Endgame mapping needs more diversity

Leveling is fine, new acts are amazing as is new content (i.e. forsaken masters) but like a lot of more competitively-oriented players most of my time is spent in maps. Additionally, by improving the mapping system you may entice newer players into leveling their characters up further. Map rolling is in a really bad spot right now as well and it should ideally be fixed. Here is my feedback and my suggestions.

1. Map mod synergies
Some mods are undoubtedly harder when they are combined with each other, a good example is 'deals x% extra damage as fire/cold/lightning' and '-max resistances'. Another one is '+x% monster damage' and the fleet mod ('x% increased attack, cast & movement speed'). -max + 18% ele reflect also shoots to mind as well as '2 unique bosses' + 'unique boss attacks faster and deals more damage'. I could go on but you probably get the point. It would be nice if you could add a synergistic effect to some mods, that is that if mod [x] and [y] have an interaction with each other that makes them especially difficult when combined together you should get an additional quantity bonus on the map.

2. Decrease base quantity on white maps
When you introduce #1 you will obviously get more quantity on maps and thus you need compensation. I would suggest adding a -10% quantity of items dropped as the base type on maps. This also incentivizes people to alch and chaos maps a bit more as currently people just alt/augment for pack size or magic monsters (rare doesn't do much at 78 maps and overrides champ packs) and then regal if it's 76 to 78. The map pool currently seems a bit too easy to sustain as well, adding a flat -10% will help out with this as well.

3. Add new map mods and remove/tweak some old ones
Elemental weakness: this mod should be removed because it is not interactive. It is bad for a variety of reasons and I am surprised it has not been removed yet. The great thing about having a resistance system like the one in poe (the diablo 2 system) is that you can start looking for other mods after you have hit the requirement to diversify your gear. Currently in diablo 3 there is no final scaling to resistances meaning that affixes on items are shoehorned into consisting of mainly just that; resistances. This leaves less room for other mods that may be nice or unique as well as it is simply suboptimal to pick anything other than resistances and elemental weakness just means you need to overcap yourself. It is not fun, takes away gear affix diversity and is not interactive at all when you play the map.

I suggest we swap out ele weakness with assassin's mark, this is very interactive ('allies have inc. accuracy and crit chance' aura, 'powerful crits' mod) and also indirectly boosts the marauder crit dmg reduction node which I think has been underrepresented after the rework.

More mods to consider:

• players are cursed with projectile weakness
• monsters have spell echo
• monsters have 30% increased area of effect
• monsters have 30% reduced area of effect but deal 50% increased area damage
• monsters grant 20% more experience (-20% item quantity on map)
• monsters deal 10-20% extra damage as chaos (numbers can be tweaked)
• monsters deal 15-30% extra damage as physical
• players have 50% less block chance
• critical hits inflict bleeding
• rare monsters have two additional rare mods (not nemesis ones but the normal ones)
• 3 unique bosses (we all want to see that triple courtyard)
• zana's mod x2 (inhabited by 2 additional invasion bosses), please make this spawnable!
• beyond league mod

bumped with procurement

I think you're going to need to wait for Act 4 (March), when we'll potentially get some new maps with the new tilesets, and maybe some more mods or other changes, before we see too many changes.


I'd like to see a mod that grants extra quality/quantity or etc that essentially picks a mod at random at map creation. This would be more like Zana's quest boards, and slightly more like running an un-identified map.


If you're going to open up prior challenge league mods as mods (what Zana sells), then these would need to be extremely rare - but that could be cool.


Despite the actual mods. I'd like to see more events. Like running into special "camps" with rares/bosses (Traveling Caravan camp you can rob, rouge bandit camp, etc etc.) I want these as very rare events in all zones. Imagine farming piety and randomly finding a treasure room with 5 corrupted strong boxes or etc as another example. (You know, that large chest they removed from Catacombs? Put it back but as more rare, and with an even rarer variety.)


Strong boxes are events that spawn in maps. Add Aracanist Box mods like "of jewelers" which drop partial stacks. Make some of these mods map only (69+).

"

I think you're going to need to wait for Act 4 (March), when we'll potentially get some new maps with the new tilesets, and maybe some more mods or other changes, before we see too many changes.


I'd like to see a mod that grants extra quality/quantity or etc that essentially picks a mod at random at map creation. This would be more like Zana's quest boards, and slightly more like running an un-identified map.


If you're going to open up prior challenge league mods as mods (what Zana sells), then these would need to be extremely rare - but that could be cool.


Despite the actual mods. I'd like to see more events. Like running into special "camps" with rares/bosses (Traveling Caravan camp you can rob, rouge bandit camp, etc etc.) I want these as very rare events in all zones. Imagine farming piety and randomly finding a treasure room with 5 corrupted strong boxes or etc as another example. (You know, that large chest they removed from Catacombs? Put it back but as more rare, and with an even rarer variety.)


Strong boxes are events that spawn in maps. Add Aracanist Box mods like "of jewelers" which drop partial stacks. Make some of these mods map only (69+).

I'd also like to see corrupted areas in maps.