So, i’ve read some posts and comments about the skill tree, and its clear that there’s some people liked the current version of the tree and there’s some people like me that think its just too simple and needs more depth. The most common arguments are like “too many complexity makes the game unpleasant” and “the game will have just 2 or 3 builds archetypes for each class, what makes the replayability boring (i agree with this)”.
It can/must be more complex than the current version without being a PoE tree like, what i think is the fear of the casual players. And even if a bit more complexity would make the game unplayable for you, it can be helped, there are many ways to do that. The easyest way is just to find a guide for you, nowadays theres a lot of streamers that can clear a doubt, after all i dont see much difference between an extremely easy way to “build” your character and follow a guide…
But, if the game stays that way (simple), what the hardcore players can do to make the replayability more satisfying ? And lets be honest, the real player base that plays the game for months or years (people that really love to play the game) in the vast majority are the players who want the skill tree to be more complex, people who want to make many different styles of gameplay.
The current skill tree is basically put one point in active skills and one point in 2 passives in average for each skill, what in this is so different from what we have in d3 ? In d3 we have actives skills with 5 runes that we can only choose one to change a little the way the skill behaves.
And one of the examples of a passive node from the new d4 skill tree is “Ball lightning collapses into Crackling Energy at the end of its path”, seriously ? I can easily imagine it written on a d3 skill rune. If at least it had about 15 passive nodes and a rank system…
Also in d3 we have some talents that we can only choose 4, what would be the few root nodes from d4 tree.
They just put the skills on a cool tree…
That said, i think the better way to make a skill tree that satifies the majority is to add some more to it.
Just adding some more passive nodes for each active skill and some more ways to reach better nodes would be great, look to the branchs of the tree, for each active skill it has ONE way to get the passive nodes. I’d like to see different ways to reach better passive nodes, like choosing between the skill gaining more AoE or maybe damage converted to another element, and then going between some nodes that will adding some personality to my character to finally reach in a great passive node that will make my skill to deal 30% more damage or maybe 3 great passive nodes to chose that completely modify the way the skill behaves or even a special active skill.
Some rank system would be nice, like 20 points cap to spend in a active skill and 10 or 5 points in some passive nodes too.
The roots are even a little cool, just a few more nodes to have more options and personality and it would be nice.
Maybe some major nodes between them, changing some things in your character like “You have one more charge of life flask” or “Your movement speed is increased in 30%, but being hitted its decreased in 20% (nice for high evade characters)”… Theres so many creative forms to implement.
You can imagine what type of nodes you want to see in a tree like this, the possibilty to play with the same skill in many ways is the best part of games like that for me, if you want the skills to be more slow and powerfull on hits or speedy af, or using a skill that procs another skill(s)…
I dont think that would be so hard to learn, but like i said its just an example, there is so many forms to implement more complexity to the build area of the game.
Thats my opinion, i think nobody wants a d3 again, and many want it to be more like d2, and we can use it as inspiration, but i want a d4. D2 was a great game for it’s time, I want them to learn from 20 years of innovation.
Thanks.