Responses to the 3.1.0 Patch Notes

We posted the 3.1.0 patch notes today, and wanted to quickly address some specific feedback.

There are too few buffs
This was honestly a time issue. We have buffs planned that have been pushed to later 3.1.x patches or 3.2.0 due to being incomplete as of this week. The 3.1.0 expansion was developed under an aggressive schedule, fitting what would normally take 26 weeks into 17. While we try to budget sufficient time to include everything we want to into a release, we felt that this was an acceptable compromise over not having a big December release for you to enjoy during the holidays. Buffing stuff isn't just a matter of typing a bigger number into a box, but often involves re-creating content from the ground up, like with Lightning Tendrils.

Also, please note that many buffs have come in the form of new uniques or skill combinations that aren't 100% obvious from quickly skim-reading the patch notes.

Not enough buffs for unpopular Ascendancy Classes
3.2.0 is planned to have a rebalance of all Ascendancies (notably including the Scion and Elementalist).

Breach is on Level 8 Zana again
We absolutely know that you like Breach, and that's why the Abyss league has been designed the way it has. It is the new Breach, and it is in almost every area. It's balanced in basically the same way in terms of hectic fights and item rewards.

Breach still occurs 10% of the time in maps, it's easy to roll with the "Fortune Favours the Brave" outcome, and we chose to include it on Zana's list for a second consecutive league (rather than rotating it out). There are certainly going to be a lot of Breaches opened in 3.1.0!

The Baron nerf
This item should never have gone out in its original state. A single item granting a ~200% bonus to melee physical damage for minions is not acceptable. We are very sorry for this, and that we had to later nerf it. It's still a great item.

From what I overhear in the office, the new Abyss Jewels are "outrageously powerful for summoners" and can roll "so much crazy shit".

The patch notes are "generally underwhelming"
So with this release, we pulled out the new expansion details, the league, all the specific nerfs, and heaps of news tidbits for separate announcement. This left the patch notes themselves somewhat dry of exceptionally interesting information, as we generally spotlighted it earlier (with the exception of the new Flask UI, Hedge Maze removal, character league dropdown QOL changes, etc). Do you feel this approach was worse than holding back information to bolster the patch notes with crazy reveals?