I know this sounds like a change out of the scope of this test patch. But 4 mastery -rr% additions cause a major ripple effect that makes your wheels spin in search of builds that open up. And since the 3 changed masteries offer the highest amounts of flat dmg of all, naturally you seek opportunities to make WD based builds. And while there are a lot of new builds indeed, 2H melee once again faces a wall of low WPS pool.
Reaper, of course, is the most notable. A fantasy figure traditionally wearing a 2H weapon, in Grim Dawn is almost always equiped with 2 weapons - too many souls to reap, i guess. If you want to make a 2H melee Reaper, be it cold, vitality or acid, you need to take Beronath Strikes which leaves you with a single multitarget WPS (NE). Of course, no sane person would choose this over DW.
Trickster has a single WPS - can’t make 2H vitality or cold. Conjurer has a chaos conduit that intrigues you to put new Occultist chaos rr% to use - can’t play that with 2H melee either. Can with ranged cause ranged has 4(!) WPS granted by items, but can’t with melee. Cabalist, acid, vit or cold, - same issue, etc., etc.
Lack of 2H melee WPS was one of the biggest issues for me since i joined the game. DW melee and ranged, 2H ranged have enough WPS granted by the items to make a build in most scenarios, often with some unexpected outcomes, like aether Binder gives you one of the strongest DW melee builds and chaos Conjurer - one of the strongest 2H ranged builds.
2H melee is always behind, lack of WPS often prevents you from making builds even with 2H specialized mastery - Shaman. And with new -rr% additions it’s all the more agonizing seeing all the casters and DW melee getting new toys while 2H is forced to sit in the corner and play with a single old wooden toy, Avenger.
There’s a lot of items that can be a target for this WPS addition:
- There’s a weak pair of blue gloves with a granted WPS, so mirroring this feature in greater effect on a legendary feels right, Maybe on Crimson Claws, a 2H-themed gloves?
- Maybe Dawnshard Grip, a glove with as% and two mods to casters?
- Maybe turn the proc into WPS on Sigil of Bear King, severely underused item?
- Scourge relic has a nice idea but i haven’t seen a functional build with it that made sense.
- Malediction is pretty much a Meditation double and i never understood its purpose.
- Avenger relic is another one rarely seen in Cairn with a strange proc, does any retal even pick it?
Anyways. It feels like right now this one small change will open up literally a 100 new build possibilities. I want to swing a big sword around! Prayge
