I decided to take a look at the Bethesda project, The Elder Scrolls Online. After some research, I've come to find some terrible news.
As I originally assumed when I first heard about it, the game will be nothing like an Elder Scrolls game. Instead, it will be more along the lines of WoW in terms of both graphics and gameplay mechanics. Here is a video showing just what kind of graphics the game would have. While I don't generally let graphics get in the way of my gaming experience, it does bother me that a game from Bethesda would be so watered down on them. I know it isn't a hardware limitation, as I've seen plenty of MMO games with far better graphics than that. One thing that does bother me a lot is how the gameplay will be.
The gameplay will feature virtually none of the Elder Scrolls mechanics and will be generic MMO tropes such as hotbars, skill cooldowns, and locked third person view. Obviously, there will be no real-time combat and it will be reminiscent of every other combat mechanic for MMO games. Surprisingly, it will also have level locked areas, meaning any sort of exploration in the game is a direct result of how strong your character is. To add to that, characters will also not be able to own houses. There will also be classes in the game, but this doesn't bother me so much. I mean, it is a bit annoying that it's a step backwards from how character progression worked before, but I've played enough games with classes to know that it's at least fun if done right.
Now for further assumptions. Based off the fact that it's going to just be another MMO game, I assume that the quest types will be simple "kill x of y" throughout the entire game. I also assume things like lock picking and stealing will be gone and there will be far less areas to explore, maybe even instance locked dungeons. Quite boring.
Initially, I had hopes that they would not do such things, but they are. I had dreams, I really did. I dreamt that I would be able to play a MMO game where my ability to shoot somebody in the face with a damn arrow would be based off my ability to simply aim the bow, instead of stats or evasive scores. Man, I'm totally excited to watch my archer shoot arrows by himself at a still standing creature and miss, somehow.
Anyway, I tired to write to Bethesda about it on their website. Suspiciously, the submit button would not work. Tell me your thoughts about the game, and please don't give me that "C'mon man. The game is not even out yet, we don't know how it will be. " We all know what happened last time that was said.
I found a Schaefer's Hammer today while scanning the AH. I noticed that it had some very interesting lightning based attributes, and playing a Wizard, I thought it would be an interesting idea to try and use it with a lightning build. I bought it for a measly 50k and decided to run around with it a bit in Inferno Act I and II
It seems to do okay so far, but I'm not exactly an expert on the matter. Is there anyway that this item (or similar ones) could be used for a viable lightning themed build, or would it just be useless? Here is the link to the build that I was experimenting with.
It's not exactly a finished product, but it was a start for it. Any thoughts? Maybe it could be used in PvP if not PvE when it comes out? If it is totally useless, it's still fun to mess around with. I do get bored of the traditional Wizard builds after awhile.
While playing D3, I was looking at some of the random items I had from a run (mostly useless, non-magical items) and thought of an interesting PvP game style.
What if there was an option for a PvP match that removed your ability to use magical items? In the match, you would only be able to use gear which had no bonuses to them and only their base defensive and or offensive stats. The reason I say this is because as far as anyone else is concerned, those type of items are useless and cheap. Not even game merchants sell those items, and you don't see anybody selling them on the auction house.
This would give players who have low budgets the ability to participate in PvP without having to worry about spending tons of cash on expensive gear for normal PvP matches. They could focus on using that cheap, non-magical gear which is otherwise useless for PvE and would be useless for normal PvP matches. It would also give a somewhat useful existence to the items.
The only problems I see for this is the inability to use rings, amulets, and some off-hand items such as magic sources or mojos. Of course, it can always be tweaked to allow those items, regardless of their magical abilities.
Hey, I was looking for some feedback on my Wizard that I'm currently using in Inferno. I've checked out some of the guides that already exist on the forum, and I've managed to work out a skill strategy. So far, I'm using the Blizzard/Venom Hydra skill set. What I need though is some feedback on my current gear.
I've tried to go for some more resistance than what I had prior, which knocked down my damage a bit. So far, everything seems to be going well; however, I'm only just past killing King Leoric in Act 1, so I'm not sure how well I'll suffice further onward.
As far as budget goes, I'm quite poor. Think about the word poor and what it means to you in Diablo 3, and think of poorer. That's me. Let's just say the most I've held at one time is about 100K at best. Luckily, a lot of the gear that I have found has been dirt cheap or a lucky find.
In D2, you get a drop. You either use it, keep it for later, vendor it, or if it is good (just not for you), you tried to trade it.
In D3, you get a drop. You either use it, keep it for later, vendor it, salvage it, or if it is good (just not for you), you sell it on the AH.
What's the difference exactly?
Well, obviously it has the same basic set up. The difference is that in D2, drops seemed to make more sense. In D3, I find bows with intelligence bonuses on them. I heard they were going to address the legendary issue though.
I saw spears with INT on them in D2. ALL the gear was random. Maybe it's more random in D3, but that's fine.
Legandaries are being addressed, but the problem is that people equate legendary to mean 'best' , and that's wrong.
Of course they aren't the best, but they should at least be viable for how hard they are to find.That is the main argument. And hey, I'd use a spear in D2 if it was good enough with my Sorc, but probably not a bow.
Well, there is still a chance you'll find stuff that is good outside the AH, but again, what are you really doing? You are getting better gear when you farm. Gear you can buy in the AH. The fact that the AH exist just works against the main part of the game. "BUY BETTER GEAR SO YOU CAN KILL STUFF FOR BETTER GEAR!" Does anybody see the irony in that?
No.
In D2 you got gear, and traded it for what was useful.
In D3 you get gear, and sell it for gold OR salvage it for materials, then use those materials to buy/make better gear.
Again, what's the difference?
I dunno who you traded with in D2, but the only time anyone would ever give me anything good in a trade was if I forked over runes, not gear. Unless of course I was stupid and traded them gear far greater than their own, in which case they would happily hit the accept button.
In D2, you get a drop. You either use it, keep it for later, vendor it, or if it is good (just not for you), you tried to trade it.
In D3, you get a drop. You either use it, keep it for later, vendor it, salvage it, or if it is good (just not for you), you sell it on the AH.
What's the difference exactly?
Well, obviously it has the same basic set up. The difference is that in D2, drops seemed to make more sense. In D3, I find bows with intelligence bonuses on them. I heard they were going to address the legendary issue though.
I think I have to call bs on the AH complaints. I'm in inferno with a barb, technically I haven't wiped my way all the way through act 1 yet, but have been on act 2 through a friends game, slow grinding there and dieing wave after wave to elites, but getting some good drops every few hours there at least.
I've been told I need XYZ stat numbers to move on. I look for these stats on the AH, I can not find a single piece with sufficient stats to make a dent past my 'found' gear unless I drop 200k to 500+k. Even then something to make a really solid improvement will probably cost around 1 mil per piece.
I'm right at the average power curve of the game IMHO. This means that the loot I'm pulling down is at the mid tier of the AH and I can't sell my drops at all. I price stuff out appropriately but its lost in a sea of 5000 other similar priced gears, and its just dumb luck if someone finds mine to buy, so I can't count on drops bringing in much of an income.
So really I just find some grind/farm technique, or I safe cash for a single gear piece that on its own, wont really do jack shit to help me move up. Either way, yes, the AH may have sped me through hell difficulty, but it really isn't pushing you along in inferno. Really it seems like the best bet is to die your way forward as far as you can in the plot until you can find a mob to grind/kill on and hope for a sell drop or a wearable drop.
But yeah, AH may speed you through Normal/NM/HELL on the cheap, but once you realize how shit the drops/cash is there vs inferno, there is no point in spending much time there at all.
Well, there is still a chance you'll find stuff that is good outside the AH, but again, what are you really doing? You are getting better gear when you farm. Gear you can buy in the AH. The fact that the AH exist just works against the main part of the game. "BUY BETTER GEAR SO YOU CAN KILL STUFF FOR BETTER GEAR!" Does anybody see the irony in that?
Gearing up isn't a chore. IT'S THE ENTIRE ESSENCE OF THE DIABLO FRANCHISE.
The series is : get gear to get more powerful to go find more gear by killing stuff to get more powerful to kill harder stuff and get more gear.
If you don't like dealing with gear, I'm not sure Diablo is the game for you.
I said it feels like a chore because of how stats work with gear. I hate having to get rid of gear that would normally be good if not for the fact that it lacked -20 Vitality or some shit. Shit is so random that I'm not even happy to find rares because I know there's a great chance that it will just suck. In D2, finding stuff like that was like "HOLY SHIT!", now when I see stuff like that drop, it's not even a good feeling. It's more like a "either I sell it in the AH, to a vendor or salvage it", like everything else I find.
OP is another typical D2 fanboy, who refuses to understand the mechanics of D3 and accept that D3 is not D2+. Your points have all been discussed a billion times before, but ill make a short run on them:
1: Your opinion (I like it better this way), reason behind change has already been explained.
2: In D2 you used 1 ability until lvl 18-24-30, and then you might start using 2 regularly (depending on class and build). In D3 you constantly change build, trying to find something that works with your skill level, your gear, your playstyle and your pace. Big + for D3.
3: Your opinion. I like that gear makes the char. It means that i can hunt for specific items to make specific character builds work.
4: The game has much more than Diablo 2.
5: They never said 60 = 99. They said 60 = 80, which isnt very far off from my experience (Depending on method of course, powerlevelling screws up any comparison). Furthermore, you say the only challenge is in inferno. Well newsflash, the only challenge in D2 was in hell (the last difficulty), and in D2 it wasn't really a challenge at all since all you had to do was follow guide X and you could get through hell with minimum effort. D2 was extremely EZ. So far D3 without skipping packs and using "exploits" is HARD.
6: Someone has to get the item and be willing to sell it for someone else to buy it. Exactly the same thing as in D2. Then you complain about drops, well random loot is random. Stop whining, and start making smart points instead if you want to make a discussion or prove a point.
7: Im a great gamer, i know a challenge when i see it, and i know what can make that challenge much easier (main is a wizard, i chose not to abuse skills to rush to act 4 inferno), you say that games are becoming way too easy, but really they aren't. Some are, but many aren't. Oh, and most games have difficulty modes now, which makes them fun for more people, and not just the good / great gamers.
You make good points, and I'm aware that many have already talked about these points. It's not my fault you chose to read/comment on them again. The point I made about leveling is that it's short. It doesn't feel rewarding past 30. Spells? Yea, you used one, but it wasn't hard to switch to another if you was fast enough. I use a lot of different skills in combination with each other in D2. As for gear, I still think it's boring. Your opinion is no better than mine on that one. And no, D3 doesn't have more content that D2. Even at release, I think D2 had more content. It was longer, had more in depth game play, and made more sense.
And yea, I suppose you make a good point about the difficulty in D2. I can't really argue with that one. However, it still had PvP to play with at release. Our endgame release is the game, round 4. Also, if you just decide to limit yourself on use of "exploits", then you are just ignoring things you can do with your character for no other reason than to have it harder. Difficulty shouldn't have to come from my own will (unless you were doing something like a challenge or what not).
Yea, people do have to get the items to sell it. But there are so many people playing that you'll still find just about any item you'll ever want. The only problem is if they decide that 20,000,000,000 is a reasonable price (And yea, I see that price the other day).
Since I've been playing the game, I've come to notice something. I already have a level 60 wizard and I'm already in Inferno mode. I got to this point about ten days into the game and that was just from casual playing. I wasn't exactly trying to get to this point that fast, it just sort of happened. Now that I have come to notice it, It doesn't feel very rewarding. The game feels Easy, but don't get me wrong, Inferno is by no means a cakewalk; however, every other mode is and getting to level 60 surely wasn't a problem either. Here are a few problems that I have.
You Can't Control Your Stats
Stopped reading there. Want to change your stats? Find shit with sockets. Insert gems. Profit. Or go to the AH and buy gear with the stat allocations you desire.
D3 has WAY more control and customization that D2 did. D2 required you to roll a new character to make a change to ONE stat point. How is this good design?
Now see, you should probably read the rest of my post before you jump to that response; I clearly explain my problem with gear being the only thing to customize with.
The "flaws" you are identifying, are not flaws, are what make Diablo 3.. Diablo 3, and not Diablo 2. It's all subjective.
I suppose you do have a point there, but that doesn't change my opinion about them. I still find it to be a downgrade.
Thats your opinion then. There are many clips at blizzcon and such where they explain why they did things in a certain way and I have to agree that most changes are improvements. The online issues are annoying though, guess you cant have everything.
Well, a lot of their explanations consist of "because we didn't think it would work". Or because "we didn't want to make it an E-sport". I'm not exactly sure why that would be a big deal for people to really be into PvP, and if there is a problem with that then tell me. Most of the changes, while they work, are just not fun and make things easier. That is why I'm trying to say.
There is no point, you don't like some ways the game is done, I dont like some ways Diablo 2 was done, we can discuss it ad eternum, it will change nothing.
It's a forum, we discuss things. Of course it won't change anything, I just like talking about stuff. Hence why I'm on a forum in the first place.
The "flaws" you are identifying, are not flaws, are what make Diablo 3.. Diablo 3, and not Diablo 2. It's all subjective.
I suppose you do have a point there, but that doesn't change my opinion about them. I still find it to be a downgrade.
Thats your opinion then. There are many clips at blizzcon and such where they explain why they did things in a certain way and I have to agree that most changes are improvements. The online issues are annoying though, guess you cant have everything.
The AH allows anyone to be mass geared if they have the funds, and that reduces difficulty by a lot.
Explain why that's any different than before with D2?
If you had the "funds" in D2, you could have anything you wanted.
The funds in D2 was runes if I remember correctly. Those are a lot harder to find than gold. I did mini-boss runs for runes and what not. So, in a way, it sort of makes since.
Well...to be fair, HR's in D2 were 95% dupes which jacked the economy up. I thought it was actually way easier to get rich in D2 due to the state of duping.
Gold was trash for repairs and that's all the value it had.
The two factors above seem to offset each other. In D3, we don't have runes, but gold actually has value now.
One thing remains the same; You have to farm/MF to get drops so you can set your BiS and have trade clout.
Well, I never said D2 didn't have it's issues either. It's the accessibility that makes it easier, not the means of affording it so to speak. If you have a room that has everything in it (the AH), then your more likely to find what you want and get it. You at least had to shop around in the other game.
Demon Hunter coat is what I want. To make it perfect though, I'd wear it with a fashionable Diablo 3 T-shirt plus the belt and probably some black jeans or something.
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As I originally assumed when I first heard about it, the game will be nothing like an Elder Scrolls game. Instead, it will be more along the lines of WoW in terms of both graphics and gameplay mechanics. Here is a video showing just what kind of graphics the game would have. While I don't generally let graphics get in the way of my gaming experience, it does bother me that a game from Bethesda would be so watered down on them. I know it isn't a hardware limitation, as I've seen plenty of MMO games with far better graphics than that. One thing that does bother me a lot is how the gameplay will be.
The gameplay will feature virtually none of the Elder Scrolls mechanics and will be generic MMO tropes such as hotbars, skill cooldowns, and locked third person view. Obviously, there will be no real-time combat and it will be reminiscent of every other combat mechanic for MMO games. Surprisingly, it will also have level locked areas, meaning any sort of exploration in the game is a direct result of how strong your character is. To add to that, characters will also not be able to own houses. There will also be classes in the game, but this doesn't bother me so much. I mean, it is a bit annoying that it's a step backwards from how character progression worked before, but I've played enough games with classes to know that it's at least fun if done right.
Now for further assumptions. Based off the fact that it's going to just be another MMO game, I assume that the quest types will be simple "kill x of y" throughout the entire game. I also assume things like lock picking and stealing will be gone and there will be far less areas to explore, maybe even instance locked dungeons. Quite boring.
Initially, I had hopes that they would not do such things, but they are. I had dreams, I really did. I dreamt that I would be able to play a MMO game where my ability to shoot somebody in the face with a damn arrow would be based off my ability to simply aim the bow, instead of stats or evasive scores. Man, I'm totally excited to watch my archer shoot arrows by himself at a still standing creature and miss, somehow.
Anyway, I tired to write to Bethesda about it on their website. Suspiciously, the submit button would not work. Tell me your thoughts about the game, and please don't give me that "C'mon man. The game is not even out yet, we don't know how it will be. " We all know what happened last time that was said.
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It seems to do okay so far, but I'm not exactly an expert on the matter. Is there anyway that this item (or similar ones) could be used for a viable lightning themed build, or would it just be useless? Here is the link to the build that I was experimenting with.
Lightning Wizard
It's not exactly a finished product, but it was a start for it. Any thoughts? Maybe it could be used in PvP if not PvE when it comes out? If it is totally useless, it's still fun to mess around with. I do get bored of the traditional Wizard builds after awhile.
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What if there was an option for a PvP match that removed your ability to use magical items? In the match, you would only be able to use gear which had no bonuses to them and only their base defensive and or offensive stats. The reason I say this is because as far as anyone else is concerned, those type of items are useless and cheap. Not even game merchants sell those items, and you don't see anybody selling them on the auction house.
This would give players who have low budgets the ability to participate in PvP without having to worry about spending tons of cash on expensive gear for normal PvP matches. They could focus on using that cheap, non-magical gear which is otherwise useless for PvE and would be useless for normal PvP matches. It would also give a somewhat useful existence to the items.
The only problems I see for this is the inability to use rings, amulets, and some off-hand items such as magic sources or mojos. Of course, it can always be tweaked to allow those items, regardless of their magical abilities.
What do you guys think?
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Here is my character link: Harbinger
I've tried to go for some more resistance than what I had prior, which knocked down my damage a bit. So far, everything seems to be going well; however, I'm only just past killing King Leoric in Act 1, so I'm not sure how well I'll suffice further onward.
As far as budget goes, I'm quite poor. Think about the word poor and what it means to you in Diablo 3, and think of poorer. That's me. Let's just say the most I've held at one time is about 100K at best. Luckily, a lot of the gear that I have found has been dirt cheap or a lucky find.
Open to all suggestions, thanks.
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Of course they aren't the best, but they should at least be viable for how hard they are to find.That is the main argument. And hey, I'd use a spear in D2 if it was good enough with my Sorc, but probably not a bow.
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I dunno who you traded with in D2, but the only time anyone would ever give me anything good in a trade was if I forked over runes, not gear. Unless of course I was stupid and traded them gear far greater than their own, in which case they would happily hit the accept button.
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Well, obviously it has the same basic set up. The difference is that in D2, drops seemed to make more sense. In D3, I find bows with intelligence bonuses on them. I heard they were going to address the legendary issue though.
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Well, there is still a chance you'll find stuff that is good outside the AH, but again, what are you really doing? You are getting better gear when you farm. Gear you can buy in the AH. The fact that the AH exist just works against the main part of the game. "BUY BETTER GEAR SO YOU CAN KILL STUFF FOR BETTER GEAR!" Does anybody see the irony in that?
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I said it feels like a chore because of how stats work with gear. I hate having to get rid of gear that would normally be good if not for the fact that it lacked -20 Vitality or some shit. Shit is so random that I'm not even happy to find rares because I know there's a great chance that it will just suck. In D2, finding stuff like that was like "HOLY SHIT!", now when I see stuff like that drop, it's not even a good feeling. It's more like a "either I sell it in the AH, to a vendor or salvage it", like everything else I find.
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You make good points, and I'm aware that many have already talked about these points. It's not my fault you chose to read/comment on them again. The point I made about leveling is that it's short. It doesn't feel rewarding past 30. Spells? Yea, you used one, but it wasn't hard to switch to another if you was fast enough. I use a lot of different skills in combination with each other in D2. As for gear, I still think it's boring. Your opinion is no better than mine on that one. And no, D3 doesn't have more content that D2. Even at release, I think D2 had more content. It was longer, had more in depth game play, and made more sense.
And yea, I suppose you make a good point about the difficulty in D2. I can't really argue with that one. However, it still had PvP to play with at release. Our endgame release is the game, round 4. Also, if you just decide to limit yourself on use of "exploits", then you are just ignoring things you can do with your character for no other reason than to have it harder. Difficulty shouldn't have to come from my own will (unless you were doing something like a challenge or what not).
Yea, people do have to get the items to sell it. But there are so many people playing that you'll still find just about any item you'll ever want. The only problem is if they decide that 20,000,000,000 is a reasonable price (And yea, I see that price the other day).
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Now see, you should probably read the rest of my post before you jump to that response; I clearly explain my problem with gear being the only thing to customize with.
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Well, a lot of their explanations consist of "because we didn't think it would work". Or because "we didn't want to make it an E-sport". I'm not exactly sure why that would be a big deal for people to really be into PvP, and if there is a problem with that then tell me. Most of the changes, while they work, are just not fun and make things easier. That is why I'm trying to say.
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It's a forum, we discuss things. Of course it won't change anything, I just like talking about stuff. Hence why I'm on a forum in the first place.
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Well, I never said D2 didn't have it's issues either. It's the accessibility that makes it easier, not the means of affording it so to speak. If you have a room that has everything in it (the AH), then your more likely to find what you want and get it. You at least had to shop around in the other game.