe once per week that I feel uncomfortable. I’ve also had the opportunity to do Uber runs with the wizard. I switch over to gear and skills better suited for the perma-freeze Critical Mass/Energy Twister build. In that mode I drop to 60k DPS/360k EHP. It’s a lot more dangerous, and Unstable Anomaly (death-cheating passive) has gone off 3 times recently due to getting hit by Uber Maghda’s butterfly attack. I completed a full run of MP5 uber games, as well as 3 MP6 games. I now have 4 mostly crappy Hellfire rings of vitality. The CM/ET support character is helpful for Uber running, but it’s in this mode that I expect to have my deeds of valor remembered. As of now Poledra is still alive and kicking.

Barbarian- P29, 3,500 elite kills, 68k DPS, 900k EHP. Brienne is the character I use to hunt for keys in Hardcore. Very sturdy, and now has enough DPS to handle MP5 solo.

Demon Hunter- Level 51, currently in Nightmare Act 3. This character is currently leveling up with one of the aforementioned Hellfire rings. I already had all of my Standard mode characters to 60 by the time Hellfire rings were added, so this is actually the first time I’ve built up a character wearing one. It’s pretty fun and makes the level grind much easier. I typically play on MP10, but will turn it down once I get to NMA4. All of Hell difficulty will be at MP0. Most of my HC deaths have been in Hell difficulty.

And now switching to standard mode characters (you’ll note the much lower EHP):

Witch Doctor (on hiatus) - P100, 25k elite kills, 140k DPS, 230k EHP. I haven’t played the witch doctor since dinging to Paragon 100, because there’s not really an incentive. The expansion will credit your account with the total amount of Paragon already earned in D3 vanilla. Since P100 chars earn no further Paragon XP, it doesn’t make much sense to play them until RoS ships. I used an Acid Cloud build for the final stretch of leveling, mostly playing MP6 in public games. Some of the gear got transferred to my wizard.

Demon Hunter- P45, 6,500 elite kills, 210k DPS, 185k EHP. I haven’t played this character much recently, but did switch to a different build based on watching [a guildmate]. Rapid Fire/Bombardment dishes out a ton of damage, including an area of effect element. Unfortunately, since I’ve almost completely ignored boosting EHP, Reflect Damage elites tear me up, and the Savage Beasts in the Fields of Misery constantly one-shot me on MP5. If I were going to play the DH seriously, I would need to trade some DPS for EHP. However, I basically just play him occasionally for fun.

Monk- P32, 5,500 elite kills, 85k DPS, 370k EHP. I didn’t play the monk, my original character, for quite awhile, but I’ve grouped a bit more recently. Another monk suggested we use overlapping auras, so I’ll grab mine and run Mantra of Evasion with his Conviction. We’ll typically farm Act 1 on MP5 or 6, and we recently did an Act 2 key run at MP7. I dual-wield and use Sweeping Wind/Cyclone along with Exploding Palm. I recently dropped Breath of Heaven for the healing rune on Cyclone Strike. CS pairs well with EP and makes farming more efficient by grouping up enemies. Unfortunately, Wave of Light (which I’ve never really used) is in my friend’s build and it tends to counteract CS. A small price to pay for its (WoL) burst damage.

Wizard- P54, 5,200 elite kills, 175k DPS, 285k EHP. My current SC project. Since Blizzard is removing perma-Archon mode in the expansion, I decided to use it while it was still available for Paragon leveling. Typically I’ll jump into a public game on MP6, and die the least of the group. At least half of my deaths are lag-related (wireless), and I still can get through some runs with zero deaths. I think playing Hardcore has changed my mindset a bit regarding what an acceptable death rate is (except in my DH’s case, apparently). I’ve also used this character for the new “in thing” to do for Paragon XP: Crypt runs. The gist of this is to find a random dungeon (doesn’t always appear) in the Fields of Misery. One player then runs through the entire Decaying Crypt, activating the Wretched Mother type zombies (which vomit up other zombies). You don’t kill anything, just try to get wall-to-wall zombies. In the meantime, the other members of the party go find elite packs in the Festering Woods and wear them down to a sliver of health. The party re-forms, gets 5 stacks, and heads back to the Crypt for zombie-punching fun. On MP10, you get tons of XP. I have to switch over to Energy Armor, and I still die to tough elite packs, but it’s worth it for the progress I get on my blue bar. Also, starting around MP6, your odds of finding legendary items are actually greater from normal monsters than from elites, due to the chance of a bonus drop item. The screen lag is pretty wicked in the crypt, though (so many monsters to draw at once).

Barbarian- P29, 3,800 elite kills, 125k DPS, 540k EHP. The sturdiest of my cadre, and also happens to do the most “effective” DPS. Fully buffed, he tops out at nearly 700k EHP and with life steal on the Skorn he is tough to bring down-even on MP10. In Wrath mode against elite packs, Hammer of the Ancients pumps out 800k DPS, and I can pretty much maintain Wrath of the Berserker for an entire fight. When [guildmate] invites me into games with her uber friends, I grab the barb. (Note in this case “uber” refers to the players, not the monsters.) Barb builds will also change significantly in RoS, due to Life Steal being removed from items, and-more importantly-the Into the Fray rune on Battle Rage being changed. No more perma-Wrath, either. I just read a guide about a build that doesn’t use a Fury generator; I may give it a shot for kicks.

[MonTy]

Let the record show, that this part of my post was requested.

Haha. Thanks for the post, enjoyed reading it!

I really can't wait for adventure mode. Just can't do the story with new characters any longer.

[Aahzmadius]

Reaper of Souls closed Beta is a go. I opted in for Beta testing (because I bought D3 vanilla! *rimshot*) and will post here if I get an invite from Blizzard. Apparently they're hoping to end the Beta by the end of the year. I'm still crossing my fingers for a Q1 release, but there's no hint yet of what Blizzard is targeting.

[Occhidiangela]

With RoS releasing next month (sure, Blizz will make the release date, sure) is it worth leveling/playing D III at this point?

Have recently restarted and am in mostly Hell Diff with two catching up the end of NM. Nowhere near where you all have gotten, obviously. Spent most six months not playing D III, or much of anything.

[Mavfin]

With RoS releasing next month (sure, Blizz will make the release date, sure) is it worth leveling/playing D III at this point?

Have recently restarted and am in mostly Hell Diff with two catching up the end of NM. Nowhere near where you all have gotten, obviously. Spent most six months not playing D III, or much of anything.

Having played PTR quite a bit, I would just wait till the 2.0 patch hits live before starting any more leveling. PTR is much better for leveling self-found. I found it a lot more fun, with dynamic mob levels tied to your character level rather than location.

[Aahzmadius]

I would say it depends on where you're playing. If you can do extensive adventuring in Inferno on vanilla, it makes sense to grind out some paragon levels before RoS ships. If you're mostly in NM/Hell, then I agree that waiting makes more sense. And of course, the wait is getting shorter-less than 2 months.

[Occhidiangela]

With RoS releasing next month (sure, Blizz will make the release date, sure) is it worth leveling/playing D III at this point?

Have recently restarted and am in mostly Hell Diff with two catching up the end of NM. Nowhere near where you all have gotten, obviously. Spent most six months not playing D III, or much of anything.

Having played PTR quite a bit, I would just wait till the 2.0 patch hits live before starting any more leveling. PTR is much better for leveling self-found. I found it a lot more fun, with dynamic mob levels tied to your character level rather than location.

PTR: OK, that means what?

THought: Does Amazon Basin have a guide on D III?

[Mavfin]

PTR: OK, that means what?

Public Test Realm...beta w/o the RoS-only stuff. If you have a beta license, you can get to the RoS stuff. Loot 2.0 and dynamic mob levels are in it, among other things. It's basically ruined live for me.

[Occhidiangela]

As I have not yet finished Hell with normal chars, I may not play any more HardCore chars at all. There is only so much time in a day, and my gaming time is limited. I intend to buy RoS, and start a Crusader from scratch, and I'll probably be writing some more stories. Have been toying with the twenty year wait. Occhidiangela may return, who was last seen leaving the vicinity of Areat with Mikal, her nephew, and a badly wounded member of Greiz' legion. This gives me the chance for Mikal to grow up, and for Occhi/Angeleyes to head east or something. She also needs to exact her vengeance on Orthas the Necromancer, who was last seen in Lut Gholein. I think she'll end up being a Monk. This time around dunno, maybe a demon hunter. The twenty year time difference will include a decision to either join the Ivgorod monastics (having started as a Sister of the Sightless Eye, and then gone to join the Viz-Jaqtaar, she seems to like being in orders ... ) or to meet up with some Demon Hunters and give in to Hatred as an emotion/motivation for wandering about and slaughtering demons. The battle with Baal broke her linkage to her Shadow Master, and thus broke her dependence on the Shadow Discipline to cope with the horrors of the Evil she faced on a routine basis.
Either the Shadow is replaced with Hatred, or she seeks the 1001 gods as a manifestation of the Light to fill that void.

Still undecided.

Mikal will be a Crusader.

Stories of where Angeleyes grew up, how her brother Tempus was adopted, how Occhisonya the Amazon merc showed up and hence how Mikal came to be, are already in the sketch pad form.

More stories to come with a bit of early on prologue to be posted here at the Lounge before RoS release.