Dodge is still critical, but no longer a one-off king. You need stamina and proper block control to succeed.
Stagger has changed. The more you stagger an enemy the more damage they take (up to a cap) and shields/great-weapons apply more stagger than smaller, high-dodge weapons. Shields are extremely viable since this update but not as DPS strong as the other weapons (same as before, essentially, but shields now do enough damage to be viable).
Saltzy’s billhook is a very powerful weapon but requires practice to be good at; certain attacks need not be used all the time but have their place against elites and hordes.
Kruber’s great-spear is great and spear-y and does everything very well and has great range.
Kerillian’s spear and shield is fantastic, but drops her DPS considerably and, when considering her normal kit, this can be a pretty intense change for a lot of players.
Sienna’s flail is cool if also a little underwhelming last I checked (IDK, though, I don’t have a ton of information on this one).
Bardin’s throwing axes are amazing. You throw them into people and one-shot most enemies but you can recall them like Mjollnir. 11/10, would throw through Rasknitt’s head again.
Be warned that the talents have shifted a lot but, as with games where break-points exist, there’s always going to be a “most optimized build.” Play with it yourself before you let anyone tell you what is “absolutely required” or “absolutely terrible.”
Cataclysm is terrifying. There are those who can face it and those who are sane
Handmaiden has been reigned in and is now reasonable; Shade is still good; Waystalker is still e-z-p-z mode and strong; Huntsman struggles because he’s really got none of the passive super-buffs the other careers have but is still a fun career to play; Mercenary Captain is great in all situations but long range sniping; Foot-Knight got a lot of love and is a great teammate to have nowadays but still underpowered, some might say; Unchained was nerfed into the ground but is playable if you like the style; Pyromancer/BW are insanely powerful at the moment and win games solo (fact check me on that, haven’t played them in a bit); Ranger Vet is solid but not godly just as before; Slayer is still bonkers and fun to play but requires more care and less fanatical left-clicking than before; Iron-Breaker got a lot of love, too, and now feels like you do more than just stand there; Zealot is still bonkers but his ranged was nerfed hard (this is a good thing); Witch-Hunter Captain I can’t remark on; Bounty-Hunter is still 1-shotting lots of things and being mediocre to a bit above that in the mean-time of those giant headshot-crits.
Welcome back! Feel free to correct me as you see fit