What is theorycrafting?
Theorycrafting, with regard to the Diablo series, is the act of combining known information about the game (especially stat-based information) with the intent to create a powerful new build. The process is often done between the gap in time when new patch notes are posted and the patch is implemented on the server. Because the proposed builds are "theories" and untested, not all of them turn out to be effective in-game.
The term, theorycrafting, originates from the StarCraft community. Players that repeatedly posted unorthodox tactics and strategies on StarCraft forums were known as "theorycrafters." Whereas they were looked down on, today's theorycrafters are seen in a better light, after hundreds of game-breaking builds have originated from the practice.
Blizzard's comments on theorycrafting
Rod Fergusson, the General Manager of the Diablo franchise, stated that he loves theorycrafting [1] and wants to do his best to make Diablo 4 a game that's fun to theorycraft with, but not so complex that it discourages players:
"I love theorycrafting. It's one of the things that draws me to these games -- how do I make a build, set up skills, and make things work together. You want a lot of depth so you can have a lot of choice so you're not making the same build all the time -- like if we're both fire-based Sorcereres and know exactly what skills we're using. You want enough choice to make it feel unique to yourself. There's some games where you say: that's way too complicated, so I'm going to look up a website that tells me what to put in. You're making someone else's build because it's so complicated -- you can't feel like you can own the theorycrafting. That's a line that we've been walking, to make sure you have lots of choices in active and passive skills, but still grokable enough that you can create your own build."Rod Fergusson · General Manager of Diablo Franchise ·
Most popular theorycrafters
Many players theorycraft, but few are able to repeatedly think up new builds that change the game's meta. Perhaps the most effective theorycrafters in the Diablo community are MrLlamaSC, one of the top Diablo 2 speedrunners and finisher of the Diablo 2 "Holy Grail" item hunt, and Kripparrian, who was the first player to beat Diablo 3 on Hardcore Inferno mode.
TOPDiablo 4 stats to know
Theorycrafting has gotten more popular with each successive Diablo game, so expect to see lots of YouTube videos and Twitch streams dedicated to Diablo 4 theorycrafting. In the past, synthesizing many of the following stats has been important:
- Attack speed
- Cooldown durations
- Critical strike chance
- Defense
- Dodge chance
- Gem bonuses
- Health and Mana
- Magic find
- Movement speed
- Number of sockets
- Paragon points
- Primary stats
- Resource generation
- Skill bonuses
Xiphoid has been playing Diablo since the original's release in 1997. He made one of the largest Age of Empires sites in the late-'90s and early-'00s. Now, he runs MythicDrop.com, a premier Diablo 4 fansite.
Sources
| Article | Source | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Blizzard talks about skill choice & depth in D4 | IGN |
Changelog
| Ver | Change | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Beta | Added section on Blizzard's opinion on theorycrafting | |
 |
Alpha | Published original |
