Quick disclaimer: I’ve totally fallen in love with GD. If I was to write everything it does right and everything I like about it - I’d sit here writing all day. This is just some of the things I now - after having beat ultimate for the first time and learned the game - think are really bad and needs fixing or at least change in GD2.
I won’t mentioned all the small stuff, just the big bads (IMO).
- Enemies dispelling all your buffs. If this removed one random buff on a long CD I think it would be ok. But how it functions now is simply bad game design, especially for hardcore. Why? Because it forces players, especially on hardcore - to constantly be watching for getting debuffed. This is a tedious chore and ruins the natural game flow. There is already enough going on that you have to pay attention to. It also somewhat forces someone to roll soldier in HC as the only defense you have left if you get debuffed is raw stats. So while enemies debuffing you is a nice gameplay mechanic thought in theory, in practice it’s bad game design imo because it applies frustration, aggravation and you have to constantly multitask watching for having been debuffed. Challenging the player is a good thing. Abilities that has other ways of threatening the player indirectly - is a good thing. The problem with being dispelled is like I said, bad because of it causes some pressure on class dependency and is bad for the gameflow.
Solution: Make it debuff one random buff from the player. Long CD. The player negation (arcanist and devotion) should have the same nerf. Because one single ability even on long cd, shouldn’t have such monumental impact. Removing one buff from a bunch of enemy heroes or a boss is already very strong.
- Set items ruining build diversity and hindering creativity. I think personally, that MI’s is this game’s biggest strength. Not because you can target farm, but because they add unique stuff which you then again can combine with OTHER MI’s. This allows a huge variety of possible builds. Set bonuses in this game has the COMPLETE opposite effect. It strongly shoehorns a build into X abilities. And locking interesting build enabling items behind forced playstyles.
For example. If I want 2 hellhounds or 2 birds, I think for both of them you need a set if I’m not mistaken. So if you want to make a build using say 2 birds, you can do so but w/o build variety.
In conclusion, interesting and unique effects from set items, should be tied to individual legendary items. Powerful set bonuses, should bring powerful and strong general stats or such. I think set item unique effects are fantastic, because they allow things otherwise not possible. But at the same time, it ruins build theorycrafting potential.
Solution: Unique gameplay change effects should never be gated behind an item set that forces/extremely favors one shoehorned playstyle in terms of skills used. Set items bonuses should instead offer generalist stats, but strong ones. Another solution would be, that any unique set bonus gameplay change - ALWAYS also has a single item, maybe for an entirely new slot even, that provides the same.
- Taunt resistance and immunity with bosses. I don’t see the point, and is kinda exploitable. Running around in circles with a boss chases you means that the boss isn’t doing much to threaten the player. At the same time - pets will chase and chase and slowly chip them down. If bosses weren’t focusing the player but the pets, at least the boss would be challenging the player by doing SOMETHING instead of aimlessly running around trying to reach the player. Sometimes bosses gets surrounded by my mobs, and won’t even attack them. Being stuck they just want to go for the player and do nothing.
Taunt resistance has no meaning. Because it actually can be of great benefit to the player, but at the same time be extremely boring and frustrating as you run around a pillar 20 times for a boss to die.
As pet builds, all your investment is in your pets. That investment is paid off - if your pets can tank successfully and kill the boss. The player still has to dodge stuff, buff, support spells, flask, move around. But the boss arbitrarily ignoring pets due to taunt resistance is imo - a pointless game mechanic. This isn’t about gameplay balance or power, it’s about the tedious chore of running a marathon - even making it EASIER for the player most often (due to not having damage output against your pets) - it’s IMO just completely unnecessary for bosses to have taunt resistance and immunity.
That’s pretty much it! My 3 only major gripes with this game. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to play again. I’m seriously addicted to GD but just wanted to share my thoughts on these 3 things.
have a tendency of nerfing sets btw? How many times do we hear non-set versions of some build are stronger? For example Valduun / Runebinder if I’m not mistaken? All builds from the latest Pierce Feedback thread are non-sets etc.
running…
, hence the mention of them then specifically complaining about Arcane enemies - they noticed that when it was around that’s when they lost their buffs