Patch Notes

[Amaron]

Stop putting so many fucking spaces after your periods.

Sorry I'm not sure what's causing that.  I usually only double space.

[Ingmar]

Cracking open vases (and barrels) is the most fun in the entire game. I would subscribe to an MMO where the only purpose was to smash barrels, using a multitude of different weapons and abilities.

You should try DDO.

[Arinon]

Anyone try out Act II, III or IV Inferno since patch?  How much easier is it?  Also read that repair costs are now beyond retarded, like 20K + repair costs for all rares. 

I ran through my normal route which is basically everything in Act 3 past Siegebreaker.  I lost about 15% of my damage from IAS changes but didn't notice it that much.  Attacking slower is just not as fun though.  I'd rather they adjusted damage some other way.  IAS still seems like the number two stat pretty much everywhere but weapon so I don't think they are going to get the gearing adjustments they say they want out of people.  I'm seeing different mobs in some places than I have before and a lot of the insta-kill mobs have been nerfed to the point that you have time to react, which is awesome.  And needed given the repair changes.  I'm at the point where I need about 8-9 million to upgrade a slot and it looks like a repair from yellow will run me about 45k now, that's four times more than pre-patch.

You can still exploit the shit out of the tower maps and get into your magic find easily except for spider lady.  She's a bitch now, solo at least.  So as a DH it's a wash, less risk but harsher penalties for sucking.  What I'm more excited about is seeing how my monk performs.  All this shit should make melee chars stuck in Act 2 very happy.

They can fix NEW Legendary IAS but not existing versions of the item?  Weak.  How is someone supposed to know if they are buying an old or a new version of Inna's Glory or whatever?

If it says "Increased Attack Speed" it's broken.   That affix is weapon only.

My Inna's Glory with "Increases Attack Speed by 5%" would disagree.  I do see that those pants, and I assume other legendaries, have both the working and broken versions on the AH.  Dumb.

[Amaron]

Someone on reddit dug up the NPC damage:

I just took a quick look at the data files and here's how the base damage for act 2-4 inferno mobs (monster levels 62 and 63) has changed:
62: 52807.09375 -> 33686
63: 113486.9609375 -> 63615
Each type of monster does a certain percentage of the base damage for its level. Monster type A might do 75% of the base damage and monster type B might do 150% of base damage, so the numbers above won't necessarily translate into exact damage numbers in-game, but they should show how much of a relative nerf the later acts got.

People who are switching to lower acts and just farming elites with 5 NV are having great success too.

[Sjofn]

Cracking open vases (and barrels) is the most fun in the entire game. I would subscribe to an MMO where the only purpose was to smash barrels, using a multitude of different weapons and abilities.

We had a friend where that was basically how he played DDO, as near as I could tell.


EDIT: Whoops, I see Ingmar has already made the DDO reference. WELL TOO BAD, I AM TOO

[Ashamanchill]

When we played DDO,my buddies and I would compete over smashing those damn barrels. I'm pretty sure it pissed off the rest of our group when the tank and one of the dps ran of to see who could destroy that box in the corner, but tough shit! They shouldn't have made it so fun!

[Sjofn]

Yeah we would be going through a dungeon and notice our friend (he was a bard, and he tumbled EVERYWHERE) had tumbled to some other section by himself because OH GOD GIANT PILE OF CRATES SMASH SMASH SMASH

It was cool, though, I was usually busy feeling ALL THE PRESSURE to disable all the traps FUCK I ROLLED A ONE AGAIN CHRIST

[Lantyssa]

He was a Bard.  Not like he was useful against monsters.

[Outlawedprod]

Supposedly this was reported before 1.0.3 went live and still works.  Wonder just how many items it works with.
http://www.twitch.tv/actionpigeon/b/321542902

[Paelos]

Mallet walls?

[01101010]

Genius. WHY DON'T I THINK OF SHIT LIKE THIS?!? 

But yeah, they need to fix that... 

[Musashi]

Items shower like rain in inferno act 1 clears.  Patch is amazing.

[apocrypha]

Spent an hour playing earlier, started right at the beginning of Act 1 because I felt like it, got to SK. No deaths, ~15k repair bill but 2 full bags of blues & yellows including several lvl 60 req ones.

Chests, barrels, corpses etc still occasionally have some gold in them and VERY occasionally a crappy item but don't bother going 0.1 second out of your way to open any of them.

Will give Act 2 a go later, if I get time.

[Paelos]

Loved the patch last night. Act one is much more fun with less horrible combo-breaking monster packs. They still exist and I ran into one late in the act (molten, arcane, horde, fast) that crushed me as a solo melee. But then I moved on to Act 2.

Act 2 is easier, but not easy by any stretch. We could kill the packs in our trio, but we were going to pay the price for it. Not necessarily a death zerg, but it reminded us that our gear isn't there yet. Simply put, we need more damage to compliment our survival stats. They've lowered the bar a bit there, but they made it so the mob's health is an issue. It's a balancing act instead of the brick wall it was before.

Example, we killed 5 packs in Act 2 before I quit. Back before the patch in the same gear, we'd never killed anything.

[Nonentity]

Items shower like rain in inferno act 1 clears.  Patch is amazing.

..except the overall quality of the loot dropping has lowered dramatically. I could reasonably do act 3 with a few deaths on tougher elite packs and get some decent loot, but my inventory just fills with sub-level 60 loot now. It's really depressing.

I know that I generally run with a bunch of poopsockers, but they've basically resigned to just auction house trading to make their money since the drop rates are now so bad.

[01101010]

My RNG for elites in Act I as a barb really must suck ass. Each of the 6 elites packs I cam up against had arcane and waller in them. Now they went down far easier than they did before but I still got perished a few times due to the shitty affixes I was getting. Loot was a lot more blues, but like Nonentity, most were sub 60 with a few 52-54 items. Just a gripe..but nothing earth breaking.

[Typhon]

And ?  What the fuck is it to you ?

In a single player game, nothing. In this game? Everything. With the inclusion of the AH and RMAH, we (unfortunately or fortunately) have to look at item inputs globally. Too many items in the system cheese the game and make it ridiculous.

I agree with you so very often this one took me completely by surprise.  The system not being cheese?  That ship has sailed.  Running around killing mobs and smashing pots = Diablo?  Smashing pots is now a stupid activity and it makes me sad.  I don't play the AH, I play the game. 

[Count Nerfedalot]

Blizzard's plan with this kind of stuff is very simple. They crush it to nothing so the behavior is immediately stopped. Then, in the next couple of patch passes, they add in a more moderate fix after some reflection time.

I'm having trouble remembering Blizzard making any second or third passes that moderated the initial overkill nerf.  Can you remind me of them?  It's possible that my brain was so seared by SOE/Verant's practice of overkill/stupid panic fix followed by YEARS of neglect that I never recognized a more rational approach from Blizzard.  Of course, this isn't the Blizzard we used to know so past performance does not guarantee future returns! 

[Arinon]

Items shower like rain in inferno act 1 clears.  Patch is amazing.

..except the overall quality of the loot dropping has lowered dramatically. I could reasonably do act 3 with a few deaths on tougher elite packs and get some decent loot, but my inventory just fills with sub-level 60 loot now. It's really depressing.

After a bit more time playing this is my exact experience as far as loot goes.  I see waaay more 51-60 gear and it's coming at the expense of quality items.  They even lowered the floor on items from Act 3 as a bunch of item types I haven't seen for ages are popping up again.

[Paelos]

I agree with you so very often this one took me completely by surprise.  The system not being cheese?  That ship has sailed.  Running around killing mobs and smashing pots = Diablo?  Smashing pots is now a stupid activity and it makes me sad.  I don't play the AH, I play the game.  

I think it's dumb that "fixed" it so barrels are meaningless. It's not good gameplay. I do think there's an obvious fix that involves putting more stuff in barrels where mobs are around, and less in areas where they are not.

My point about the AH inputs was about people exploiting areas and flooding the game with cheap crap. Maybe you don't play the AH, but if there were lvl 63 items available for a few thousand gold, would you not be tempted? Would it not to some degree mess with the game's structure?

EDIT: I agree with you that the current economy is shitty, but I don't think it's beyond repair.

[Shatter]

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5888889794?page=58#1154

We agree, and we're already looking into reducing the durability hit players take from normal wear-and-tear. This way, players who never die aren't getting hit with a giant repair fee every 3-4 hours

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5889190051?page=2#35

Oh... I guess me.No one is going to like additional repair costs. I'm not sure how any feedback would be "Great, I really love paying more for repair costs." however, we have seen enough feedback and data to show that the ratio is pretty good as long as people aren't throwing their character's corpses against enemies. Death has meant nothing for a very long time now. It's going to take some getting used to and just understanding that death is no longer something that just happens, it should be something you're really fighting to avoid, and potentially being smarter about tackling content you can actually tackle.That said, we think the normal wear and tear is maybe too high. Just fighting is probably too expensive, and we're looking at potential adjustments there.

[Job601]

After playing with this patch for a night, I think the incentives are working the way Blizzard wants them to, although I don't necessarily think that makes it good gameplay.  Before I was slowly working through Act 3 Inferno with a very defensive build; the boss enrages made it so that I couldn't possibly kill them (Ghom in particular) so I had to adjust to a more balanced build.  I could still make progress through Act 3, but I was dying enough that the repair costs were making it not worthwhile.  So I went back to Act 2 tonight and played straight through with 5 stacks, getting tons of rares, almost all junk.  After playing with them I don't think they'll backtrack on the repair costs (although I hope they do) -- I still made plenty of gold playing content I was sufficiently geared for.  So, yay for punishing me into obeying the gearcheck?

[Llyse]

..except the overall quality of the loot dropping has lowered dramatically. I could reasonably do act 3 with a few deaths on tougher elite packs and get some decent loot, but my inventory just fills with sub-level 60 loot now. It's really depressing.

I know that I generally run with a bunch of poopsockers, but they've basically resigned to just auction house trading to make their money since the drop rates are now so bad.

Really? I thought that the patch increased drop rates in Act2/3... that's no good for the poor if drop rates are worst in Act2/3 now that it's easier to progress.

Also fuck them for not handling repair costs for normal wear and tear.

[Amaron]

Really? I thought that the patch increased drop rates in Act2/3... that's no good for the poor if drop rates are worst in Act2/3 now that it's easier to progress.

Also fuck them for not handling repair costs for normal wear and tear.

It seems like they made it possible for better pieces to drop but in return they destroyed the drop rates of everything else.   The thing that hurts most is you get way less level 59 pieces.   Those pieces could at least be good on armor.    You get a lot more 51~54 pieces now.   It might of been roughly ok but combined with the nerf to barrels/chests you're basically getting shafted now.

Really just Blizzard business as usual.   Promise a great patch but in reality they were just sugar coating it and keeping the bad parts hidden.

[Setanta]

Took my barb out into Act 1 inferno where it struggled pre-patch.

Changes don't do it for me - this game is not fun.

Aussie ping (230) plus arcane/fast/jailer/something-else-as-if-it-matters = repair bill. Shitty drops didn't make up for it - there was nothing I could use for game progression or even a sense of achievement. How the fuck did Blizzard forget that they are designing a game for entertainment? I have a job, I don't need another one.

Of 21 people that were active on my friends list there is now exactly one person that logs in regularly. Blizzard need to pull their heads out of their arses and get over their stupid ideas on what fun is. So what if people throw glass cannons at packs/mobs or smash vases. Why the hell should the rest of us pay for it with stupid patches?

I sat and watched my barb on my character select page and then realised this game is as much fun as ship-spinning in Eve.

The only good thing about this game is that it cured my compulsion to log into WoW. Blizzard then killed any desire to log into this game.

/rant off

[01101010]

Like I said before, repair costs for normal wear and tear should not equal the vendor loot in your bag. In that vein, if I wanted death to really matter, I'd play hardcore a lot more.

[Xanthippe]

As I recall the devs said they don't want to shoehorn people into playing just one way. That if someone finds a build they love to play that feels broken, that's ok, they won't necessarily fix it. And so on.

Yet that seems to be exactly what they are doing with patches, is shoehorning people in to playing how they want them to play.

I like the game up to inferno. I like to feel very powerful, kill massive numbers of mobs fast, and which means I like my games easy.  (I liked it more when I could find things in jars and logs.) I don't like farming; I don't like playing games that feel like jobs. (I realize some people do like that.) I don't like mechanical play much, although sometimes it's relaxing like solitaire.

I don't understand why Blizzard has to throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to tuning their games. I don't understand why they can't address botting in a different way rather than getting rid of jars, removing chests, and otherwise making Diablo less Diablo-like. I'm not competing against anyone, so I don't really care that PlayerBob has awesome ilvl 63 gear while I have lvl 54 gear. I don't care if people want to spend $$ on armor on the RMAH or if they want to spend hours smashing jars - I won't play that way and I'm not competing against those who do.

I have a 60 WD and a 60 monk, neither of which I enjoy playing much. Currently leveling a wizard, and will also likely level a DH and a barb. Inferno just doesn't hold my interest, and the changes they're making matter little.  Raising the drop rate for hell/infernoAct I but stealth nerfing it for infernoIII/IV, while raising repair costs to a ridiculous level? I'll continue to stay out of inferno.

I've gotten my money's worth but I don't much care for Activision Blizzard.

[Paelos]

I agree, their decisions are getting tougher to understand. The patch is good, and I like what they are doing, but losing the small things like barrels and fun skills with ridiculous risk/reward builds? That's not a good gameplay decision and their playerbase doesn't like that. I'm always in favor of making the game for the customer you have, not the customer you want.

[Slayerik]

Xanth, you know you want to play hardcore like we talked about. You can level up with me :)

[Xanthippe]

Almost tempted.

[Slayerik]

Almost tempted.

No better person to roll with! I gots money! I shall shower you with gifts so we can plow everything!

[Miasma]

I can't stand most of the new changes, I don't want to play anymore.  I don't know why smashing barrels and looting bodies and chests was so fun to me but it was, now it's pointless, I don't even bother clicking on them anymore.  Enrage timers don't belong in diablo, if I want to take ten minutes to kill a boss and I'm having fun dancing around why I shouldn't I be able to?  The new repair costs turns a game where you are supposed to have fun wading into throngs of enemies into worrying about the bill when you get back to town.

I was one of the people stuck with only being viable in act one inferno with act two being painful to impossible.  With the nerfs I guess I survive somewhat longer in act two now but it's nowhere near worth trying with the repair costs, I'd go bankrupt even if I somehow not die since it takes so long for me to kill things (I'm melee so I'm getting wailed on the whole time).

I'm just going to strip my monk down to his birthday suit, sell it all and hope they pull their heads out of their asses a few months from now.  I think the gear will be much cheaper by then and I'll be able to re-equip at a profit.  Probably after MoP releases.

All I'm doing now is reading the official forums and reveling in the hate, I find it cathartic.

[Lakov_Sanite]

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5889089807

Is the wording poor or does this mean if you buy the full game you are restricted to the starter version for 72 hours after purchase?

[Slayerik]

Wow, WTF.

[01101010]

As I recall the devs said they don't want to shoehorn people into playing just one way. That if someone finds a build they love to play that feels broken, that's ok, they won't necessarily fix it. And so on.

Yet that seems to be exactly what they are doing with patches, is shoehorning people in to playing how they want them to play.

I like the game up to inferno. I like to feel very powerful, kill massive numbers of mobs fast, and which means I like my games easy.  (I liked it more when I could find things in jars and logs.) I don't like farming; I don't like playing games that feel like jobs. (I realize some people do like that.) I don't like mechanical play much, although sometimes it's relaxing like solitaire.

I don't understand why Blizzard has to throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to tuning their games. I don't understand why they can't address botting in a different way rather than getting rid of jars, removing chests, and otherwise making Diablo less Diablo-like. I'm not competing against anyone, so I don't really care that PlayerBob has awesome ilvl 63 gear while I have lvl 54 gear. I don't care if people want to spend $$ on armor on the RMAH or if they want to spend hours smashing jars - I won't play that way and I'm not competing against those who do.

I have a 60 WD and a 60 monk, neither of which I enjoy playing much. Currently leveling a wizard, and will also likely level a DH and a barb. Inferno just doesn't hold my interest, and the changes they're making matter little.  Raising the drop rate for hell/infernoAct I but stealth nerfing it for infernoIII/IV, while raising repair costs to a ridiculous level? I'll continue to stay out of inferno.

I've gotten my money's worth but I don't much care for Activision Blizzard.

I agree with you, save for the issue of having Auction Houses. Pretty much the only way to get gear, necessary for progressing through Inferno mode, is through that avenue. Granted, I don't give a shit what douchebagplayer69 is wearing, but I do care that my ability to progress further in the "end game" is hampered by my lack of gear or ability for it to randomly drop for me - to that end I am forced to use the AH get pieces of gear as the means to my ends. Once you get to that point, gold generation takes on more importance given that shit with ilvl63 top-o-line gear runs millions and tens of millions.

Blizz knee jerk reaction is nothing more than the same modus operandi from them... chasing people that find flaws to manipulate, and clearing the entire table that relates to that flaw...