I can't even believe this. I was realizing there was something wierd about initiative, but I wasnt really paying attention.

This change is absolutely crap. Im not talking about balance. Games need to be balanced, but fun is also important. You have to balance the game while keeping the fun elements. And initiative is (was) IMO one of the most fun stats. Its not just +damage or +resistances. Its something that changes the flow of battle.

And not only did they remove the stat, even worse, they make it useless while still mantaining the stat. Looks like a total clumsy last moment change without any thought put into it.

If you think players stacking initiative were beeing too powerful, do some thinking and search for a way to make a cool change, not just remove a cool stat.