It's time to face the fact that Totems are a failed mechanic.
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Totems are pretty mediocre unless you have some OP unique, which is never gonna be nerfed apparently.
But if you have it, it shouldn't be boring. Even with my dumpster gear I have to constantly recast totems and curses. I like how traps work in Diablo 2: LoD. It's pretty much the same thing as the totems in PoE, but monsters can't attack them and you can have 5 of them simultaneously. They do decent damage, they don't tank for you, and they expire pretty fast. That's a good mechanic in my opinion. |
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" He's definitely doing something wrong: quitting over a mechanic he doesn't like/find fun rather than just moving on to one he does enjoy. Support a free Hong Kong.
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. -Galileo Galilei |
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" You have little clue of the game it seems. You dont need Shavronnes to deal insane damage with Dual Spork totems, nor do you need any other uniques. The reason the specc deals no much damage arent the items but the fact that you barely need to invest into defenses and can stack damage like a retard. Totems are overpowered compared to everything else, theres no way denying that. Even Dom admits that. And they dont start to become powerful as soon as youre level 90. They always are, especially compared to what you could do as a self caster with the same gear. |
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" I agree with most of what you say, but seriously, WHY DO YOU KEEP LEAVING OUT DISCHARGE?! Taking down a Temple or Shrine piety with totems involves some crazy ass kiting. Taking her out with discharge just requires getting in close enough for enduring cry AOE to reach. Anarchy/Onslaught T shirt
Domination/Nemesis T shirt Tempest/War Bands T shirt |
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Totems are a failed mechanic because not every single person in the game is using them.
GGG's intention is that totems are the only viable, late game power build. Once every single person in the game is using a totem build, their balance goals will be complete. |
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"Although I get what you mean, precision is important: More like "from late Cruel or early Merciless onwards." Like minions, totems are pretty darn weak in levels 31-40, just about on par with other stuff 40-50, and start feeling OP at 55+. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Proposed Totem Fix, v 0.2 1) Totems now reserve mana instead of costing mana. 2) Activating a totem skill displays the "aura in use" graphic; activating it again simply turns it off, like turning an aura off (this happens automatically when totems die). This means that, if you want to go dual Spork totems with 6L on Spark, you're going to need two 6Ls with (nearly) duplicate gem arrangements. (Ancestral Bond + Soul Mantle builds would be tricky to say the least.) 3) Totems no longer have AoE damage immunities. 4) Totems now have less cast speed and reduced damage (instead of reduced cast speed and less damage). This makes non-damaging totems like Summon Skeletons less OP, while keeping damage-based totems about the same. 5) One-time full passive respec to all players who took Ancestral Bond or one of the two nodes before it. When Stephen Colbert was killed by HYDRA's Project Insight in 2014, the comedy world lost a hero. Since his life model decoy isn't up to the task, please do not mistake my performance as political discussion. I'm just doing what Steve would have wanted. Last edited by ScrotieMcB#2697 on Aug 29, 2013, 6:01:40 PM
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" I don't think decoy totem is that bad. The other totems however............. |
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" Some queries about your 'fix', as in general I like it: Totems reserve mana -> Rules on how often you can 'move' the totem? I would suggest something similar to traps, with an internal cd. They look sorta like auras, they permamently reserve that mana. When you click on them again it resummons it at a location, as long as the cd is finished like flicker strike. How would this work? NFI I like the idea that you would have to run seperate totems to get seperate benefits, makes it feel more like having hybrid totem builds with two different types of totem might be more viable. But finally without aoe damage immunities, how long do you expect these totems to live? |
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Totem balance is the issue here, not the concept itself, not shavs, spark, reflect etc.
Nothing a few minor changes cant fix: - Less/Reduced on totem supports becomes Less/Less - Mana/Life cost becomes Mana/Life reserve - Immunity to dot effects and curses is removed Thats about it. IGN: KoTao
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" Same query as above. If they reserve it, how do you recast the totem? If you make it so you have to UNCAST it, and then wait for the mana to regen, then RECAST it, bye bye totems, no one without huge mana regen would be able to support them because you couldn't move the totem |
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