What We're Working On

Thanks for reacting so fast to the problems, and for keeping us informed.

Is there any plan to review how GGG tests new league content? It seems very obvious at this point that the current process is just not adequate, and it's a shame because the content is great, but it just can't keep being released like this.

Whether the testing procedure is adjusted to try and resolve it, or whether the business model has to change to a four month league, something needs to happen.

Launch wasn't that bad,

Some of these insufferable crybaby streamers just whine too much.

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Schverika wrote:

I tried putting Blazing Salvo on Trap Support with the expectation that the salvo would fly outward. What I got reminded me of Pyroclast Mine or Cremation: the projectiles splattered around. It also feels like there are fewer of them or maybe that's because they flew so quickly to their very-close destinations.

Blazing salvo is a weird skill. as someone else pointed out, at point blank range, it goes over enemies and doesn't land. as you pointed out, the projectiles don't feel like much. I was using pinpoint and gmp which gives 13 projectiles and it didn't cover the edge of the screen when I targeted it the way you're supposed to for more spread out AoE. the balls overlap still and you only kill 3/4 of the screen leaving stragglers behind at every mob. it is awful to play. I had such high hopes for the skill and it's basically winter orb damage without the clear.

whoops

I absolutely love Heist outside of the bugs and fixes needed. The new skills look great but that's the issue, they just look great but feel really, REALLY bad to play (Outside of discharge to an extent). The damage just isn't there for the rest of the new skills compared the majority of the older skills. The new skills are supposed to be a tad powerful to entice people to play something new but this league, it's a hand full of the older skills outperforming the new ones by a mile.

Re-worked Glacial Cascade
Crackling Lance
Firestorm
Blazing Salvo

While all looking impressive, all feel extremely underwhelming. With Flame Wall not quite looking as cool as we were shown previously.

Feedback regarding the new skills: Have played Blazing Salvo. After the early showcase of the skill it made me think of a non-channeled Storm Burst, which seemed cool and the trailer made it look like it promoted a fast selfcast playstyle. The spell has slow cast speed though and feels very clunky to selfcast reflected by it majorly being used as a mine skill.

Heist and the Alert mechanic: it seems thematicely weird, as the theme and the reveal trailer made the impression of stealth being a thing, but its actually not. The Heist areas are linear, with guards everywhere that are hard to see because we are too zoomed in, and guards around doors are basically unavoidable, also the NPCs attack and aggro the guards themselves.
It was silly that players would just kite guards around in order to not raise alert, but killing the aware guards would raise alert. Right now though, alert means nothing thematically as it is just a ressource to open chests. Maybe guards should slowly raise alert while they are aware of the player, or introduce some enemies that actually interact with the alert.

Really like the overall theme, writing, NPC interactions and voice acting. I was very unsure about the league mechanic before launch but I was excited for the skills, obviously my excitement about the league has shifted around since the new skills did not turn out as most people hoped, but I really like the NPCs.

Congrats, fun is dead, sacrificed on the altar of mindless players who can't be bothered to use their brain for thirty seconds to figure out how league mechanics work. There was a challenge and necessity to make decisions. And now I can just walk through everything, open every chest and get out without any real opposition. I get more loot and less fun.

Blazing Salvo

Damage - The damage is just to low, needs to be scaled much higher. Even with Flame Wall, damage is still to low. Needs damn good gear to get damage to scale, outside of staffs the damage is way to low. Takes forever to kill T1 bosses with a wand.

AoE - To small, feels like you need to take Unleshed > Great Projectiles > Spell Echo just so you have decent amount of projectiles in order to land some damage.

Projectile Speed - To slow, fast moving bosses barely get hit. You need them to stand still in order for the damage to land.

Deadzone - There is zone around the player where the projectiles don't hit so mobs that get in your face take almost no damage.

Honestly just increase the Damage, AoE and amount of projectiles.

Fire Wall + Scorching Ray

Just need a clarification if these two burning effects stack or not. While playing with them it felt as if they were replacing each other.

Feedback:

Firestorm: it has two identities, duration and big hit. If you scale the big aoe hit you have to stand there and cast self cast, resulting in low damage even with massive crit investment. The duration component is holding it back as the damage looks held back to not allow duration damage abuse. Either remove duration and increase the damage of the hit with all big hits no small storms (threshold) or just remove the big hit and allow for better duration scaling. As building via traps totems or brands is unusable.

Crackling Lance: it's a worse divine ire. It's damage scaling and usefulness is less in all regardless. Cast animation is super slow with so much cast speed to invest you lack any hit damage. There is no reason to play this over channeled skills. Either make it have near instant cast and the values of the stages need to go up , either make it two stages so you aren't locked in place as long. Or remove intensify and just have it cast both big beam and the crackles simultaneously. As you cannot use this in totems, brands or any other form it must have big values

Hexblast: Way too may things going on. Low base crit , should do damage per hex on enemy not relation to doom stacks this will give many build paths for the skill. Visual indicators for when max damage is ready is hard to see.

Blazing salvo: I've tried this in totems and self cast. Self cast the numbers are very low. Skill itself has no real exciting scaling options other than extra projectiles yet it doesn't feel like it actualy shotguns because the hit is so low. Totems feels better in all aspects. Needs a big base damage increase with reduction of projectiles to compensate and more damage scaling via overlap radius per level. Doesn't work well due to deadzone with arcanist brand.

Steel skills: feel amazing if call of steel didn't exist or wasn't linked to these skills play style. Splitting and shattering have a great feel and good damage (haven't used lancing) Having to press it kills the play style and once again you are making players use slow attacks. If you do play it fast having to press call or steel is super clunky and anoying. The damage seems super good just tone back the mechanism of call of still as an enabler or at bare minimum make it instant.

Marks; great idea but single target cursing is just not a great experience for instance curse on hit ele weakness is still better on average than self casting assassin's mark, in terms of dps and functionality

That's my experience with these and some ideas thank you!