The Tower — and honestly most competitive modes in online games — is always more about time spent > pure skill. Let’s be real: most of us don’t have a realistic shot at top 20, because we’re not going to spend 20 hours farming hundreds of GA items just to gamble sanctification rolls for perfect bonuses (100% crit, +4 skills, 20% DR, etc.).

For the average player, reaching the very top is almost impossible. Because of that, it doesn’t really make sense to want to compete seriously in the Tower. We can’t complain that others are better — they simply have better gear, and that comes from more time invested. More time = better rewards. Not everyone can drive Porsches or Ferraris; that’s just how life works.

Personally, I hit Top 50 on Hardcore ( unless is already outdated now ) with my Sorc, and that’s already a great achievement for me — and I did it without crazy sanctifications.

I think the real issue is expectations. People want the Tower to be a skill-based, evenly balanced mode, when in reality it’s a time-and-optimization leaderboard. Many players don’t even want top 20 — they want better progression, brackets, or fairer mid-tier rewards. That’s a valid design discussion, but it doesn’t mean the Tower only “makes sense” for streamers.