Diablo III, Reaper of Souls

I don't think the only reason it's higher is the VAT, it's just regional pricing. Regional pricing exists for pretty much every newer game.

And in the US, there is no Federal sales tax, it's done by state, and most states have laws that you only pay the tax if a retail store exists in the state. So if you buy something online from Target.com you pay tax cus there's a target down the street but you don't pay tax for steam stuff cus there is no physical steam retail store. A lot of states are looking into changing these laws however.

Courts have ruled though in the US that states don't have the authority to tax stores not actually in their state (it is a taxation on interstate commerce, something given to the Federal government as a power). There was a senate bill last year which would have imposed a nationwide internet sales tax but that died in committee (thank goodness).
 
I've also got the expansion and have been playing a bit through Act V. I've completed two sections so far, both seem to have a lot more side quests.

I had only started playing Diablo again after a lengthy break so doubt I had the best items to start with. I've been playing on Torment I difficulty and so far the game is tough but doable. The loot seems to be a lot better although this seemed to already be the case after installing the patch. The last elite pack that I faced probably took 10 minutes to kill and the 2nd boss I faced took a similar amount of time so I am considering dropping the difficulty or replaying the first chapter again however I didn't actually die in either of the fights.
 
Just done the Jar of Souls and, lo and behold, the map appears to be different from usual (usually this has a square with the jar in the centre, with corridors running to the edge of the map in each direction. Now I have two dead-ends, I started to the east rather than west of the central room, and the typical staircase sections are missing). So it seems there is some randomisation after all.

Still liking the Templar, though he makes me thing this is the way all classes should have been designed: a distinct range profile, synergistic abilities, relevance of equipment to equipment type and effects (the one that adds a damage modifier based on your block chance is nice), and different builds each with a different type of role.

The one downside is that so far I've found no use for flails - unlike shields they don't seem crucial for abilities (it would have been nice if, for instance, Heavenly Strength only allowed you to carry a two-handed flail one-handed, not any two-handed weapon). Diablo II's old-RPG-style arbitrary banning of weapons based on class wasn't ideal, but it's a real shame that in D3 all melee weapons are basically the same regardless of type. I should have an incentive to give my Enchantress a staff rather than a cleaver, my Paladin a spear rather than an axe, or whatever - or, indeed, my Crusader a flail rather than a two-handed sword.
 
So it seems there is some randomisation after all.

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

Still liking the Templar, though he makes me thing this is the way all classes should have been designed: a distinct range profile, synergistic abilities, relevance of equipment to equipment type and effects (the one that adds a damage modifier based on your block chance is nice), and different builds each with a different type of role.

reading some of the patch notes, it looks like a lot of spells/feats for the monk and mage have changed. Maybe getting closer to this for the other classes? No actually played since the patch, but perhaps someone could see if other classes have had a similar change... (I can't, my computer is undergoing repairs)

The one downside is that so far I've found no use for flails - unlike shields they don't seem crucial for abilities (it would have been nice if, for instance, Heavenly Strength only allowed you to carry a two-handed flail one-handed, not any two-handed weapon). Diablo II's old-RPG-style arbitrary banning of weapons based on class wasn't ideal, but it's a real shame that in D3 all melee weapons are basically the same regardless of type. I should have an incentive to give my Enchantress a staff rather than a cleaver, my Paladin a spear rather than an axe, or whatever - or, indeed, my Crusader a flail rather than a two-handed sword.

I agree, it was annoying in D2, but even weirder having my mage run around with a massive axe and never actually taking a swing with it. I always thought it strange. Perhaps class specific weapons should have buffs for the class? Then it doesn't actually harm or stop another class using it anyway.
 
reading some of the patch notes, it looks like a lot of spells/feats for the monk and mage have changed. Maybe getting closer to this for the other classes? No actually played since the patch, but perhaps someone could see if other classes have had a similar change... (I can't, my computer is undergoing repairs)

Yes, I've tried a bit with the other classes - there's definitely been much more effort to give them distinctive features (for example, most of the Monk's attack abilities now have 'power-up' type effects resembling those of the D2 Assassin - every use up to the third bolsters the power; the Demon Hunter's pets now have an 'active' and 'passive' mode, a unique feature until the Crusader's Laws). Having played with several they still feel fundamentally more similar to one another than the Crusader does, though (except the Witch Doctor, but he was an oddball to begin with). Power-ups or no power-ups, the Monk basically still goes around thumping things, he just gets slightly better at it with each punch. And a Monk or Demon Hunter with a two-handed weapon build still has the same functional role as one with a one-handed weapon, as well as a skill set that's basically designed around doing the same thing with every skill type. The Crusader has a suite of more specifically-tailored skills that either improve his attacks, bolster his tankiness through lifegain and damage reduction, or grant him general utility abilities that can support both (such as a magic horse that can be both a weapon and a way to break control effects/escape enemies, or the shield glare blinding effect that can either help keep him alive or pin enemies in place while he prepares a Falling Sword jump or a sweep attack). And there's that synergy, which just increases as his options do; Falling Sword (jump into the middle of enemies dealing massive area damage) and the magic horse (allows quick movement unhindered by monsters, also with a rune that damages monsters it runs through) is one of my favourite combinations, particularly with Shield Glare: blind, jump, ride out knocking any survivors down as you go.

I agree, it was annoying in D2, but even weirder having my mage run around with a massive axe and never actually taking a swing with it. I always thought it strange. Perhaps class specific weapons should have buffs for the class? Then it doesn't actually harm or stop another class using it anyway.

Yes, that's an approach I'd have favoured - actually, post-patch truly class-specific items do have class-linked abilities much more often (so a flail isn't any different from a sword in principle, but is more likely to have Crusader-specific boosts), and more such abilities exist. I'm thinking more along the lines of the weapons that aren't class specific but are thematically more appropriate for certain characters - a wizard can happily use a bow as well as an axe, a monk a two-handed sword as well as a staff, etc. The Crusader does actually have D2-style limitations - he seems not to be allowed to use bows or certain other weapons, for example.

Alternatively, they could adopt an approach similar to the Crusader's block chance-based effects - based for instance on weapon attack speed. This is typically high for daggers, so perhaps the Witch Doctor could get attacks that multiply their effects based on attack speed? Monks and Demon Hunters could have effects that specifically trigger only if dual-wielding, while others require quivers (assorted magic arrows, for instance) or two-handed bows/crossbows/weapons. Maybe the Barbarian could have effects based on durability (possibly a weapon will lose X durability if used in a particularly powerful attack; or durability might be a straight modifier to damage from, e.g., a thrown weapon on the basis that a more robust item will cause more damage when it hits, so more durable types are favoured). Add more weapon characteristics, such as D2's extra damage vs. undead for staves and wands, that can also be linked to effects. Or simply bolster the effect of an ability if a specific weapon is equipped - I've already suggested restricting Heavenly Strength to two-handed flails. Maybe Sweeping Attack (described as creating a magic flail) changes its properties depending on whether you're equipped with a flail or not, or different runes may be available for a single ability that are specific to different weapon types.
 
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