Skill Tutorial/Build Test Drives

Some of the skills in this game are a bit complicated, especially if you're not familiar with the archetype they're intended for. Furthermore, the newer a player is, the more they'd benefit from some explanation for the simpler ones. I could go into why the current system discourages trying new things, but I have an idea to fix it that sounds cool enough I'd rather just skip straight to the solution.

Skill gems should, from a town or hideout, be able to open a portal to a tutorial zone. This zone will have written instructions, diagrams on the ground, commentary triggers, and respawning dummy enemies that can't deal lethal damage, award no XP, and drop no loot. This sounds complex as described, but all of these things should be possible with little or no alteration to existing dev tools. These zones would allow players to get a feel for the size and shape of attacks and spells, read up on how to scale them, and learn the mechanics that are more foreign to them through practice without having to learn a whole build to do it. To further encourage players to step outside their wheelhouse, tutorial zones could also feature special curio cabinets that let you temporarily switch to a set of gear and passives intended to demonstrate the skill's utility.

That is step one. I have a much cooler idea that started with this train of thought. Since what I'm about to describe is much closer to a guide than a tutorial, something that teaches you how to win rather than just what the rules are, it's also something I'd be perfectly fine with being monetized.

After the first month of a league, you pick one of the top performing builds from each class. Offer their creators a small cash prize and a small cut from the monetization in exchange for the labor of building an in-game guide for their build with the tutorial editing tools.

These test drives would be sold in the store for $5-20 worth of points. When you buy one, a new character is added to your account that has the whole build set up for you. They have access to the author's tutorial zone, as well as free access to any other zone in the game, but they can only play with other test characters, gain no XP, and monsters they kill drop nothing. Builds that reach some threshold of popularity could be added to core, getting a price cut in future leagues and giving the author the option of tweaking the character and tutorial when they get nerfed.

This system would allow players to experiment with playstyles they'd usually never touch, because of how much effort goes into just making their comfort zone work within the limited time available. It would also give them a way to practice boss fights that are difficult to even reach in normal play, or to just chill out and smash things without having to worry about making progress. It would do all of this without altering trade or progression in any way.