I’ve done several tests, and between a physical build and a elemental build, the full physical build deals significantly more damage (30% more on average).
Just by replacing one enchantement.
For example, with a bow, spamming normal, non-elemental attacks like a fool does more damage than playing more strategically. Before, even though elemental builds were broken, there was an “intelligent and satisfying” aspect to theorycrafting.
Furthermore, I find that 5% on elemental versus 10% on physical feels more like “catch-up” than “balancing.” It would have been more relevant to keep 10% or 5% for everything and boost the formula for physical attacks to make them more balanced. Simply halving the elemental bonuses is a lazy approach.
I understand that elementals have their advantages and that before it was too much. But the balancing wasn’t done well.
I can still dominate the game by spamming elemental rune attack. And with other builds, I deal much more damage by spamming normal physical attacks, which makes infusions obsolete.
Now, everything is spaming , you just have more to dodge.
So, sure, the game is harder than before, but it has also become less intelligent in its gameplay. We’ve gone from a too broken but sophisticated meta to a a meta less broken but less stimulating.
(sorry for my bad english)
Thanks a lot for the detailed tests, @Konrad.
I admit I was a bit harsh regarding the “intelligence” of the builds. It would have been more relevant to talk about build variety. This is the main issue with this patch.
Before, we had a specific strategy for each element that worked better.
Lightning allowed for attack speed builds that provided good DPS. Now, the attack speed bonus doesn’t compete enough with the physical meta to justify using it.
Plague allowed for stagger builds that provided interesting CC. Now, this element is even weaker than before, and the stagger provided by the plague enchantment is useless when lightning or physical damage can stagger enemies more quickly and easily.
Ice allowed for shatter builds that gave physical damage a more tactical purpose. In fact, it was the only way to make ice useful for dealing damage. Now, freezing a boss takes so long that playing that way is pointless.
Fire was for pure DPS. But since the nerf to critical hit enchantments, the critical hit bonus from Combustion is less useful. Why bother applying Combustion for such a small bonus when the physical damage advantage is enough to do better without having to resort to that affliction? Only with mage builds does fire remain worthwhile.
I think elemental builds have lost their identity. NRFTW had a gameplay dimension that made it truly interesting. Now the combat just looks like another Soulslike, and that’s a shame. This game is way more than that.