Helltooth underperforms, has deadzones, is clunky. Arachyr underperforms, is clunky. Jade and zdps build(s) might as well not exist. Melee pet Docs still worse then Carnevil + DoD.
It's great that we got some new toys to play with, I just wish they worked better. Granted, there's still time between now and s4 where big changes could be made to make these sets better, but I'm not holding my breath.
Just a real bummer, ya know? Get super hyped to only realize we're still going to be playing DoD in the end game, but this time around, we have no party utility whatsoever.
My suggestion Blizzard?
A) Give us back Jade. Dotty Shotgun is a fun play style. Just admit the Spirit Walk change is what doomed the set, revert it back to the way it was, and let us do our thing.
B) Continue to try and make Helltooth a thing. Every WD I know wants Wall of Zombies (change the name back, Wall of Death is beyond corny) to be a thing, and is super cool. Maybe try and focus the 6-piece into something more potent. Either all in for Bears, or all in for Acid Cloud.
C) Trying to turn two of our worst spells into a competitive set was ambitious, and that's admirable. But there's still a lot of work to be done to make Arachyr a set to be reckoned with. I'd like to see the 2-piece changed a bit to where you aren't forced to use Corpse Spiders as your primary in order to control the Widowmaker. The 4-piece is freaking great. Love it. Don't change a thing! The 6-piece is the biggest problem of course. Channeling spells is not where we want to be as a class. Especially when that spell mostly involves being in melee-ish range (which is precisely why Jade is currently terrible - we go splat without our old Spirit Walked juiced up with CDR). Many people have suggested the 6-piece allow Firebats to be channeled while moving. That could be cool! Or moving away from Firebats completely could also be a thing. Maybe put a bigger focus on Piranhas? This is a tough one, but it's a cool idea for a set using our "animal" abilities.
D) Now with 0dps shot to death as far as I'm concerned, we need a utility set! I'm kidding, but still, we have so much utility in our skills, but other classes are doing it so much better since we can't Tik our way to victory in 4-mans anymore. Which, frankly, I'm fine with - if it meant WDs could find another way to still be a great utility class - which doesn't seem to be the case.
I'm sure I'll get downvoted into oblivion for yet another whining Witch Doctor post, but shit dudes/ladies, I think we have some valid reasons for being bummed.
Maybe some people have had better experiences with the new sets and I'm missing something? I'd love to know if there's anything that can be done to salvage these 2 "new" sets before S4. I love DoD as much as the next guy, but I already had my heart set on playing the new sets, not just playing DoD with SMK/Jeram/RRG as passives.
Cheers.
Edit: There was a great suggestion on the forums about changing Helltooth to a Grasp of the Dead build instead of Wall of Death. This, as well as some major bumps in damage to the 6-piece (and possibly 2-piece, as well as making it poison damage - I believe its currently physical), would be a huge step in the right direction for this build.
Another suggestion! Not that I dislike Acid Rain. I love it, in fact. However, I like bears more! I'd love to see a change to how Zombie Bears work. It would be great if the spell had a longer range, and shot one large bear straight ahead as opposed to three adjacent bears that have many collision issues. Being able to slow with WoD (or grasp) and then nuking them down in a rain dance with giant bears would please me, and I'm sure many WDs, to no end.
Realistically, I imagine none of these are feasible in the window Blizzard has before they drop 2.3. WDs aren't the only class in the game, of course! But it never hurts to throw out some suggestions as you read them, or think of them. Please, WDs, throw out suggestions as much as you can. You never know what Blizzard might pick up from these seemingly random posts. Blizzard is one of the few companies that does scour places like reddit and their official forums for ideas from the community. I imagine almost all the Quality of Life changes made from Vanilla to Ros, and Ros s1 to now, have been suggestions from the community. Just be constructive, try not to be super salty (I should take my own advice, lel), and good things could come!
Thanks for all the responses!
Deuces
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