Basic Math - The Failure of Diablo Melee

[Roland]

I do want hard, but D1 had the right kinds of hard for me. There was a nice even pace like properly tuned strength resistance training. D3 does not feel properly tuned, is not currently as much fun at higher difficulty, and seems to have a poorly trained strength coach running the show.

I know exactly what you want. The one question I've never been able to answer - for myself, let alone anyone else - is how can we fit what we loved about D1 (the tactics, the pacing, etc.) in to the mechanics of D2? Can we? Or do we just have to adjust our desires to fit the mechanics, while not giving up the core of our desires and enjoyment? CC IS the answer for Melee, I feel, just as it is for Ranged. The question is, how to go about it? Limited CC in some form should be virtually a requirement if you don't want to kite, so in that regard I feel that nerfing CC timers in higher difficulties is a band-aid fix that accomplishes nothing. I've seen Monty pair with me in Act I Inferno with terrible damage simply shred groups of mobs with Seismic Slam, and I honestly feel that is one of the best skills in the Barb's arsenal. I wish, so badly, I got anything even remotely comparable as a DH. Impact - Impale is the only thing that comes close, and it's single-target, high-cost, and only 65% chance to Stun. Seismic Slam - Stagger, or Shattered Ground seem like perfect choices to help you get the tactical gameplay you want within the mechanics of D3. Thin the herd and push them back, giving you breathing room to tank as well as tank on one or two mobs, while your ranged friends whittle them down.

I really don't have "the" answers, Sirian. All I can say is ranged classes - at least the DH - don't have it much better if at all. Our defense is kiting, but they have SO many ways of simply bypassing that, flat-out, that I'd almost rather play melee. At least then if/when I kite, I know I'll be able to take on one or three mobs at a time, and whittle them down, without worrying about being 1- or 2-shotted. Believe me, trying to get a shot off on the boss in an Invulnerable Minions pack is just hell sometimes - and other times simply impossible. At least with a melee you have the chance, eventually, to single him out (especially with your CC skills). I don't have any such luxury. It's all luck of the draw whether I'll have a clear path to shoot or not, and that plain sucks.

I do know one thing: the answer is not "stack all of one thing." It's balance. It may need some tweaking (probably does), but I think the baseline isn't quite as bad as you think right now. I'm not saying it won't get worse - it will - but with the right gear it should become better. Good enough not to lose interest in 2 months? Maybe, maybe not. We'll find out, for better or worse. For right now, though, I have enough faith (me, of all people - odd, isn't it?) that THIS team will not repeat the same mistakes the past has shown us. 6 months from now I may be proven wrong (and become even more cynical than Bolty), but for now that hope combined with still finding enjoyment in the game despite the glaring problems keeps me coming back for more. I hope you can find enough enjoyment to stick it out, too.