The Leveling Rework

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Solfege
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Ok, after reading through it again, it looks like 2 big takeaways are:
> XP grinding will be less tedious.
> Uber progression will be more intuitive.

Both of these are great ideas.

The only thing that sort of raises a red flag for me is this pattern of pushing players to follow a certain path instead of letting them discover the most efficient path on their own. This may just be part of the whole "reducing the knowledge gap" thing (which is good). And some overt intervention can yield positive results, but it's a slippery slope. A gentle nudge can quickly turn into a crushing boot heel. I think as long as choice and discovery aren't replaced with linear gameplay just for the sake of making things more newb-friendly, it should be fine.

Also...
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Jibii
Cultist
22 | 1
That's sound so good Marco. I hope you will add the very rare / unique content for very high monster level soon ! That is the most interesting part for me, even if everything else sounds great as well. You re making a RPG like I would and like I like to play. Very nice endgame here, very fun. Keep going. Median in long run is all about end game.
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Heathen
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This is definitely an unexpected change. It's interesting, even if a bit odd. Imagining the full consequence of this change is difficult.

I will say, after hitting 120, the game always became significantly more boring afterwards. That being said, the added 121-125 grind was equally as uninteresting to me (especially the 100+ cowgames to make 121 happen, 122 was something I just wouldn't do). So the increasingly steadier experience, along with the removal of experience penalty in a 1hko endgame, will go a long way for me. Not because I don't think the penalty is fair, but it definitely makes farming endgame charms a matter of sacrificial acceptance to the inevitable experience sink. So I'm all for the removal of the penalty.

I look forward to hearing the next changes.
diabolique6
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24 | 0
This is still only a piece of the cake. We plan on unveiling more features and changes in the upcoming weeks. Especially the one coming next is going to be a big one.

Stay tuned and happy farming :)

Hey, i knew it Sigma reveal will be on mainstage at Blizzcon! Hehe Keep it up great stuff can't wait for new updates.
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Jaedong
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on the one hand im sad that theres opportunities lost for leveling in duncraig cows etc..
but on the other hand im happy because this seems like the only solution to prevent (especially new )people from getting carried to 120 and end up hating the game because they havent learned how to play
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Wulf
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Very nice post formatting Marco :)
Ibra1
Abomination
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Only thing I'm not thrilled about where cows are concerned... I think a lot of people are multi-character players. I like to take down crowds 360deg with bowazon, or have a specific tank build to go toe to toe with an uber. We know the story, we've played through it over 1000 times from D2's release many years ago. So when there is a new character that I want to build and play, maybe 2 months into a new ladder, there isn't a great deal of desire to grind the full story again up to lev 120+... Just want to get there and gear up and play the harder levels. Cows lets me get a buddy to rush me up to T or Dcows, you finish to 120, then get into the real game.

Seems like it comes down to time. Most of us are not on summer vacation from school. So we need a way to speed-level still.

Can we get at least an idea of what level cows will be restricted to?

****************************

Point 2. I hope that the skill tree will get a worth-while boost for 120+ levels.

Example... Going from level 100 to 101 makes a sorc's 'fire spell' go from 500 to 520 fire damage. If level 120-121 'fire spell' also adds 20 damage, then it's just not worth the hours of grinding, and game is over till next ladder (Diminishing returns has always been a curse in this game IMO). On the other hand, you get a +100 damage for taking on the ubers, and possibly a bit of pierce that only begins at level 121, THEN you are dangling the apple on a string that many will be chasing after...
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HechtHeftig
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Okay ibra first of all: you can still rush your character and powerlevel on your own in the certain areas that grant good exp. For example: sewers hatred till 30, Mephisto till 42, and so on and on.

Next is the reduced tiers of items, which means you‘ll take a lot less time grinding for arcane crystals.

—> an experienced player already was able to get to end of terror in a couple of hours. And now it‘s a lot easier to do that. And grinding tcows has always been stupid and boring.

Next: I really don‘t think the additional maximum skill level will be really gamebreaking except for very few skills, like perfect being. What‘s a lot more important imho is getting more mo space on your gear. Even if you just add more spell damage for your main skill, that’s still over 60% more spell damage. So this should be fine, really.

Also: The goal didn‘t change. You still just grind for loot. But the difference is that the area you‘re farming in changes every 10-20 levels, and you still notice an increase in Killspeed even if Only shit drops for you.
zownn
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What about hardcore? Will it be playable or still everyone gonna play boring softcore?
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HechtHeftig
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zownn wrote:What about hardcore? Will it be playable or still everyone gonna play boring softcore?


Both. It will be playable because most if not all of the 1 shot mechanics are supposed to be removed in sigma, but most people will still play softcore.