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As we wrap up this year, I can't help but wonder if anyone feels like we've witnessed a major paradigm shift. And this is not just a Diabo-esque "tremble" of the heavens, and sanctuary, and Diablofans; rather, it is an earthquake of a magnitude similar to the ones that happen only once every few centuries. Especially given how fast-lived, ever-changing, and relatively young (compared to our history) the video game industry is, for me personally this year shattered some of my belief systems.

To elaborate on this story, it goes back to my early child hood. The first games I've played were rather simplistic mini games, some of which came with the operating system (DOS) or at least along the disks I got when I got my first (used) computer. Those were games that probably no one remembers ("Nibbles", "Gorilla") and no one remembers them for a reason - there wasn't much worth to remember. If you were to ask me to describe them I wouldn't explain gameplay, story, or content - I would rather explain how cumbersome the interaction was, how I learned more about programming or the difficulty of controlling and influencing what was going on in the game than anything else.

This all changed with Blizzard games. The first was WarCraft: Orcs and Humans, quickly followed by WarCraft 2. It didn't feel like I was driving a car that wasn't following my commands. It didn't feel like a computer game. It felt like I was the commander of the alliance and if I would not live up to my general's expectations, the horde would take over and reign with chaos. In my head there was no room to even think about how limited my ability was to influence the fight between the two factions; I was fully immersed in the experience and the atmosphere. When I compare the video game evolution to book genres, the early computer games were short novels written without emotion or any context of a bigger story they were part of, whereas WarCraft felt like Lord of the Rings extended edition.

And then came Diablo. Three things I remember and will never forget: 1) As I tried to grasp what this game was all about and wandered through the dark dungeons underneath Tristram, I opened a random door (just like I had opened so many others before) when a deep voice shouted "FRESH MEAT", scaring me to be bones as I ran away from this scary ass dude hunting me with a hatchet, successfully slicing me into pieces. 2) The eerie music which by a single stroke of guitar strings sends me down nostalgia road until I shall take my last breath. 3) The epilogue video after defeating Diablo, only making me realize that there is no happy end, but rather realizing that this game which is all about defeating all evil teaches us an important life lesson: Evil can never be defeated. Evil will always try to take over, we can only fight back. Oh boy, and how this is almost meta when looking at Diablo as a franchise. More on that later.

In the following years I've played many games, but Blizzard games always took a special place in my heart. They were never the ones with the best graphics, the ones driving technological innovation in video games. They didn't follow trends - they established new ones. They created a gameplay atmosphere which made you forget that you were playing a game. As someone who has traveled a lot and changed countries multiple times, I look back and realize that I've made friends through Blizzard games, and especially looking back at World of WarCraft and revisiting old videos recently I realize that I care less about the game, but about the memories I share with people I met in the game (I only played vanilla). Blizzard didn't create video games. Blizzard created experiences. Their motto was "gameplay first", but their actions were more than that: they created and flourished a family, and even though I've never been at the family gathering in person, the annual BlizzCon event shows that this family is more than words and games.

The holiday season is upon us, and for many of us - especially those who celebrate Christmas - it is about family time. We get together and, despite all our potential differences, emphasize the bonds between us. Traditions are a big part of this, and they are deeply connected to nostalgia. Some things can (and will) change; technology wasn't a part of Christmas decades ago, but it is now, and it has its place without disturbing the nostalgia. But some things you can't change. We have a traditional Christmas dish that I had every year since I can remember; when we discussed changing that we dismissed it almost instantly, reminding ourselves that without this traditional dish Christmas wouldn't be the same, and there would be no purpose anymore for us to meet. Those traditions, connected to nostalgia, memories, and experiences, are what has brought us together as a family, and what holds us together. Abolishing those breaks the bond.

I feel that in 2018, Blizzard has proposed such a change, and with it, I feel like I'm not part of that family anymore.

Maybe the majority of the family is interested in mobile games, as their CEO said. Maybe the majority of the family is interested in playing video games differently, is not alienated by non-cosmetic micro transactions. Maybe the majority of the family has found a lot of enjoyment in other games and wants to adopts their spirit into Blizzard's own identity. But to me personally, it means I will have to find a new family. I cannot follow Blizzard on this path. I'm not even talking about the Diablo debacle in particular; I am still waiting for Diablo 4, and albeit skeptical, will consider it once it's there. But in recent years I've noticed a change. I've tried to defend my family countless times; if someone was to go through my post history you will find me defending Diablo and Blizzard countless times, you will realize that I have been branded a "fanboy" more often than I can recall, and I have always stood by Diablo's and Blizzard's side. I have always given them the benefit of the doubt. But I cannot do that any longer.

In light of recent developments - such as Blizzard officially announcing that their most skilled developers are now working on mobile game across all Blizzard franchises - I need to see clear evidence (and no *word* is an evidence here, to make this clear) that will make me believe once again that Blizzard "hears us". I am deeply, deeply concerned that our family is being dominated by a new friend who has broken with all our traditions, and I consider this new friend an evil. When I have so far defended Blizzard and Diablo, I will still do so, but in a different way - I think it is our duty as Diablo fans to fight this evil, be it the "new Silicon Valley" business model, be it aggressive micro transactions, be it pay to win games, be it anything that does not resemble "gameplay first". Because evil will always try to win, we can only fight back.

This post was inspired by three recent things I've read: first the front page post, but even more so a fan letter and a critical, yet rigorous analysis of how Blizzard has changed. But given that it's holiday season I don't want to end on such a daunting note, but in all of this that happens this year see the light.

First, let's remember us that the strength of the community that emerged from Blizzard's games is far bigger than the games itself. Take StarCraft 2 for example, a game that was 2 years ago where Diablo 3 is today: pronounced to be dead, almost no one playing anymore, professional teams closing down and the game considered in "maintenance". Now, 2 years later, SC2 is more healthy than ever before in its history, and even though Blizzard is continuing to make strange decisions with regard to the official WCS circuit, the community is an absolute delight to be part of. We are all still basking in the light of our undisputed god (literal god) Serral who has shown us that dreams can come true, even those that we thought would be too ridiculous to ever see the light of reality (please read this). This also is true for Diablo Fans, and especially these forums (well, as long as their owners let me - I am not affiliated with Curse who owns those forums, but as long as they don't close my account I will speak my word here, as I believe in free speech, and so should they, being based in the country that prides itself on said value). Let's use those forums to continue to critically but constructively discuss Diablo - it's past, present, and its future. And besides all, let's never forget our memories. Until one day, we shall be as happy as in 2008, when we heard the most favorite tune any Diablo fan can hear live on stage, giving us goosebumps and filling us with excitement, all remembering us that Blizzard used to not just create games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ogXqCNkyHE

And when that day comes, we'll still be there. Diablo Fans will always be there, constructively discussing Diablo, because it's what we love and care for deeply.

Happy holidays everyone!

So... I came back from travel and started a bit late, and the time was already around 2 minutes for the top spots. I have no idea how you get there. And with such a flawed class/skill set which is even worse than the "play your way", I had no desire to do more than 2-3 runs (and could immediately tell that even with 100 runs I wouldn't beat Wudijo's current #1, not even sure I could get into top 100).

I hope that some of the winners share videos (and/or some of the thought process) that got them to the top spot, because I feel I totally missed something. It's obvious though that CRs are a playing ground in which the usual "gear, paragon, RNG" cop-out doesn't count anymore: #1 in a CR week simply means you're a better player (I find it ridiculous that many people still believe there's no room for "skill" in this game; CRs can disprove that).

For me personally CRs will probably just be a weekly income of bounty mats (and also some nice crafting mats). I hate bounties, so that's a nice bonus. I don't think I'm gonna try to be competitive, ever, unless there's a really fun build out for a week. I noticed there's 2p/3p/4p leaderboards as well; I wished they would choose real 2p/3p/4p groups here. As someone said, it might be fun to have the top clear as CR, which would show people that clearing that GR125 is not just about gear, paragon, and RNG... but that it actually requires a ton of skill, coordination, and game knowledge.

UPDATE2: Apparently, paragon starts scaling exponentially again - after level 2250. Updated chart at the bottom of this post. However, paragon 750 to 2250 are still unchanged and relatively easy to get, and provide a ridiculous benefit; and even beyond it's not super crazy scaling, though much more difficult than on PTR and pre-2.3. Despite this small bandaid fix to insanely high paragon levels, all the issues (and potential solutions) of this thread are still valid.

UPDATE: Some of the issues in this thread have been addressed as paragon continues to scale linearly after 2000. Nevertheless, paragon is still an issue and, depending on how long season 4 will last, will be an even larger issue as it was in season 3 due to the fact that XP gain will even be more inflated. The core issues are still relevant, and the solutions proposed should still work. Note that CAPPING paragon is not really a solution - better would be to either 1) let it continue to scale exponentially after 750 (best solution), or 2) remove XP gear (it's the same as MF gear in D3V), or 3) lower the benefits paragon gives after level 800 (probably the best overall and feasible solution as it also works retroactively on non-season).

Yay, catchy title! Sorry for the buzzfeed style, but at least I got your attention now. I previously made a thread about my concerns regarding paragon. There was also a nice thread on Reddit by Xabster highlighting an issue with paragon scaling. However, since yesterday we have new data as Kalmah raced to paragon 10000 on PTR using the GR glitch (live on Empyrian's stream). As it turned out, that changed the game once again - because the paragon XP charts we used so far (including Xabster in his post) were off. After reaching paragon 2000, every level requires exactly the same amount of XP - approx. 170 billion. Yep - paragon level 2000 to 2001 takes exactly as much XP as 9999 to 10000.

Edit: If you don't like to read text but prefer videos, watch Empyrian's great summary of the paragon issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llPluMsxE7M

Now, in all those paragon threads many people said "I don't care". If that's the case, and you don't like numbers or charts then just stop reading and don't bother replying, there will be nothing in here for you. Otherwise, hear me out and read on.

This is a chart displaying the race from paragon 1 to 750, how much XP you need for the next level. This is what most people are probably experiencing, or have experienced - in all Diablo games ever: as you acquire more power, acquiring *even more* power becomes more difficult. In one word, power creep is exponential. As it has always been, and as it should be. Now... after 750 this is not the case anymore. This is what it looks like once you reach paragon 750:

The amount of XP needed to reach the next level increases only linearly - by exactly 122.4 million per level. On this level you acquire several billions of XP per hour though - in 2.3 there might be scenarios of 200-250 billion per hour in a fast group - which makes this a minuscule increase. It's not like in D2 where the next level *feels* like it's going to take longer; instead of an hour it will only take an hour and a few seconds more (not even a few minutes), so not noticeable at all. That's the reason why paragon leveling at this point has become so rewarding: after 750 you make steady progress without a noticeable slowing down effect. However, after paragon 800 every level gives you 5 more main stat - which is a noticeable increase in power and something that you can't get easily through gear upgrades on that level. That's why people are hunting paragon like crazy. And the first few have reached 2000 already. That number will increase in season 4 when paragon farming becomes even easier (shared XP, power creep will let us farm 10-15 level higher). In non-season, where half the playerbase (including me) has found its home, it's going to be even worse: from the start we will have several 2000+ paragon players, and many many more just after a few weeks. Now, why is paragon 2000 such an interesting number? The answer can be found in this chart:

After level 2000, the paragon needed does not increase - as aforementioned. It will always be 170 billion. Now, why is this an issue? Simply because you will *increase your power* - more paragon, maybe occasionally even more gear, more DPS/toughness which allows for even more XP, higher GR clears which result in higher gem ranks. Paragon leveling will be faster and faster - but the paragon XP required will be the same. When you're paragon 2000, you need probably a bit more than one hour to get one level. When you're paragon 3000, you will have 5000 more main stat (!!!), which means 5000% more damage - granted, it's additive damage; but it will still make you much much stronger and let you farm faster. What that means: the higher paragon you are, the more powerful you are, and the more paragon you will acquire. "Paragon per time" (or "power per time) will not be an exponential curve anymore in Diablo - as it has always been - but it will be a bell curve. Once you're at paragon 2000, you are definitely on the lowering right slope of the bell curve, and you will acquire more power as you go on, and you will not slow down but actually get faster in acquiring this increased power.

I hope some more people start to understand now why there's something wrong with paragon. There are several issues - and relatively "easy fixes", though they might hurt. Note, I am not crying for nerfs or anything - I am almost 1000 myself, so I can see the "benefits of the bell curve" for me as well soon. But I just don't think that running low-level Greater Rifts non-stop every day is the best that this game can offer. Here are my main issues with the paragon system and how I believe it can be fixed:

Problem 1: Paragon leveling becomes slower and slower until 750, stays at approximately a steady pace from 750 to 2000, and becomes even faster after that.

Solution: It should continue to be exponential after 750, and especially after 2000. It cannot be that the power creep is even exacerbated by a bell curve - that simply has to be a design flaw. It doesn't necessarily need to be as crazy exponential as before 750, but as players gain more power it should be harder to get *even more* power.

Problem 2: Paragon levels after 800 are more rewarding than any before.

Solution: After paragon 800, each additional level should only grant 2 main stat (instead of 5). After paragon 1000 - up until 10000 - each additional level should only grant 1 main stat. That would still mean a paragon 1000 player has 400 more main stat than a paragon 800 player, and a paragon 2000 player has 800 more. On this level, those differences matter - especially in season 4/era 4, where top-level players will all have very similar gear thanks to the cube. But at least with a bit of skillful play and luck in GR RNG you can make up for it, and aren't straight out of the competition.

Alternative solution by Skelos_bg: "Cap the bonus from stats at P800. Turn the points after P800 in a currency: With this currency the dedicated players who reach P1k, P1.5k, P2k etc can buy special cosmetic rewards, more stash space etc..."

I love this idea - I would kill for stash space. The option to have one more stash tab every 200 or 500 or 1000 levels or whatever would just sound amazing and, although I dislike paragon leveling, would have me leveling like a mad man. Plus, it wouldn't break the game for anyone else if I'm paragon 5000, but at least I don't have to re-farm all gear when I want to experiment new builds. Thanks!

Problem 3: Greater Rifts, especially low GRs for speed runs in 2-4 minutes, are too rewarding and pigeonhole competitive players into a very specific, tedious, time-consuming, and (in many people's opinion) boring gameplay.

Solution: Make XP gained similar in all aspects of the game. This low GR speed madness only started after the XP was changed to be multiplicative in GRs. I guess this was done because T6 was more effective for XP than GRs (I don't really remember, but I think that was the case), and it gave people a gearing choice (Hellfire Ring or Stone of Jordan? Diamond or Ruby?). However, this means that you want to run GRs only (as it currently yields about 10 times more XP!), and you want to run approximately 20-25 levels below your "real power level", as you can afford to give up DPS for XP gear on at least some characters in the group and run this at an insane speed which yields the best XP/hour. Basically, if this game's rules would apply to football, it would mean that Champions League players would have to practice 10-16 hours a day against mediocre low-league teams to become the best players. I'm not sure that would be fun for either side. The concrete solutions here would be to reverse the multiplicative bonus XP change - or even better, get rid of XP bonuses on gear (just like you did the absolutely right decision by basically removing magic find).

Thanks for reading everyone. If you want to see the complete 1-10000 XP plot, here it is:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MIVWYG18yayYU52xFPIH2iT-N_Yap3_UoQh_ZSHndlY/

(Last change in 2.3, accurate as of October 2016 (2.4.2/S8), thanks to <ZE> Vajet for data and Diablo3Ladder.com for publishing them)

I'll just quote myself:

"The situation is so strange: Low-level paragon players are saying "the system is fine, high-level paragon players should get more power". High- level paragon players are saying "the system is flawed, we should not gain *that* much power". Sigh."

Diablo was a loot-based game once. All the top players are now farming GR70+ in "no boss" runs, which means they only kill trash and leave at the RG to maximize paragon. They play Diablo for 24/7 without seeing a single item drop. How is this still Diablo? How can anyone justify this as being good game design? Why is everyone ignoring the issue by putting words into people's mouth or speaking for other people (i.e., "it's okay if those players get this power") when they say themselves it's not okay?

I'm sad that the community as a whole does not recognize the issue, but even more so that Blizzard thinks it's fine.