[Bugalugs McScruffin]

Well this was unexpected. I just read this over at Games.on.net about the changes to the Diablo III beta.

Sauce

• Scrolls of Identification are no longer in the game

• The fifth quick slot button has been moved and is becoming a dedicated potion button

• The Mystic artisan has been removed, but may be included post-launch.

•The Cauldron of Jordan and Nephalem Cube have both been removed, as they detracted from the benefits of returning to town to sell items, salvage, craft, and interact with the townsfolk.

• The Blacksmith artisan will now salvage items, but common (white) items will no longer be salvageable.

• Character stats will now display directly on the inventory UI.

The Cauldron and Nephalem Cube removals surprised me. Can anyone tell me what the Mystic artisan actually did, and what their removal means?

The other change which was interesting, but I don't know about it's effects is the stats themselves. They have been reduced to Strength, Dexterity, Intellect and Vitality.

And last but not least this little tidbit...

Blizzard also revealed they are working on "major changes" to the skill and rune systems, but are tight lipped at this point in time.

I wonder what constitutes major changes? I was really looking forward to the system that Blizzard came up with, even if it did have a large amount of detractors.

So, fire away everyone with your wild speculation as to what effects these changes will have.

[Mayo]

Hope more changed come, as per what I was talking about before

[Yonge]

The stats bit is kinda weird...it's almost like the staff had a retro gaming night and then realised what an awesome game D2 was, so backtracked to make it the same...

[Bugalugs McScruffin]

Originally Posted by Yonge

The stats bit is kinda weird...it's almost like the staff had a retro gaming night and then realised what an awesome game D2 was, so backtracked to make it the same...

Haha. Who knows, that could be the case.

I would assume a lot of these changes are either because of player behaviour that wasn't expected or desired, ie. The Cauldron and Cube removals, or because players railed against the new systems, ie. the new Skill system.

Personally I think the new skill system is awesome and I want it to stay. It's the sort of system that I'd been envisaging for a while as a way forward for the genre, so yes, I'm a little biased.

I think the removal of the Cauldron and Cube is a wrong move. If you want us to go back to the town, give us a good reason to go back. Make us want to return, don't force it as a chore. How you do that, I'm not sure because I'm currently brain dead, but it's also not my job.

The new Skill system I can understand from a streamlining viewpoint. I think the minimum number of stats you can get away with is 3 and still have an interesting system. (Health, Attack and Defense for anyone wondering)

Mayo, you're main issue with the beta was the lack of difficulty, right?

[Dox]

This is all good stuff. I'll break your post down with a series of quotes and respond to each bit.

Originally Posted by Bugalugs McScruffin

The Cauldron and Nephalem Cube removals surprised me. Can anyone tell me what the Mystic artisan actually did, and what their removal means?

It means enchants have been removed from the game. I guess they didn't like the way they'd been implemented, so they're looking to overhaul. If they're not ready for launch, they'll include it in a patch or expansion. So we just have the Blacksmith/Jeweller.

Scrolls of Identification are no longer in the game

This ties in with them wanting players to return to town more often. As it stood, you only needed to return to town for two reasons - to repair, and to craft new gear/gems/enchants.

The fifth quick slot button has been moved and is becoming a dedicated potion button

Makes sense, we had 7-8 buttons for 5 abilities.

The Cauldron of Jordan and Nephalem Cube have both been removed, as they detracted from the benefits of returning to town to sell items, salvage, craft, and interact with the townsfolk.

The cauldron was way too convenient to be honest. Anyone watching my stream would see me loot infinite items and when my bags eventually filled, I'd shift click all my stuff into the Cauldron and within 3 seconds, I'm rolling with a few recipes worth of Essences/Scraps and my bags are clear again.

The Blacksmith artisan will now salvage items, but common (white) items will no longer be salvageable.

This is actually the biggest change. Scraps are gonna be much harder to come by now. I guess we'll get scraps in addition to essences from now on. This increases the value of magic quality items significantly.

Character stats will now display directly on the inventory UI.

Cool, I guess. Easier to theorycraft without having two panels up at once.

[Dox]

Originally Posted by Bugalugs McScruffin

I think the removal of the Cauldron and Cube is a wrong move. If you want us to go back to the town, give us a good reason to go back. Make us want to return, don't force it as a chore. How you do that, I'm not sure because I'm currently brain dead, but it's also not my job.

It's not a huge deal, 'cos there's no TP scrolls. You have a TP stone and can return instantly any time you like.

Mayo, you're main issue with the beta was the lack of difficulty, right?

It has become increasingly difficult since patch 6. I actually died once, in Patch 9. That's never happened before.