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molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
Speaking of difficulties and different game modes :

- There are 17 difficulty levels (Normal, Hard, Expert, Master, T1 to T13)
- There are 5 different modes (story modes and all four different adventure modes)
- There are 4 different ways to play these modes (seasonal, non-seasonal, HC seasonal and HC non-seasonal)

Which means the community is splitted between 340 different combinations (not even sure if I'm forgetting some.. lol).

I feel like in a few weeks/months it will be pretty hard to find people to play with on Switch, they really need to find a way to fix this (wether it's by cross platform or removing some of the useless difficulty levels).
T13 seasonal is where everyone plays. The difficulties below T13 are just for leveling. If you're still on those after a week or two with a new character, you should look up some guides or something to optimize your leveling process.

Within T13, there is bounty farming and normal rift farming. Greater rifts are generally done solo. So really there are just two modes people play, split between normal and hardcore characters.

This obviously assumes seasonal adventure mode, which is where 99% of the community is playing anyway. Story mode and non-season aren't the endgame.

That said, there is (from my perspective) a "cultural" difference between PC and console players that causes some growing pains in the early months. Most PC players understand from the get-go that this game is basically a race to see who can farm the most efficiently. Many consoles-only players still take their time exploring and whatnot. In time though, they'll learn, just like the Destiny community did. Months from now, the majority of the Switch community will be on the same page.
 
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peppermints

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,648
So it seems like curses don't do anything for my Necromancer. Is that a known bug? Not sure what the deal is.

One downside of playing on console is that it's not very efficient to view what sort of status effects are happening. Assuming on PC you could just mouse over the icons.
 

What-ok

Member
Dec 13, 2017
3,038
PDX OR
T13 seasonal is where everyone plays. The difficulties below T13 are just for leveling. If you're still on those after a week or two with a new character, you should look up some guides or something to optimize your leveling process.

Within T13, there is bounty farming and normal rift farming. Greater rifts are generally done solo. So really there are just two modes people play, split between normal and hardcore characters.

This obviously assumes seasonal adventure mode, which is where 99% of the community is playing anyway. Story mode and non-season aren't the endgame.

That said, there is (from my perspective) a "cultural" difference between PC and console players that causes some growing pains in the early months. Most PC players understand from the get-go that this game is basically a race to see who can farm the most efficiently. Many consoles-only players still take their time exploring and whatnot. In time though, they'll learn, just like the Destiny community did. Months from now, the majority of the Switch community will be on the same page.

I'm in the console camp. This is my first time playing the series and have lots to learn. Good thing it's sort of easy to figure out how to run rifts once you play with some vets. Keep on moving and watching my skill usage.
One of my largest hurdles now is gear. I'm full Rathma and trying to up the quality of the set and hitting lots of roadblocks. My damage output with Jesseth set is meh too and takes me a little longer to get through great rifts. I guess time to farm more bounties?
 

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
I'm in the console camp. This is my first time playing the series and have lots to learn. Good thing it's sort of easy to figure out how to run rifts once you play with some vets. Keep on moving and watching my skill usage.
One of my largest hurdles now is gear. I'm full Rathma and trying to up the quality of the set and hitting lots of roadblocks. My damage output with Jesseth set is meh too and takes me a little longer to get through great rifts. I guess time to farm more bounties?
Perhaps, really depends on the build you're going for. Do you have one that you're following? Like an icy-veins build or something from a YouTuber like Rhykker. As a new player, you simply don't have the knowledge of all the different items to be able to cobble it together yourself. Best to follow a proven template, doing so will expose you to item syngergy that you weren't aware of before. After a while you'll start experimenting on your own and finding new syngergies that work better for your own play style. Starting out though, follow the pros.
 

Chessguy1

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,801
i'm torment 5-6 and theres rarely anyone joining my game or there are no games for me to join, lvl 150 paragon

im figuring out most things on my own, seems kinda boring just to use a guide

i want to make a seasonal character but i saw the season was ending soon so im just waiting on it. i messed up and just made a regular hero.

i'm one piece away from finishing my first six piece set and i just got my first legendary gem to lvl 25. the only thing i dont understand is keywardens, but i've just been ignoring that mode.
 

SirNinja

One Winged Slayer
Member
Okay I've officially made it to Act IV
Level 62 I think.

Am I able to get that cube or do I have to complete the story first ?
The cube is Adventure Mode only. If you want, you can get it right away, although it's not too useful to people who aren't level 70 yet.

- There are 17 difficulty levels (Normal, Hard, Expert, Master, T1 to T13)
- There are 5 different modes (story modes and all four different adventure modes)
- There are 4 different ways to play these modes (seasonal, non-seasonal, HC seasonal and HC non-seasonal)

Which means the community is splitted between 340 different combinations (not even sure if I'm forgetting some.. lol).
While technically true, most people simply congregate in a few specific difficulty-gametype combos. You will almost always be able to find people in a Torment XIII Rift game, for instance. The upcoming patch is also streamlining the process of matching people into Grift games, which should help things.

i want to make a seasonal character but i saw the season was ending soon so im just waiting on it. i messed up and just made a regular hero.
Honestly, you should leave your regular character for now and go make a Seasonal one. It's absolutely worth it for the free full set, as the damage bonus is nuts. (And of course you get to keep everything after the season ends.) It won't take too long to get there either; the first four pages of the season journey are very easy.

i'm one piece away from finishing my first six piece set and i just got my first legendary gem to lvl 25. the only thing i dont understand is keywardens, but i've just been ignoring that mode.
The keywardens are four unique monsters that can be found in acts one through four. They drop Infernal Machines, which you can use in a house in Act I to fight powerful bosses, which drop various ingredients needed for crafting special Hellfire jewelry (buy the plans from Squirt in Act II if you haven't). The Hellfire Amulet is particularly coveted, as it gives you a fifth random Passive skill.

Right now there's supposed to be a key symbol on the maps that show you where they are, but a bug is preventing them from showing in most cases. A patch is in the works. Until then: Fields of Misery (act I), Dahlgur Oasis (act II), Stonefort (act III), and the Gardens of Hope 2nd Tier (act IV) is where they always are.
 

What-ok

Member
Dec 13, 2017
3,038
PDX OR
Perhaps, really depends on the build you're going for. Do you have one that you're following? Like an icy-veins build or something from a YouTuber like Rhykker. As a new player, you simply don't have the knowledge of all the different items to be able to cobble it together yourself. Best to follow a proven template, doing so will expose you to item syngergy that you weren't aware of before. After a while you'll start experimenting on your own and finding new syngergies that work better for your own play style. Starting out though, follow the pros.
Thanks. I have looked at some skeleton mage builds and going that direction. I'll check out Icy and see what I can glean.
 

Moist_Owlet

Banned
Dec 26, 2017
4,148
So it seems like curses don't do anything for my Necromancer. Is that a known bug? Not sure what the deal is.

One downside of playing on console is that it's not very efficient to view what sort of status effects are happening. Assuming on PC you could just mouse over the icons.

Yeah the curse thing is a known bug but blizzard's support for D3 is glacial since its being updated by an intern in a basement.
 

Slim

Banned
Sep 24, 2018
2,846
I thought I read that you were guaranteed a Primal item the first time you solo clear Greater Rift 70 but I still haven't seen one.

I've been coasting on WoL Sunwuko set for a while with minimal upgrades but I definitely need to figure out how to optimize because I have zero survivability against bosses and GRift Elite packs. I've tried digging into some of the guides on Icy Veins and searching for other advice but everything is pretty impenetrable to new players.

Also, I've gotten the Avarice conquest for the season. Are any of the other conquests soloable or should I tap out of the Season Journey now?
You need to farm ancients with good rolls and use the abilities properly. WoL Sunwuko is great but only when you have the proper rolls. Otherwise, you'll get destroyed easily.
 

zektbach

Member
Oct 28, 2017
184
as a COMPLETELY NEWBIE in the Diablo universe, WHO do I choose for my first play-through:
If you like playing a ranged character, Demon Hunter or Wizard. If you like having lots of pets that wreck everything, Witch Doctor or Necromancer. If you like being a solo killing machine, Barbarian, Crusader or Monk. Personally I loved playing and gearing Witch Doctor and Demon Hunter.
 

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
Finally got decent maps for GR107 and made it to the boss with 3:30 left, and the guardian is motherfucking Blighter. UGH.

The RNG for which MAPS and BOSS you get should not fucking exist past GR100. Either that or Blizz needs to straight up delete the bullshit maps and bosses so progression is more predictable. So goddamn infuriating.
 

Braaier

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
13,237
This game seems perfect for people with OCD. I beat the story mode and have played some rifts and bounties. I'm still not level 70 and I can't find the stupid cube thing. But other than that, it's just more of the same. Grinding to get better gear. I think I'm done with this game. It was a fine diversion, but coming from playing Dark Souls to this really puts things in perspective. Hold A to combat vs the deep combat in DS. I think I'll try to get most of my money back on this through ebay. "I made a huge mistake"
 

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
This game seems perfect for people with OCD. I beat the story mode and have played some rifts and bounties. I'm still not level 70 and I can't find the stupid cube thing. But other than that, it's just more of the same. Grinding to get better gear. I think I'm done with this game. It was a fine diversion, but coming from playing Dark Souls to this really puts things in perspective. Hold A to combat vs the deep combat in DS. I think I'll try to get most of my money back on this through ebay. "I made a huge mistake"
Play some higher GR's and tell me it's "hold A to combat." lol

But yeah, of course it's a gear game. It's Diablo. It's like... the original gear game.
 

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
I have no idea what Rathma Jesseth is lol. But I feel pretty powerful as is with my build in campaign. :)
To progress past the initial phases of the endgame you'll have to use a meta build. There are certain weapons and offhand that are "intended" to match with most armor sets, and you'll be at a disadvantage if you're not using those.
 

UCBooties

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
2,311
Pennsylvania, USA
You need to farm ancients with good rolls and use the abilities properly. WoL Sunwuko is great but only when you have the proper rolls. Otherwise, you'll get destroyed easily.
See, this is actually a great example of what I'm talking about. Guides talk about the need to for good affixes or looking for good rolls but the definitions of what they actually mean are buried in old wiki notes and forum posts. There's no comprehensive information for newbies about what actually makes good rolls, what ranges you should be aiming for, etc. So I end up just trying to find pieces which have improved dex and make the three arrows go up instead of down.

I never feel like I know what I'm looking for or when a piece is actually good enough to keep. The guides, youtube vids, and forums all use terms that are never defined and reference common knowledge that is never actually taught in the game itself. This is to be expected for a game with a community this mature, but the learning curve for new players is pretty drastic and Blizzard has done a terrible job of making any of this information available.
 

ShinobiBk

One Winged Slayer
Member
Dec 28, 2017
10,121
I beat the campaign yesterday at a little above 45 hours.
I explored literally every inch of every map I could find. There is so much lore you miss out on if you skip optional quests and dungeons.

I played pretty much from the halfway point of Act II to the end of Act V on Master with gear that really wasn't up to par lol. Malthael is actually a really fun boss fight when you don't have a set that is built to crush him within a minute.
I was at Paragon 32 when I finished.
 

chironex

Member
Oct 27, 2017
504
See, this is actually a great example of what I'm talking about. Guides talk about the need to for good affixes or looking for good rolls but the definitions of what they actually mean are buried in old wiki notes and forum posts. There's no comprehensive information for newbies about what actually makes good rolls, what ranges you should be aiming for, etc. So I end up just trying to find pieces which have improved dex and make the three arrows go up instead of down.

I never feel like I know what I'm looking for or when a piece is actually good enough to keep. The guides, youtube vids, and forums all use terms that are never defined and reference common knowledge that is never actually taught in the game itself. This is to be expected for a game with a community this mature, but the learning curve for new players is pretty drastic and Blizzard has done a terrible job of making any of this information available.

https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/sunwuko-wave-of-light-monk-bis-gear-gems-paragon-points

I don't see any issue with the guide here in terms of what rolls you want to get?
 

Slim

Banned
Sep 24, 2018
2,846
See, this is actually a great example of what I'm talking about. Guides talk about the need to for good affixes or looking for good rolls but the definitions of what they actually mean are buried in old wiki notes and forum posts. There's no comprehensive information for newbies about what actually makes good rolls, what ranges you should be aiming for, etc. So I end up just trying to find pieces which have improved dex and make the three arrows go up instead of down.

I never feel like I know what I'm looking for or when a piece is actually good enough to keep. The guides, youtube vids, and forums all use terms that are never defined and reference common knowledge that is never actually taught in the game itself. This is to be expected for a game with a community this mature, but the learning curve for new players is pretty drastic and Blizzard has done a terrible job of making any of this information available.
That's understandable since I also struggled a bit myself. However, the guides, and people on different forums have written in detail regarding rolls for different items. It's also explained why those rolls are prioritized for that specific gear set-up.
 

UCBooties

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
2,311
Pennsylvania, USA
https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/sunwuko-wave-of-light-monk-bis-gear-gems-paragon-points

I don't see any issue with the guide here in terms of what rolls you want to get?
I was going to say that it didn't say anything about stat ranges but looking at the page on desktop I see that hovering over a window shows the stat ranges which I didn't realize on mobile.

Still, even learning to read that guide took a while, which is more what I was talking about with things being opaque. Again, my main complaint is that Blizzard hasn't made endgame information available in a usable form in game. Coming into a mature meta is always a difficult process and they've done nothing to point the way for new players.
 

UCBooties

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
2,311
Pennsylvania, USA
That's understandable since I also struggled a bit myself. However, the guides, and people on different forums have written in detail regarding rolls for different items. It's also explained why those rolls are prioritized for that specific gear set-up.
I didn't do myself any favors by trying to find info on Youtube first. All the guides I found used terms that were never defined and clearly expected viewers to be experienced players. It was a bad intro to the community but I've muddled my way through up until now.
 

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
I was going to say that it didn't say anything about stat ranges but looking at the page on desktop I see that hovering over a window shows the stat ranges which I didn't realize on mobile.

Still, even learning to read that guide took a while, which is more what I was talking about with things being opaque. Again, my main complaint is that Blizzard hasn't made endgame information available in a usable form in game. Coming into a mature meta is always a difficult process and they've done nothing to point the way for new players.
Stat ranges are less important than having all the right stats. Worry about getting perfect rolls on new pieces after you already have all the right stats. There are exceptions to this like the 56% CDR requirement on Akkhan Crusader, but every guide will mention that in those situations.

I prefer having an icy-veins guide printed out to easily reference when I play. I can quickly flip over to the piece in the guide and see if my new drop has the right stats. Oh, and ranges are shown in game when your press Y on a stat at the Mystic, showing you what the stat could possibly reroll to.

For what it's worth, the type of player who would be interested in this information can go out and find it. The game would be really daunting to "casual" players if Blizz put tutorials for it in game. Most console players will play through the story, do a dozen or so rifts and then move on to the next game. This info will never apply to them.

Like look at the math going on here in a 2014 forum post (note that some of this information is no longer correct). Not the kind of thing that can easily be put in a tutorial pop-up. Even on PC, Blizz expects for the long term players to be alt-tabbing and looking shit up. Just part of the process.
 
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chironex

Member
Oct 27, 2017
504
I was going to say that it didn't say anything about stat ranges but looking at the page on desktop I see that hovering over a window shows the stat ranges which I didn't realize on mobile.

Still, even learning to read that guide took a while, which is more what I was talking about with things being opaque. Again, my main complaint is that Blizzard hasn't made endgame information available in a usable form in game. Coming into a mature meta is always a difficult process and they've done nothing to point the way for new players.

The stat ranges are fixed. Eg critical hit chance from a random magical property is always like so:
  • Amulets: 1-10% CC
  • Gloves: 1-10% CC
  • Rings: 1-6% CC x2
  • Helms: 1-6% CC
  • Bracers: 1-6% CC
  • Off-hand (shields, quivers, mojos, and sources): 1-10% CC
It doesn't say that any specifically in the game no, but it shouldn't take long to realise if you are doing a lot of enchanting.

Legendaries likewise have fixed ranges for their extra affixes and powers. You won't, for instance, find a legendary pair of boots with a possible movement speed bonus range of 5-15% and another legendary of the same type with a range of 10-20%. So when they are to try get these rolls you just want the max of whatever the range is - which as mentioned above you can find out at the mystic.
 

Nelo Ice

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,444
So I almost have Roland sweep build for armor done and have the akkan set pieces. Missing the rings I think for that build.

Anyway 2 of the pieces I have for sweep have XP properities. I'm guessing I should roll those off. What stat should I aim to replace XP with?.

For reference I've gotten to lvl 66 on GRs.
 

b00_thegh0st

Member
Nov 6, 2017
1,017
So I just bought a second Switch as a Christmas gift for my gf as she's been playing Diablo 2 for like forever and I wanted us to play D3 together without being hindered by each other's inventory management in coop mode.

I have a couple of questions:

I made her an account on my Switch at D3's release so that she would be able to have her own save and play on her own without sharing my stash/paragons etc. Will she be able to transfer that account and save file to her system when she gets it?

More importantly, will cloud saving allow us to move saves back and forth from one system to another if we want to play a coop session on the big screen. Inventory management is a pain this way but it's nice to just sit on the sofa and manage the mess that Diablo can become when you're limited to the same screen space as your partner. Instructions on how to achieve that would be appreciated.

Thanks loot-mates!
 

Slim

Banned
Sep 24, 2018
2,846
So I almost have Roland sweep build for armor done and have the akkan set pieces. Missing the rings I think for that build.

Anyway 2 of the pieces I have for sweep have XP properities. I'm guessing I should roll those off. What stat should I aim to replace XP with?.

For reference I've gotten to lvl 66 on GRs.
Which set pieces with xp properties? Anyways: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/rolands-sweep-attack-crusader-bis-gear-gems-paragon-points#sec-1
 

UCBooties

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
2,311
Pennsylvania, USA
Stat ranges are less important than having all the right stats. Worry about getting perfect rolls on new pieces after you already have all the right stats. There are exceptions to this like the 56% CDR requirement on Akkhan Crusader, but every guide will mention that in those situations.

I prefer having an icy-veins guide printed out to easily reference when I play. I can quickly flip over to the piece in the guide and see if my new drop has the right stats. Oh, and ranges are shown in game when your press Y on a stat at the Mystic, showing you what the stat could possibly reroll to.

For what it's worth, the type of player who would be interested in this information can go out and find it. The game would be really daunting to "casual" players if Blizz put tutorials for it in game. Most console players will play through the story, do a dozen or so rifts and then move on to the next game. This info will never apply to them.

Like look at the math going on here in a 2014 forum post (note that some of this information is no longer correct). Not the kind of thing that can easily be put in a tutorial pop-up. Even on PC, Blizz expects for the long term players to be alt-tabbing and looking shit up. Just part of the process.

The stat ranges are fixed. Eg critical hit chance from a random magical property is always like so:
  • Amulets: 1-10% CC
  • Gloves: 1-10% CC
  • Rings: 1-6% CC x2
  • Helms: 1-6% CC
  • Bracers: 1-6% CC
  • Off-hand (shields, quivers, mojos, and sources): 1-10% CC
It doesn't say that any specifically in the game no, but it shouldn't take long to realise if you are doing a lot of enchanting.

Legendaries likewise have fixed ranges for their extra affixes and powers. You won't, for instance, find a legendary pair of boots with a possible movement speed bonus range of 5-15% and another legendary of the same type with a range of 10-20%. So when they are to try get these rolls you just want the max of whatever the range is - which as mentioned above you can find out at the mystic.

Thank you both, this is very helpful.
 

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
Pro tip: if you're in a lobby for normal rifts and you grab a pylon while not wearing Nemesis Bracers, please uninstall game.

thx
 

SirNinja

One Winged Slayer
Member
How do I use this cube thing I just got?
First, be level 70. Then:
  • Do all the bounties in each act to get a cache with special crafting mats inside. Combine 1 of each act's material with 5 death's breath and a legendary weapon to extract the item's power, which you can then equip on your character
  • Turn a Rare item into a Legendary or Set item of the same type. Very very useful
  • Reroll a legendary item (can make Ancients or even Primals)
  • Set an item's level requirement to 1 by cubing the item with a lv. 25+ Gem of Ease
  • Convert duplicate set items into other items from that set (can't make an Ancient item, though)
  • Convert gems to other gem types using gems and Essences (buy them from Squirt in Act II)
  • Convert crafting materials between different types
  • Put an additional stat roll on an Ancient Item by combining the item, a high-level legendary gem, and 3 Flawless Royal Gems. The stat you get is determined by gem type and the level of the gem x5.
  • Instantly access the Vault (treasure goblin world; the boss drops the Boon of the Hoarder gem) by cubing a Puzzle Ring
  • Open a portal to the Cow Level (murderous-cow dimension full of big treasure chests) by cubing a Bovine Bardiche
 
Oct 27, 2017
2,433
Illinois
I'm loving this game. Played on 360 and on the Xone, and on the one, there were so many people using hacked and duped gear that it was zero challenge and no fun at all.

Season play is great, I hope it stays legit!
 

Bog

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,428
Just opened a rift tonight and all the enemies were unicorns and teddy bears. First time seeing that in 80+ hours.

This game is wack.
 

AnimeJesus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,165
Are gems not shared anymore? Went to go and try and pop a Royal ruby in my level 20 necros helmet but it's not an option even though it exists on my lvl 70 crusader.
 

carlosrox

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,270
Vancouver BC
Why is Belial so hard?

Been playing with my bro since the beginning and we kept turning the difficulty up until we left it at Master (I think?) and it's been fine like that ever since. A few random deaths here and there against some mobs.

We keep getting Belial's health way low but then he starts spamming those explosions and it's very hard not to die. We tried three times already.

Changed up my moveset to hopefully focus on healing so we will try one last time I suppose.

But what is up with the difficulty spike specifically at this one part?
 

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
Why is Belial so hard?

Been playing with my bro since the beginning and we kept turning the difficulty up until we left it at Master (I think?) and it's been fine like that ever since. A few random deaths here and there against some mobs.

We keep getting Belial's health way low but then he starts spamming those explosions and it's very hard not to die. We tried three times already.

Changed up my moveset to hopefully focus on healing so we will try one last time I suppose.

But what is up with the difficulty spike specifically at this one part?
The explosions are telegraphed on the ground before they blow. Don't stand still in the green. Gotta keep moving.

Belial is a good introduction to how you'll have to approach many of the higher level elites and bosses. You can't just stand there and whack away. The game is designed around its isometric perspective, it'll give you visual indicators that you need to move!
 

AlsoZ

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,003
Are gems not shared anymore? Went to go and try and pop a Royal ruby in my level 20 necros helmet but it's not an option even though it exists on my lvl 70 crusader.
It's probably in your crusader's inventory
You have to move it to the stash to share it

Just opened a rift tonight and all the enemies were unicorns and teddy bears. First time seeing that in 80+ hours.

This game is wack.
Entering that realm by chance (through a portal in adventure mode) is always an amazing loot experience. So many gems, legendary/set items etc.
I usually had to manage my inventory several times before finishing it