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TLDR: IDC about new season without a new patch because current progression makes me go to sleep. Suggestions for fix at the bottom of post)
My opinon: New season makes no difference to me. Not because I don't play multiplayer, but because I used to enjoy starting new chars for fun. But the game's progression curve, as it is now, has been flattened out so much that it's just not that much fun to do.
There is nothing much happening in norm/nightmare, except you have to do horadric staff/organs/jungle run each time which is an asinine chore after the 3nd char. Tran level challenge is a joke, but that's fine. Point is, very early gameplay is unexciting and tiresome.
But then, in hell mode, it's the same dumb shit again, and it's not even possible to get charms during progression because chars are always a bunch of levels short of being able to enter. At least for me, and I've started many a new char, and it's never been the case that I've been able to enter just by passing by the first time.
While this prevents new players from accidentally entering, it also slows down progression, because gear is harder to equip and general char power level is less. The annoying thing is, the portal is
right there.
► Show Spoiler
My life when I start new charThen the uber leveling is slow as well. If experience gain was double it might be less annoying, but as it is now, it's just slow.
It happens a lot in very early game that chars lag behind and have to backtrack. And uber leveling is a snoozefest.
I understand that the increased range for xp gain did not work out for the current patch, but there has to be something to replace it.
Old Median had many things wrong with it, but leveling up felt better. For sure.
So, what I would suggest, what would "bring me back" on the issue of progression:
-global x2 xp boost before 135
-removed requirements to collect staff/organs
-shrinked jungle
-shrinked Den of Evil ("1 monster left" will always be a meme, even with smaller den)
-removal of level requirements for ubers that don't focus on leveling like Butcher, Tal Rasha, Infernal Machine, Death Projector, etc.
-increased rune drop chances in normal mode (can't have act 2 without pax mystica and basic rw, come on!)
-a way to downgrade runes again
-bigger selection of items from normal a1 vendors for quicker frw boots/socket items
The point is to make it enjoyable, or at least not annoying, to start a new char, no matter if it's new season or not