With so many stats/affixes not affecting Sheet Damage, now, more than ever, we need a True Damage output indicator.

Right off the bat I'm gonna mention that Blizzard's reasoning for not giving us DPS meters or anything of the sort is because they don't want it to become the focus of the game. However, I feel most people are gauging their character's power by the current sheet damage anyways, that "sole basis of progression" focus will always be there so might as well make it a reliable one.

For example, when most players find a new item the first thing they focus on is the % damage increase. That is because its almost always the most sure way to determine if you will become more powerful or not. It is the most direct feedback we have to assure a power increase.

Now, if we had some type of DPS gauge, we could get a far more accurate feeling of character power, since the sheet damage is basically just telling us how many core stat/crit/speed we have, and as Blizzard is trying to force out the cookie cutting itemization going on for end game builds by introducing unique mechanics or elemental focused builds, that damage stat becomes very useless but at the same time creates a gray area where we don't have any real feedback on if certain items are the better decision or not.

At the very least, make it optional.

To follow up, this DPS meter they introduce has to automatically tailor itself to how many mobs are in the area otherwise it would be too inconsistent based on the wide range of densities the game currently offers. e.g. 10.5m damage per mob per second

Pros:

• Accurate Character Power feedback
• More reliable theorycrafting experiences
• No more "weak feeling" in multiplayer

-In public or multiplayer games, if another player is being a ball and chain or has really low dmg output, I get that feeling of weakness. If I knew I was still putting out good DPS, that subtle weak feeling wouldn't happen.

• Re-engage the player if they begin to glaze over on their 1000th rift run and notice their dps is dropping significantly.

Cons:

• Contradicts Blizzard's design philosophy.

Posted in: discussion, thoughts