I’d like to say a few words about certain crucible/SR mutators. I believe mutators are terribly unbalanced in GD. This is not very apparent when playing only top tier builds. But the effect some mutators can have on the weaker builds in GD is overwhelming. Let me list the most troubling ones:
CRUEL (+60% enemy crit damage (with -5% oa))
This is one of the reasons why you get one-shot with 4k armor. Top fun with BRUTAL (+50 and +6% enemy oa). CRUEL + BRUTAL + Fabius + Gabal’Thunn = 50k crits to the player.
VOIDMARKED (-20% player cast speed) and AETHERMARKED (-15% player attack speed)
Debilitating mutator for the weaker spam or channeling casters. But also for the weaker melee builds, especially 2h. Alt+f4 for all kinds of timed runs. Especially in combination with TAINTED (-8% player total speed).
EXPOSED (-20% player armor) and AFFLICTED (-25% player health (-15% for SR))
The more exotic builds without a lot of synergy often do not survive these two.
Also known as “You had an rr conduit and now you don’t.”
WEAKENED (-30% player crit damage)
Struggled to get that few scraps of crit dmg on a build of lesser synergy? Good struggle!
SHATTERED (-10% player total damage and -200% retal)
Double pre-buff Maiven. More than half Overguard’s transmuter. Three or four ‘% all retal’ giving items.
These mutators can really undo a build. I did not mention the accompanying bonuses because they’re mostly irrelevant to the penalties (unless they are, and then I mentioned them like with CRUEL).
So it’s not multiplicative… okay. Sorry to misinform. Correcting. Is it the same for Leeching? Because I swear when I saw these two mutators it felt like driving on different gears.
Some of the mutators are over the top, but there purpose in first place is to make enemies encounters different each time depending on random factor.
I can say - 30% critical often can lead to basically remove all of your melee build critical damage. Ofc speed/resistances can screw too. I am going to say that I support the mutators in SR/Crucible, but maybe some values are little inflated.
The mutators are awful, they’re just a really bad idea imo and the effects are really over the top. A lot of builds are stretching already to cover certain deficiencies and then you get a bunch of mutators that just undo it and you might as well just restart the run and hope you rng your way to better ones.
+1, some combos are huge troll against mid-tier or gimmicky builds.
Not to mention those shrines in SR need a rework. Who is gonna use them for suicidal purpose??
In Cruci we have 5 mutators.
Exposed + Cruel = one good shot makes you scream
Tainted + (Aethermarked or Voidmarked) = total speed lost
Weakened + Shattered = huge damage debuff
In SR we have 7 mutators, more nasty combos.
Exposed + Cruel + Brutal = one shot one kill
Weakened + Shattered + any resistance buff = huge damage debuff
Tainted + Crippling + (Aethermarked or Voidmarked) = swing like a old lady
Not everyone are top builders or aim for meta. Plenty of players have their way playing fun builds.
And these naughty children need some love and proper attention.
Not saying mutators need debuff, they need some balance for more flavors.
Agreed on that. Aside from “cruel”, other mutators are more or less fine. I think, “cruel” should just be removed, and everything will be fine. Ok, maybe tone down “shattered” for retal builds, -200% retal is a bit too much indeed.
If you desperately want to play in your own little bubble with no harmful mutators I can explain how to edit and repack crucible files. Though if my memory is still working fine I remember hearing that the developer’s intent wasn’t for mutators to be balanced in the traditional sense, more that a mutator that caused frustration was a successful one.
I keep saying that Crucible and SR is too hard, especially for mid-tier builds and I am glad that a lot of players it seems agree with me.
I also could never get into enjoying Shattered Realm. Because at lower levels and before boss chunks it’s just boring. At higher levels it’s bunch of unfair cheese and b/s. Mutators are the part of the problem. Also, if you get a mutator to mobs that make them resistant to your damage type - well, too fucking bad, your leeching and thus survivability can sometimes be thrown out of the window.
EXPOSED mutator is actually kinda op. In a good sense. Just got to SR 82 on a binder with it. Who needs armor when you got yourself a little Star Pact (+8% cdr), hehehe…
Anyway, this is how it is. The intent was that the encounters be different each time, “gameplay enhanced by random factor” and some such. But reality is… GOOD OL’ RESTART FIESTA!!! If the game is about to strip my already struggling build of 20% armor, 15% health, 28% cast speed, 10% total damage and -15% rr then I’m not going in. Simple.
Thing is the less op the build the lower the number of mutator combos that would not completely crush it. Meaning more restarts. More mats gone. Time spend looking at the loading screen. Meaning why the hell would anyone wanna play anything else but the strict top tiers like Cyclone, SR set, Clairvoyant, etc.?
Isn’t avoiding this kinda situation - diversity being killed by playerbase choosing op solutions - Crate’s top priority? Isn’t that the reason for all the nerfs? Well… mutators are kinda doing the opposite thing.
exactly this. It turns into a cheesy game of fishing for favourable mutators which takes away any fun that SR had left. It’s the same as it was with fishing for Crucible of the Dead - it just tilts you and makes you mad and makes you enjoy the game less.
I really don´t get it. Let´s take SR. Which build has to quit on a regular basis till SR 60 because of mutators? Of course I am talking about builds with (nearly) the BiS gear (without greens, no need to call the mafia).
If the game is about to strip my already struggling build of 20% armor, 15% health, 28% cast speed, 10% total damage and -15% rr then I’m not going in. Simple.