I Tried Diablo 4's NEW Rework, I Didn't Expect This Part

Summary

The speaker discusses their experience with the game's new torment system, highlighting the increased difficulty in obtaining resistances and armor. They mention the stat squish and how it affects character survivability, emphasizing the need for strategic gear selection to maintain defenses. The speaker appreciates the new system's focus on itemization and defense, which adds a layer of strategy and makes gear acquisition more meaningful. They also touch on changes to Paragon progression and the removal of Uber bosses, suggesting that the game now offers a more engaging and challenging experience.

Takeaways

• 🔥 The player is currently in Torment 3, where resistances and armor are harder to acquire and maintain.
• 🛡️ Even with Tios, which provides 60% resistance, the player still needs to equip multiple items with resistances to stay above the cap.
• 📉 The player's resistance and armor cap is threatened to drop below the required level when moving to Torment 4.
• 💪 Despite the armor cap being lower at 1,000, the stat squish and increased difficulty in Torment 3 make it harder to maintain stats.
• 🎯 The player highlights the need to balance offense and defense more carefully due to the changes in resistance and armor mechanics.
• 🛡️ The player enjoys the new challenge of managing defenses and finding the right gear to maintain survivability.
• 📈 The introduction of the 'Pit' and the scaling of its difficulty with player level provides a more stable progression system.
• 🧩 The player appreciates the new 'puzzle' aspect of managing resistances and armor, which adds depth to the gameplay.
• 📦 The rarity of gear drops and the necessity to hunt for specific ancestral gear pieces add a layer of challenge and excitement.
• ⚔️ The changes in passive abilities and active skill connections offer more flexibility and customization in character builds.

Q & A

What is the significance of the armor cap in the game?

The armor cap is significant in the game as it represents the maximum amount of armor a player can have, which is crucial for survivability. In the script, it's mentioned that the armor cap is now 1,000, and the player is just barely over the cap, indicating the importance of managing armor to stay effective in higher difficulty levels like Torment 4.

How does the resistance cap affect the gameplay in Torment 3?

In Torment 3, the resistance cap is reduced, making it harder for players to maintain high resistances. The player in the script has to equip multiple items with resistances to stay above the cap, which becomes more challenging as they progress to higher Torment levels where the resistance cap is further reduced.

What is the impact of the stat squish on the player's character?

The stat squish significantly reduces the overall stats of the character, including life and willpower. The player notes a decrease in life from 4,400 to 293, and willpower from 115 to 182 when comparing different AIX levels, which affects the character's survivability and power in the game.

Why does the player feel defensive pressure in the game?

The player feels defensive pressure due to the need to continually balance armor and resistances as they progress through the Torment levels. The game mechanics reduce armor and resistances, and the player must manage these stats carefully to maintain survivability, which adds a layer of strategic gameplay not previously emphasized.

How does the rarity of gear drops affect the player's progression?

The rarity of gear drops, especially ancestral gear, creates a sense of progression as the player has to hunt for better gear. The script mentions that ancestral gear drops are not as common, and the player has to rely on the guaranteed drop from greater AIX, which makes each piece of gear feel more valuable and impactful.

What is the role of Juggernaut in the player's strategy?

Juggernaut is a skill that the player can use to make up for the armor deficit. Since the armor cap is lower and the player's armor is reduced when progressing to higher Torment levels, using Juggernaut becomes a strategic choice to maintain a sufficient armor level.

Why does the player enjoy the struggle to stay alive in Torment 4?

The player enjoys the struggle to stay alive in Torment 4 because it introduces a new layer of challenge and strategy. The game's mechanics force the player to focus on defenses and survivability, which contrasts with previous seasons where the focus was primarily on dealing damage.

How does the change in the Paragon system affect the player's experience?

The Paragon system now allows for a more gradual progression of stats, with each Paragon point providing raw stats. This change gives the player a sense of continuous progression even after reaching the maximum level, as they can continue to improve their character through the Paragon system.

What is the significance of the ancestral gear being the only gear with two tempers?

Ancestral gear being the only gear with two tempers makes it a significant upgrade in power compared to normal gear. This exclusivity encourages the player to hunt for ancestral gear to improve their character's capabilities and survivability in higher Torment levels.

How does the new connection between active abilities and passive abilities affect the player's build?

The new connection between active abilities and passive abilities allows the player to optimize their build without being gatekept by the need to invest in specific passives just to access others. This change provides more flexibility and freedom in skill selection, enhancing the player's ability to customize their gameplay experience.

Outlines

00:00

🛡️ Balancing Defenses in Torment 3

The speaker discusses their experience in Torment 3 of a game, highlighting the increased difficulty in obtaining resistances and armor. They mention having Tios, which provides a 60% resistance boost, but still needing to equip multiple items to maintain this level of resistance. The speaker is concerned about the upcoming drop in resistance when moving to Torment 4, which will push them below the resistance cap. They also touch on the stat squish, comparing life and willpower stats between different AIX levels and the impact on survivability. The speaker appreciates the need to continually balance defenses as they progress through the game, which adds a new layer of strategy and makes gear acquisition feel more meaningful.

05:01

🎮 Gear Acquisition and Progression in Season 6

In this paragraph, the speaker reflects on the changes in gear acquisition and character progression in Season 6 of the game. They note that reaching World Tier 4 is no longer an immediate goal, as the focus shifts to obtaining Ancestral gear and greater AIX stats. The speaker appreciates the slower pace of gear acquisition, which makes each new piece of gear feel like a significant upgrade. They also discuss the changes to the Paragon system, comparing it to Diablo 3's legendary gems, and how it now offers a more gradual progression. The speaker concludes that the new system makes the game more enjoyable, as it requires strategic thinking about both offensive and defensive capabilities.

10:01

🔄 Defensive Layering and Active Abilities

The speaker talks about the new mechanics of defensive layering in the game, where players must now consider both offensive and defensive stats. They mention that this change makes items feel more impactful, as they are now part of a strategic 'puzzle' that players must solve to progress. The speaker also notes the new connections between active abilities and passive skills, which allow for more optimized builds without being gatekept by specific passives. They discuss the changes to the masterworking system, which now allows for more accessible and scalable rewards. The speaker concludes by saying that while the leveling process is fast, the real progression and enjoyment come from the strategic layering of defenses and the hunt for better gear.

15:01

📈 Early Impressions of PTR and Future Expectations

In the final paragraph, the speaker shares their early impressions of the PTR (Public Test Realm) for the upcoming season. They mention that while they have only spent about four hours playing, they have noticed a significant shift in the importance of itemization and defensive strategies. The speaker is intrigued by the new challenges and the need to solve the 'puzzle' of defenses as they progress through the difficulty tiers. They also express excitement about the potential for further discoveries and improvements as they continue to explore the PTR. The speaker invites viewers to join their live stream for a more in-depth discussion and gameplay.

Keywords

💡Torment

In the context of the video, 'Torment' refers to difficulty levels in the game. The speaker discusses their experience moving from Torment 2 to Torment 3 and the challenges that come with increasing difficulty, such as reduced armor and resistance. The term is central to understanding the progression system and the strategic considerations players must make as they advance through the game.

💡Resistance

Resistance in the video pertains to a character's ability to withstand different types of elemental or magical damage. The speaker mentions having to equip multiple items with resistance to stay above the cap, which is crucial for survival in higher Torment levels. This concept is integral to the game's mechanics of character building and survivability.

💡Armor

Armor, as discussed in the video, is a defensive stat that reduces physical damage taken by the player's character. The speaker notes the importance of maintaining a high armor value to counter the challenges of higher Torment levels, where armor is significantly reduced. It's a key component in the game's system of balancing offense and defense.

💡Stat Squish

The term 'Stat Squish' refers to a game design choice where numbers representing character attributes are reduced to make them more manageable and less overwhelming. The speaker mentions a 'mega stat squish' occurring, which affects how stats like life and willpower are displayed and calculated, impacting gameplay strategy.

💡Ancestral Gear

Ancestral Gear is a type of equipment in the game that is more powerful than standard gear. The speaker discusses the scarcity and the significance of obtaining Ancestral Gear, especially as it relates to the progression system and the strategic layer of item acquisition within the game.

💡Masterwork

In the video, 'Masterwork' is a system that allows players to enhance their gear. The speaker talks about how Masterwork rows on gear can help compensate for the reduction in resistance and armor at higher Torment levels, indicating its importance in character progression and optimization.

💡Paragon

Paragon refers to a system in the game where players can invest points to enhance their character's abilities beyond the level cap. The speaker mentions that Paragon points can now be used to increase resistances, adding another layer of strategy to character development.

💡PTR

PTR stands for Public Test Realm, which is a testing environment for players to try out new features and provide feedback before they are正式发布. The speaker is discussing their early impressions and experiences with the new game mechanics in the PTR, which is a common practice in online games to refine gameplay before full release.

💡Inferno Hordes

Inferno Hordes are a type of game mode where players face waves of increasingly difficult enemies. The speaker mentions that these are disabled in the PTR, which affects the way players can acquire certain resources like Masterwork materials, thus impacting the progression and strategy in the game.

💡Uber Tormented

The term 'Uber Tormented' likely refers to a particularly challenging type of enemy or condition in the game. The speaker notes that these have been removed, which changes the dynamic of the game by reducing the need to collect specific items to counter them, thus simplifying the gameplay to some extent.

Highlights

The player is currently in Torment 3 and finds resistances and armor harder to obtain.

Tios provides 60% resistance, but additional resistances are needed from other gear.

The player has multiple sources of resistances but is still barely over the cap.

Going to Torment 4 will drop the player below the resistance cap.

The armor cap is significantly lower at 1,000, making it easier to reach but also more critical to manage.

A stat squish is occurring, affecting life, willpower, and other stats.

Difficulties are reducing armor and resistance, making defensive stats more important.

The player enjoys the new challenge of balancing defenses and survivability.

Ancestral gear drops are rarer, adding a sense of progression and reward.

Ancestral gear is the only type that can have two tempers, making it a significant power upgrade.

The player appreciates the slower pace of gear acquisition, as it feels more rewarding.

The Paragon board is now locked to five, offering additional stats and a new progression path.

Active abilities now have side lines to passive abilities, allowing for more optimized builds.

Masterworking has changed, now providing more direct ways to improve gear.

The Inferno hordes are disabled in the PTR, affecting the way players obtain certain rewards.

The player notes a significant jump in difficulty between Torment 2 and 3, affecting survivability.

The removal of Uber bosses means that scaling is now tied to the torment level, not separate tiers.

The player's first impressions suggest that the new system makes items feel more impactful.

The player is enjoying the mini-game of figuring out defenses as they progress through the difficulty tiers.

Transcripts

okay so I'm sitting here thinking about

this so let's talk about it now I'm in

torment 3 at the moment and resistances

and armor are actually significantly

harder to get so I have Tios which gives

me 60% resistance but even with that I

had to get resistances on multiple I

mean look I got resistances on the ring

I got resistances on the amulet I have

double resistance on the helmet

obviously have have 60% here on terios I

have resistances here don't have them on

the this because it's Unique I don't

have them on the boots or obviously the

weapon or the other unique okay but I

have a lot of resistances and I'm just

barely over the cap this means when I go

to torment 4 it's going to drop me below

the cap 2 and obviously my cap is higher

because of Tios but I don't have the

armor cap which is now 1,000 and I'm

getting [ __ ] on in torment 3 because of

this now you could just say okay well

the armor cap is significantly lower at

1,000 so isn't it easier but there's two

things going on one there's a stat

squish so we have overall stats of been

squish let me look at this we have

greater a AIX ancestrial Max life and

it's 685 okay 115 willpower we have a

greater AIX here 182 will power there if

you look at here 293 life I mean my life

right here in tourament 3 is 4,400 to

give you an idea so there there's a

there's a mega stat squish going on on

top of it the difficulties are

significantly reducing both your armor

and resistance now now this might strike

you as annoying because you're thinking

oh well I had to go get my resistances

and my armor and now I'm below it again

like when I went from torment 2 I

literally one shot Lilith and tourament

2 like barely even breathed on her same

thing with uh Duo but as soon as I go to

tornament 3 I have none of my

resistances none of my armor there's

actually a pretty big difference here

and I was getting one shot and they were

way tankier so if you look here for

instance tment 2 Armor is reduced by 500

resistances by 50% torment 3 that's

another 25% across the board you have to

go on another 250 armor and then torment

4 is going to be 100% resistances and

1,000 armor so I have to make up a lot

of the resistances as well as the armor

now I can make up the armor with

Juggernaut for instance and takes one of

my slots I could you know I could go

that route which I've done before

previous to the change but this has made

me realize one thing which is the

resistance change mean I have to focus

more on defenses than I have to do uh

previously so now I'm actually having to

look at resistances and think about

actually adding either temper on

Resistance or actually get it as a drop

on the gear the other thing and I can't

just like throw teros on and just one

bang all the resistances and be fine

maybe I still could if I get a bunch of

you know Masterwork rows or something

like that on it sure sure so be it the

and we have to worry about the armor

deduction Etc with the stat squish so we

have to play a balancing game of

defenses which normally you don't really

feel that much so you can see I have

armor in the Rings too and I'm still at

only 530 armor now I could get a greater

AIX armor or something like that but

then we're going to be again taking away

from one of the slots we need for

resistances ETC so I'm feeling a

defensive pressure for defensive layers

that is something that feels somewhat

new to me at this point when I'm

progressing through the game normally

you just hit you get to world tier 4

almost instantly and then from World

tier 4 on you just get your max

resistances your armor and you almost

never think about it again now what

happens is you have to continually play

this game of trying to get your defenses

every tier you go up and I actually like

this because it is solving the puzzle of

making sure that you have to deal with

survivability something that kind of

annoyed me before is I feel like I'm

just Min maxing my damage how quickly

can I one shot everything everything

goes to damage and just have my armor

and resistances and I don't think about

defenses ever again maybe I have 45

maybe I don't maybe I have some Max HP

like who really cares but now you

actually have to play the puzzle of

thinking about defenses and there's an

additional layer which is the gear drops

are a lot rarer now okay so the The

ancestral gear that you get the drops

here will guarantee the drop with a

greater AIX okay but you don't get

these nearly as commonly as you're

progressing so before what would happen

is in World tier four you hit World tier

4 and then everything's an ancestro so

you just have the max tier of gear but

now you sudo are increasing how common

you get the ancestrial gear as you're

going through the torment so what

they're basically doing is they're

they're slowly gatekeeping you a little

bit on being able to immediately solve

all of all of the defensive layers

immediately hit all of the gear so you

actually feel a sense of progression in

the gear more so than I was expecting

cuz you're a little little bit you could

argue that they're a little bit dragging

out content that we've already had in

terms of the gear acquisition but I

would argue this is better for the game

because before like I'm saying you would

hit World tier 4 you imly get ancestro

but now it's like you're kind of waiting

for ancestro you're guaranteed a greater

AIC so you have a chance of it being

kind of good when you get one you're

like oh thank God I still need an

ancestro helmet here I you know I need a

ring I need an amulet and these will be

major upgrades for me as well but then

also when you hit like a greater AIX on

the resistance or something like that it

actually kind of matters now because you

are actually playing this defensive

layer of a game and I'm finding myself

enjoying that a lot more than I was

originally expecting to as I go through

and solve like okay I need you know I

need the resistances I need the armor

Etc that's actually another part of the

game now that when I focus on this makes

the items feel just better even though

technically my character is maybe worse

in terms of power than I would be in

season 5 like in season 5 you're just

you know you have like a strength

dopamine you're just blasting through

literally everything I believe in season

6 the struggle to stay

alive is might be more enjoyable than

the minions struggling to stay alive if

that makes sense yeah another important

point is the ancestros are the only ones

that can have two tempers now so they

are a significant upgrade in power uh as

compared to the normal gear and because

Normal gear now drops in world you know

the well said World tier 4 but in

basically all the tiers and the

ancestral gear just becomes more common

you're still hunting for pieces of gear

and instead of just okay I got an

ancestro I got another ancestro

everything's ancestro and what's is the

greater aics good or not like it it

feels like you're there's multiple

layers of I say dopamine or uh item

acquisition that I'm really trying to

get I'm trying to make sure I get an in

cestro drop and I'm trying to make sure

that I get a greater AIX and it might

take longer for your character to

actually get all of the stats you want

but the progression does feel better

like going in steps of power from 50 to

60 and 50 to 60 really doesn't take that

long to get it's basically you blast the

60 I think we're going to see very

similar to D3 levels in terms of uh

leveling progression I I heard someone

say rack's got to 50 like 15 minutes and

I was looking at the steps of experience

like 50 to 51 is 1.5 million experience

54 to 55 is 1.94 and then 59 to 60 I

have a note here of 2.3 million

experience so we're basically talking

like not like from 5050 to 51 is not too

far of a difference from 59 to 60 so the

pressure isn't really on the leveling as

before what would happen is okay let me

level just so I can get to the world

tier then immediately max out my gear

the leveling isn't really the pressure

as much as once you hit 60 you unlock

the pit and the ability to go through

the pit and originally I don't I didn't

originally like the pit I didn't do the

pit it was annoying it was one shot and

all that but the pit feels like uh a

much more stable progression I will say

that tourament two the three is a pretty

big jump and I'm assuming three to four

is a pretty big jump they wer lying

about that when you do it so when you go

from torment 2 and the sudden your

torment 3 and getting [ __ ] on you're

like what's going on that that does make

sense because of the way like I'm

explaining the resistance and all that

deduction actually happens from this so

the pit is you do actually feel a sense

of progression as you go through the

levels and also the other thing about

this is the the Paragon uh glyphs here

this is basically Diablo 3 legendary

gems like you just guarantee success of

being able to level these You Can level

these to a point of where they're usable

at a much better pace you're not locked

behind this super goddamn annoying do

these nightmare dungeons this was a huge

increase in my opinion a much better

change so I significantly like that the

Paragon board's being locked to five

you're welcome to ow your own opinion on

that but now the Paragon board is

basically just additional stats uh you

just this is almost like D3 again like

you look at you I'm just getting raw

stats right like you how on D3 you could

just pump your primary stat I mean at a

certain point once you've got all of the

bonuses like I got all the intelligence

bonuses I can get in this little

doohickey here so now it's just I'm just

grabbing raw stats right so like we're

we're going to have a very similar

experience there in terms of the Paragon

level is just raw stats but now you

actually have a sense of uh continuing

to progress at least some part of your

character outside of just hitting level

100 then immediately having all your

Paragon points like paragon's actually

part of the game now cuz going from 200

to 300 is going to take longer now if

you remember I just said 59 to 60 is 2.3

million experience okay and if you look

here at 206 going to 207 we're talking

17.4 million experience in fact going

from Paragon 2011 to 202 I have a note

here 14.5 million experience so the

experience ramps by multiple Millions uh

you know decently quickly so this is

going to be where your

longterm account based progression is

going to come from and then your

itemization miname of the puzzo is now a

little bit more in place with your

defensive layers of armor resistances

Etc okay so this feels closer to me as

to what I would expect from playing an

arpg in terms of items because now I

actually have to focus on both offenses

and defenses I barely ever focused on

defenses it's just resistance armor

crank your HP get Fortify you're done

but now you actually have this a little

bit of miname to play while you're

passively leveling your Paragon that

gives you some passive more stats and

you can actually have some resistances

from the Paragon tree matter because now

I have some additional Paragon points to

play with so maybe what I'll do is I'll

take out some of these like maybe I feel

like I don't need some of these extra

ones and I'll put them over here to grab

the resistances so if you want to play

your little puzzle there of the Paragon

that feels a little bit better as well

in my personal opinion few other things

that I noticed here is uh this is kind

of a coot changed I don't think they

mentioned during the campfire might have

missed it but now some of your active

abilities have this like side line that

goes to some of your passive abilities

so for instance if I don't want to have

to take Defiance in order to get nature

magic heals me when I take cataclysm it

connects here so I don't actually have

to take these passives for instance

you're going to notice that LE on

multiple ones like the grizzly rage here

and they kind of connect this way so it

doesn't gatekeep you you know how

normally you're like okay I have to get

one point here one point here just to

get like unrestrained if you wanted this

one for some reason well now you can

just straight shot through it so this

kind of lets you build a little bit more

optimize in terms of what you actually

want to do if I want to go rabies and

just go the toxic claw off of rabies for

instance I could do that so this is just

you can see here with the lightning same

thing so this is just a little bit

better of a quality of life way of

dealing with your passives as well of

course there are actual new passives as

well as new core skills on some of the

characters they also have changed the

way masterworking works which is now you

basically just get masterworking you can

see from Nightmare dungeons Inferno

horde and the under City now they have

The Inferno hordes disabled right now in

the PTR so because of that what I can't

do is run The Inferno hordes to get ton

of these so I had to try the nightmare

Dungeons and in one nightmare dungeon

I'm about halfway through the one that I

was starting at the beginning of this

video and I got like 50 or 60 of this OB

deide already and now the nightmare

dungeons are scaling based upon the

torment difficulty you're in instead of

based upon the tier of The Nightmare

dungeon for instance so it's everything

now scares off scales off your torment

tier which means as you're progressing

through the torment you again have this

weight on your defensives because your

defensives are getting limited by each

one of the tiers meaning you have to

make sure if you want to continue to

push through you have to be able to

survive the tiers in order to be able to

get more rewards and more of the gear

that help you push further so the

progression once again feels pretty

decent that way also there is no more

Uber Uber Uber Uber Uber tormented you

know super turbo man mode bosses it's

just the bosses scale to whatever

torment you're in and they scale pretty

largely torment 2 I literally one shot

with my dog [ __ ] Legacy gear uh Lilith

as well as Duo I went to torment 3 and I

basically got one shot so because of

that there is a significant difference

in both tankiness as well as offensive

capabilities again because they lower

your resistances Etc between the

different torments so you no longer have

to worry about collecting stones for

instance so this is just my first

impression I'm sure some of this could

be wrong but so far as I play through

this in the beginning of it my

experience was this feels a lot of the

same because what I was doing is going

to hell ties leveling and then going

through nightmare Dungeons and I was

just going from 50 to 60 to leveling

it's pretty fast you can I think I level

50 60 like 2 hours and I heard the Rex

did to 50 and 15 minutes so we're

talking you're level 60 in like you know

2 and 1 half hours maybe 3 hours uh all

the way to maximum level doing fast

strategies I'm sure people are going to

figure out how to Bo boost each other

and be even faster than that so your

leveling to 60 is no longer like the

leveling the max level that's no longer

really where your progression sets in

that's where the game sort of begins and

all of your progression is coming from

other things so because of that while I

was going through the leveling I'm like

this just feels like I'm doing hell

tiddes and Nightmare dungeons again but

it was the after the hitting the max

level that I began to enjoy the mini

game of figuring out the defenses I'm

still am cuz I'm trying to go from

tournament 3 to tournament 4 and right

about then when I started recording this

video cuz I realized I'm actually having

to think about defensives and this might

be like a a point that it's like well

duh it's an arpg it's actually something

that I never really had to do too much

before maybe if you're pushing pit okay

and you got to worry about okay what you

know Immortal builds going on right now

or what cheese can I use in order to

make sure I take zero damage maybe then

but you never really had to focus on

defensives too much cuz bosses basically

die in one hit or you just make sure you

don't have a skill issue getting hit by

all the skill shots and that was sort of

it and everything else is used you blow

through it but as soon as I started

realizing I am actually having to do a

little bit of a puzzle then the item

started to feel a little bit more

impactful and better and I started to

like man where's my next ancestral drop

I never thought that before in the

previous seasons and I'm not saying this

is such a massive change that D4 is

going from like a seven out of 10 to a

12 out of a 10 log in this is the best

game ever made I'm not saying that but

I'm saying the items feel better as a

byproduct of the world itself putting

more meaning on the items by having a

more difficulty related to the defensive

progression of the difficulty tiers

themselves that is what I've been

specifically noticing in my time testing

this on the PTR R so first impression

it's early I only have about 4 hours

into at this point and there's a lot

left still to discover about the PTR I'm

live now you are more than welcome to

click the link down below to join the

live stream if you would like but that's

just one thing been noticing so far

about the PTR