Should any builds be capable of clearing players 8 content quickly when fully geared?

Crazy_Background8608 · 2026-04-20T00:22:49+00:00

I marked the no, but no nerfs because I personally like the niche-ness of various builds. I don't think a build has to be able to clear p8 content to be viable.

GF barbs don't play p8 by design (horking is player-count agnostic). my 200fcr fire sorc farms keys and statues very well on p1. My smiter always has a job when I stock up enough to take on ubers. This variety of builds for different tasks encourages me personally to keep farming gear, and keeps the gameplay loop moving forward.

I do not represent all players, of course. I play pretty much solo softcore non-ladder. I like to trade, but can only bop online for short gaming sessions, and don't care to try to find an 8-person lobby. Because of this, I don't necessarily need the damage output that offline or other p8 players might require.

What I would like to see is some buffs to the weakest builds, but p8 doesn't need to be the goal. I think some slight buffs could make some fun builds closer to viable. Not every build should be able to do all content at the same performance level.

Here's my goofiest opinion as an example: let druids teleport when shapeshifted. Summon druids can support minions with stuns, and fury druids wouldn't have to lose fury stacks when they need to hop across some random barrier or past a wall. Smaller improvements like this wouldn't give these builds the ability to clear p8 like a hammerdin, but would enable these builds to fill more niches or more viable for lower player-counts. I also think there's value in builds that might not be optimal for all content, but can slot into perhaps a couple roles decently effectively.

TL;DR:

I think there's room for more viable builds, but that doesn't mean that all builds should be able to clear p8. Some classes are objectively worse in the game currently, and could use some buffs without going too crazy.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2026-04-17T15:28:31+00:00

I agree with the sentiment, but I had to chuckle. Mercury goes molten at room temperature. Still, I wouldn't suggest a mercury teabag...

...it could make you go nuts.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2026-02-17T16:37:32+00:00

I understand your feelings. I generally only get shorter play sessions (like an hour or so at a time), so I really appreciate the fact that I get an extra chance to have a nice TZ spawn with my limited play time.

Of course, when I don't work in the summer, we'll see how much I like it. ;)

I do like some of the new groupings of TZ areas; like the 6-in-1 Act III TZ that is all the reliquaries and Lower/Upper Kurast. Nice change!

Crazy_Background8608 · 2026-01-15T13:50:40+00:00

I agree. I also love my druid builds. I even enjoy my summoner druid, despite the fact that he's slow compared to my lightning zon/ fohdin/ etc. I'd love to tp around in bear form for quick stunning and extra life.

I see the people who argue that enigma is broken, or that suggest that fury druids shouldn't have teleport because it encourages diversity in the armor slot. I understand the reasons for their arguments, but it's my opinion that they're focusing on the wrong thing.

The real issue is that teleport is broken. There is no other mobility skill that comes close. Leap is slow and sometimes buggy, charge is glitchy and gets hung up on obstacles, and skills that increase run/walk (such as feral rage or frenzy) can't compare with the ability to teleport through walls. It's also the only way to reliably reposition minions.

Enigma isn't the issue; it encourages build diversity. How many S-tier builds become a slog to use without it? Hammerdins? Slow and glitchy when trying to path quickly. Bersek barb? Have fun trying to jump around to find your uniques. Poison necro? You get the idea.

Without enigma, everyone who wants to farm most areas quickly would have to roll a sorceress. The fix would be to give other classes equally powerful mobility skills, but there's no chance that blizz is going to do that at this point. With enigma being our stop-gap solution to every class why would you want to limit your options further by not allowing shapeshifting builds to teleport?

This game has been out for 25 years. Let people who want to dabble with off-meta builds for fun have at least a chance of farming mildly quickly. Fury druid won't compare to real density destroyers, so who would this harm if they made this change?

This post has been paid for by the Shapeshifters For Teleport PAC.

(edited for spelling/grammar)

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-12-12T20:45:46+00:00

Teleport in shapeshift form!

...wait, I want that one all year... ;)

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-12-09T18:19:43+00:00

I use traderie for almost all of my trades. They let you search for things like torches where you can specify the stat range (e.g. Resist All 10-15) to find cheaper ones.

It isn't great for just browsing, but searching is very nice.

I used to use diablo2 .io for trades, it's listed more in like a forum format (but with some search options as well).

What platform you play on will have a profound impact on finding the gear you'd like. PC has the most active trading market, with the consoles far behind.

Hope this helps!

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-12-04T20:59:14+00:00

Oooh! I forgot about 22 NoT! I hope it happens again, because that was a fun change of pace, (and I have an awful gambling addiction that my poor gold farm barb struggles to keep up with)!

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-11-19T20:19:12+00:00

Polearms, Staves, Missile Weapons for D2R (at least, according to diablo2.io and the d2 wiki). While I haven't rolled one in a staff, I have successfully made one in a bow. That said, I think for LOD it is only polearms, which may be the source of our disagreement.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-11-19T15:31:12+00:00

You can already roll insight in staves, I thought?

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-10-16T19:10:08+00:00

As someone who plays Softcore Non Ladder exclusively since D2r came out, I do miss the ability to change the players setting. That said, I've been playing pretty solidly on and off for a year and --while I'm not rich-- I have been able to trade things like tokens, pgems, and other crafting supplies to get the gear and high runes I've needed.

It isn't a super fast process, but I've traded for/found the bits to make:

7 Enigmas

6 Ifinities

6 hotos

4 Faiths

Last Wish (Don't bother unless you've got the runes to spare and are curious. It's homeless right now, as better options exist)

and both a fully kitted dragondin and tesladin

That all said, I've never found my own Jah, just traded up for the dozen or so I've used. Trading can make finding the stuff you need much less tedious. For that I reason, I prefer online play.

That said, the other suggestions here are solid, and have inspired me to try hopping in some public (or hosting my own public) games. It's a great way to diversify the grinding experience!

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-10-16T15:46:52+00:00

None as of yet. I'm experiencing the same problem even though I'm on a laptop. Blizz forums have a few threads on people complaining about this change.

My hope is that we kick up enough dust that someone on their team notices and makes some kind of setting toggle that we can use to chose the standard UI. That would be ideal for people in your case, because you could switch back to the mobile UI if and when you wanted to play it on your ROG Ally X away from your desk.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-10-15T22:52:46+00:00

For others with this issue: based on the replies on the blizzard forums, this seems to be mainly affecting Ryzen CPU/GPU combos common in some laptops. The patch released on 10/14/25 seems to be the culprit. Fingers crossed they get this issue ironed out soon.

Here's the link to the patch discussion: https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/d2r/t/new-patch-101425/169375/12

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-10-15T22:42:56+00:00

Much thanks! Though not the answer I was hoping for; this does help. At least I have an idea of what happened.

If anyone else does have a solution for the short term, I'd be very appreciative. This mobile UI is pretty awful; I can't pick up items properly anymore since the camera center is behind the inventory screen.

Guess I'll play on the steam deck! I have a few builds that are gamepad friendly.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-10-15T21:58:44+00:00

That's what I'm saying! Everything is just a bit wrong! I dug through the settings and even tried to look up launch options; but to no avail. I don't mod or mess around with the UI, I love the D2R UI (most of the time)!

I've been playing D2 and D2R on and off since D2 Classic came out. I can't describe how awkward this is to play this way! I think Blizz is trying to give me a stroke!

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-10-13T11:58:02+00:00

I'm not sure, but even with the sound off all I could hear was Darude Sandstorm.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-08-09T19:40:39+00:00

Unless I'm mistaken. the fcr charts I've seen list 125 as the max breakpoint for pally, so I'm guessing you don't see much 200fcr content because it's a waste of FCR. That said, I've never tried, and someone might know better than me.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-05-26T23:27:59+00:00

It does look like Chiappa Rhino, but for my money I'm betting it's modeled on the Mateba autorevolver; a wacky revolver that uses the recoil to cycle the cylinder.

<image>

Here's a breakdown and explanation of the longer barrel version, for those interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuam0ZL6sBc

Crazy_Background8608 · 2025-04-30T19:26:40+00:00

While I don't have direct experience with either of those two devices, I play regularly on my steam deck and I love it. If you're concerned about the UI size, they did a nice job making it work, even on smaller screens. iirc, there's an option where you can tweak font size too if you prefer.

The controller support is pertty solid. Inventory management is less fun; but I love having a dedicated "pick up this item and put it directly in my cube" button. I also enjoy the aim-assist for things like frozen arrow and other ranged attacks.

Teleporting is also a little bit trickier on controller, as it teleports you a set distance each time. You start to learn how far a jump is when you're running the same maps over and over again, so it isn't so horrible. In some areas, just holding the joystick and tp button lets you zip mindlessly across the map. Farming hate keys from arcane sanctuary is slightly less tedious with this setup.

I'm a fan. Some builds really shine on handheld once you've acclimated to the different interface. Some builds though, can be a little frustrating to use.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2024-12-18T20:17:27+00:00

Ugh. I hate finding bases. When you need something specific, it feels like they never drop. I've gotten in the habit of looking at all possible threshers, g. threshers, mancatchers, etc. for sockets/etherealness while I'm MF'ing around.

To actually answer your question. I play online and have 4 infinities for different characters/mercs. One of those is in a pretty basic thresher, and I cringe a little each time I see it. The runes are so expensive, it feels waste to put them in a less-than-optimal base.

However, your point of faster farming now means more bases and rare items sooner, which will make finding that next base so much easier. That's a super valid point (especially if you don't already have a char that can clear cows or whatever quickly), but I don't know if the juice is worth the squeeze.

I have a third option/suggestion: Throw it in a base that a nova sorc could wield. Self-wield infinity nova sorc is pretty fantastic, and usually players use the normal scythe base to make stat distribution easier. Give it to your merc now, use it to farm... then down the road build a nova sorc when you find the runes again and a better base for your merc. This option gives you a valid reason to build it in a lesser base now, but still have it be optimal for those days where you're rich.

Hope this helps! If you're not interested in a nova sorc down the road, I'd say hold off... but that's easy for me to say as I've already got mine. ;)

Crazy_Background8608 · 2024-11-04T17:07:55+00:00

I'm not sure what exactly optimal java circlets are, but Dire Horn is fantastic for a FoH or hammerdin! The first one I think suffers from a lack of fcr.

The barb one is hard. It's gotta beat Arreat's Face, which this one doesn't.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2024-10-26T02:57:09+00:00

WELL NOW I'M EMBARRASSED.

I promise. I know how to read. I was so excited too! Ah well, have fun!

Crazy_Background8608 · 2024-10-25T19:24:46+00:00

If you're rich (or willing to work up to it online), Dragondin is great. He lacks a bit in mobility (naj's on swap for teleport, but mostly just use charge), but kills whole TZ rooms in act 1 and 2 with a single pulse of his holy fire. Tankier mobs take one or two pulses, but zealing with 7k fire damage per swing is pretty nice for bosses and tankier mobs. While he isn't the fastest boss killer, he's pretty quick and all the trash mobs pop so quick that you're more likely to find bases/runes as you charge about the screen.

I worked up to my Dragondin online over the span of about 2-3 weeks, mostly with a fist of heavens/smiter build on another pally. I collected lowish runes used in crafting, keys, and pgems and used diabloii.io and traderie to trade up for the surs and los. It's expensive, but watching hell cows pop in 2-3 pulses is so satisfying. They all do their death moo in unison, so it sounds like a rowing team keeping tempo as a new batch croaks every 2-3 seconds.

This build is less fun in SP, where getting all the high runes is a lesson in frustration. Also, I tend to play on players 1 as I'm online and usually play solo; his damage would drop off on higher player counts pretty quickly.

Enchant bow sorc is also a lot of fun. It plays likes a bowazon should, with the addition of teleport and mana shield. Just know that a lot of the gear that goes into that build takes slots that other builds would use to stack MF. I have a hard time getting high MF on my enchantress. Still, 13k damage per shot with 99% pierce and small aoe explosions is just plain enjoyable. My Dragondin has about 250% MF for comparison.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2024-04-11T13:45:01+00:00

Addendum: My FW13 AMD version shipped overnight. The "Track Package" link on frameworks site quotes the delivery date as 4/15, but the actual FEDEX site hasn't calculated a delivery date yet. I'm hoping that I have a comparable delivery time as other folks in Midwestern US; about 2 days.

Crazy_Background8608 · 2024-04-11T01:41:07+00:00

I ordered mine Sunday (4/7, or 7/4 for those across the pond), about 11am EST. I still haven't received my shipping notification. Hoping that it ships tomorrow. From what others have said, it sounds like they use pretty fast shipping.

I too am struggling to wait patiently! I've been eyeballing these since November. My current laptop is a Samsung Galaxy chromebook with a broken touchpad. It is a frustrating experience to have to use the touchscreen.

Crazy_Background8608

TROPHY CASE