I'm sitting 3.2 out for unrelated reasons, but I just want to say a few things about these specific changes. Normally I'd say all this on the forum but I can't stand to even look at that page right now, so here works. Forgive the hubris of starting a new thread but I believe it's significant enough a topic to warrant it.
Firstly, the sword in 3.1 was/is WAY easier to get than I planned or suggested. I literally went to bed one night only to discover my niche weapon had hit the game and become a meme and then I was up until 5am on the PoE subreddit talking to people who didn't think I was the scum of the earth, so that was unusual and nice. The OG fad was amusing for a while, but it was never really the intention. Whether or not the 3.2 changes are closer to that intention I don't know, but the overall sense that OG should be rarer is in-line with what I envisioned.
If you're inclined to rush to Maps, this sword was never aimed at you in the first place. I think even at the 3.1 drop rates, that's the truth. The convenience of a 6L weapon you never have to replace, like, ever, fucks pretty hard with GGG's stubborn love of RNG, coercing people to trade and constantly worry about upgrading gear. Oni-Goroshi might not be BIS but it's certainly Good Enough In Slot, and from an unprecedented level 2 onward. And whether you like the dialogue or not, the fact that the sword's voice replaces the character's makes it a proxy 'guest character'. It fundamentally changes a primary interaction with the game itself. No other melee weapon can claim these facts together, so I figured acquiring it should be a slog. A slog of slogs. It should not be a convenience. It shouldn't be anything but a grueling trial. And while some of you already see it as such, I think the numbers say something else. I think the fact that I see an OG every time I'm in town speaks to the ease with which people are/were acquiring the sword, and the allure of doing so.
Secondly, actual nerfs were never on the table. When a developer has last-minute knackered one of your designs before it can even be released, you remain pretty damn wary of that sort of thing. I wanted to make sure during OG's design phase that whatever landed would be resistant to nerfs despite its power. The easiest way to do that was to regulate its proliferation via pain of acquisition. GGG never came to me after 3.1's dust had settled and said, 'so, nerf OG or decreased drop rate, which will it be?'...it was a foregone conclusion the drop rate would be modified. I just want to make clear this isn't a nerf or knee jerk reaction, not from my perspective. It's a normalisation of rarity vs potency. Well, that's the intention. If GGG go too far the other way and Uber Hillock virtually never spawns, that's between them and you.
I am curious what this will do to the value of the cards, which were always meant to be easy to get and trade. Someone sticking to one or two characters will probably have no use for the cards or the sword, but those wanting to play an OG build from scratch can get the sword via the cards fairly easily and mule it down.
Regarding SSF: making OG rarer overall might make it look like a direct attack on SSF, but it's more like collateral damage (GGG's specialty). If I had my way, things would be different. It'd be more common on SSF. Hell, if I had my way Uber Hillock would only spawn on SSF. But GGG were determined ages ago to ensure that SSF as a play style is 100% a self-imposed handicap with no incentive beyond saying 'hey look how awesome I am'. Which is entirely their business. I think going for OG on SSF is still going to be worth it for the same reason anyone plays SSF in the first place: to prove something. There is value in rarity. This rare item just happens to be fairly useful as well, and activates a pseudo-hidden character.
I don't know what they've done to Uber Hillock. I have been told he has a higher chance of spawning at lower level than before but (I figure) a lower chance of spawning overall. And that it is a difficult encounter. I wasn't expecting Hillock to actually wield OG (I always figured she'd consider him unworthy) but I'm impressed GGG made that work. It could be interesting if Uber Hillock spawned for a level 2 character and proceeded to tear them to shreds. Nice echoes of back when Hailrake was actually dangerous. At least the respawn point isn't so far away. I don't imagine it'll happen that often though. Still, that might have been a really mean way to make OG rarer. Vastly increase Uber Hillock spawn rate at lower level (2 onward) but make it so hard you couldn't touch it and the spawn 'wins'. You'd have to switch characters and get back to the grind. Oh, that'd be cruel.
I do think anyone who hits even level 3 in Twilight Strand is there for OG. There's just no reason to stay there past that first Hillock kill otherwise (well, maybe a player is going for Beginner's Luck). So I like the idea of Uber Hillock spawning any time after that first Hillock kill, although not so common as to make it a viable racing option. I don't know if that's how it is, but the general indication that Uber Hillock can and will now spawn at lower level does seem to be leaning that way.
Lastly, I don't know if GGG did all of this on purpose or not. If they made OG much easier to get in 3.1 than I intended so that more people would get to experience it at least once. Or if they figured my initial suggestion for the item's rarity was just inappropriate. But it's been a good run. So many custom made uniques never get their chance to shine so I consider myself incredibly fortunate that I had the resources to make mine stand out briefly and not always in a bad way. I think it would have still stood out had the initial Uber Hillock spawn rate been closer to what I suggested but not in the same way. We'll never really know though.
Anyway, that's where I stand. The sword itself hasn't been nerfed in any way, it's just been made harder to get (at least, the 'difficult' way has been made more difficult). I'll be watching to see how long it takes people to get the sword in 3.2 and to see what sort of Uber Hillock encounter GGG have cooked up. Were I intending to play 3.2, I'd still go for it. Just to see. But I completely understand if people who used OG in 3.1 think it's unrealistically rare or too much of a commitment with 3.2's changes when you could get a character to Maps quicker than you could find and kill Uber Hillock. To those who think that way, thank you for at least giving my item a go in 3.1 and I hope you enjoyed using it. I'm really glad you got that chance.
And to those who are still going to try for Oni-Goroshi: best of luck, you crazy shits. :)
And to those who never did: you're the smart ones, and never let anyone tell you otherwise!
