The nerfs and bandages thing is a dead horse that has been beaten to a pulp, so I’m not even gonna get into that…
I understand why the reaction here is the way it is, since this happens every time there is a major shift. I’m not going to pretend like we never make mistakes, but I dare say vast majority of things we do have had a positive effect on the game as a whole, so maybe toss us a bone? People are acting like we said we’re capping DA stacking (which frankly should have happened a long time ago)…and doing nothing else.
So in the interest of alleviating the misconceptions and perhaps putting a stop to the circular debate happening here, here is a preview of where things are right now in terms of changes coming to the Crucible and the game in general that you may find relevant to this topic. Please be aware that things are still subject to change and numbers may still change, but this should give you a general idea of what’s to come:
[Crucible]
- Adjusted number of non-boss enemies spawned in the 151-170 range.
- Reduced effectiveness of % Physical Resist Reduction debuffs applied by Ashes of Malmouth enemies.
- With a few exceptions, reduced the effectiveness of Fumble effects applied by monsters in the Crucible by upwards of 50%.
- Increased monster penalty to Crowd Control Effects by an additional 15% (to 40%). Previously, monster crowd control effect duration was reduced by 25%. (This is a buff to players)
- Nemesis boss damage reduced by 4% for base game Nemesis bosses and 7% for Ashes of Malmouth Nemesis Bosses.
- Significantly increased the attack rate of all Beacons.
- Deathchill Beacon now also reduces enemy Offensive Ability for 5s with its attacks. The potency of this effect increases with upgrades.
- Inferno Beacon now also reduces enemy % Damage for 5s with its basic attack. Previously only the Fire Storm reduced damage. The potency of this effect increases with upgrades.
- Stormcaller Beacon’s Defensive Ability and Total Resist Reduction effects now last 5s, up from 3s. Increased the potency of the Resist Reduction effect to 25/30/33 from 20/25/30.
- Stonewall Banner now also increases Defensive Ability by 50 (100 when fully upgraded).
- Vanguard Banner now also increases Offensive Ability by 50 (100 when fully upgraded). Increased the % All Speed granted by the Frenzy buff to 35%, up from 20%.
- Improved effectiveness of all Celestial Blessings for pets to match the bonuses the blessings grant for players.
- Blessing of Ulo now also boosts resistances against all damage types by 33% (8% to Physical).
- Empyrion’s Guidance now increases Health by 80%, up from 60%
- Might of Amatok now modifies damage by 35%, up from 30%, and is more effective for pets by applying a damage modifier instead of the % All damage bonus pets received. This will no longer appear in the character sheet, but is much more potent.
- Ulzuin’s Pact now also boosts Offensive and Defensive Ability by 30 + 4% and reduces Skill Energy Costs by 25%, up from 20%.
[Game]
- The Probability to Hit Formula has been adjusted. It is now capped at a minimum of 60%, meaning that excessively high Defensive Ability values can no longer reduce an opponent’s chance to hit below 60%. This change applies to both monsters and players, but will have little impact outside of the high-end gameplay in the hardest waves of the Crucible.
- Adjusted Boss Resistance distribution. A disproportionate number of bosses had baseline resistances to Physical and Pierce damage compared to other damage types. Several of those instances have been adjusted in favor of diversifying the damage bosses are resistant to.
[Itemization]
- Magic Prefix - Stalwart: reduced % Defensive Ability to 5% for accessories, 3% for armor (pre-expansion values)
- Rare Prefix - Assassin: reduced % Defensive Ability to 3%
- Rare Prefix - Commando: reduced % Defensive Ability to 3%
- Rare Prefix - Overseer: reduced % Defensive Ability to 3%
- Rare Prefix - Tactician: reduced % Defensive Ability to 3%
- Rare Prefix - Vindicator: reduced % Defensive Ability to 3%
[Class & Skills]
Devotion
- Time Dilation: increased cooldown by 1s
Arcanist
- Mirror of Ereoctes: duration now partially scales with rank, starting at 2s and scaling up to its original values of 3s by rank 6