6 Skill limitation

[Kevin]

Even though I'm a far way off this affecting me, the problem I can see with Valor is that bosses are practically a whole different ballgame compared to the trash leading up to it. A typical crowd-killing build isn't going to work on a solo boss.

I thought this way too, but after normal the concern is the champion packs and random uniques with their minions. So you need an AoE build with some kind of single target anyway because you are going to want the regular trash to get out of the way (AoE) while you are taking down the minions or one of the champions with semi focus and the AoE of course helps with all of it. The scripted/standard/always there bosses aren't really the concern anymore and you'll be able to deal with them, effectively enough.

To relate more specifically to the WD, I settled on a build much like this for my hardcore witch doctor in later normal early NM (I'm only 34 right now). The key is that acid rain, while a bit mana heavy for damage works well on both crowds and single mobs so it can still be used with effect on the Act bosses. Haunt is perhaps the best single target spell a doctor has for things that have HP. While losing the temporary damage buffs seems like it's going to be a problem you can get around it well enough. Gruesome feast may still be better for this style and spiritual attunement but I'm still testing. I've used this build in a 2 player game soloing (so no merc) and been able to take down a champion back and a unique. I know it worked fine on normal Act IV bosses (I had feast and not attunement rune runed spirit walk as mana regen works relatively well though adds risk of it being on CD when you need an escape).

In early nightmare with everything getting a big HP boost so single target spells gain some value for weeding/finishing stragglers after AoE or DoT applications (depends on class).

All that being said I'm still with you. I'd like to be able to change skill sets at time, I've stated elsewhere I'd like to have unlimited hot keys like in D2 (I would quite often have 30+ skills keyed and I would use them, of course it was the necro that tended to use the most but other classes used more than 6).

But the skills are strategies in this game, choosing what you are limiting yourself too and then figuring out the best tactics to make that work I think is part of what Blizzard intended with the design.

I still think the Valor buff works oddly but in a way it might encourage grouping and playing together too. In a group you can more safely narrow your skill focus to something and rely on party mates to pick up the slack in situations your build is weak at. This allows valor to get stacked for the benefit of getting better drops and with the new loot system it helps maximize loot per time too (since groups quite likely get through the game faster and with 2+ people getting different loot the odds of any one person in the group getting something they want goes up too), since magic find is averaged out over the party it even allows for a couple of people in the group to really stack it and likely means that you can be viable with a higher level of MF than if you were solo.

I think Blizzard has done several things to encourage playing together in D3 as opposed to just getting more people in the game and everyone doing their own thing that D2 encouraged. The loot drop changes the PvP changes, the limited skills so that having someone else be able to cover for your weaknesses, etc. The game (after normal) seems harder than D2 (though with less one shot gotchas than D2 had). Valor I think plays to that too.

At least that is the only way I really see the way the buff is designed making sense.

From a single player stand point where changing skills for situations really is the optimal way to play it makes no sense at all.

The business standpoint to wanting you to keep playing with other people? If you have friends in the game you are more likely to keep playing the game. If you keep playing the game you are more likely to use the RMAH. Even if you are sharing with each other you'll get good stuff that isn't as good as what everyone else has and hey why not put it on the RMAH? Blizzard makes a buck when someone buys it.

That's my theory behind the design at least. I haven't thought a lot about it, so I might be wrapping my head around it completely wrong and haven't spotted it.